It seemed to Blue that relief had swept through him so many times in the last twenty-four hours that he should be floating on a cloud by now. He and Lizzie were definitely on the same page, and her mention of children made him wonder if they were on the same page with that, too.
“That might be embarrassing, but as long as I’m by your side, no one will dare say a derogatory word. If they do, I’ll take care of them.” He pressed a kiss to her temple as he opened the laptop and felt her bristle.
“All my worst fears are coming true.” She stared at the computer screen as she spoke. “My father won’t even speak to me, and people I know are finding out what I do in my off hours.”
He knew Lizzie was nervous about speaking with Duke, but Blue also knew it wasn’t the discussion about statistics and revenue that had her tied in knots. It was the thought of Duke watching the videos, which he would inevitably have to do.
Lizzie’s gaze—and voice—turned thoughtful. “I don’t know why, but this made me remember something that happened with Maddy. When she was sixteen, she went to a party. Of course my parents didn’t know, but when I went to pick her up, she was totally not herself. She finally told me that she’d almost slept with a boy.”
Blue’s jaw clenched tight at the thought of her sweet sister sleeping with a guy at such a young age.
“I always thought I’d be a really cool big sister when it came to those things. You know, pat her on the back, tell her that she was smart enough to make good decisions, and that as long as she was safe, it was her body and her choice. I trusted her.” Lizzie gazed into his eyes. “But I didn’t act that way. I got pissed and said a bunch of stuff I shouldn’t have, because I was scared for her. I couldn’t protect her, and I knew that if she’d done it and other kids had found out, well, you know how cruel high school kids can be.”
He reached for her hand and gave it a gentle squeeze. “I’m sure she understood.”
“She didn’t, not until she went away to college. After her first semester she finally forgave me and things returned to normal. Not that we weren’t speaking or anything like that, but she was more careful with what she shared with me. I haven’t thought about that night until now, and I think it’s kind of the same thing as what happened between us. You’re worried about what other people say or think, and you can’t fix that.”
“I was a jealous ass, too. Let’s not forget that.” He pulled her in close and kissed her. “I love you, and I love that you cared enough for Maddy to want to protect her.”
“I’ve always wanted to protect her, but that’s not where I’m going with this. That night taught me that one day I’d have to deal with her giving herself to a guy and I’d have to trust her judgment.” She paused again, her eyes drifting over his face, then holding his gaze. “I guess I want to thank you, Blue, for trusting my judgment enough to be here with me.”
“Lizzie, you don’t have to thank me. I definitely don’t feel like I deserve to be thanked after the way I reacted. And I hope you know that you don’t have to talk to Duke, and you don’t have to go through with talking with the network people, either. You can continue with what you’re doing, and I promise, I will stand by you.”
She wrapped her arms around his neck and kissed him. “I know you will. Now call your brother before I chicken out about revealing the Naked Baker side of your girlfriend to your family.”
Blue chuckled as he called Duke.
“Hey, B. What’s going on?” Duke answered with his weekend voice, which was more effervescent than his professional voice.
“Hi, Duke. I was hoping to pick your brain about acquisitions.”
Lizzie paced nervously.
“Sure, what are you considering?”
“It’s not actually for me. It’s for Lizzie. She’s puts on a webcast and she’s making pretty good money from it, and now the Food Channel Network is knocking on her door.”
“That’s a big deal. FCN is a major player. What’s the webcast?” Duke asked.
Blue explained about the Naked Baker while Lizzie turned a pretty shade of crimson. He reached out to her, but she covered her face and pulled away, as if Duke could see her through the phone.
“Dude, those types of shows are hot right now. Did FCN tell her what they’re thinking? Did they talk numbers?”
Blue was relieved that Duke’s reaction was positive and that he didn’t say something negative about the type of show she was doing. Then again, if he wasn’t Lizzie’s boyfriend, he might not have reacted the way he had, either. “Not yet.” He smiled at Lizzie and mouthed, It’s all fine. Relax.
She nibbled on her lower lip, and it made him want to draw her in close and reassure her, but he had to focus on the conversation with Duke first.