I can hate and blame myself forever. That’s actually the easy thing to do. What takes strength is to finally forgive myself and make peace with what happened. No, I won’t ever forget about them, but I can’t continue to live in the shadow of my mistakes.

So you’re saying that sometimes it takes courage to stop living in the shadows and move into the sunshine?

No, buddy. I won’t be mad. In fact, I’m mighty happy God brought you to the perfect family in His perfect timing just like we prayed for.

He understood now why some men went to such lengths for their women, why they ended up sacrificing so much, why they sometimes even made fools of themselves.

His words were like a soothing balm covering over the voices inside always taunting she’d never be good enough. He’d accepted her in spite of her mistakes. He approved of what she’d done. And he believed she was capable.

She might not be able to eradicate every prejudice around her, but she had to start somewhere to make a difference. And the best place for that was with herself.

But one by one she’d been cutting away the tangle of propriety so that with each thread she cut loose, she was slowly finding the freedom to be herself and not someone else’s version of who she ought to be.

Pete had determined that this time, with this new ship, he’d be among the lucky ones to get a bride. And when Peter Kelly set his mind to something, he’d do it.

No matter his status or background, Pete was an honorable man. Maybe she’d thought he wasn’t good enough for her, but she’d been wrong. She didn’t deserve a friend like him.