Michael adamantly shook his head. “You can believe that if you want. Personally, I don’t.”
“Me neither,” Adam added.
Michael’s voice rose again as he pressed his point. “Julia has her daughters wrapped around her finger to the point they feel disloyal to her if they speak to their dad. Did you know that neither of them has had any contact with Ed since that awful scene at the lake?”
“Also,” Adam added, “it’s been nearly six years and Mom refuses to go to Lake Sammamish because of all the bad memories associated with that day.”
Heath knew none of this.
“Dad,” Michael said, his voice low and sympathetic. “I know you like Julia. We understand this news came out of the blue. I’m sorry to be the one to disillusion you about her, but we felt it was important that you know.”
Adam agreed. “Michael and I felt you needed to hear the truth, so you know upfront the kind of people you’re dealing with. There’s a very good reason Edward wanted out of the marriage. Weren’t you the one who said there are always two sides to a story? It might be hard for you to accept his point of view, seeing that he’s the one Mom left you for.”
His son had given him something to think about.
“Edward loves his daughters and they both refuse to have anything to do with him, despite the countless attempts he’s made to open the lines of communication,” Adam reminded him.
Michael looked hard at Heath. “Mom said it’s breaking her heart to see him deal with one rejection after another. It’s even worse now that Hillary is engaged.”
Heath could understand how hard it must be to have his daughters reject him. As far as Julia was concerned, he chose to believe she had nothing to do with her daughters’ treatment of their father. That behavior was on them.
“Dad?”
Heath looked up and realized his sons were both staring at him.
“You aren’t saying anything,” Adam said.
“What is there to say?” Heath asked.
The two exchanged another look, one filled with regret.
“We understand this is the last thing you wanted to hear. This isn’t easy on us, either. It gives us no pleasure to be the ones to tell you these things.”
Heath appreciated how difficult this conversation had been for his sons.
“Whatever you decide, Dad, we’ll accept,” Adam assured him.
“Not easily, though,” Michael added, making sure Heath was aware of the consequences.
“After everything we’ve told you about Julia and her daughters, if you feel you want to continue with this relationship, you should know nothing will change between the three of us.”
Perhaps he’d misread his sons’ intentions; Heath was grateful for the reassurance.
“You should be aware that we would prefer not to have anything to do with Julia or her daughters, though.”
Adam concurred. “Not after everything they said and did to our mother.”
The sick feeling in the pit of his stomach intensified. “I’m going to need to think this through,” Heath said, his head spinning.
“I’m sorry, Dad. I really am. No matter what your feelings, I’m going to avoid any contact with her.”
“I understand,” Heath returned.
The server came by to collect their plates. “Is there anything else I can get you?” he asked.
Health glanced up and nodded. “I’ll take that whiskey sour now.”
Chapter 11
Julia sat at the kitchen table with her sister, her hands warmed by cupping a recently poured mug of coffee. Her heart weighed heavy in her chest as she struggled to make sense of the last three days.
“It’s over between Heath and me,” she said, unable to hide how difficult this was to admit. Julia arrived unannounced at her sister’s because she couldn’t bear to remain in her condo a moment longer. It was torture not to hear from Heath. She needed to escape. Her sister was her best friend, her confidant, the one person who knew her better than anyone.
“You don’t know that,” Amanda insisted, taking her own mug to the table and sitting down.
Julia had come to Amanda at the lowest point in her marriage to confess what she’d held tight inside her heart for months. Eddie was involved in an affair. Amanda had held her while Julia had wept and cried with her. It was Amanda who helped convince her the divorce was inevitable, and it was time to quit trying to save her marriage and let go.
“Have you talked to Heath?” Amanda asked.