Page 97 of True Blue

I grinned, crawling onto the bed and settling between her legs. She giggled, wrapping them around my waist while her arms wound around my neck.

"Until...?"

Indie's smile softened. "Until I met you."

Rumbling, I leaned down and kissed her.

"I'll give you the fairy tale, honey. I'll give you the house, the kids, anything you want."

"I just want you," Indie said simply, and it felt like my heart suddenly expanded.

"You have me," I deepened the kiss. "I love you, Indie. Forever."

"What the fuck was that noise?" Stephanie asks.

"That," Luke says dryly, "was your brother."

"Theo?" Stephanie asks, her voice razor sharp with concern. "What's wrong? Did something happen? Is Indie okay?"

"Steph, I..." My throat closes. "I fucked up."

With that, I tell her everything.

She knows about my Mom calling Indie by the wrong name, huffing at that over the line. But I tell her about everything else, the stuff I was ashamed of, about Lily, about Mom's grief, about backing out from Europe and Jersey, about that night with Mom and the knives, about what happened only hours ago.

When I'm done, I'm breathing heavily like I just sprinted a mile. My heart is pounding in my chest, matching the throbbing of my temples. Heath hands me a glass of water that I sip, but get no relief from.

Stephanie is quiet throughout my explanation and remains quiet when I'm done.

"Well... she held on longer than I thought," Stephanie finally says, before sighing. "I would have left your ass after the first dinner. Granted, I know Mom so... hindsight, and all that."

I blink, my mind stuttering to a stop at that.

"Was... it that obvious⁠—"

"That Mom hated Indie because she had the audacity to be adored by you?" Stephanie snorts. "Yeah, Theo. It was pretty fucking obvious. To Danielle and me, at least."

"And to us," Luke admits, wincing.

Heath has the same look on his face and nods.

"Fuck," I bark, scrubbing a hand down my face. "Why didn't I see it? Why did I let it get this bad?"

"Because it doesn't make logical sense," Stephanie says, and her voice softens a fraction. "A mother being jealous of her son's girlfriend is bizarre. But it's not as uncommon as it should be."

"Have you ever heard of enmeshment?" Luke asks me.

I frown and shake my head. "No."

"I've seen it at work," he says slowly. "It's when a parent stops acting like a parent and starts acting like... a spouse, or whatever fills their need. The boundaries are gone. Managing their feelings becomes your job. Their happiness—your job."

My stomach twists, the words sinking in deep and—to my horror—they fit.

"You're telling me that's what was going on with Mom and me?"

"Yeah," Luke says quietly. "That's exactly what I'm telling you."

"That's sick," Heath mutters.