Chapter 17
Chapter Seventeen
“Thanks, Ma,” Jonny said, accepting the plate his mother placed in front of him as he sat at the worn dining table in the middle of her kitchen.
It was now his sister’s house as much as it was his mother’s, for Maggie and her husband had moved in to take care of their mother, but it would always be his childhood home.
It was a place full of memories. Some good. Some not so good. But all had made him into the man he was today.
A man who would take a woman, likely for her first time, not take any precautions, and then let her walk out the door.
He was an ass.
He had always known that, but somehow, it felt so much worse now that it had been with Ada.
"What’s wrong with you, Jonny?” his sister asked as she bustled into the room, moving quickly as she always did, never stilling, putting away plates while she kept her one-year-old out of trouble.
“Nothing,” he grumbled.
“No?” she said, turning to face him. “You look just like Will did when he was here last.”
“I do not want to talk about Will. You know that,” he muttered.
His mother reached over and placed her hand over Jonny’s. “You are both my sons,” she said. “You are both welcome here, and I wish there wasn’t this rift between you.”
Jonny just nodded, his eyes cast down on the table. He had so much to say about Will, but he would never say it to his mother. She loved both of them equally, had never shown any favoritism, and he wasn’t about to try to sway her one way or the other.
“Maybe someday, Ma.”
She patted his hand, and he was reminded of how she had always shown them so much love when they were children, no matter what was happening with his father or Blackwood or how they began to follow in their father’s footsteps.
He knew she had hated it, but she had just kept on being her, showing that she would always be there, stable, giving, no matter what path they chose.
“Someday, I hope you can find it in your hearts to forgive each other. You are brothers, and you each have a different understanding of the same situation.”
“We certainly do,” Jonny said, before looking up at his mother, biting his lip. “Do you think I’m a good person?”
His question was an abrupt change of subject, even making his sister stop in her tracks, her skirts swirling as she swivelled to stare at him.
“A good person?” his mother repeated.
“Yes. Answer me honestly. Please.”
She leaned closer, her hazel eyes boring into him.
“I think you have a good heart, Jonny. Deep within you, you want what is best for those around you. You want to save those you love. But some of your teachings at an age far too young showed you the wrong way to provide that love. I think you are a good person, yes, who sometimes lets his past get in the way of showing the truth of that goodness.”
He nodded slowly, rubbing his hand over his chin.
“What’s this about?” his sister asked, taking a seat in the other chair. Her daughter toddled over to them, but instead of going to her mother, she raised her arms for Jonny.
He lifted her onto his lap without questioning, burrowing his nose in her soft, fuzzy hair.
He couldn’t tell them about Ada, or they wouldn’t stop their questions and, truthfully, he had nothing to say — nothing he could share without seeming like the ass he was, anyway. They would only tell him to go after her, to admit he was wrong, to promise her the forever that he couldn’t.
“I was angry and I wasn’t as kind to someone as I should have been,” he finally managed. “I took out my anger in a way that I’m not proud of.”
“Was this person hurt?” his sister asked.
Jonny shrugged. “I think so.”
His mother sighed as she sat back in her chair, studying him.
“Most things can be made right, Jonny, if you are true to yourself and your intentions,” she said. “Have you apologized to her?”
His head snapped up. “I never said it was a her.”
His mother smiled, exchanging a glance with his sister. “You didn’t. But I can tell by that devastated look on your face. I don’t think I’ve ever seen you care about anyone besides your family that much. Tell her why you did it. What she means to you.”
He sighed. “I can’t. It’s much more complicated than that.”
“Saying how you feel won’t hurt anything.”
He shook his head. “If only you knew.”
“We could if you would tell us more. If you are asking me whether you are a good man, Jonny, it means that you care that you are. Take that and be the man you want to be, you hear me?”
He nodded slowly. Apologizing didn’t come naturally to him, but if he wanted Ada to know he did regret how he'd handled things, there was only one way to go about it.
“Very well,” he said, nodding, even as uncertainty began to bubble in his belly. “I’ll try.”
“That’s all you can do,” his mother said, and he knew she wasn’t referring only to this situation but to the one with his brother as well. That would have to be tackled another day, however, if ever.
He’d go see Ada soon.
He just hoped she would find it within herself to forgive him.
Jonny never had a chance to see Ada the rest of the week. He couldn’t very well just show up at her house, nor did he want to involve any of his teammates in arranging time for the two of them to meet. Most of the Manchester Central players were keeping their distance from him, anyway.
For now, he was still on the team, as Rhys hadn’t said anything to the contrary when he had shown up at practice that week, likely because no one else could fill his place quick enough.
All he could do was play his heart out on game day to show them how much he valued his position on the team and that he was willing to give everything he had to play hard for them.
They were playing Notts County, who gave them a good run in every game, and today would likely be as difficult a game as they ever had.
But he was ready.
Tommy was the only player who came over to him before the game, giving him a slap on the shoulder.
“Ready, Jon?”
“As ready as can be,” he said, his gaze wandering around the room, finding no one was meeting his eye, except for Rhys, who was staring him down unflinchingly. “Not sure I’m wanted here any longer, Tommy, to be honest with you.”
