Page 72 of Seized by Love at Seaside
“My whole life I’ve stood strong in my convictions about morals and ethics and the way we should live our lives,” he said without even a hint of his typical confidence.
“I know, and I’m sorry I’ve let you down.” She felt her heart tearing in half, wanting to please him and not wanting to back down at the same time. “But I’m not going to change what I’m doing. Not even for you.”
He nodded, his face solemn. “I know that. Elizabeth, it seems I’ve misjudged you, and it took someone other than my own family to show me how badly I had.”
“What do you mean?”Other than family?
“Do you know why I couldn’t meet with you when you came by the inn yesterday?”
Because you didn’t want to.She couldn’t bring herself to respond.
“I’ve had a visitor every day this week. Someone who obviously cares for you a great deal, someone who wanted me to fully understand the daughter I raised.” Her father dropped his eyes again. “I’m ashamed to admit that it took another man to make me see exactly how crooked my views were. A man who refused to take no for an answer. A man who came to the inn nearly every day and sat in the parlor until I finally really heard what he had to say.”
Tears sprang to her eyes.Blue.She tightened her grip on the cold metal door.
“He forced me to listen, Lizzie, and not even your own mother could do that. Your mother hasn’t spoken more than two words to me since this mess began other than to tell me that I’m a stubborn old fool.” He smiled at that. “She’s right, and I’m not proud of it.”
“Dad, don’t let anyone force you to accept who I am.” She was trembling, and it took all of her determination to drag the words from her lungs.
“Blue didn’t force anything…but the truth. He told me about the things you did for others, and he told me about how hard you worked day in and day out. And he pointed out one very important thing that I somehow managed to miss.” He held her gaze then, and it made her heart ache even more. “He pointed out that it shouldn’t matter if you’re the Naked Baker or not, which, Elizabeth, I’m ashamed to say that you, too, pointed out to me. I think you might have cracked my hard head, and he simply drove the point home.”
“But it does matter. That’s why you’re so mad, and honestly, Dad, I’m ashamed of doing it, too. That’s a big part of why I didn’t tell you.”
“You’re probably ashamed because of my beliefs, honey, but your boyfriend was right. It shouldn’t matter. When you love a person, you love who they are on the inside, and you have to trust that the decisions they’re making are the best ones for them. He made me see that my turning you away for doing this webcast was the same as ifyou’dturned me away for not having the same beliefs as you. But you didn’t throw our relationship away, peanut. You kept coming back. I was the idiot. I was the one who messed up.”
Lizzie wiped tears from her cheeks. “So, you’re not mad?”
“Mad? No. A little embarrassed that I couldn’t provide for my daughters and monumentally ashamed of myself for how I’ve treated you, but now that I see things more clearly, I’m proud that you could do what I was unable to. I was wrong to say you weren’t the daughter I raised. You’re a hundred times stronger than the person I thought I raised, because you stand true to your convictions even at the cost of losing others—and you did it not just for yourself but for your younger sister. That, Elizabeth, makes you a stronger person than anyone I have ever known. I was just too wrapped up in my own beliefs to see it.”
Lizzie could barely push air through her throat. Tears streamed down her cheeks as she forced her voice to work. “Thank you, Daddy.”
“Don’t thank me. I’m an old fool, and it took me way too long to come around. Thank that boyfriend of yours, who I didn’t even know existed until he showed up at the inn. I’m sure that’s another one of my failings. If you feel like you can’t tell me things, well, I’ll work on that, too, peanut. I only hope that it’s not too late for you to forgive me.”
He opened his arms and she walked right in.
“I forgive you.”
“That boyfriend of yours…”
“Blue, Daddy. His name is Blue.”And I love him so much.She didn’t want to keep silent anymore about anything. She’d seen what hurt that could cause. “I love him, Dad. I love him so much.”
“I saw it in your eyes, baby girl. But I have to ask, what kind of a name is Blue?”
“Dad!” She tried to pull out of his arms, and he held her too tightly for her to escape.
“I’m kidding.” His laughter stitched up the tear in her heart. “He…Bluetold me how hard of a time he had with your videos, too, and how his love for you gave him the strength to overcome his own insecurities. It takes a strong man to admit his weaknesses.”
“You’re seeing crooked again, Dad. Those are his strengths.”
Chapter Thirty-Three
BLUE HEARD THE front door close and knew Lizzie had finally made it home. He tugged on the bottom of the apron he was wearing and glanced at the kitchen, where he’d worked all afternoon.
“Blue?” she called as she passed by the door to the basement.
“Down here,” he called up. His stomach dipped as he walked to the bottom of the stairs, nervously putting one hand on his hip. Then, feeling ridiculously self-conscious, he shook it out, only to put both hands on his hips again as she came into view.
Her jaw gaped and her eyes nearly bugged out of her head, but the appreciative smile and the heat that pinked her cheeks made it all worthwhile.
