"I've never seen him like this," April comments softly after Theo has left the room. "It's nice."

"Like what?" I ask. I turn off the burner on the stove and angle the pan to begin draining the grease to one side.

"So happy," she explains. She pauses but it looks like she has more to say, and when I remain quiet she continues.

"Even before Ben died, he tried to act like he was living life to the fullest but when we were kids... some things happened to me, and Theo found out about them. He was such a good brother. He was always so strong for me, making up for how weak I was, but I could always tell that knowing about it crushed him and dampened his spirits... But with you, his spirit finally seems full. He's finally acting like he's alive."

My eyes well up with tears at April's words, and I turn to look at the pan on the stove to hide them. "He told me, April," I admit softly. "Not any details," I'm quick to add, not wanting her to feel betrayed, "just that something had happened to you... He never thought you were weak though. He said you were always strong."

April sniffles, but when I glance back at her she's smiling through her tears. "I like you, Emilia. You're a lot better for him than Megan ever was. Our parents will see that too."

I'm not so sure I believe that but I return her smile. "Thanks, April."

----------

After we finish preparing all the toppings for tacos, April and I join the others in the living room.

"April," Wendy starts, "Why didn't you tell me she is Theo's girlfriend? You introduced her as a 'good friend' of yours and Cal."

"Well, I guess you're off the hook now," Theo says to Cal with a smirk.

I'm still trying to get over the term "girlfriend" while I make my way across the room to stand near Theo.

Cal smirks back at him and then turns to his mother-in-law. "She wasn't wrong about that. Emy-or, Emilia, is my best friend. I guess you could say we grew up together and recently started to talk again. That's how Theo ended up meeting her."

"Emy..." Marvin mumbles my name to himself as his eyes move from Cal to where I'm now standing next to Theo. He looks back at Cal. "As in the woman whose name is tattooed on your chest?"

Cal awkwardly opens and closes his mouth, while Wendy's eyes nearly bulge out of her head, and April calmly answers for him, "Yes, that Emy."

Wendy's gaze whips over to Theo and I. "And now you're... ?"

Theo nods and answers, "Yes," while I wish the ground would open up and swallow me whole.

There's an awkward-filled silence between us all, and then Marvin blurts out, "That's really weird."

"Dad!" April scolds, sounding appalled.

Cal starts laughing, and April and Wendy glare at him, causing him to answer with a shrug. "What? It is really weird!" He looks at Theo and I as he continues. "I'm all for it. Now. You two are clearly good together. But I'd be lying if I didn't admit that it's still a major head fuck for me." He then bites his lip and turns to Wendy with an apologetic expression. "Sorry for swearing."

Wendy blinks her eyes and gives a slow shake of her head as if she's still coming to terms with all this information and didn't even register that Cal had sworn in front of her.

There's another brief silence in the room, and then Marvin speaks up. "Didn't you once tell me that she has your name tattooed on her behind?"

Please ground, open up. Swallow me. Make me disappear forever. Please!

Wendy's eyes go wide.

April slaps a palm to her forehead and murmurs, "Why would you tell my dad that?"

Cal awkwardly shuffles his feet and mumbles back, "I dunno. We were bonding..."

Marvin starts to snicker, and Wendy shakes her head again with bafflement and then slaps her thighs and pushes herself to her feet. "Well, that's enough of this conversation. Let's go have some lunch." She begins to walk to the kitchen with Marvin following after her. "I love you kids but I don't know what we did in raising you to have you grow up to find such... interesting partners. No offense, Cal and Emilia."

"Mom," April says with a voice of warning as she and Cal begin walking toward the kitchen too.

Cal just laughs again and shrugs. "None taken, Wendy. But whatever you did to mess them up, we're thankful for it."

"Cal!" April lightly thumps his back, while Wendy throws a glare over her shoulder at him, and Marvin once again snickers.

I'm frozen in place, staring at my feet, while they all move into the kitchen. Only after Theo takes my hand in his and begins to follow them am I able to snap myself out of it to steal a glance at him.

He doesn't look upset but he doesn't seem as amused as Marvin seemed to be either.

I pull back on his hand to get him to stop walking. "Uhh," I begin with a slight wobble in my voice. I stop and clear my throat. "It actually just says Jones... It doesn't say Cal. I... I don't know if that's any better, but-"

I stop talking when I notice the small smile on his lips.

"I already knew, Milia," he explains in a quiet voice. "My dad isn't the only one Cal has 'bonded' with over the years." He gently tugs on my hand to bring me closer and places a kiss on my forehead.

