It's Better This Way(28)

Heath didn’t understand it. Didn’t know what to make of it. Since he had been seeing Julia, he’d excitedly mentioned her several times to both Michael and Adam. When they’d come to see the changes in his condo, they’d been impressed, and rightly so. Julia had worked her magic. Both boys seemed genuinely pleased Heath had found someone for companionship. They’d never had a problem with him dating. In fact, they had encouraged him to try again, even after the disastrous results of his earlier attempts.

    Something was very wrong, and Heath was determined to find out what it was.

Julia finished putting together their dinner. They ate in near silence, the mood altered, as if a dark cloud hung over them. Heath knew Julia was upset and did his best to reassure her.

It didn’t help that she’d had that silly dream. As she described it, he could see how much it had upset her. The nightmare that predicted he would walk away from her. When she’d mentioned it, he’d nearly laughed. He couldn’t think of a single thing in the world that would cause him to leave this incredible woman.

Heath hadn’t been looking for love, hadn’t sought out another relationship. Julia was a precious gift he’d been given, and by all that was holy, he refused to let her go without putting up one hell of a fight.



* * *



—

Even before Heath could get in touch with his son, he woke up to a text from Michael.

Dad, can u meet for lunch. Noon at Mama Sofia?

Heath sent back a thumbs-up. He was grateful Michael took the initiative, as he was anxious to clear the air. Whatever it was that had caused his son to react negatively to Julia needed to be settled, and the sooner, the better. After lunch, he’d seek out Julia and reassure her, confident whatever it was could be easily fixed.

Julia arrived for her workout, and it looked like she hadn’t slept the entire night. He yearned to tell her not to worry, but hesitated, unwilling to speak too soon before talking to Michael. It distressed him to see how concerned she was, and he again blamed that dream.

    “If you don’t mind, I’d like to skip coffee this morning,” she said when she’d completed her routine.

“Sure,” he said, and then, because he couldn’t resist, he gave her a reassuring squeeze. “Don’t worry, Julia. I’ll settle this with my son. We’re good. Nothing is going to change the way I feel about you.”

She responded with a weak smile, and he could tell by her expression that she didn’t believe him.

He hated knowing this dream she’d had continued to upset her. Heath was confident everything would work out for the best. Really, what could Julia have possibly done to earn Michael’s ire? She was a gentle soul, honorable, kind, generous, forgiving, and so much more. Not a day passed when he didn’t thank God for sending her into his life. She was far more than he deserved.



* * *



—

At noon, Heath arrived at his favorite Italian restaurant, the very one he’d taken Michael to for his birthday a few weeks earlier. It was close to his office, and convenient for Michael, as well. To his surprise, he saw that both his boys were seated at a table, awaiting his arrival.

Michael and Adam! This made Heath increasingly curious as to what they had to tell him.

He didn’t look at the menu, as he nearly always ordered the same entrée. The restaurant’s gnocchi was by far his favorite, and he didn’t see any reason to sample another dish. As soon as he was seated, the server arrived for their drink order.

“You might want a whiskey sour for this, Dad,” Michael suggested.

Heath frowned. He never drank anything heavier than wine for lunch. He shook his head and ordered a glass of the house red. His sons asked for a bottle of sauvignon blanc, as they had chosen the special of the day: octopus salad. Once their drinks were served and their luncheon orders placed, Heath looked across the table at his sons. He was proud of his boys and was grateful they’d maintained a solid relationship, despite the fact that Heath and their mother were no longer together.

    “All right. Give it to me,” he said, bracing himself.

Both boys appeared stiff and uneasy, as they looked to each other. Adam nodded toward Michael as if to suggest his brother start.

“Dad,” Michael said, his dark brown eyes round and serious, “do you have any idea who Julia is?”

“You mean other than the woman I’m falling in love with?”

Again, his sons shared a look.

“Does the name Edward Jones, the pro golfer, mean anything to you?” Adam asked him.

A chill shot down Heath’s spine. “Edward is your mother’s husband,” he said cautiously not understanding how this had anything to do with Julia.

“Dad, Julia is Edward’s ex-wife.”

Shock rippled through him. Julia had been married to Edward Jones, the man his ex-wife had left him for. The man Lee had had an affair with, long before Heath was aware his wife wanted out of their marriage.

“I should have ordered that whiskey sour,” he murmured, as he struggled to absorb what his sons were telling him.

“How do you know Julia?” he asked. To the best of his knowledge, she had never met his sons.

Michael was the one to answer. “After their house sold, I helped Ed move his desk and some other keepsakes he wanted. Julia was there. I only got a glimpse of her, and from her reaction last night, she must not have seen me. If she did, she didn’t remember me. It doesn’t matter because I recognized her.”