"Wait, what?" Erin shrieked in the hallway.
Grabbing her hand, Emma pulled her into the bathroom. "Yes, Erin, you heard me. Ben said he loves me."
"Ahh!" Erin squealed, hopping about. "'Oh my goodness I'm so happy!" Emma's heart sank.
"You are? Because I wasn't happy." Erin stopped hopping, and sighed. It wasn't that Emma didn't like Ben, of course she did, but the L word? She wasn't ready. "Sorry, Erin, I didn't mean to snap. I'm just so confused about my feelings."
Erin nodded, and they opened the door, to find Elizabeth standing sheepishly outside. "Elizabeth." Erin scowled.
"Sorrry." Elizabeth sighed. "But he said he loved you?"
"Wait what? Who did?" Jim Bob demanded.
"Joy." Emma groaned, and giving Jim Bob a forced smile, she swallowed when Ben walked out of his room.
"Gossiping about me?" Ben raised an eyebrow, smirking cockily. Ugh, that made Emma mad. There was something about Ben's cockiness that made her like him even more, maybe it was the 'come get me' vibes, or the creative poses.
"Yeah, and?" Emma snapped, trying not to notice that Jim Bob were stifling laughter and running downstairs.
"Nothing." Ben shrugged. "Why?"
Emma scowled. "Well, you basically just said 'I love you' last night now you are acting like nothing happened." She snapped.
Ben's face clouded. "Hey, you said everything was fine last night."
"Why are men so oblivious?" She shouted, storming into the bedroom and slamming the door.
"Emma?" Olivia opened the door and sat beside her quietly. "I know you are hurting. I remember when John first said those words-I was very conflicted about my feelings."
"Why does everything have to be so complicated." Emma sighed, cuddling up to Olivia.
"I don't know. I just pray to the good Lord about it. Sometimes we don't know why life is so hard. But He knows." Olivia said softly.
"How can you be so sure about your faith?" Emma turned to look her in the eye.
"Because He promised me that he would never leave nor forsake me." She pinched her daughter's cheeks before standing up. "I left some sandwiches for ya."
"I hate him. I hate him. I hate him."
Emma pinched herself. Why was she being so childish? She didn't hate Ben. Not at all. But the bickering had been going on too long. She had to do something.
The next morning before work, Emma caught Ben walking down to the mill. "Ben, I would like to talk." She said nervously.
Ben turned and raised an eyebrow when he saw who it was. "Want to argue again?" He said dryly.
Emma bit her lip. "I'm sorry for being so childish." She looked down at her feet awkwardly, and tensed when Ben started to speak.
"No, it was my fault. I said those words too soon." He sighed bitterly, inwardly kicking himself. "See you later." He strolled down to the mill, swallowing his emotions. Emma rubbed at her eyes quickly as Mary Ellen walked down.
"Emma, what's wrong?" Mary Ellen frowned. Emma said nothing, but pulled her big sister into a hug.
On better terms, Emma and Ben slowly began to mend their relationship. No more 'love you's' were uttered, and life became a routine. Mary Ellen obviously had a hard time being a single mother, but John Curtis was growing fast. He was walking normally and speaking a few words.
"John Curtis, come on!" Emma coaxed to her nephew, motioning for him. John Curtis laughed and wobbled over. It was hard to believe he was one already.
"Mama?" He questioned as Emma pulled him onto her lap.
"Mama is coming home soon, sweetheart." Emma bounced him up and down. Mary Ellen walked through the door and beamed.
"John Curtis!" She laughed and picked him up, spinning him around. "Mama is home!" John Curtis laughed and cuddled close to his mama. "Man, work was busy." Mary Ellen had recently got back into working, even in the summer months. She was finding it hard without Curt, as he only got to come home to visit at least once a month.
"Yeah." Emma nodded, smiling at Erin who had walked over from making supper.