“Whatever Susannah has told you is a lie. There is no one else. I have been waiting patiently for you to return, Eleanora. For four years to be exact while you put our lives together on hold. We had a plan when you turned eighteen, but college was more important. I should’ve left you then, but I didn’t. I’m tired of waiting.”
“Well, you’ll have to wait a bit longer because I’m not marrying you, Roy. I’m not. I’m in love with someone else.”
Roy stands. “Oh yeah, where is he? Because I don’t see him here and from what I’ve heard, he wants nothing to do with you.”
“Who’ve you been talking to, huh?” I stalk toward him, keeping my arms crossed so he can’t reach for my hand.
“Doesn’t matter. It’s the truth. I can see it in your eyes.”
“You know nothing, Roy, except how to hurt me. It’s all you’ve ever done. You can’t keep your thing in your pants and I’m not about to marry someone who can’t be faithful.”
“I’m not the one who’s been dating someone else.”
“I broke up with you, so you can’t even say it’s the same thing.” I cover my face and walk to the edge of the porch. I have so many memories of this house, and at times I wish I could go back to being young and carefree. Being an adult is overrated.
Roy’s hands rest on my shoulders. “I’m sorry,” he says quietly. “You’re right. I haven’t been a good boyfriend to you, but you’re home now and this is an opportunity for us to start something fresh.”
“I’m not in love with you, Roy.”
“You were once before, it can happen again.”
I turn and look into his eyes. “Why is marrying me damn important? There’s a gaggle of women in town who will happily be your wife, why me, Roy?”
He sets his hands on my hips and pulls me close. I search deep inside for any inkling that there are feelings there, but there’s nothing. I feel absolutely nothing for him and it’s not something that can come back with time. The only person I want to be standing here with is Quinn. It doesn’t matter that he doesn’t want to be with me. My heart needs time to heal and marrying Roy isn’t the solution.
“Because I’ve loved you for as long as I’ve known you.”
“You have a funny way of showing someone that you love them.”
“I’m not perfect, Eleanora. I can admit when I’ve made mistakes. You, however, are not one of them.”
“And you’d marry a woman who is in love with another man?”
“In time, she’ll love me again.”
“I see.”
“So, at your mama’s party, we’ll announce our plans to get married?”
“Eleanora are you ready?” The sound of Susannah’s voice rings out. I look toward her and smile, slipping away from Roy.
“Perfect timing,” I whisper to her as I grab her arm. I don’t bother to say goodbye to Roy as my friend and I walk toward my mother’s rose garden.
“What did he want?”
“He wants to get married.”
“Are you going to?”
I pull up short, stopping us in the middle of one of the gardens. Susannah’s dressed similarly to me with a floral print dress, but she’s wearing a sunhat with hers, something my mama would like to see me do. A few of the workers pass by, tipping the brim of their hats at us. We smile and wait for them to pass before we start talking again.
“No, I’m not. I don?
?t love him and besides, he’s going to have a child with that woman, even Rhett says so. Williemae says I need to look past it. But, how can I? We are not living in the old world anymore and it’s time our traditions change.”
“With Roy, if you look over his shoulder, there’s a line of women waiting in the wings.”
“That’s what I told him.”