Page 60 of No Love Lost

Addy hugged her and hoped she was right.

CHAPTER 19

Losing Touch

Heath didn’t feel the cold or the wind. The worry shoved out everything else. He tried to corral the anger, then realized that was an impossible task. Instead, he punched in the number he never thought he’d dial again.

It took four rings before his father answered. “Heath.”

Heath drew in a deep breath. “Have you hired someone to target Addy? Have you paid someone to sabotage her car and cause problems with her house?”

“Excuse me?”

The tone was shocked, but his father’s game face was impeccable. He could be playing him.

“Someone has messed with Addy’s heating system and her house and her car. Someone has tried to hurt her, and I want to know if you’re behind it.”

“How dare you accuse me of something like that?”

Heath’s laugh was full of bitterness. “Don’t try to pull that crap with me. You hid my daughter from me for twelve years. You stole my mail and never told me about it. You refused to acknowledge your own granddaughter. Why the hell wouldn’t I suspect you? I’m surprised it took me so many days to even think of it.”

He heard his father drawing in heavy breaths, trying to control his own temper. “I would never hire a thug to harass anyone. I never have, and I’m insulted you would think so.”

He could be insulted all he wanted. “You let them struggle financially and emotionally for a dozen years. You’ve stripped the three of us of the chance to be a family. And you’ve shattered my heart in more ways than I can count. I imagine you can see why I might think you would do something to threaten their safety.”

This silence lasted longer. Heath wished his own fear and his own temper weren’t so high. It was difficult to judge the sincerity of his father’s words through the phone when he was a mess himself.

“I have not hired anyone to harass anyone. I know nothing about what you’re talking about. I’m not behind anything that would endanger you or anyone else.”

Relief coursed through him as Heath realized he believed him. Or did he just want to believe him?

“How do I know you’re telling me the truth? You’ve lied by omission before. Maybe I simply haven’t asked the right question.”

Another long silence. When his father spoke, his voice was heavy. “I know you may not believe me, but I don’t wish harm on either the girl or her mother.”

“You can’t even say their names.”

He heard the breathing again and wished he’d made a video call. Finally, his father spoke again in that same heavy tone. “I don’t wish harm for either Addison or Nina. I’m very sorry that you have reason to believe I could do anything like that. The person who is bothering them has no connection whatsoever with me or anyone in my employ.”

That sounded sincere as well. Could he believe it? He wanted to desperately. He didn’t want to even consider his parents would be behind something like this. “Okay. I’m glad to hear that.”

He started to hang up, but his father said his name softly, so he waited.

“Heath. Can I hire some protection for you? I know a bodyguard firm here in Boston.”

That almost had Heath’s head spinning. “No. I have friends here who are helping.” It took him a few deep breaths of his own to get the next words out. “Thank you for the offer.”

Another silence that seemed to stretch. Finally, his father broke it. “My offer will remain open if you change your mind.”

“Okay. I need to go. Goodbye.” Heath hung up the phone and dropped his head back to let the snow and wind reconnect him back to this world and the life he was building here in Phail.

Was he an idiot for believing his father wasn’t behind this? Would his mother do this without his father being aware of it?

He considered calling her before his father warned her, but he didn’t think he had the stomach to make another call. This one had nearly ripped its lining away.

Parents were supposed to love their kids and their grandkids. They were supposed to support them and do their best to put their kids first.

His parents never had, although they probably thought they did. It was their loss. But their actions had left a huge hole in Heath’s ability to trust them and to trust in general.

---