“What are you going to do?”
Ada sighed. “I don’t know. But I cannot marry him.”
“Any new reasons for that?”
Ada stole a glance at her, finding Lily’s eyes twinkling.
“Just say what you want to say.”
“Very well. How much does Jonny Tate have to do with this?”
Ada cringed. “How do you know about that?”
Lily laughed. “Oh, Ada. The two of you can hardly be in the same room without the tension radiating off both of you. Everyone can feel it. That man is in love with you.”
Ada scoffed. “In love! Lily. You are right. He might want me. But that’s the extent of it. He told me clear as can be that he wants nothing to do with me and I should marry David.”
Even as she said it, however, she knew that she was lying. Jonny might not love her, but he did feelsomethingfor her. He had practically admitted it the night he had told her that he could never allow anything to happen to her.
“And how do you feel?” Lily asked.
“I feel… like I want nothing more than to be with him, yet he frustrates me to no end.”
“Sounds like a man,” Lily said with a nod, and Ada laughed.
“Ada, get back on the field!”
They both smirked at Emmaline’s command. On the football field, she was as forceful as her husband.
“We will resume this later!” Lily called out after her as she ran away, and Ada could only shake her head. She had no doubt they would.
She had decided one thing when she had been trapped withJonny last night. She wasn’t going to continue living her life this way. She needed to break free of it all — but at this point, she had no idea just which path forward would take her there.
She had to discover it soon, however, for there was one thing she knew. Her heart was nearly gone, given away to Jonny Tate.
Whether either of them liked it or not.
“Ma? Maggie?” As usual, Jonny didn’t knock before he entered his sister’s house. He paused, waiting for the usual warm welcome, but received only silence.
He frowned. That was odd.
“Ma?” he called again, before he finally heard her voice from one of the back bedrooms.
“Coming!”
Finally, she emerged, a smile on her face when she saw Jonny. She slowly walked over and placed a kiss on both of his cheeks. “It’s good to see you.”
“How are you?”
“All is well.”
She led him over to the kitchen table, motioning for him to sit, then walked to the small cooking area, where stew was simmering.
“You don’t have to cook for me,” he attempted, knowing his protests were futile. Feeding her children was one of the many ways she showed them how much she loved them. He supposed he shouldn’t take that away from her.
And hewashungry.
“Where are Maggie and the kids?”
