Chapter Eight
For the past two days, Bella hadn’t been able to stop thinking about Heath. It was rather strange since until recently they hadn’t seen each other for months and months. Now he’d gotten back under her skin. Who was she kidding? Perhaps he’d always been there. Heath Donahue was a hard man to get over. Bella couldn’t seem to stop loving him. Or caring about what happened to him. This visit to Savannah was so very important to Heath. And because it mattered to Heath, it was important to Bella as well. As much as she had tried to sever her connection to Heath, it had proved impossible. Now that they were expecting a baby, there was no way those ties would ever be cut. They would be in each other’s lives for the rest of their lives.
He’d called her once from Savannah in order to check up on her and the baby. It had been a sweet and unexpected gesture that had worked its way right into the center of her heart. And from the sounds of it, the trip to Savannah had been worthwhile.
And now, she was headed over to his house—the fixer upper he had bought a few months ago. After parking her car in the pebbled driveway, Bella stood back and admired the small white house with the lime green shutters. She couldn’t help but grin. Lime green was Heath’s favorite color.
Bella knocked at the door, smiling at the sight of the seashell wreath on the door and the brightly-colored Adirondack chairs on the wraparound porch. A placard with the word Donahue had been nailed to the space beside the door. Heath was making his home eye-catching with all these special touches. She rang the bell and waited a few moments for Heath to come to the door. The moment he swung the door open Bella could see the look of peace etched on his face. Clearly, this trip to Savannah had been beneficial for him. With his short-sleeved blue shirt and tan shorts, he looked comfy and relaxed. And very easy on the eyes.
“Hey, Bella. Thanks for coming over. Come on in,” he said, ushering her into his house.
She stepped inside, looking around her at Heath’s décor. There were lots of black and white photos of Donahue family occasions and Pelican Bay vistas. She felt her eyes widening as she spotted a photo of herself and Heath. It had always been one of her favorite photos of the two of them. They were at the annual carnival taking a ride on the carousel.
Bella turned toward Heath. He shot her a sheepish grin. “I’ve always loved that picture of us. I hope you don’t mind that I put it up.”
“Of course not,” she answered in a low voice. “It’s your house. You can put up anything you like.”
Heath grinned at her. “I’m a little surprised I was able to get you over here,” Heath said, his blue eyes twinkling with delight.
“Well you did dangle a carrot over my head. I want to know what happened during your visit to Savannah.”
Bella wouldn’t tell Heath that she’d thought about him non-stop ever since he had left Pelican Bay to visit Vinny’s folks. That admission would be a little over the top.
“I’ve bottled up a lot of things. In particular, Vinny’s death.” He chewed his lip. “I know that I never told you about what happened. The specifics of what I witnessed.”
Guilt pierced Bella’s heart. Perhaps she had been too hard on Heath. The issues he had been struggling with had been serious ones. No wonder he’d wanted to spare her. He’d gone about it the wrong way, but his actions had been pure-hearted.
“I’m sorry for not understanding.”
Heath shook his head. “Don’t apologize, Bella. I was the one in the wrong. I should have told you everything.”
“It was obviously painful for you to do so.” The thought of Heath being in such turmoil and suffering from PTSD and depression made her heart ache.
“Sometimes you just have to push past the pain. Maybe if I had we’d still be together,” Heath said. The expression on his face looked tortured.
“Who knows?” Bella said. Suddenly her mouth felt as dry as cotton. “C-can I get a glass of water?” she asked.
“Where are my manners? Let’s go to the kitchen. It’s still a work in progress, but I’m happy with the changes I’ve made so far.”
Bella followed Heath down the hall into the kitchen. She let out a gasp as the all-white kitchen came into view. “It’s beautiful,” she gushed. “I love the old fashioned stove and sink. Not to mention all the vintage fixtures.” Although the cabinets had been ripped out and some of the flooring was missing, Bella could imagine how gorgeous it would be when Heath finished it.
“Thanks. It’s been a labor of love working on it.”
