A couple days later, Gabriella came home from school and smiled when Grace ran into her arms.
"Hey baby, where's grandma?" Gabriella asked.
"Eat" Grace said which Gabriella took as "kitchen".
"Come on, let's go talk to grandma" Gabriella said taking her daughter's hand in her own.
Gabriella walked into the kitchen and smiled.
"Hi mom" Gabriella said.
"Hi honey, how was school today?" Lucille asked.
"Fine. Long, but fine. I'm happy to be home" Gabriella said.
Lucille smiled.
"Troy said he would be working late. Chuck needed him he said" Lucille said.
"Okay. Did he give you a time?" Gabriella asked.
"No. He just said it was going to be late when he got home" Lucille said.
"Alright" Gabriella said.
The two girls said goodbye to Lucille. Gabriella closed the door and smiled when she saw Grace sitting on the couch with her blanket and her teddy bear. She walked over to the couch and sat down next to her daughter. Grace snuggled into Gabriella's side. That night, Troy came home to a dark house. He knew that Grace was asleep because it was way passed her bedtime. Troy also knew that Gabriella would probably be waiting for him in their bedroom. He put his keys and wallet on the counter and walked into the kitchen and opened the refrigerator and found a container with a post-it and his name on it. Troy smiled. He didn't like when he had to work late, but it was money for their family and that's what mattered. He heated up the contents of the container and sat down at the table and ate. Once he finished, he placed his utensils and dish into the dishwasher and started it. Troy then turned off the light and walked upstairs. He walked into the bedroom and smiled. Gabriella was sitting up in bed, with a book on her chest, sleeping. Troy kissed Gabriella's cheek softly and carefully removed the book, trying not to wake her up in the process. Gabriella moaned in her sleep and opened her eyes slowly.
"Did you just get home?" Gabriella asked sleepily.
"Yeah. Sorry that I was working so late. Chuck needed someone to do the night shift" Troy said.
"Did you find my note and dinner?" Gabriella asked rubbing the sleep from her eyes.
"Yes I did. Thank you. Everything went okay today?" Troy asked.
Gabriella nodded.
"I got an A on my chemistry test" Gabriella said.
Troy smiled and leaned in and kissed Gabriella's lips softly.
"That's great baby. I'm so proud of you" Troy said.
Gabriella smiled.
"How was my little girl today?" Troy asked.
Gabriella smiled. She loved that Troy loved Grace as much as he did.
"She missed you. But, she was good. Mom said that she was good too" Gabriella said.
"Good. I have the day off tomorrow. I can give mom a break" Troy said.
Gabriella nodded.
"Grace will love that you will be home tomorrow" Gabriella said.
Troy smiled and nodded. He leaned in and kissed Gabriella's lips softly. Gabriella smiled into the kiss.
"We need to be careful" Gabriella mumbled.
"I thought you went on the pill after you finished breastfeeding a year ago" Troy mumbled.
"I did. I am just-" Gabriella started.
"Worried that this will happen again" Troy finished.
Gabriella looked down, embarrassed. Troy put his index finger under Gabriella's chin and moved it so he was looking directly into Gabriella's eyes. He was trying to see what she was thinking.
"We can only take every precaution we can, Brie. You are on the pill. I will use a condom. Everything's going to be fine. It won't be like last time" Troy said.
"It is always in the back of my mind" Gabriella said.
"I know it is, babe. I know it is. But we can't completely stop everything just because we are scared of something happening right?" Troy said.
Gabriella was silent.
"I'm not trying to pressure you. I am just trying to make you see everything more clearly" Troy said.
"I want to. But, I don't think I can. Not right now" Gabriella said.
"And that's fine. Don't think that I am going to be upset about it. I'm not. I understand your reasoning" Troy said.
Gabriella nodded.
"I'm sorry" Gabriella said softly.
Troy smiled.
"Don't be. It's okay" Troy said.
Gabriella nodded.
"I'm going to take a shower" Troy said.
"Troy" Gabriella said.
Troy looked at Gabriella and smiled slightly.
"I'm fine, baby. Honestly" Troy said.
"But I made you-" Gabriella started.
"It's fine, sweetheart. Don't worry about it. I will take care of it" Troy said.
Gabriella took a deep breath and released it. Troy picked out a pair of pajamas and went into the bathroom and took a cold shower. Ten minutes later, Troy emerged from the bathroom and walked into the bedroom.
"I'm going to go kiss Grace goodnight" Troy said.
Gabriella nodded. Troy walked out of the bedroom and went into Grace's. He smiled when he saw her sleeping. Troy leaned down and placed a kiss on his daughter's forehead.
"Night night, baby. I love you" Troy said.
Troy quietly walked out of Grace's bedroom and went back into the master bedroom.
"Is she asleep?" Gabriella asked.
Troy nodded. He got into bed and Gabriella snuggled into his chest.
"What time are you done with school tomorrow?" Troy asked.
"Two. If you can't-" Gabriella started.
"I can watch her. I just wanted to know what time you were done, that's all" Troy said.
Gabriella nodded.
"Brie, talk to me" Troy said.
