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He glanced at the watch on his wrist. The party should be winding down soon. It was early enough that he could pay a visit to Bella’s house and ask to be invited in. If nothing else, he could lay eyes on her and make sure she was doing well. And if she didn’t throw him out on his ear, he might be able to tell her how much he regretted ending things. The thought of it did crazy things to his insides. Heath wasn’t really good at laying his feelings on the line. Perhaps if he was, he wouldn’t have broken up with Bella in the first place.
After consuming vast amounts of chocolate birthday cake and dancing in the back yard and playing touch football on the beach, the party came to a close. Heath thanked his family profusely for the party and headed to his car, praying all the while that Bella was at home this evening. The very thought of her being out on a date irritated him to no end. If that was the case, Heath would have no one to blame but himself. By breaking up with Bella, he’d let go of a treasure. A priceless gem. He couldn’t blame any man on the face of this earth who recognized Bella’s value and came calling.
Please, Lord, he prayed. Cut me a break. I may not deserve it, but please let Bella be home tonight. Let her heart be as open as it has always been. Please grant me favor.
As he drove away from his parent’s house, Heath steeled himself for coming face-to-face with Bella. He had no idea how she might react or if she would even be at home. Frankly, he had no idea what he would say to her once they came face-to-face.
*
All day Bella Vincente had been in a foul mood. It wasn’t until halfway through the day that she realized why. Today was Heath’s birthday. Ever since they’d started dating in high school, his birthday had been an occasion for them to celebrate. Bowling parties. Movie parties. Beach parties. There hadn’t been a single one where Bella hadn’t been right at the center of it.
She wasn’t celebrating it this year. It had been five months since she had spoken to Heath. The pain had been like being stabbed by a thousand little knives directly in the heart. For the first few weeks she’d gone away to her aunt’s place in Hilton Head, hoping that a change of scenery might help her heart heal. All it had done was make her homesick for Pelican Bay. Then Bella had gotten really sick. She had been so ill she’d been bedridden for days. When the nausea and vomiting started, Bella had been in denial. Food poisoning, she’d thought. A virus. Maybe the clams she’d eaten had been rotten. Then one morning it had dawned on
her.
She was pregnant.
And unmarried.
And she wasn’t even in a relationship with the father of her unborn child. She hadn’t yet been able to muster the courage to reach out to Heath. He’d dumped her unceremoniously five months ago, telling her the oldest line in the book. It’s not you, it’s me. That still stung. He’d never acknowledged that she loved him enough to stand by his side, come what may. She knew he had issues. Major ones. But wasn’t that what love was all about? Standing by someone’s side no matter how many struggles there were along the road?
Shame had filled her at the notion that she had engaged in sex with Heath without benefit of marriage. As a teenager her father had given her and her sisters promise rings. It had been their choice to wear them proudly. During her entire relationship with Heath, he had respected her choices and loved her unconditionally. It had never been an issue. Until one night when the strain in their relationship had threatened to tear them apart. One thing had led to another. A moment where she’d faltered badly. Now, she was going to be a mother. It still felt surreal.
She wasn’t going to blame anyone but herself for her actions. Heath hadn’t pushed her to have sex. Not in any way. It was strange how a person could believe one thing all of their lives and then, in an instant, it all went up in a puff of smoke because of one moment of weakness.
Worst of all had been her father’s reaction to her pregnancy news. He had been devastated. They hadn’t spoken for weeks after she’d told him about the baby. Bella cringed as she remembered the moment she’d told her father about her pregnancy. She had invited him over for dinner and made him his favorite meal—veal scallopini. Although her sisters had wanted to be there with her, Bella had instinctively wanted to tell her father the news privately.
After dinner, Bella had brought out his favorite dessert-peach cobbler.
“What’s going on, Bella? Are you buttering me up for some reason?” her father asked. With his dark hair threaded with silver, stormy eyes and craggy features, Jimmy Vincente projected a gruff image. He was an old school Pelican Bay fisherman who owned a bait and tackle supply store by the pier called Fish Tales. He also ran boat charters. He was a working class guy who had raised a house full of girls after his wife’s death. God-fearing and strict, her father didn’t play around. When Heath had broken up with her, she’d had to restrain him from going over and confronting him. She prayed this news wouldn’t send him over the edge. He was already dealing with high blood pressure issues and the possible closure of his business. Things had been tough lately with the economy in Pelican Bay. They were all praying things would turn around for the fishing market and for Fish Tales.
“Can’t a girl just spoil her daddy?” Bella asked as dread rose up inside of her. Just tell him, a little voice urged her.
He looked at her with questions lurking in his eyes. “Bella Rose. I think it’s time you cut to the chase. Did you ding my car or something? Do you need some money?”
Bella shook her head. She couldn’t manage to speak past the lump in her throat.
“Daddy. I-I’m having a baby.”
All the color had left her father’s face. He’d gripped the end of the table with his hands as if seeking something to ground him. “T-that’s not funny, Bella.”
“I’m not joking,” she’d said in a soft voice, hating the tense expression etched on her father’s face. Huge veins were prominent on his forehead. “I’m pregnant with Heath’s child.”
“Are you kidding me?” he’d exploded. “I didn’t raise you to go sleeping around. You were brought up in a faith-filled home where we tried to teach you values.”
Tears had filled her eyes. “I do have values. One mistake doesn’t change all of that.”
He’d put his head in his hands and let out a groan. “What were you thinking? Don’t you want more for yourself than to be an unwed mother with a bastard child?”
A righteous anger had swelled inside her at her father’s blistering words. Every single day of her life she’d loved and respected Jimmy Vincente. His cruel words wounded her terribly. She was seeing a side of him she hadn’t known existed. He was a different person, one who used vicious words to cut her down. Couldn’t he see that she already felt low?
She had stood up from the table and glared at him. “I’d like you to leave my home. I invited you here for support and maybe a little understanding. You always preach about faith, but what part of being a man of God is this? I’m your daughter and this baby I’m carrying will be your grandchild. I didn’t come to you for absolution. Honestly, that’s not what I need.” She’d wrapped her arms protectively around her belly. “What I needed was my father to tell me everything was going to be all right and that he still loved me.”
Without saying another word, he’d stormed out of her house like a tornado. For a moment she’d felt such longing for her mother. Cancer had come in like a thief in the night and robbed her of the most understanding, compassionate person in her world. Her father’s words had pierced her soul like a knife. After her father’s departure, she’d broken down and sobbed, succumbing to the pressure of the last few weeks. This felt like the final straw. She was broken! Thankfully her sisters had come over and rescued her from feeling like her entire world was imploding. She was so blessed to have three wonderful sisters—Abby, Gina and Sophia. They had dried her tears and comforted her, all the while telling her how wrong their father had been to say such horrible things to her. For the next few weeks she had been bombarded with calls and messages from her father, who felt regretful about his behavior. Bella—feeling protective of the life growing inside her—hadn’t accepted his calls. She had no intention of ever speaking to him again. He’d crossed a line by saying such vile things.
“You’re going to have to talk to him sooner or later,” Gina had told her. “He is your father, after all. Don’t hate me for saying this, but he’s been through a lot. I know it won’t be easy, but try and forgive him.”
Forgiveness had seemed like an impossible dream. How could she ever forgive her father for his comments? And the way he’d kicked her when she was down?
