“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.
“Who we are is shaped in the first few years of our lives. It creates our identity. It makes us who we are.”
Jude Donahue
Chapter Nine
Everything was happening at such a rapid pace, Heath could barely keep himself from feeling dizzy. One minute he’d been talking to Parker and Jason about the possibility of finding family members and the next Parker was telling him he’d found his aunt. Aunt Mara? He honestly had no memories of his mother’s sister. He kept racking his memory trying to come up with flashes of memory, to no avail. Did she look like his mother? Was her hair long or short? Would he remember her in some way? What would he call her? What answers would she provide about his birth parents?
; They had decided to meet up at the Silver Spoon diner, just to keep things casual. He had already reached out to his parents, who had suggested the meetup spot. Both were very encouraging about meeting his biological aunt. Neither felt unsettled at all by his desire to dig into the past. Heath knew that many adoptive parents resented their kids trying to find their biological families. Not Penelope and Jude. They fully supported him.
Although Heath felt a little bit funny about seeing his father after spotting him with the mystery woman, he knew that he couldn’t avoid it much longer. It wasn’t for him to judge the situation since his folks had separated, although he did feel protective about his mother. No matter what else happened, Heath didn’t want her to get hurt. He prayed on a daily basis about their marriage. Surely where there was so much love there was a shot at reconciliation. After all, he and Bella had achieved it.
With Bella at his side in the passenger seat, Heath drove to the diner at the appointed time. He was full of hope and nerves and curiosity. When they walked through the doors of the diner, Bella held tightly to his hand. “I’m so happy for you, Heath,” she whispered. “Today is like getting a piece of yourself back. A part of you that you didn’t even know was missing.”
Heath squeezed her hand. He had a huge lump sitting in his throat. He was too nervous to respond, but having Bella at his side meant the world to him. Heath knew with a deep certainty he wanted it to always be like this.
As soon as Heath spotted his parents, the hairs on his arms stood up. A woman was sitting with them at a booth and she was facing in their direction. Heath stopped in his tracks the moment he laid eyes on Mara. A strange sensation crept up his back. As if in slow motion, she stood up from the table and began walking toward him. When she stopped a few feet away from him, Heath could see tears pooling in her warm brown eyes.
“Heath!” she cried out. “I can’t believe it’s you.” Tears flew down her face. She was looking at him with an expression of wonder etched on her face.
“Aunt Mara?” he asked, feeling something stirring inside of him at the sight of her. She was hauntingly familiar to him, although it felt like a lifetime ago. With her short, dark hair and warm brown skin, she did resemble his mother.
She reached out and took his hand. “I never thought I’d see you again. Not in this lifetime.”
His father and mother stood up from the table. “Why don’t the two of you sit down so you can talk?” Penelope suggested, waving them toward a quiet booth in the back of the diner.
She sent Heath an encouraging smile.
“That way you can have your privacy,” Jude added, moving toward Heath and placing his hand on his shoulder in a gesture of support.
Heath turned toward Bella. “Come sit with us. I want you to know everything.” He turned toward Mara. “Mara, this is my girlfriend, Bella. Bella, this is Mara.”
“It’s nice to meet you,” Bella murmured.
Mara smiled at Bella. Heath could see her gaze lowering to Bella’s burgeoning stomach. “It’s very nice to meet you as well, Bella.”
Bella nodded and trailed after them as they headed toward the booth.
Heath sat across from Mara, while Bella scooted in next to him. He couldn’t get over how much his aunt resembled his mother.
“Do you remember me, Heath? I know you were little when Camila died. It’s hard to hold on to those memories.”
“A little bit. Flashes of memory. You used to watch me sometimes I think.” He frowned. “Is that a real memory?”
Mara nodded. “Yes. I babysat you from time to time.”
Heath nodded. “We used to watch Disney movies. Lady and the Tramp.”
Mara chuckled. “That was your all-time favorite. I was a bit younger than your mother. We were almost ten years apart in age. I was away at college when your mother passed away. I want to let you know that because I was only nineteen I was pretty helpless to step in and take you. I only found out about the adoption after it happened. They put you in CPS and things moved quickly from there. I didn’t have any rights in the situation.” She seemed to be fighting back tears. “Please know that I would have tried to keep you, even though I was young.”
“I ended up with a great adoptive family. I don’t want you to feel any guilt over it. There are so many things that confuse me though. I have memories of a loving, devoted mother who did everything in the world for me. Then all of a sudden everything changed. I remember her taking pills and being out of it. Our world changed almost in an instant. Can you tell me about it?”