Troy knew that Gabriella had thoughts running through her head.
"I wanted to. I just…I just…" Gabriella started.
Troy wrapped his arms around Gabriella. He kissed her head and rubbed her back as she cried.
"It's okay. Everything's okay" Troy said repeatedly.
Ten minutes later, Gabriella had stopped crying and was staring off into space.
"You want to tell me what's going on in that head of yours?" Troy asked.
"I wanted to…have sex. I just am scared something is going to happen" Gabriella said.
Troy nodded.
"Babe, listen to me and listen to me good okay? You are on the pill. I will have a condom. That is the most protection you can get. There is no chance that you could get pregnant" Troy said.
"Yes, but the condom could break" Gabriella said.
Troy looked at Gabriella and raised one eyebrow. He kissed Gabriella's head softly.
"Stop thinking. I can't even think about this anymore" Troy said turning over with his back facing Gabriella.
Gabriella sighed.
"Great" Gabriella mumbled.
Gabriella turned off the light and fell asleep. The next day, Troy woke up and saw that Gabriella had left for school. He was still annoyed with her and the conversation that they had last night. Troy heard Grace babbling and calling his name. He smiled and got up and walked to Grace's room.
"Hi baby, daddy's here" Troy said lifting Grace out of her crib and lying her down on the floor.
Troy changed his daughter's diaper and kissed her head softly.
"Let's go downstairs" Troy said.
Troy and Grace walked to the top of the stairs.
"Remember how to get down?" Troy asked.
Grace sat down on the top step and smiled brightly. Troy smiled. He walked next to Grace as she sat down on each step going down the stairs. Once Grace got to the last two steps, Troy stood at the bottom and waited for her. Grace stood up and smiled. Troy kneeled down.
"Good job Grace. High-five" Troy said.
Troy held his hand out for Grace and watched her miss his hand and hit the air instead. He chuckled.
"Almost baby" Troy said putting his daughter's hand on top of his.
Grace giggled.
"Come on, let's go eat" Troy said.
Troy and Grace walked into the kitchen. Troy picked Grace up and set her in her high chair. He then went to the refrigerator and took out a bottle of milk and some fruit. He cut up the berries that he had found and put them in a bowl. Troy then put Grace's milk in the microwave and waited for it to heat up. Once the milk was heated, Troy took it out of the microwave and carried the bottle and bowl to the table and set it in front of Grace. Troy watched Grace take a berry and putting It in her mouth, but smearing the juice all over her face.
"You are just like daddy" Troy said.
Grace giggled.
"Daddy?" Grace asked.
Troy's heart swelled every time he heard that.
"Yeah baby. Just like daddy" Troy said.
Troy finished feeding Grace and gave her the bottle of milk. He wiped the berry stains off of Grace's face and lifted her out of her high chair.
"Alright, let's go upstairs and get you dressed" Troy said.
Troy lifted Grace into his arms and set her on his hip. He would let Grace climb up the stairs but since he was the only one home, he didn't want to risk it. Troy walked upstairs and into Grace's room. He had learned a lot about fashion in the year and a half that Grace has been alive. Troy picked out an outfit and changed Grace out of her pajamas. He stood back and looked at his fashion work and smiled.
"I think daddy did good today. Do you think mommy will like it?" Troy asked.
"Yeah" Grace said.
Troy smiled.
"Good. Because you look so cute" Troy said kissing Grace's cheek and tickling her stomach, causing her to break into a fit of giggles.
"Mommy" Grace said.
"Mommy's at school. She will be home soon. Do you want to go see mama?" Troy asked.
"Yeah" Grace said.
Troy smiled. He loved that Grace loved her grandparents and wanted her to spend as much time as she could with them. As a child, Troy spent a lot of time with his own grandparents and he felt like it was one of the most rewarding things he could have ever done. He wanted the same for Grace.
"Alright, let's get your shoes on and we will go see mama" Troy said.
Troy put Grace's shoes on her feet and lifted her into his arms.
"Okay, let's go see mama and papa" Troy said.
Troy walked out of the house and locked the front door. He walked to the car and buckled Grace into her car seat.
"Kiss" Troy said.
Grace leaned in and kissed her father's lips sweetly and giggled.
"Love you baby" Troy said.
Troy closed the door and got into the driver's seat. He drove to his parents house and parked the car. Troy got out of the car and went to the backseat and unbuckled Grace and lifted her out of the car. He closed the door and held his hand out. Grace took her father's hand and they walked to the front door.
"Daddy, bell?" Grace asked.
"You want to press the doorbell?" Troy asked.
Grace nodded. Troy lifted his daughter up and she pressed the doorbell and giggled when she heard the bell ring. He placed her back on the ground and waited for his mother to answer the door. Lucille opened the door and smiled.
"Hi baby girl. Troy, I thought you had the day off today" Lucille asked kneeling down so she could give her granddaughter a hug and kiss.
"I do. But, we were bored and decided to come and see mama and papa so here we are" Troy said.
Lucille smiled.
"Gabi is at school?" Lucille clarified.
Troy nodded. They all walked into the house and Grace ran when she saw Jack sitting on the couch. Jack caught Grace in his arms, which made her laugh.
