Page 57 of True Blue

I just nod, not sure what to do with all of that.

“No offense taken. It’s fine,” I chuckle awkwardly. “I’m tall.”

“Huge, more like,” she laughs, then smacks herself lightly in the forehead in a way that is clearly supposed to be adorable. “There I go again.”

An awkward silence stretches before Teddy clears his throat once more.

“So, yeah, Lily was my best friend when we were kids. She lived next door with her mom,” he says, his arm sliding around my waist. “But we haven’t seen each other since... high school, right?”

Something in Lily’s expression fractures when his hand tightens at my hip, her eyes lingering there for a moment too long. Then she blinks and looks back up, an easy smile restored.

“Yeah,” she says, stepping a little closer to Teddy. “That sounds about right.”

“Anyway, this is Indie,” Teddy says, smiling at me. “My girlfriend⁠—”

“Oh, good!” Dawn’s voice slices through the room. “You found each other again!”

All eyes turn toward us.

With startling speed in her high heels, Dawn rushes over, grabs Teddy and Lily, and drags them away toward her sitting area.

“Look who’s reunited!” Dawn announces to the room, beaming as she lowers herself onto the sofa. “Lily, Theodore’s high school sweetheart.”

My stomach drops.

What?

Teddy looks at me, shakes his head frantically, and frowns at Dawn.

“Mom, that’s not exactly⁠—”

“Oh, hush,” Dawn says with a laugh, patting the cushion beside her.

Teddy sits down, and Lily sits next to him—a little too close. He tries to scoot down for room, but his mother, on his other side, blocks him in.

His high school sweetheart, the words ring around my head like a mean taunt.

“These two were just inseparable growing up. You should have seen them. Always playing together—you even had a little pretend wedding! Do you remember that? Lily, remember, I even let you use my veil? Oh, it was adorable.”

Lily ducks her head and smiles in a way that is somehow both bashful and pleased.

“Yes, I remember,” she says, laughing. “It was only one of the best days of my life.”

The words should sound like a joke, but they don’t. There’s a little too much sincerity in her tone. Everyone laughs around her, completely charmed by the bubbly brunette.

Teddy shifts on the couch, his cheeks bright red, and his eyes darting around for help.

I’m still frozen, trying to process that this is Teddy’s ex-girlfriend sitting next to him on the couch.

We’ve talked about exes. That was when he found out about my bisexuality, and I had braced myself for the normal response I received from men—asking for a threesome.

But Teddy…

Well, Teddy never ceases to surprise me.

“Out of all the men and women in the world, you chose me. I’m so honored, honey. I love you.”

And I’ve learned about his exes, surprised at how few there were. A middle school girlfriend named Andrea who broke up with him when he got braces, and kissing him got awkward.