Disclaimer: See chapter 1

Chapter 3

The towel was what finally broke them apart. It had loosened and begun to slip as they kissed each other passionately, longingly, tenderly. Finally it had draped across their faces and they parted laughing.

Angela took Tony's hand and shyly led him to the couch, not wanting to lose contact. They settled close beside each other, Angela's feet tucked under her, her knees lightly touching his leg. He cleared his throat and asked nervously, "So where are Mona and Jonathan?"

"I'm not sure. I was upstairs when you..." She began.

"Rang?" Tony interrupted her.

"Yeah and since..."

"You answered the door, you're guessing they're not home." He interrupted again.

"Uh-huh. Was there anything else I was going to say?" She wasn't very annoyed.

He looked at her with puppy dog eyes and suggested, "Maybe something about how glad you are I'm here?"

Angela smiled indulgently, lifting his chin with her finger to look into his eyes. "I am very happy you're here..." She trailed off, suddenly a little scared, and looked away.

"Angela? Do I hear a but in there?" Tony said in a worried tone, trying to meet her eyes. Failing that he took her hand instead.

It took a moment to gather her thoughts. Taking a deep breath, she found his eyes again. T-Tony, I." He tightened the grip on her hand. "I'm a little scared."

"Of what? Me?"

She smiled at this and shook her head. "No, it's just that it's so hard to believe this is real. That you're really back. And a part of me feels like I'm going to wake up soon and realize it was all a dream. And I don't think I could handle that." Tears were starting to gather in her eyes.

He moved closer to her and spoke very seriously, "Angela, this is no dream. I'm here and I'm not going anywhere ever again."

"You're not?" Angela needed to hear him say this.

"I'm never leaving your side again. I'm sticking to you like glue. We're two peas in a pod. I'm... going back to Iowa in three days." He admitting reluctantly, realizing he'd missed telling her that small detail.

Angela jumped up. "I thought you quit your job," she demanded.

"I did, I did... It's just that... I have three weeks left on my contract and I need to pack and..." He was trying desperately to explain.

"So you're not really back." She said trying to keep her voice even.

"I am!" He exclaimed. "I just have to finish what I started and then I swear I'm back for good!"

"Then why did you come here now? Why not wait? Are you trying to hurt me?" Her voice broke, betraying her emotions.

"No. Angela." He pleaded, trying to move closer. She crossed her arms again and stepped back. He swallowed. "Angela, I'm not trying to hurt you. It's just when I made up my mind, I couldn't wait one second, one moment, more without telling you, seeing you, touching you." He stepped closer. She didn't move. "These past few months have been some of the loneliest of my life. Yeah, it felt good to be a teacher and a coach, but it was awful to come home and not be able to share my day with anyone. I missed Sam and Jonathan, and Mona. I missed..." He took another step bringing himself close enough to touch her. "You. Your laugh, your smile, the way you love our family, your passion for your work. I even missed your stories about teenaged Angela. I missed being a part of your life."

She silenced him with a kiss. After a few moments, she pulled back to look at him. "Only three weeks?"

"Uh-huh?" He said hopefully.

Angela bit her lip trying to fight the pessimist inside. She relented, "Okay, I missed you too." Tony beamed. "And Tony."

"Yeah?"

"I love you." She stepped back into his embrace.

He rested his head against hers, breathing in her scent. "I love you so much. I promise, only three more weeks. And I don't have to go back for a few days."

"Yeah? Well that's good cause I really need..." She began bringing her lips close to his.

"What do you need?" He asked, tilting his head closer to hers.

"Someone to clean the oven." She teased, her eyes sparkling.

"Eh-oh Angela. It's a self – cleaning oven."

"Well, I guess I could find something else for you to do. I really wouldn't want you to be bored." Angela had missed the easy flirting between them so much.

"Hey, I could never be bored, with you." He flashed those puppy dog eyes again making Angela's heart melt. They shared such a warm smile.

"So, are you hungry?" He wondered, taking her hand to lead them into the kitchen.

"NO!" She said quickly, stopping him in his tracks. "No." She said more calmly, "I don't think I'll need to eat anything for a long, long time.

"How's that?"

"Have you ever tried deep fried broccoli?" She led him into the kitchen while describing the nightmare housekeeper she had just fired.