Sorry for the short chapter, I am updating again to make up for it and apologise to anyone who is left with 2 chapters to catch up on!

I just wanted to say thank you for following this story through the ups and downs and I'm glad you're enjoying it! Thanks also for the notes of well wishes :)

25.

"Hello?" Gabi answered her ringing phone and looked at Troy.

Kayla was balanced on her hip and all three were about ready to go out- their first 'family' day trip together.

"Mom, are you okay? Slow down," she said into the receiver as she let down Kayla to the ground and watched her run to Troy where he instantly put his hand to her head to comfort her.

"Hey," he called softly so Kayla looked up. "Don't worry okay?"

The girl nodded but remained clamped to his leg-seemingly something she had grown attached to doing.

"Okay," Gabi was saying into the phone. "I'll get there as soon as I can."

She ended the call and looked to them both, her heart twisting at the sight of her child and her lover bonding.

"Mom's had a fall," she explained to her expectant audience. "It's nothing major but I have to go pick her up from the hospital."

"Is she okay?" Troy checked.

"Yeah, she's fine…I'll let you know later when I know more," she added.

"Are you okay?" He asked next, surprising her. She darted her eyes up and softened.

"Yeah, I'm okay. I'm just sorry today is going to be ruined…" She admitted, and then held her hand out to Kayla. "Come on honey, we have to go to the hospital."

Kayla stayed where she was and pouted. "Do we have to go?" She whined. "I don't like the hospital."

Gabi came over and crouched. "I know, but I can't get a babysitter now so you have to go with me, okay?" She brushed the pad of her thumb across her daughter's tiny arched brow.

"What about me?" Troy suggested, an idea that popped into his mind spontaneously.

Gabi looked up. "What do you mean?"

"I mean- why don't I take Kayla to the park like we planned while you pick up your mom?" he posed.

Gabi swallowed. "I don't know…"

"Come on," he cajoled, bending to pick Kayla up and smiling at her when she touched a finger tip to his nose- to which he crossed his eyes to make her giggle. "We get on fine, I'm learning the ropes and I'm sure I can manage to get around the park without a major catastrophe happening."

Gabi hesitated, looking to Kayla. "What do you think Kay'?"

"Troy day." She decided contentedly.

Gabi flicked her eyes over the pair of them, wishing she could step right into his arms and wrap herself around his neck much like Kayla was now. She wanted nothing more than to see them both bonding but she felt a little twang of concern at leaving Troy with Kayla so soon.

"Are you sure you can manage alone?" She checked.

"I'm sure," he held out his other arm to gesture her into a hug.

She stepped into the three way cuddle with a reticent smile followed by a satisfied sigh.

"Remind me why I can't come with you?" She begged softly.

"Your mom," he murmured, kissing her hair and running his hand down its length.

"Oh, darn," she teased, smiling up into his face.

"We'll miss you," he announced, bending to kiss her lips softly, and then supporting Kayla as she decided to reach over for a hug from her mom also. She wriggled in his arms for release then.

"Bunny ears!" She explained as he dropped her down and she ran to get them, leaving him bemused.

"Why now?" He wondered cutely to Gabi.

"Apparently they're your and her 'thing'," Gabi explained with an amused smile.

"They are?" He marvelled with awe.

"If you really don't want to put them on in public, just tell her, she'll understand." Gabi assured.

"I'd be honoured to wear bunny ears with Kayla," he began a low, sexy smile that preceded him pulling her back into his strong arms and irresistible body.

"Are you only saying that to get me into bed?" She wondered, flattening her palms to his chest.

He tilted his head. "Maybe."

Gabi stayed silent for two seconds then tiptoed to kiss him, slowly, her fingers venturing into his hair.

"Bad timing, partner," she breathed as they broke apart; Kayla's thundering down the stairs signalling their moment of privacy was over.

He kissed her one more time. "I hope your mom is okay. Call me later."

"I will. Have fun today." She broke from his body to hug her girl. "See you later honey."

/

"Troy Bolton, is that you?"

The voice was familiar but it wasn't until he rose from his crouched position in front of Kayla to greet the owner, that he recognised who it was.