Mara let out a sigh. “Ever since she was young Camila struggled with depression. It got worse after she broke up with your father. She really sank into a depression at that time. Camila was a beautiful person, but she was fragile. She turned to pills and alcohol to lift her spirits. All it did was complicate things. She became addicted.”
“There wasn’t much I could do since I was a teenager myself. It felt like a hopeless situation. We didn’t really have any family so there wasn’t anyone to turn to. The services for addiction were very meager at the time. And sadly, Camila resisted it at every turn.” Mara swiped away tears with the back of her hand. “She loved you Heath. Love isn’t even a strong enough word for what she felt for you. But she was sick. She couldn’t rise up from the bottom of the addiction pit. And she overdosed on pills and alcohol, probably trying to numb her depression.”
“I remember being loved. I remember her touch.” He heaved a huge sigh. “I can’t forget finding her cold body and knowing that I was all alone in this world. I loved her very much, Mara. And that love was returned. I’ll always remember that love. I just needed to understand why she left me.”
“Heath, I’m not sure I understand how things spiraled out of control so completely. I was all the way across the country in California at UCLA. I wish I’d been at home. I wish I’d been able to help her.”
“And my father? What about him? Can you tell me anything?” Heath asked. He only had fleeting memories of a tall, good looking man who’d walked in and out of their lives but he’d never called him daddy. He knew next to nothing about the man. “Is he still alive?”
Mara knit her eyebrows together. “I didn’t know him very well. And frankly, I didn’t like him. He was possessive of your mother. He didn’t treat her well. And he ran around with other woman. He put your mother through hell. It may not be right for me to say, but I think her issues with substance abuse started after he walked out on the two of you.”
“Were they ever married?” Heath pressed. “I always thought it was odd his name wasn’t on the birth certificate. And I have such fleeting memories of him I wasn’t sure that I ever knew my birth father.”
“No, they never married. Your last name was Delgado. His name is Keith Pressley and I have no idea why he wasn’t on the birth certificate. I think your mother was afraid of him. Most likely she didn’t want him to have any ownership of you. He wasn’t around long enough for you to call him daddy. He sure didn’t deserve the title.”
“Wow.” Heath felt a sagging sense of disappointment. He had been interested in finding his birth father, but from the sounds of it, he wasn’t a man worth locating.
Bella leaned in and pressed her hand against his own. “Are you all right?”
“I’m fine,” he said, pressing a kiss against her temple. “It’s the oddest sensation. I’m remembering things I had stuffed way down in a deep dark hole. I remember a man with light hair screaming at my mother. He would grab her and shake her. It terrified me. I would always run to help her and he would do things like shove me and push me. But I don’t remember thinking he was my father or calling him that. Mama was always there to rescue me. She never let him hurt me, even though I lived in fear he might hurt both of us.”
“That sounds like him,” Mara said, her lips twisted with anger. “He was always filled with anger and bitterness. So even though you may not have called him daddy, he was your father.”
“What a shame,” Bella said.
> “I’m so happy Parker found me, Heath. I’ve wondered often over the years what happened to you. I tried a few times to look for you, but I was never able to find anything. Is there anything else you want to know?” Mara asked. She patted her bag. “I brought some photos of you and your mother. I hope it’s okay.”
“I’d love to see them. I don’t have many pictures of myself before I was adopted. May I call you Aunt Mara?” Heath asked, wondering if he was overstepping by asking.
Mara’s eyes widened. “Of course you can. It would mean the world to me. You were always my little buddy. I’ve missed having you in my life.”
“Family is everything to me,” Heath said, reaching across the table for his aunt’s hand. “I’m looking forward to reconnecting with you. We’re family. It doesn’t get any better than that.”
Mara stood up and held out her arms. Heath jumped up from his seat and fell into his aunt’s arms. They embraced for a few moments, holding on for dear life. When they pulled apart, Jude was standing there with a tray of food and drinks.
“Why don’t we all sit down for a meal so we can get to know Mara,” Jude suggested. “We have a new hire, Stephanie, who can man the counter for us.” He jerked his head in the direction of the counter.
Heath looked over toward the counter. The blonde woman standing there was the same woman Heath had seen his father with in the parking lot.
“Stephanie was looking for a position after losing everything in a house fire. We weren’t really looking to hire anyone else, but your mother and I couldn’t turn our backs on her need. She’s doing a great job so far.” Jude was grinning from ear to ear.
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