Page 60 of True Blue

“Your mom packed up everything,” I say quietly.

He flinches.

Just a little, but enough for me to see it.

His face twists with something like pain before he nods.

“Yeah. She… she said it was too painful. That the room held bad memories, so…” he swallows.

The thought of all of Ellie’s treasures in that dark storage unit makes me sick. Her little antique store treasures—her pretty figurines, vintage records, treasured photos. Her life, boxed up, hidden away. Like it never happened.

That’s not entirely fair, I think to myself immediately. I do not get to tell someone how to grieve.

Ellie was not my mother, and it’s clear to me that I will never truly understand Dawn. Just as she will never truly understand me.

I may never be fully accepted by her, no matter how much I hope for it. Not because I’m seeking her approval, but because it would just be easier to have it.

And when I turn toward Teddy, I can’t help but wonder if that is going to become a real problem.

If it came down to it, who would he choose?

His mother or me?

I don’t like the answer my mind offers, so I shove the thought away as hard as I can.

Teddy lowers himself beside me on the floor. He lifts one arm and wraps it around my shoulders, tugging me into his side before burying his face in my hair. I curl into him automatically, fitting myself against his warmth, feeling like I can finally breathe again now that he’s here.

“I’m sorry, Indie,” he says, his voice so soft and sincere. “About Lily.”

“No, Teddy⁠—”

He gently shushes me.

“No, baby. That was uncomfortable. I’m sorry about that downstairs.”

“You mean when she called me huge?” I ask dryly.

He pulls back just enough to look at me, already shaking his head.

“You’re not huge. You’re statuesque. No, regal.” His brow furrows in concentration, head tilted. “Amazonian—close, but not good enough. Willowy? No. Junoesque? No, closer. Majestic⁠—”

My laugh slips out before I can stop it, and he pauses, a smile spreading across his face.

“Why do you know so many words for tall?”

“Because I couldn’t find a good enough one to properly describe how stunning you are, so I bought a thesaurus,” he says with a completely straight face. He shrugs. “Still haven’t found the right word. But, I love your height, I adore your mile-long legs, your long limbs, your gorgeous hands and fingers…”

He lifts my hand and presses a kiss to each finger, one by one.

“You’re stunning. Height and all.”

Hearing that soothes the last little sting Lily’s words left behind, and I realize how much I needed to hear it. To confirm that the scene downstairs is not the reality.

The reality is that I love Teddy, and he loves me.

And that’s all that matters.

…right?