Page 79 of She's the Star

“The heart wants what the heart wants,” he says.

My mom shakes her head. “She just told us she’s in love with Nolan.”

“It never hurts to remind her that Teddy treated her abhorrently.”

“Dad. Mom. I’m still here.”

“Sorry, dear,” he says as they both grin at me.

“We’re just so happy for you,” she adds.

“We want to meet him.” He moves off screen, but I can still hear him. “We’re considering visiting while you’re on your break.”

My mom nods. “We can see Maddy and get to know Nolan. What do you think?”

“You’re always welcome. You know that.”

We chat a bit more about the logistics of them visiting, then they blow kisses to Maddy, and hang up.

Before I go back to my yoga, I do a quick search of the internet for anything mentioning Teddy, Nolan, and me. There’s too much. The love triangle thing is gaining traction. I start to scan and then before I click on anything, slam my phone down on the blanket.

I’m not going to look.

Nope.

Not today.

Between worrying about what people might be saying about Nolan and I, trying to stop myself from looking, and performing three sold-out shows, I’m exhausted when we leave Nashville and settle into the compound I rented outside of Chicago.

Earlier in the week, I made it abundantly clear to my label that I would hold them responsible if I saw a whiff of press or fans outside the gates, and thankfully, they seem to have taken me seriously. Mina and Brian are with us, of course, and it’s also our first scheduled meetup with Teddy. I thought about canceling, but even though I’m still pissed at him, I couldn’t do it.

He’s been surprisingly subdued since he arrived. Even though I’m stressed, and it’s been awkward at times, we’re navigating our new reality and I’ve been able to relax more than I expected.

Nolan has leapt headfirst into helping Teddy bond with Maddy. He’s bossy, and not always patient, but Teddy thinks he hung the fricking moon. He listens to everything Nolan says like it’s the gospel, and it’s more endearing than it ought to be. I’ve never seen Teddy dedicated to anything except music and it’s a little unsettling to witness—in a good way.

It feels like we’ve finally turned a corner. Like all the bad shit is behind us.

We’re cuddled on a lounge chair in the shade on Wednesday afternoon while Teddy zooms around the pool with Maddy in his arms. Brian drops onto the lounger next to us, his brow wrinkled. “I have news.”

“Good news?”

“Sort of,” he responds.

“Are we off the front page?”

He nods hesitantly, and relief floods through me. “Who do I need to thank?”

I expect him to name a random celebrity, but his gaze darts to the pool.

“Teddy?” Nolan asks.

“Yep.”

My heart stops. “Oh no. What did he do?” There are too many possibilities to guess. Brian grimaces and switches his attention to his shoes like he doesn’t want to be the one to tell us.

“Is it bad?” Nolan asks.

“Bad for him, at least.”

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