Theo steps out the door after Emily. His dark eyes narrow in my direction, then move to Cal as he too climbs out of the truck. I can't tell whether he wants to hug him or hit him, and though I don't know the man at all, I have a feeling that he isn't even sure himself.

He gives Emily's shoulder a squeeze and says, "Hey Emy, I bet those pancakes need to be flipped. Think you can manage?"

"I got it, Uncle Theo, I got it!" she says eagerly, grinning proudly in Cal's direction, before turning around to run back into the house.

"Watch the stove! It's hot!" Cal yells after her as the door slams shut.

"She's six, Cal. She knows that the stove is hot," Theo says with a small smirk.

Six? I had definitely thought she was younger. I feel even more ridiculous for losing it on Cal in the park now. Not only was the girl not his, but she couldn't have been. Six years ago, Cal was still with me.

Theo's smirk quickly disappears when he takes in the state of Cal's pants. There wasn't that much cocaine to start with, but black pants have a way of clearly showing anything light in colour that sticks to them.

He stares at Cal while he walks down the porch steps to get closer. "You..." he says in a dark voice.

"I didn't! And I'll get your truck's interior detailed, as soon as possible, I swear!"

Theo's dark gaze turns to me, and now I'm the one he's staring at. The scar over his eye makes him look downright menacing, and if I hadn't been through so much bullshit in my life, I would probably be afraid of him.

Eventually, he looks back at Cal and says, "Clean yourself up. I'll show Emilia to the bathroom so she can do the same."

He looks back at me and gives his head a small shake, like he can't believe that he's allowing me into his perfect home. "Let's go. I don't want to eat cold pancakes."

I glance at Cal, and he gives me a small smile. "I'll get your bag," he offers.

I don't know why, but I nod, then follow Theo up the stairs and into his house.

What I should be doing is calling a cab and getting the hell out of here. But no matter how much I know that's what I should do, I can't make myself do it.

Theo wordlessly leads me to a bathroom and gestures for me to go inside.

I don't expect him to be waiting for me to finish, so when I open the door and step into the hallway, I nearly jump out of my skin at the sight of him.

"Fuck, you miserable giant, what are you standing here for?" I ask, then try to step around him.

Theo holds out his arm and braces it against the wall to block my path. "Now you listen here, Emilia," he growls in a low voice. "I'm trying here. For Cal, I'm trying. I think he needs this... closure. And he needs to know that you're okay, or something, but that is all he needs from you. Do you understand me?"

I glare at him and ask a question of my own. "Are you done? You know Cal hates people trying to fight his battles for him."

Theo shakes his head at me. His dark eyes continue to hold me in place, like he could somehow crush me, just by looking at me long enough. "The Cal you knew is gone. He's better now. Or, at least, better as he'll ever be in this fallen world. He has people who love and care for him, and he knows we're going to fight for him. He's also starting to love and care for himself. I'm counting on you to not mess that up. Is it safe for me to do that, or should I be showing you to the door?"

I glare at this man, who thinks he has a right to suggest that I might try to ruin things for Cal. I mean, I did try to get him to do drugs with me twenty minutes ago... but I hadn't realized at the time that he was on a sobriety streak.

"I won't mess it up," I growl back at him. "I love Cal. I'll always love Cal. I want him to be happy... That's all I've ever wanted for him."

"He is happy!" he snaps the words out, then sighs and adds a little more calmly, "Do not bring drugs around him again. If you really want him to be happy, you won't put him in a position like that."

"I won't. Fuck, I'm sorry, okay? I didn't realize... Actually, fuck it, I don't have to explain myself to you. Now can you stop cornering me in this little hallway? Whether you think Cal is okay with you fighting his battles or not, I don't think he'd appreciate you trying to intimidate me."

"I'm sorry," he apologizes with a frown, as he drops his arm again to give me some space. "After everything I've heard, I know you've been in some bad situations. I shouldn't have crowded you. Again, I'm sorry."

I shrug. "If you've heard so much about me, you know that was nothing in comparison to the uncomfortable situations I've been in before. Don't sweat it." I laugh softly, but Theo's frown only deepens.

"I'm sorry you experienced those situations too, but that doesn't take away from the way that I just made you uncomfortable, or my need to apologize to you."

Now it's my turn to frown. "You don't take jokes very well, do you?"

"What was the joke? I didn't hear anything funny."

I open my mouth to explain, but then close it again. "You're awfully serious for a man who plays on slides."

Theo looks a little surprised by my comment, and then a small smile crosses his face.

It quickly disappears when the sound of a door whipping open rattles through the house, and a woman's voice screams, "Cal! Cal! Where are you? Theo, what's wrong with Cal?"

"Shit," Theo mutters, before hastily moving down the hallway toward the front door.

I follow after him, but before we make it there, I hear Cal's voice.

"Hey, love, I'm right here."

Theo and I walk around the corner, just in time to see a woman spinning around to face Cal as he comes in through the open door.

She jumps at him and throws her arms around his neck. Cal pulls her close and presses his face against her cheek.

I notice he's changed out of his suit, into faded jeans and a dark blue t-shirt. Did he have a change of clothes in the truck, or perhaps in his car?

"I'm right here," he says again. "Everything's okay, love. I'm sorry for making you worry."

Love. Just like Pops used to call Vee.

She pulls back, just enough to look at his face. She's almost as tall as he is. "Why are you here, Cal?" she asks, a hint of disappointment in her voice.

"Uhh, well this is kind of crazy, but hear me out—"

"Cal, there is no reason for you to skip a meeting!" she interrupts him, "We've been over this. And if you decided not to go, you should have told me. Do you know how I felt when I pulled up and saw your car and Theo's truck here? Speaking of Theo, where is he? Why didn't he tell me? Theo! What kind of brother are—" She turns around to confront Theo, but stops talking when she finds me standing there with him.

"Oh..." she says softly, looking embarrassed over having an outburst of emotion in front of a stranger, no doubt.

Holy shit.

I stare at the woman who must be none other than Cal's wife.

Her name comes to me, and I say it out loud. "April, right?"

I guess I know where Cal got the change of clothes he switched into...

His house is right next door. I had been at the right place before the park, after all.

April smiles at me and nods, then gives a confused look in Theo's direction. "I'm sorry, I didn't realize Theo had company. Is that what you were doing outside of our house earlier? If I had known, I—"

"What?" Cal asks loudly, "You were here already?"

At the same time, Theo mutters, "She's not my company..."

April turns around to look at Cal. "What is going on?"

Emily chooses that moment to come skipping into the room. "Pancakes are ready! Oh, hi mom! Guess what? Dad's friend, Emilia, likes blueberries in her pancakes too."

April looks back to me and her mouth drops open. "Emilia," she says my name softly. She reaches behind her, blindly searching for Cal's hand.

When he places his hand inside of hers, she gives it a tight squeeze, then releases it and walks toward me.

I watch her carefully as she approaches, wondering what form of intimidation this librarian lady is going to use on me. Instead, I find myself wrapped tightly in her arms.

"I'm so happy to meet you," she says while she embraces me. When she releases me, I notice tears in her eyes. "I've been wanting to thank you for such a long time. So, thank you. Thank you so much for everything you did for him."

What the hell?