Page 28 of Lovers at Seaside
Abe grumbled something indiscernible. Parker opened her mouth to say something, but Grayson silenced her with one look, unwilling to allow her to fall into any more of this man’s head games.
Abe turned to him, chin up, unseeing eyes holding a steady path. “Your speech was as lame as hers.”
“Only to deaf ears,” Grayson replied through clenched teeth.
“Touché.” Abe coughed once, twice, then settled back against the pillow again. “Neither of you told me anything new. Iknowwho I am.” He paused, gathering the sheet in his fists, and when he spoke again, his tone was defensive rather than accusatory. “Ichasedafter my daughter. Paid thousands to track her down, but she didn’t want to be found. Gone, without a trace. My wife?Pfft.Left for another man, told you that. What kind of man fights for a woman like that?”
“I get that,” Parker said softly, surprising Grayson. She stepped closer to the bed and reached for Abe’s hand. Abe went rigid, but she softened. Her stance, her eyes, even the tension around her mouth. That sweet, lovely mouth curved into a small smile that made Grayson’s heart soften, too. “I didn’t know about your wife leaving for another man, but I understand why you didn’t fight for her. And your daughter? I didn’t know she left for that reason, or that you’d looked for her, but if you did—”
“Foryears,” he mumbled.
“Then you did what you could,” Parker said. “But Bert? Why, Abe? If he was willing to let the past go, to forgive, why couldn’t you?”
Grayson had seen Parker morph into her actress persona, and he’d seen her climbing out from under too much tequila. He’d witnessed the real Parker,Polly, at the bar, and enough times since to recognize that transition, too. The person he was watching now, the empathetic, confident woman, was a beautiful mix of both. He had given the old man grief. Parker held her head up high, compassion practically dripping from her pores, her determination to get to the truth still driving her on, only this time she did it with a natural grace no one could fake. If anyone deserved to feel proud, it was the woman standing beside him.
“You’ve got guts, little lady,” Abe said. “My Miriam had guts, too. Had to, to leave like she did. Maybe you deserve the fairy tale.”
Parker placed her other hand over Abe’s, unfurling his fingers and pressing them gently into her palm. “I know all about the arguments, the pissing and moaning and goading each other on that siblings and parents do. I’ve heard about loud, obnoxious holidays where they can barely stand to be in the same room. I want it all—the jealousies that come with family, the anger that feels like it’ll break you, and the underlying love that lets you know you’ll never really break, because your family’s got your back no matter what. So, if that’s a fairy tale, yes, I want it.” Tears streamed down her cheeks. “And I’m not ashamed of my past or of wanting that fairy tale. Your brother gave me all I really ever wanted, asenseof family. And believe me, Abe, Bert wasn’t always easy. He had his less-than-stellar moments, too.”
Abe’s eyes widened with a glint of interest. “Tell me.”
His interest sent a jolt of surprise through her. “Gosh, okay. Well, for one thing, he chewed like a cow.”
“Always did,” Abe said with a hint of a smile.
“And sometimes he didn’t think before he spoke, so he’d say something crass that he didn’t really mean.”
“He meant it, the fool,” Abe said with another small smile. “He was just smart enough to know he shouldn’t.” He must have noticed he’d gone soft, and grumbled, “What else did the pain in the butt do?”
“He refused to celebrate Christmas with me. Ever.” Parker listed a litany of memories that seemed to pour straight from her heart, and Grayson found himself, like Abe, hanging on to every word she spoke. Even if Abe left things as they were, distant and cold, he knew she’d be okay, because the memories she was sharing were pushing her grief to the side and filling the spaces it left behind.
After she’d exhausted her lungs, she blinked her tears away and inhaled a long breath, then blew it out slowly. Her lips curved up as her eyes rolled over Abe’s face. “And he missed you, Abe.”
Abe slid his hand from between hers and laid it over Parker’s. “I’ve given you my answer,” he said quietly.
Parker’s brows knitted. “I don’t understand.”
Grayson put his arm around her. He’d been too angry before to hear the truth. “Pride kept him from reconciling with Bert, baby. It’s a powerful thing.”
Tears spilled from her eyes. Parker leaned over the bed and wrapped her arms around the frail old man. “Thank you.”
Abe’s arms lay rigid beside him. When Parker kissed his cheek, he lifted one hand to her back, holding her there for a long moment. When she broke the embrace, he gripped her forearm, keeping her near as he whispered so quietly Grayson barely heard him, “Thankyou.”
Chapter Ten
THE SECOND THEY walked out of Abe’s suite, Parker pressed her hand to her chest.
“I can hardly breathe! One second we were leaving and I thought he was the biggest jerk on earth, and the next—” She threw her arms around Grayson’s neck and kissed him, overwhelmed by the moment, the day, the week. Overwhelmed by his support. “Thank you.”
“I didn’t do anything. You got through to him in a way even his own brother never could. You were incredible.”
“You supported me and made me go in there when I wanted to run away and forget the whole thing. You did a lot more, too,” she said as they walked to the elevator. “You stood up for meandyou backed down for me. You somehow knew how much I needed to do this, and last night you knew how much I needed to feel okay about being me. The real me.”
“And here I thought you might fall apart after we left the room,” he said with a warm smile.
“Fall apart? Maybe if we had walked out the door when we started to, but I’m so glad we didn’t. This is what I wanted, for him to know how much Bert loved him and for him to remember how much he loved Bert. I want to come back in a few days. He shouldn’t be alone.”
“I thought you might.”
