Page 98 of The Huntress and the Half-Back
"What was that for?" she murmured, tracing the line of his jaw with gentlefingers.
Jonny shook his head, his throat working around the swell of emotion. "For being you. For being... extraordinary."
Ada ducked her head, color blooming in her cheeks. "I'm not?—"
"You are,” he said.
He thought back to those dark days when he had pushed her away, convinced that his sins would only taint her. But Ada had broken through his walls to find the man beneath, the man who yearned for redemption and a future worth fighting for.
With her by his side, he had found the courage to turn his back on the criminal underworld and build a new life – one of honesty, of purpose, of love.
He never would have thought he would be calling himself lucky.
But here he was.
The luckiest man in the world.
Ada looked around at the seven other people who she wouldn’t just call her friends now.
They had become her family, replacing those who hadn’t been there for her when she needed them the most.
Tommy clapped Jonny on the back with one hand, his baby in the other as he took a seat next to them at the long wooden table Rhys and Emmaline had set up in the garden behind their house. The sun hung low on the horizon, bathing everything in a warm, honeyed glow.
"Nice match today, Ada," Tommy said with a grin. "Reckon you could give Jonny a run for his money."
Ada laughed, settling onto the bench, leaning in closer to Jonny beside her, looking up at him and enjoying the teasinglaughter in his eyes as he stared at her. "I don't know about that. But it does feel good to be out there again."
Emmaline leaned forward, her eyes sparkling with mischief. "Speaking of being out there, I heard Lord Harcourt is considering sponsoring our team. Apparently, he was quite impressed with our last few matches."
Ada's eyebrows shot up. "Truly? But I thought he disapproved of women playing football."
"He did," Lily chimed in, bouncing little Susan on her knee. "But Colin and I have been working on him. I think seeing you all in action is changing his mind."
Pride swelled in Ada's chest as she looked around at these women who had become like sisters to her – Minnie with her gentle guidance, Lily with her quiet strength, Emmaline with her fierce loyalty. They had stood by her through everything, even when her own family had turned their backs on her.
Jonny squeezed her hand under the table, and she glanced over at him, seeing her own emotions reflected in his hazel eyes. He had been her rock, her champion, her partner in every sense of the word.
"Took him long enough to come around," Rhys grumbled good-naturedly as he set a platter of roasted meat on the table. "But I'm glad he did. You deserve to be recognized, just as much as we do."
"Hear, hear!" Tommy called out, raising his glass. "To the Manchester ladies!"
Everyone toasted, the garden ringing with the clink of glasses and joyful voices. As Ada sipped her lemonade, she thought about how far they had all come.
Minnie and Tommy were happy raising their little family. Will had earned Inspector Finch's trust and now worked alongside him to keep the city safe. Colin's law practice was thriving with Lily by his side. And Rhys and Emmalinepresided over Manchester’s football teams like the proud patriarch and matriarch they were.
"Penny for your thoughts, luv," Jonny murmured, tucking a wayward strand of hair behind her ear.
Ada leaned into his touch, her heart so full she thought it might burst. "I was just thinking about how lucky I am. To have all of you. To have this." She gestured around the table. "A year ago, I never would have imagined my life could look like this. I thought I would be sitting in drawing rooms, next to David Carter, feeling more like a piece of furniture than a woman.”
As laughter and good-natured ribbing flowed around her, Ada found herself blinking back sudden tears.
These people — this makeshift family bound by loyalty and shared history — were her heart.
They had seen each other through the darkest of times and come out the other side stronger, more determined to live life on their own terms.
Jonny's hand found hers under the table, his calloused fingers lacing through hers. She glanced up to find him watching her, a soft smile playing about his lips. That look – tender and a little awed, as if he still couldn't quite believe she was his – never failed to make her breath catch.
Not so long ago, a scene like this would have seemed impossible – Jonny, relaxed and welcomed among friends while his brother, Will, was a large part of his life, working beside him at an honest job. Meanwhile, the shadow of Ada's past was reduced to mere gossip and rumor that she no longer cared about. Here they were, scars and all, building something real and good and entirely their own.
A small, secret smile curved Ada's lips as she thought of the life she knew was growing inside her – the one she hadn't yet shared with Jonny. A new chapter, a new reason to bebrave. Her free hand drifted to her still-flat stomach, marveling at the way love could take root in the most unexpected places and flourish despite the odds.
She squeezed Jonny's fingers. This moment, these people, this love — it was everything. A gift she once thought she'd never have.
Catching Jonny's gaze, Ada raised her glass, the late afternoon light casting a golden glow over the tables. "To family," she said, her voice thick with emotion, "and to the future."
He held her gaze, all that they felt for one another strumming between them, left unsaid for the moment, but completely understood.
“To family.”