"Eva." Troy lifted his brows and swifted a look over the dark haired model that he shared his bed with once.

She shook her head lightly, dropping her gaze first to Kayla, then back up to Troy. "Well I never thought I'd see the day you became a daddy."

Troy grasped Kayla's hand protectively and felt the punch of Eva's words in his gut. He pressed his lips together a little before he answered.

"Well now you have," he gleaned, and then looked down on the shy Latina hiding behind his leg. "Eva, this is Kayla, my partner's daughter." He introduced. "Kayla this is Eva, a friend of mine."

"Hi," Kayla said shyly, bringing a soft smile to Troy's lips.

"Nice ears." Eva said simply, reminding Troy that he still had Kayla's bunny ears on his head.

"Thanks," he answered equally simply, noting how Eva had bypassed Kayla.

"So how's things?" Eva enquired.

He shrugged. "Pretty good."

"You seem settled now…" She arched a brow and Troy smirked as he felt a consistent tug, tug, tug on his arm where Kayla was getting bored and was using his arm as some kind of elastic rope.

"I'm trying to be," he admitted softly.

Eva pursed her lips. "No second chances?" She broached, flicking a feline look down his body that might have got him going once but now only felt cold.

"I fell in love. I'm happy now." He explained, trying not to use certain language in front of Gabi's daughter.

"Cross…cross…cross…" Kayla was trying to pull him to the edge of the curb to cross the road to reach the park.

"One minute, beautiful," he called, then to Eva, "I have to go."

"Of course," she blinked her eyes down. "Call me if you ever…fall out of love," she described and at that second, Kayla broke free of his fingers; giving way to allow the little girl to dash for the road.

"Kayla! No!" Troy turned instantly toward the fleeing girl and sprinted after her, flying down the curb and into the road to snatch her up before she faced the danger of the traffic.

"Oh jeez!" He panted out, his palm protectively against the back of her head as he wildly looked around, trying to calm his rapidly beating heart.

A loud, piercing cry began at his ear, Kayla having just reacted to the flurry of events, something Troy had never had to face before.

The second she'd broken free, his mind had been completely focused on her safety and nothing else and it brought a tight pain to his chest knowing how much this little girl meant to him. He didn't want anything to happen to her- ever. He didn't want to hear her cry like she did now and although he'd never had to console a crying child before; he somehow instinctively cuddled her closer to his chest to comfort her.

"Shh, Kayla, it's okay," he soothed, carrying her back to the pavement to settle her.

Her cries continued while he carefully tried to replace her mother's no doubt much more successful methods of reassurance, but eventually she calmed into sniffles.

"You mustn't run off like that," he told her gently as she fidgeted and he looked down.

"I'm sorry," her big brown eyes were sorrowful and her face wet with tears. He pulled out a tissue to blow her nose and smiled softly at her.

"You're safe now, okay?" he checked.

She nodded and put her thumb in her mouth.

"Do you still want to go to the park?" He asked and she looked at him with those eyes but she didn't answer so he licked his lips nervously and walked anyway, hoping she might brighten up once they got inside the green space.

/

Much later after they'd fed the ducks, played on the swings, the slide and every other available surface; he carried her home.

She was asleep on his shoulder with her thumb in her mouth as they came up the path to Gabi's door. When Gabi opened the door to him, he smiled haplessly and shrugged a little.

"I wore her out." He announced to her, and then he stepped forward into the doorway as she stepped back and he bent to kiss her. "How are you?"

Gabi followed him inside, brushing a gentle hand down Kayla's back as he carried her still.

"I'm okay. But you should know-"

"Oh, hello Troy," Mrs Montez greeted him as she came through from the kitchen, Gabi's news announced for her.

"Oh…erm…hi," he blushed awkwardly, not realising Gabi's mother knew his name.

"Nice to meet you at last," Janet smiled warmly, reaching out her hand which he went to shake, still supporting the tired weight of Kayla against his body.

"You, too," he returned, and then smiled slowly. "I'm sorry to hear you were hurt, is everything ok?"

"Oh, yes I'm perfectly fine." She assured, brushing off her hospital visit, her dark eyes twinkling as she watched Kayla fidget in her sleep. "Well, she certainly likes you, doesn't she?"

