Page 34 of No Love Lost

Addy laughed. “That wouldn’t surprise me. She spent some time with Aisling Gallagher out at Midnight Lake, learning how to build a desk and use a chisel last winter. She made the desk she uses in the living room.”

Pride shone on Heath’s face. “Seriously? I’ll have to check that out. She really is amazing.” He glanced her way. “And that’s all because of you, Addy.”

Her heart swelled. He’d said it before, and she was sure he’d meant it both times. “She’s always been the best part of me and my life. Now she can be the best part of yours as well.”

Heath swallowed hard, making his Adam’s apple bob in his throat. “I’d like that. A lot.”

They moved off the highway and onto Seaport Boulevard. She wasn’t sure she’d ever been in this area. It was bright and fresh. With the new buildings and the incredible views of the Harbor, she knew it was expensive.

Heath pulled into a building with enormous windows and parked in the secure lot below. He turned off the SUV with a sigh. “I hate this place.”

Addy felt her jaw drop. “What? I haven’t even seen it and I know it’s gorgeous.”

He shrugged. “It is. The view’s amazing. And I hate it all.”

“Why do you live here, then?”

He shrugged and squeezed the steering wheel. “Gramps proposed to Grams on the boardwalk right outside here. I like being reminded of them every day. It’s a nice condo. It’s just not a home.”

He was quiet for a moment, then he tapped the wheel. “I never wanted to be like my parents, I wanted to carve my path. Like Gramps and Grams. When I got out of the army, I wanted to strike out on my own, instead of working with my father. He wasn’t impressed. At the time, I still wanted his approval.”

Her heart ached. After what they’d done to him, she knew he’d lost that desire.

“I thought it would impress both my parents when I grew my financial base with investments in innovative start-up companies. People with great ideas but no knowledge of the business end. I’ve created a solid company and had dozens of partnerships over the years, but nothing has ever impressed them. Nothing is good enough.”

She rubbed her hand on his arm. “It is and you are.”

His sad gaze turned to her. “Thanks. I know Gramps and Grams would have approved and that’s always helped.”

“I’m betting several of those partnerships of yours have been with people from the neighborhoods you walked with your grandparents. Good, hard-working people who needed that boost of confidence that you would have given them along with your advice and financial support.”

His lips twitched. “You’re good for the confidence too. I’ve focused on exactly those kinds of people. From the area where my grandparents met, where they lived before everything clicked into place for them. They never forgot those roots and I like honouring that.”

She squeezed his arm. “They’d love what you’re doing.” And it explained his emotional tie to Boston.

He smiled, but it quickly turned into a frown. “Am I still trying to impress my parents? Top-of-the line condo? I don’t want to be like them, but this condo says part of me is.”

She laughed at that. “Not a chance. Just because you bought a place with a fabulous view doesn’t mean you’re a snob. You’ve earned that money. You’re allowed to spend it how you like. And I’m betting the view is what sold you.”

He blinked a few times. “Yeah. Gramps and Grams loved the harbor. Loved imagining the possibilities for the people they watched come into the city. The workers, the tourists, the kids flying kites. They always said it was one of the brightest spots of life and hope in the city.”

“So you bought it for them.”

“Hm. Maybe I did.”

After a few moments, Heath climbed out of the SUV and Addison followed more slowly. She might have had a tough time these past twelve years, but Heath’s had been just as difficult in different ways. After Nina had been born, Addy had never been lonely. She was starting to think that other than his Army days, Heath had never been anything but lonely.

After Nina’s birth, their first room’s only view had been of the cafe’s dumpster. But they’d made it work. They’d made a home in that tiny room.

Heath hadn’t had much of a home with his parents. It sounded like he’d had a kind of home in the military. Not one with four walls and a roof. But one with friends who’d become family.

She wanted him to have a home. Desperately. And she wanted him to have that with them. But she couldn’t say the words. Not yet. Heath’s whole world had changed a few days before, and he had to acclimate to that change before she threw another one at him.

But she could picture it. Maybe she could picture it so clearly because she’d dreamed of it so often. The three of them as a family in a sprawling farmhouse with porch swings and a kitchen at its heart.

As they moved into the elevator, she laced her hand with his. They moved to the top floor without a word and then down the hall. She squeezed his hand and let it go when he had to dig out his key.

He opened the door and gestured for her to precede him inside. The small lobby led to a hallway. She kicked off her boots and moved past a laundry room and a guest bath before the space opened into a living area with an amazing view of the harbor. Off to one side, she spotted a kitchen and dining area, all sharing the view. To the other side, another hallway probably led to his bedroom.

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