Heath pulled open the fridge. “Water or juice?” he asked.
“Apple juice if you have it,” she said, taking a seat at his kitchen table. “This little one really starts moving when I drink juice,” she said with a giggle, pressing her hands against her belly.
Heath poured her a glass of apple juice. “I’m not sure if I’m imagining it, but you look more…rounded. Is that okay to say? I don’t want to put my foot in my mouth.”
“That’s fine. And yes. I definitely feel as if my stomach grew over the last few days. This baby might be a nine pounder at this rate.” Heath sat down next to her at the table.
“Bella, I want to tell you about Afghanistan. About Vinny. I want to tell you everything so you’ll understand why it was so important for me to go to Savannah.”
Her heart was beating like a drum inside her chest. For so long she’d wanted Heath to open up to her about his trauma. Now, she was all ears. “Please, Heath. I’m listening.”
Heath began to tell her about the events of Vinny’s death. He spared no details. Tears ran down her face as Heath vividly described Vinny’s heroic sacrifice. When he told her how he’d recovered Vinny’s cross necklace, Bella thought she might just break down in sobs.
“Oh, Heath. That’s devastating and beautifully heroic at the same time. Vinny loved you so much he was willing to give his life for you.” She wiped away tears. “What a wonderful gift he gave you.” She felt a bit shaky at the moment. So many things were running through her mind. Heath could have died in Afghanistan. Not just at that moment but during the whole course of his deployment. How could she continue to be upset with him regarding the past? What was the point in wasting time? Tomorrow wasn’t promised. She didn’t want to explain to their child one day that she had allowed anger and pride to stand in the way of their happiness.
“By going to Savannah,” Heath explained, “I think I managed to help the Peretti’s with achieving closure. I know that I moved forward with my own closure. That’s for certain.”
She felt a wild burst of joy pulse through her veins. Heath had come so far in the last five months. “I’m so happy for you, Heath.” Bella closed the distance between them and leaned against Heath’s chest. “I’ve prayed for this. God is good.”
“Bella. I’ve missed you so much. I’ve been trying to rebuild myself, not simply for myself, but for you as well. I’m not done with the process, but I’ve made great strides.”
“You have. And I have to tell you, I didn’t understand before when you ended things. I was so hurt. I felt broken. All I could think about were my own feelings.”
Heath winced. “I hate that I caused you so much pain. There was a method to my madness, but I know it tore you up inside.”
“It did,” Bella admitted. “The reason I was so mad is because I loved you with all my heart.” She swallowed. “I still do.”
The grin on Heath’s face threatened to consume his entire face. He placed his palm over his chest. “You do?”
Bella didn’t say a word. She just vigorously nodded her head. There was a huge lump sitting in her throat. She felt as if she’d just put her whole heart and soul out there. It made her feel incredibly vulnerable.
“You know I love you, Bella. That hasn’t changed. And I don’t believe it ever will.” Heath reached out and ran his fingers across her cheek. “I’ve been wanting to do this for a very long time.” Heath looked down at her, his blue eyes flickering with emotion. He let out a sigh and lowered his head, capturing her lips in a tender, soaring kiss. The moment was electric! Heath tasted like apples and cinnamon. His kiss was so familiar. She felt as if she was soaring, flying high up in the sky. This feeling was euphoric! She kissed Heath back with equal measure. It had been so long since they’d shared a kiss.
When they finally pulled apart, they gazed into each other’s eyes for a few moments. Bella felt as if she could see everything she was feeling reflected in Heath’s eyes. Love. Devotion. Faith. Friendship. It was all there in his eyes.
“I feel like everything is coming together. Is it too much to hope that we’re back together?” Heath asked. “For good?”
Bella wrapped her arms around his waist and looked up at him. “Yes, if I have any say in the matter. We never should have broken up in the first place.” She frowned at him. “It was so pointless.”
Heath leaned down and gently placed a kiss on her lips. “Never again. From this point forward we’re stuck like glue.”