“They’ll get over it,” Tommy said as they walked out together. “I think if you told us what is going on with you, they’d be much more likely to support you than you realize. This club looks out for each other, as long as you give them your trust. I learned that the hard way myself last season.”
“You have no idea, Tommy.”
“I have some idea,” he said, looking at Jonny closer. “Does this have to do with Will or Ada?”
Jonny looked over at him sharply.
“Both.”
“Bit of a pickle, then.”
“You could say that.”
“Well, if there’s one thing I’m good at, it’s finding a way out of tricky situations,” Tommy said with a grin. “Let me know when you’re ready for some help.”
“I’ll do that, Tommy,” he said as they ran out onto the field, the cheers of the fans somewhat buoying his spirits.
They didn’t know where he had come from, what he had done, nor the battle he was facing now.
At least, most of them didn’t. To them, he was Jonny Tate, half-back for Manchester Central.
And for the next ninety minutes, that’s all he could be.
He stood there for a moment, filling himself with the scent of the hard grass beneath his feet, the sounds of the crowd cheering and the men yelling at each other around him, the damp in the air that was creeping through his cotton uniform, which the heat of his body would soon chase away once he got moving.
The collective groan when Rhys lost the coin toss shook him back to the present, and he found his place, focused.
And gave it all he had.
The game commenced with a flurry of energy.
Fuelling all the restless drive that had been building within him, Jonny was in his element, weaving through opponents with the grace of a dancer, his mind focused entirely on the game.
Every pass, every tackle felt like a chance to prove himself, to silence the doubts that had plagued him since the rumors started swirling about Ada.
As the game progressed, both teams fought fiercely, but Jonny’s perseverance and the chemistry with his teammates began to shift the tide. In the final minutes, with the score still knotted, he found himself in a perfect position to send a cross up the field to Tommy.
Jonny kicked the ball, placing it as flawlessly as he could before it soared into the air. Time seemed to slow as Tommy leapt, connecting cleanly with a powerful header that sent the ball crashing into the back of the net.
The crowd erupted in cheers, a euphoric wave crashing over Jonny as Tommy landed back on the ground. Manchester Central had secured the victory, and as his teammates gathered around Tommy, Jonny felt a surge of pride wash over him.
This win wasn’t just for the team; it was a testament to his determination to rise above the chaos of his life and embrace the future — especially with Ada cheering from the stands.
With the win now in place, all that he had blocked out during the game came rushing back to him — what he had done with Ada, how he had taken her without thought to her own feelings or experience, how he had gone against everything that told him she was not a woman to play around with, but one who deserved commitment and kindness, if nothing else.
Although he had a feeling that if she was with a man who was too nice to her, she’d eat him alive.
Still, he owed her an apology.
What happened from there was up to her.
He quickly changed, not speaking much to his teammates, although they met his eye more than they had before the game.
“Jonny?” Tommy said as he was about to push through the door. Jonny looked back over his shoulder. “Join us at The King’s Head?”
He made a non-committal grunt as he walked out, not giving them an answer one way or another. He supposed part of it had to do with how well his conversation with Ada went.
And there she was, across from the changing rooms as he emerged.
Minnie, Lily, and Emmaline were nearby, but she was standing a few feet away from them, as though she had been pulled away.
Which, by the looks of things, she had.
Jonny’s entire body went on edge when he saw Carter standing there, talking with her.
He was nearly hovering over her, as though he was telling her what he wanted instead of having a conversation with her.
Even though Jonny knew he was no better than Carter — likely worse — he didn’t like the idea of Ada being intimidated, and he walked over to tell Carter to get out of her face.
From her claims that there was nothing between them, the man had no need to be so close to her.
“Ada, this has gone on long enough,” he heard as he walked up behind them, neither of them seeing him approach, for their backs were turned.
Emmaline noticed, however, her eyes widening, as he stood there, but he could have cared less that she was watching him eavesdrop.
If Ada wasn’t going to tell him the truth, he would hear it for himself.
“Our fathers want us to marry, and it’s time we did so,” Carter stated.
“You just decided that now?” Ada asked incredulously.
“The timing is right,” Carter said. “Our businesses need to merge, and I think you and I are both ready for that next step.”
“Is that how you really feel, David?” Ada said. “I’ve heard it from you time and again, and then nothing happens.”
“I just needed more time. I mean it now, Ada,” he said, lifting her hand in his. “I want to do this and do it quickly. Please?”
Jonny tensed. He had no idea what Ada was about to say – but truthfully, what did it matter? She should marry Carter. She might not like Carter much, but at least he could provide her with some security. With Jonny, she’d always be in danger, as long as Will and Sharpe were after him.
He didn’t wait to hear what she had to say in response.
Instead, he pushed forward, coming between them.
“Congratulations, Carter,” he said, sticking his hand out, uncaring that Carter eyed it in disdain. “Had heard the two of you were promised for a while now, but nice to see that you’re finally going ahead. I’m sure you’ll be very happy together.”
Carter looked surprised but shrugged and took his hand.
Jonny risked a look over at Ada.
Her brows were drawn together, her nose wrinkled, her lips pressed together.
She was infuriated.
At him.
So much for that apology.