The Love I Need

Chapter 42

In the following days, we fall into a familiar pattern.

I wake up each morning at an ungodly hour to Theo's screaming alarm. I spend some time basking in the warmth of his arms and studying his sleeping features. Eventually, he slowly wakes up and gets off the couch with a groan, but only after pulling me close in a tight squeeze.

I've given up on saying no to breakfast. He makes me eggs regardless of my answer and watches me with a stern expression until I eat them. He then goes to work for the day while I pitifully try to pass the time and not think about him.

Cal's been making it easier. He's home from work earlier than Theo, and he's been coming over the last few days to take me driving. Of course, now he picks me up with his car and only after he brings me to the large, empty church parking lot am I allowed to get behind the wheel.

He's not the best teacher. He spends half of the time laughing at me or making me laugh and the other half of the time shouting at me or declaring that Theo is going to kill him.

Mind you, I haven't told Theo that I've been driving with Cal... He was so upset that first time, and I don't want to get into it with him again. Besides, I haven't been driving on the roads, and Cal said that had been April's main concern. If April was okay with it now, I'm sure Theo would be too. I just wasn't fully ready to risk him not being okay with it. It was easier keeping it to myself.

"We should probably go over the basics and rules of the road so that you can get your beginners permit," Cal explains Friday evening while I drive backwards in a large circle around the lot. According to Cal, it's important to get the hang of driving in reverse too.

"I don't even have valid ID, Cal..."

He's quiet for a moment before giving me instructions to reverse into a parking space.

Once the car is in park, he lets out an awkward laugh. "Right, I should have known that. It was a bitch for me to get all that stuff in order again once I moved in with Theo. A lot of paperwork to file and phone calls. At first, I thought I could get by without it. James was willing to hire me on, so I didn't think it was a big deal. But once words like GED and red seal started getting thrown around, I knew it was time I got my shit together."

"Fuck," I mumble as the weight of his words sinks in. I couldn't keep relying on Theo's kindness to keep me fed and a roof over my head. I was going to need to find a job.

"Do you have anything legal tying you to Emilia Gillen?" Cal asks gently.

I shake my head, trying to squash down the feeling of despair growing in me. "No. I have no idea where my birth certificate would be. And not even my fake ID has my birth name on it."

A small frown crosses Cal's face. "The ID I had made for you can't be doing you any good now, Emy. I know it's a fake but even fakes have expiration dates on them."

"Joe got me a new one. I... I told him to put Jones on it."

"Oh." He's quiet again, then slowly grins. "Emilia Jones always sounded better anyway."

"It did," I agree with a smile.

"You could probably keep it, ya know?" he says with an awkward shrug. "Jones as your last name, I mean. If you want to. You're going to have to start from scratch anyway. I don't think it'd be that hard to file for a name change once we get your birth certificate figured out."

"That wouldn't be... weird?"

Cal laughs and gestures between us. "This is all frickin weird. But Jones has been your last name for nearly a decade." His face turns serious and he lightly pats my arm. "If you want it, it's yours, okay?"