"So what is your plan for the day?" Lucille asked.
Troy shrugged.
"Just playing everything by ear. When Gab gets home, we will see what she wants to do" Troy said.
"Are you guys fighting?" Lucille asked.
"No fighting" Grace said in a matter-of-fact tone.
Troy smiled.
"Right baby. No fighting. We just got into a weird conversation last night and its kind of awkward" Troy said.
"About what?" Lucille asked.
"There are little ears in the room so I do not want to say" Troy said raising his eyebrow, basically telling her what it was about through his eyes.
Lucille shook her head. She looked at Grace, who was snuggled comfortably into Jack's side.
"I am going to take him upstairs. I need to have a talk with him. You are on Grace duty" Lucille said to her husband.
"Okay" Jack said.
Troy and Lucille walked upstairs and went into the master bedroom. Lucille shut the door and looked at her son.
"She doesn't want to have sex" Troy said.
"Troy, you can't get upset about that. You don't understand how she feels" Lucille said.
"I know how she feels. I was there for everything. She's afraid of it" Troy said.
"As an eighteen-year-old that had a baby a year and a half ago should be. You can't be upset about that, Troy. She's afraid of it because if it happened once, it can happen again. You need to back off about it" Lucille said.
"We would use protection. She's on the-" Troy started.
"It doesn't matter if you use protection or not. She isn't ready for it, Troy. Don't push her" Lucille said holding up her index finger.
Troy stood in silence.
"I know that Grace is a little older and you think Gabriella has gotten over it, but that stays with you. Forever. A mother never forgets about things like that" Lucille continued.
"I just want things to go back to how things were with us. I know that Grace is here and it changed a lot. But, my relationship with my girlfriend-" Troy started.
"It changed too, Troy. It changed too. I know you both love each other to death. But a baby changes things. It will make you strong and more mature. But it will also make you see that you can't be as intimate as you once were" Lucille said.
Troy nodded and was silent for a moment.
"Can you keep Grace tonight? I want to talk to Brie. And not just talk to her like a mom and dad type of talk. I need to talk to her as her boyfriend. She's the love of my life and I just need to figure this out" Troy said.
"We can keep her tonight. She has clothes and diapers here. Don't push her though, Troy" Lucille said.
"I won't" Troy said.
Lucille nodded. Troy and Lucille walked downstairs and saw Jack and Grace watching television.
"Sweetheart, you are going to stay with mama and papa tonight okay? Daddy will come get you tomorrow" Troy said kneeling to her level.
"Mommy" Grace said.
"Mommy will call you when she gets home okay?" Troy said moving a stray hair out of her face.
"Okay" Grace said.
"Give me a kiss" Troy said.
Grace kissed Troy's lips.
"I'll see you later baby. Be good for mama and papa okay? I love you" Troy said.
Troy left his parent's house and drove home. A couple hours later, Troy heard the door open and saw Gabriella walk in. Troy was in the living room watching television. Gabriella walked into the living room and looked around.
"Where's Grace?" Gabriella asked.
"At my parents for the night" Troy said.
"I thought it was your day off" Gabriella said.
"It is. But, I told mom that you and I needed some time alone and she agreed to take her" Troy said.
Gabriella looked at Troy, confused. She walked over to the couch and sat down, knowing that this was going to be a long conversation. Troy turned the television off and sat up and looked at Gabriella. He took her hand in his.
"I know that things are different. I know that Grace changed a lot of things. I don't want us to constantly be like this, Brie. We love each other right?" Troy asked.
Gabriella nodded.
"Right. Grace is a big part of our lives and she changed how we look at things. I'm sorry that I pushed you last night. I didn't understand how you really felt about it until I looked at the situation through another person's eyes. But, I don't want us to abandon our relationship. We need to work on that too. If we love each other as much as we say we do" Troy said.
"I don't want us to abandon it either, Troy. I miss us and how we used to be. I really do. But, like you said things have changed. My feelings for you will never change. I just can't be as intimate as we used to because I'm scared. I'm scared that this will happen again, even if we use protection. I just can't do it. Even though I trust you with my life and that I love you more than anything. I can't. Not now at least. I don't want you to be upset or hold it against me. It's just how I feel" Gabriella said.
Troy nodded understanding Gabriella's point.
"I won't ever be upset or hold it against you for feeling the way you do, Brie. I would never do that to you. I don't want you to be scared" Troy said.
Gabriella nodded.
"I'm sorry for pushing you" Troy said.
Gabriella smiled slightly. She moved closer to Troy and leaned her head against his shoulder.
"We are still learning how to be parents and be adults. I think we are allowed to fight at least once in a while" Gabriella said.
Troy smiled.
"Yeah, but I don't ever want to fight about this again" Troy said.
"I agree" Gabriella said.
Gabriella moved her head so she was looking directly at Troy. She leaned in and kissed his lips softly, but passionately. Troy kissed her back and ran his fingers through Gabriella's hair. Gabriella pulled back slowly and looked at Troy.
"I love you" Gabriella said.
"I love you too" Troy said.