Troy licked his lips, feeling not for the first time; proud of winning Kayla's affections. By all standards it seemed this was not an easy task.

"Yeah, it's the ears," he teased quickly, touching his headwear to show what he meant.

Janet smiled at him. "She's non-stop talking about you, they both are, it's nice to finally put a face to a name." She revealed.

Troy turned to Gabi with a lift of his brows. "Is that so?"

"Mom, I do not talk about him non-stop," Gabi rolled her eyes as a tell-tale red blush stained her cheeks.

"Erm, Gabi, I need to speak to you about something before I go…" Troy ventured and Gabi nodded.

"Okay, let's put Kayla to bed and we'll talk upstairs." She agreed, making sure her mother was seated in her living room before she went up with him.

"I'm so sorry about that, I was hoping to get the chance to warn you…" Gabi whispered furiously as they came into Kayla's room.

"It's fine," Troy assured, frowning at her stressed tone.

"She wanted to meet you. She wouldn't leave until she had," she added and he squinted, reading between the lines in her words. Maybe her mom had wondered what kind of guardian he would be, too.

"Honestly, it's cool." He smiled softly, brushing her cheek with his thumb. "Are you okay?"

"I just feel like she's being nosey," Gabi admitted. "I'm fed up of people prying and telling me what we have is no good…"

"Who's telling you that?" He wondered with keen interest, causing Gabi to close her eyes in regret.

"I didn't mean to say that. I just meant that…" She paused, not knowing how to escape her lie.

"Has somebody said something to you about us?" He guessed quickly.

She ventured a look to his eyes with her timid brown ones. "Kinda."

He nodded, laying Kayla into the bed as her sleep-soft body crumpled comfortably allowing him to turn his full attention to Gabi.

"What did they say?" He demanded softly, bracing her shoulders.

"It doesn't matter because I don't care what other people say," she insisted.

"It matters if you're standing there worrying about what people think about us- what your mom might think," he counteracted.

She fidgeted, frowning until digs appeared above her brows and then placed her palms to his chest.

"Josie told me she wasn't happy about 'us'," she used her fingers to draw apostrophes. "She was kinda off with me on Friday night."

"Why?" He asked next.

Gabi twisted her lips. "She thought I was wasting my time with you. She thought I might get hurt."

Troy nodded, a sorrowful twist of pain flittering across his face. "I'm sorry she thinks that."

"I defended you, Troy. I told her you were the man I wanted to be with." She assured.

"Thank you," he smiled with a flicker of his lips. "But maybe you should listen to your friends."

"I would if they were justified…" She argued.

"You need your friends around you Gabi," he commented. "It seems like every damn member of that squad has something to hold against me and I'd like to stand here and say it isn't so, but it is- you know it, too."

"I know," she looked right into his blue eyes and tiptoed to kiss his chin. "And I'm still here."

"Maybe you shouldn't be."

"What are you saying?" She asked, hurt.

"I'm saying maybe you should think about it, that's all. I'm just saying maybe you want some time…"

"I don't need time," she hugged him around the middle and pressed her cheek to his chest. "I love you. I can't change that."

Troy wrapped his arms around the small woman before him and let out a resounding sigh.

"I have to tell you something about Kayla," he broached and she looked up, cocking her head as if to prompt him on. "She ran into the road today while I stopped and talked with someone I knew," he began.

Gabi gasped. "Oh my god, is she okay?"

"Yeah, yeah she's fine," he assured quickly. "I caught her before she even came near to the cars but she got frightened and got upset, you should know that."

"She's so fragile, sometimes," Gabi moved over to sit on the bed. "I just want to wrap her up and never let go."

"That's weird, cos that's kinda how I feel about you," he complimented softly, coming over toward her and pausing by the bed.

"Are you staying a while?" She looked up to him.

"Won't your mom mind?" He replied teasingly.

"Mom is going home, that I will make sure of." Gabi smiled back.

"If you want me to, then I will," he replied to her question.

"I want you to." She affirmed, standing.

"Then I will," he repeated, watching her vanish to rid her mom.