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“Vinny’s death must have been horrific to witness.”
“It was,” he said with a nod. “It scarred me. Tore me apart. And the more I tried to pretend that I wasn’t damaged by watching my best friend blown to bits, the more I struggled. I was depressed, which raised all kinds of memories of my birth mother.”
“So this therapy helped?”
“It did. It’s not a cure all and I still have work to do, especially with regards to my past, but I now see the light at the end of the tunnel. I’m actually going to Savannah to visit Vinny’s family. I owe them a face-to-face.”
“I imagine they’ll be grateful for it,” Jimmy said. “It’s an honorable thing to do.”
“I’m glad you still think I have some honor,” Heath said.
“I was pretty angry at you about Bella’s pregnancy, but I can’t simply put the blame on you. You and Bella have been in love since you were practically kids. I’ll admit I was hoping the two of you would walk down the aisle before you created a baby, but I admire both of you for facing up to it and embracing the life you created.” He held up his hands. “My role isn’t to judge. It’s just…she’s my little girl and I never wanted this for her. I wanted it all to be perfect for her. Roses and moonlight and a wedding date with the pastor at the church.”
“I wanted things to play out differently as well, Jimmy. All I can say is that we failed to live up to our beliefs. We were human. And that’s not an excuse. It’s just the simple truth.” He made a face. “I felt really badly about letting my folks down considering everything that’s going on with them.”
Jimmy frowned. “Is everything okay with them?”
“The past few months have been rough ones.” Heath felt as if a weight was sitting on his chest. It was hard talking about the dissolution of his parents’ marriage. If they couldn’t hold it together, what hope did he have of working things out with Bella? It was a sobering realization. He hadn’t realized until recently how much their news had affected him. For some reason it made him feel like the vulnerable little boy who had been adopted by them after the tragic death of his mother.
“They’re separated, Jimmy. After so many years of them being the perfect couple, they cracked under the strain of life. I’ve always had this thing about not wanting to disappoint them.” Heath ran a hand through his hair. “I suppose it has to do with being adopted.
“Life is unpredictable, son. Relationships are hard. Your folks always struck me as the perfect couple, but I suppose there’s no such thing. We all struggle. Don’t give up on Bella, Heath. Stick with it.”
“We still might make it down the aisle before the baby comes, Jimmy. I love Bella. I always have. I imagine I’m going to love this baby of ours more than words could ever express. I’m going to try my hardest to show Bella that I wanted to marry her long before this baby came along.”
Jimmy held out his hand and Heath reached out and shook it. “I’ll be praying for the two of you,” Jimmy said. He grinned, then added. “Make that the three of you.”
“I appreciate it,” Heath said with a grin. If tough as nails Jimmy Vincente could offer him an olive branch, then there really was hope for him and Bella. “I’ll see you later, Jimmy. I’m going to go talk to Bella. I have a pretty good idea of where she’s at.”
“Tell her not to forget I’m making lasagna for her tonight,” Jimmy called out after Heath.
“I will,” Heath promised as he walked briskly out the door of Fish Tails. Back in the day Jimmy would have invited him along for lasagna dinner as well. To be honest, he missed those days. Heath let out a sigh. It would take a lot of mending fences for him to be invited back into the Vincente family fold. But he was willing to do the tough work to make it happen. Starting right at this very moment.
“I’d give anything to have one more day with your mother, Bella. Tammy was my earth, moon, sun and stars. She was my everything. Where she began, I ended. We finished each other’s sentences. We were soul mates. If you feel that way even once in your life, you’ll be the luckiest woman on earth.”
Jimmy Vincente
Chapter Six
Bella was sitting on one of the dunes at Pelican Bay Beach, slowly eating her peanut butter cups and watching a man and his dog running along the beach. The dog resembled Heath’s dog, Bingo, although this dog was smaller. The wind was kicking up a bit, which was unusual for November in Florida. She should have brought her sweater along with her. She crossed her arms and hugged herself to keep warm. She hated the way she’d stormed out of Fish Tails like a two-year old having a tantrum, but she couldn’t take the moment back.
These days it was hard for her to deal with frustration. It just
seemed as if everything was out of whack as of late.
“Here, Bella. Take my sweatshirt. It’s getting cold out here.”
Startled, she whipped her head around at the sound of Heath’s voice. He was standing behind her, sweatshirt in hand, as if he’d instinctively known she needed it. Some things never changed, she realized. Heath had always known knew her special spot here on the dunes. Whenever things had gotten rough in her life, Bella had come to the dunes to sort things out. Despite the changes in their relationship, Heath still knew her like the back of his hand.
There was no point in being prideful at the moment. She reached out and took the sweatshirt, sliding her arms through the sleeves. “Thanks. The wind is pretty fierce.” She turned back to face the water, warmth infusing her body thanks to the extra layer of clothing provided by Heath’s sweatshirt.
Heath settled down beside her on the sand. For several minutes they simply sat in silence with the wind whipping all around them. Strangely, it felt as if they were the only two people in the world.
“This was my mother’s favorite place,” Bella finally said. “She used to bring my sisters and I here all the time. The best part was, she would only bring one of us with her at a time, so the experience was even more special. We used to walk this beach collecting shells and dipping our toes in the water when it was too cold for a full-on swim.” Her chest felt tight as bittersweet memories of her mother washed over her. “I miss her,” she said, her voice cracking.
“I know. It’s not a loss you ever get over. I know something about that, Bella. Sometimes when I think of my birth mother I almost can’t breathe because of the loss of her. It sneaks up on me sometimes when I least expect it.”
Bella tried to keep her expression composed but she was shocked by Heath’s mention of his birth mother. He had only mentioned his pre-Donahue childhood on a few occasions. Heath had been incredibly closed off about the subject.
