Love's Tangled Web by Donna Taylor

Chapter 71

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Alex let out a snarky sound through his nose, looking up at the sky and giving Joanna a sideways glance.

Layton saw Alex acting obnoxious and quickly stepped in to smooth things over. “Yes, Mrs. Thompson, this is Alex. He grew up alongside Ellie.”

A few years ago, Ellie’s mom came to visit the Warrens for the first time just when Layton was there. Alex’s mom made him call Joanna “Mrs. Thompson,” so he followed along,

Joanna smiled and nodded. “Hey, kiddo, please say hi to your grandpa for us. Thanksgiving is just around the corner, and since Ellie’s dad can’t move around well nowadays, we won’t be able to make it to your place. I brought some things for your grandpa, could you take them back?”

As she spoke, Joanna finally dropped the heavy burlap bag she had been carrying and handed it to Alex. Disgusted, he glanced at the contents and took a step

back.

Mrs. Thompson, I’ll take it,” Layton quickly reached out to grab it when he saw

“Tomorrow is Thanksgiving. You should take a day off

Ellie watched her parents retreating, the weight of

Knowing full well her children had been wronged, all she could do was swallow her feelings

would only make

any

the cane, noticing it trembled violently. “You guys have been in the car all day

home!” her father repeated

face, tears brimming in her eyes. With her back turned to everyone, she cried silently as she looked over at

a child who’d done something wrong. His eyes were red at the corners, brimming with tears, and that sense of helplessness made Ellie’s heart

father.