It's Better This Way(61)

Spending time at the ocean with only the sounds of the wind, the rain, and the water filled her heart. It offered her strength to face the future. This calming connection she felt with nature reminded her that this pain in her heart would pass in time.

The morning of the fourth day, she packed her bags, checked out of the hotel, and loaded up the car for the drive back to Seattle. While at Oceanside, she’d turned off her phone, not wanting to be distracted. Before leaving the hotel parking lot, she checked her messages and found several from Heath, a couple from her sister and her two daughters, and another from Eddie. Rather than deal with any of them right then, she decided to wait until she was back home.

The drive out to the ocean had passed in a haze; she’d badly needed to get away. She hadn’t reached any earth-shattering decisions, nor did she have clarity on how best to proceed with Heath and his family. The wasplike sting of Michael’s determination to never accept her was a constant reminder of what the future would be like between him and his sons. The one positive that came with their meeting was the assurance that she had done what she could to heal the rift between their families.

    As she walked into The Heritage from the basement parking garage, she found Carrie at her desk. When her niece saw Julia, she leaped from her chair and raced around to hug her, as if Julia had been away far longer than those three full days.

“Aunt Julia, you’re back!” she cried.

Julia returned the hug. “Did anything happen I should know about?” she asked. Carrie was always full of information.

“How can you ask me that, Aunt Julia? Heath has hardly been himself since you’ve been gone,” Carrie said. “I certainly hope you’re going to put that poor man out of his misery.”

“I’ll let him know I’m back right away.”

“Good. I don’t think Hillary would be able to hold him back another day from setting out to find you.”

“They’re talking?”

Carrie nodded. “Every day, and more than once, I suspect. Heath met with both Hillary and Marie one night and treated them to dinner. He invited me, too, but I was with Eric.”

Julia grinned, pleased to know the relationship between her niece and Eric seemed to be blossoming. Once she spoke to Heath, she’d find out more about what happened between him and her daughters. Hillary and Marie agreeing to have dinner with him was a positive sign and instantly cheered her. Hearing this gave her hope. Fragile as it was, still it burned inside her and lightened the burden she carried.

Once back in her condo, Julia unpacked her suitcase, set a load of wash going, and then called Heath.

He answered on the first ring. “Julia? Thank God. Where are you?”

“I’m here. I’m home.”

“I’ll be right there.” The line was immediately disconnected.

    By the time she got to the front door, Heath was stepping off the elevator. He waited until they were inside the condo and the door closed before he brought her into his arms and kissed her. His mouth nearly slammed against hers, as if he’d been dying without her. She tasted his hunger, his worries, his need to protect and shelter her from the wounds his son had inflicted. After several passionate kisses, his large hands framed her face, and he looked into her eyes before touching his forehead to hers and taking in several ragged breaths.

“I nearly went crazy when I heard you’d left.”

“I should have—”

“No,” he stopped her, and then, as if he couldn’t help himself, he kissed her again and again.

Wrapped in his arms, she felt his love surround her, and in that instant she knew he was her heart and soul, and at the same time, she was his. They were meant to be together.

As her father had reminded her countless times: It’s better this way. She wouldn’t have believed it when she’d signed the legal document that had ended her marriage to Eddie. Brokenhearted as she’d been, she’d found herself unable to see past the blinding pain of loss. All she could see were the empty years ahead without the man she had thought she’d grow old with. The man she’d loved.

“I’m sorry,” he whispered.

She smiled and gently kissed him before leading him into her kitchen, where she made them each coffee.

Heath sat at her kitchen table and held the mug between his hands. Julia sat across from him. He stretched out his arm and gripped hold of her fingers with his own. “I talked to Michael, and Julia, I am so, so sorry for the things my son said.”

    “You don’t need to apologize, Heath, it wasn’t you.”

“I was sick at heart when he mentioned you’d gone to his office. Why didn’t you tell me that was what you’d planned?”

In hindsight, she should have. “Because I knew you would try to talk me out of it.”

He seemed to weigh her words. “You’re right, I probably would have. Why did you think going to my son was necessary?”

“I had to try to make peace. I’d hoped if I apologized for my part in all this, we might be able to move past the tension between your sons and me. I knew it would be too much to ask Michael and Adam to become friends with my girls, but I’d sincerely hoped things could change with me and them.” It hurt that her attempt had failed; she so wanted matters to be different. She hated that loving Heath would risk his relationship with his children. She couldn’t bear it if it did.