Page 67 of Seized by Love at Seaside
Susan stepped back and hugged Duke. “You’re looking as dapper as ever.”
“And you’re quite beautiful. Sure you want to marry this guy?” Duke teased, just as Lizzie walked out of the building behind him.
Her head was down, her hair covering her face, as she dug through her purse.
“Lizzie,” Blue called to her as he closed the distance between them. She lifted sad eyes to him, and his chest tightened. He took her in his arms and whispered, “It’s okay. Whatever happened, it’s all okay.”
Chapter Thirty
LIZZIE TRIED NOT to let the fact that she’d just walked out on what was probably the most important meeting she’d ever have ruin the afternoon, despite the disappointment she felt settling into her bones.
“What happened?” Blue asked quietly.
“They said that there was no show without me, so I took Duke’s advice, thanked them, and walked out with my head held high.” She swallowed past the itch of regret crawling up her throat.
“Aw, babe. I’m so sorry, but you know what? Forget them.” Blue pulled her into another hug. “That’s right. You’re awesome on your own. You don’t need them to do a darn thing for you.”
Duke pulled her into a warm embrace. “He’s right, Lizzie. You did the right thing. You left with your dignity intact, and believe it or not, you have a leg up. They’re probably sitting up there wondering what they did wrong.”
“Hey, isn’t someone going to introduce us?” Cash asked.
From the photos in Blue’s house, Lizzie recognized the strappingly handsome dirty-blond haired man as Blue’s brother Cash, and there was no mistaking Jeremy as a Ryder with the same strong features as the others. She’d seen Susan’s blog, but heck if she wasn’t twice as beautiful in person. The entire group—the three Ryder men and Susan—were all warm smiles and open arms, making them even more attractive.
“Men.” Susan embraced Lizzie. “I’m Susan, and I’m so glad to meet you. It’s about time another Ryder man gets off the bachelor roster.”
“What is it about everyone wanting us to settle down? Just because Jeremy bit the bullet doesn’t mean the rest of us have to,” Duke said with a smile that told Lizzie he was teasing. “Why don’t you give Jeremy’s siblings a hard time?”
“Because Trey, Drew, and Isabel are so busy, they have no plans of settling down anytime soon,” Jeremy explained. “Hi, Lizzie. I’m Jeremy.” He embraced Lizzie and said, “Blue’s a great guy. I’m happy for you both.”
That took the edge off a little.
“Welcome to the chaos,” Cash said as he drew Lizzie into a warm hug. His brothers and Susan were so friendly and welcoming that she was instantly comfortable among the close-knit group. “I take it your meeting didn’t go as well as you’d hoped?”
Lizzie’s eyes shot to Blue, wondering if Cash, Jeremy, or Susan knew about her webcast. Blue shook his head, and she was thankful that they were so in tune with each other that he knew exactly what was worrying her.
“Not exactly, but it’s not a big deal.” As the words left her lips and Blue laced his fingers with hers, she felt another wave of disappointment wash over her. She hadn’t realized how badly she’d wanted this deal to go through. She’d already been dreaming of the extra time she and Blue would have together without the stress of filming, editing, and managing the entireNaked Bakerprogram.
Thankfully, Susan looped her arm in Lizzie’s and stuck to her like glue, asking a host of questions about her and Blue and taking the subject off the failed meeting. The drive to Blue’s parents’ house was full of laughter as the men talked about work and volleyed teasing barbs at one another, while Susan and Lizzie became fast friends, talking about Jeremy and Blue and what it was like to live in New York.
Blue’s parents lived just outside the city on several wooded acres. By the time they reached their house, Lizzie knew all about Susan and Jeremy’s families and their impending wedding. She also learned that Jeremy had lost his mother to cancer when he was a teenager, and Blue’s mom had been stepping in to help ever since, which was why she had helped plan the wedding.
“It’s kismet,” Susan said as they walked up the sidewalk toward Blue’s parents’ two-story colonial. “You and Blue are supposed to be together, and we were all supposed to meet.”
Jeremy leaned down and kissed the top of Susan’s head. “That’s my fiancée. The social connector.”
Blue draped an arm over Lizzie’s shoulder as his parents came out the front door. He whispered to Lizzie, “Are you sure you’re okay? Do you want to go somewhere to talk before hanging out with everyone?”
She loved that he was so thoughtful, but after chatting with Susan and being surrounded by such happy banter, she already felt much better. “You really do care about me, don’t you? You’re seeing your family for the first time in months and I’m still the first thing on your mind.”
“Did you ever doubt it?” He pressed his lips to hers, and the heat their kisses always brought filled her from head to toe.
“Not for one second,” she said. “Everyone has been so nice and easy to talk to. I think the distraction is helping, but thank you for offering.” Her stomach fluttered nervously at the sight of his parents, although as they stepped from the porch hand in hand, their friendly smiles had a calming effect.
His mother’s shoulder-length hair was the same dirty-blond shade as Cash’s, and behind her amber-framed glasses, Lizzie noticed that she shared his warm brown eyes, too. His father, also wearing glasses, had dark hair like Blue, peppered with gray, and surprisingly, he sported a silver soul patch, which gave him a younger, edgier look than Lizzie had expected. He was a big man, like his sons, well over six feet tall, with a broad chest, and she noticed as he made a beeline for Blue and pulled him into a hug that he also shared his sons’ confident gait and warm blue eyes.
“I’ve missed you, son.” His father’s voice was deeper than Blue’s and filled with emotion as he hugged his son longer than Lizzie had ever been hugged in her entire life by her own father.
“Baby,” Blue’s mother said. “Oh, honey, I have missed you so much.” She held his shoulders as she searched his eyes with an inquisitive gaze. “You look happy.”