"You're not upset with me?" I question in a worried voice even as I feel my body relaxing into his.

"Why would I be upset? I didn't know you then. You didn't know me." He smooths a hand down my back and kisses the top of my head. "Besides, we all got dumb tattoos when we were younger, right?"

I tilt my head back to give him a questioning look.

"I have Megan's name tattooed on my back."

My body tenses all over. "What?" I can barely contain my rage, even knowing that it's unwarranted.

A wide grin spreads across his face. "Nah, I'm just messing with you. I don't have any tattoos."

"Theodore!" I smack my arms against his chest, and Theo bursts into his wonderful laugh before catching my face in his hands and bringing his mouth down to meet mine.

"I'm sorry, Princess," he apologizes before claiming my mouth again with the type of kiss that I'm sure has the power to permanently tattoo his name into the very flesh of my beating heart. "You're such a little hypocrite though. The way you immediately tensed up at the idea of me having an ex-girlfriend's name on my body. I thought you were about to remove it with your fingernails."

"I would have!" I agree while reaching up to grip his beard. "I don't like competition."

His amused eyes soften to a loving expression while he brushes some of my hair back. "There is no competition. No one competes with you, Milia. No one."

My heart, which is definitely now tattooed with his name, beats frantically inside my chest. I try to gather the courage to speak the words that I already know to be true, but Wendy's voice calling from the kitchen ruins the moment.

"Theo! We're waiting for you two to say grace! Come sit down!"

Theo smirks and leans down to give me another kiss. "We'd better get going. My mom needs some comfort food to deal with her children and their abhorrent choices in life."

His tone suggests he's joking but I can't help but worry that there's some truth behind his words.

----------

Thankfully, the day continues without any more awkward incidents. Theo's parents are kind and mostly relaxed. Wendy seems to have a few comments directed at April about how she should work less and visit them more, which April doesn't seem impressed by, but I imagine that's often the case in mother-daughter relationships. I can see how it might be a little annoying... but mostly, I imagine it could be nice.

But no matter how friendly Wendy and Marvin come across, I can't shake the feeling that they'd prefer it if I were Megan. They ask Theo how she's doing, they mention how impressive her job of working with kids in special education is, and they even talk about her fucking cookies.

Theo politely answers their questions and nods along to the mentions of Megan's good qualities, but I can tell that he's trying to turn the conversation away from her. His eyes keep flicking towards me as if he's worried that I'm going to storm out of the room. To be honest, I probably would if I didn't have some twisted desire inside of me to show his parents that I am a civil, well-mannered woman that they can trust with their saint of a son.

Eventually, it's April who comments in a sweet-sounding voice, "If you want to know so much about Megan, why don't you go drop in unannounced at her place next? I'm sure she'd love to have you."

Wendy frowns at her while Marvin and Cal exchange awkward glances.

"You're catty today. More so than usual. What's going on with you?" Wendy questions, analyzing April as if her mother's intuition will be able to read her mind.

April drops her eyes to the table and then stands up. "Nothing. I'm just tired. I think I'm going to go pick up Emy from the Dawson's house."

"Why don't you let us?" Marvin jumps in. "We have a motel room in town with two beds so we were going to see if Emily wanted to stay with us tonight. I haven't seen Frozen 2 yet, and I promised her the last time we visited that we could watch it together. It'll give you and Cal a quiet night to catch up on sleep."

April opens her mouth to speak, but Cal is already grinning and nodding his head. "That would be great, Marv. She'll love that."

April's eyes land on Cal. Her shoulders droop ever so slightly and then she nods too. "I'll go get some of her things packed. Cal can let you know the Dawson's address."

She leaves the room, and Wendy frowns in Cal's direction.

"What?" Cal asks with a frown of his own, but it's obvious by the way his eyes followed April out of the room that he also sensed her hesitancy.

"What is going on? Why won't you tell me?" Wendy drills, but Cal just raises his hands in a confused gesture.

"I have no idea."

Wendy narrows her eyes at him skeptically, and Marvin looks at Theo with questioning eyes.

Theo shakes his head. "Don't look at me. I don't know either."

Wendy sighs and stands up from the table to start collecting plates. She glares at her son and son-in-law like she's positive they're keeping a secret from her, and I feel for them because they're just as lost as she is.

No one knows what's up with April. No one but me.

And now she's been handed a perfect opportunity to talk to Cal about it without their daughter around... and she doesn't seem to be looking forward to it.