“I like the sound of that. This baby needs all the love we can give him or her. We need to be a united front.”
“Absolutely. And I want you to know I’m trying to get some information on my family members. Parker is looking into my background. Although I knew my birth mother’s name I don’t have any information about my father or any other family members. That’s why Parker recommended we try the DNA route. He left me a message that he found something through my ancestry DNA test that I took.”
Bella’s eyes widened. “Oh my goodness. I’ve been hearing a lot about ancestry tests and how they can really help track down relatives. It’s pretty unbelievable.”
“I just have some questions that need to be answered. I’ve waited a long time to get closure.”
“I know you have. Even though you were so young when your mother died, it traumatized you. Getting those answers will be important for you.”
“Well. It seems as if I’ll be getting them, according to Parker.”
Bella’s felt her jaw drop. “W-what do you mean?” she sputtered.
The corners of Heath’s mouth twitched. “Parker called me right before you arrived. It seems he found a blood relative. My mother’s sister.” He ran his hand over his jaw. A dazed expression was etched on his face. “I can’t believe it. She wants to come here to meet me.”
“Oh, Heath,” Bella said. “That’s truly amazing. After all these years, you’ve found a tie to your birth mother.”
“You’re not going to believe this, but she lives thirty miles south of here.” He shook his head. “It’s all so incredible. I don’t even know what to make of it all.”
“It’s a blessing. You’ve been incredibly fortunate with your Donahue family, but your birth mother is important to you as well, as are your roots. If you have an aunt out there who wants to meet you, it’s something to celebrate.” She wrinkled her nose. “Here. Let me throw some imaginary confetti at you.”
Heath chuckled, which made his handsome features stand out even more prominently. She couldn’t describe how wonderful it felt to see him so light-hearted. Was it too much to hope that he’d turned a corner with his PTSD? She knew he might still have lingering issues and she had every intention of helping him conquer them. It had been so frustrating to not be a part of the process and to be blocked at every turn by Heath. Now, at least, she knew they were going to be on this journey of recovery together. By telling her about his past, Heath had shown her that he wanted to let her in. He wasn’t hiding anymore.
“Well, if you’re not working at the shop, would you like to meet my Aunt? Her name is Mara Delgado. She’s a nurse. And she’s driving to Pelican Bay tomorrow so we can meet up again after all these years.”
Bella nodded. Excitement coursed through her. “I’d love to meet her. Just tell me what time and where.”
“We’re still fine-tuning the details, but I’ll let you know as soon as it’s figured out.” He ran a hand over his jaw. “Before I forget, I did a little digging into that new bait and tackle shop in town. It seems they are badmouthing Fish Tails all over town.”
“What?” Bella snapped. “What are they saying about us?”
Heath held up his hands. “I heard a range of things. Inferior products. Damaged merchandise. Dangerous charter tours.”
“Of all the dirty tricks! Fish Tails is an institution in this town. I can’t believe they put negative stories out there and customers actually listened to them as if they were true.”
Heath made a face. “Well, I corralled my siblings and my parents to do a PR campaign for Fish Tails.” He smiled at her. “Between the eight of us, we’re going to hype up Fish Tails so that this new competitor is going to be shaking in their boots. And I’m going to help your dad give Fish Tails a makeover. We’re going to bring it up to date and perhaps add some square footage to the place.”
“Oh Heath, thank you.” She stood on tippy toes and pressed a kiss on his lips. “I can’t tell you what it means to me. And Daddy as well.”
“I’d do just about anything for you, Bella. Don’t you realize that by now?”
Bella nodded. “I do, Heath. I really, truly do. And it makes me feel like I’m the luckiest girl in the world.”
He placed his arms around her waist and drew her closer toward him. When he looked down at her, Bella could see so much shining forth in his eyes. She let out a sigh of contentment. They had made it successfully through the storms. And now, they were surrounded by vibrant rainbows. She was going to savor this moment for as long as she possibly could. And pray that if future storms brewed, they would be able to handle it without falling apart at the seams.