Disclaimer: See Chapter 1

Chapter 8

Angela and Tony were slow to rise the next morning; both reluctant to leave the comfort of the others arms, scared that the intimacy they had built during the night would disappear upon losing contact. But eventually, hunger and the knowledge that the family would soon be there forced them up. The awkwardness returned as they went about their morning rituals, each taking great pains to avoid imposing on the other. They knew it was silly, and time would eventually bring them to a routine, but for the present, it was all so new. The old boundaries in their lives had been erased and neither knew where exactly to redraw them. There was an impulse to spend every second of every moment joined at the hip, but they were so used to having separate lives that that type of closeness would eventually drive them insane. However, things couldn't be as they were before either, so they treaded lightly.

Tony paused as he reached the bottom of the stairs, surveying the debris left of the night before. It wasn't too bad, the chairs had been packed up and set aside, the caterers had removed all traces of supper, the floor was swept, and all that remained were the decorations. A huge grin appeared on his face as Angela pushed through the kitchen door, tea towel draped over her shoulder.

"Hi ya Beautiful!" he greeted her lovingly

"Hi ya Handsome," she replied with a hint of shyness. "Whatcha doing?" she wondered.

"Looking at the living room. It feels strange, seeing it so empty."

"Yeah, it seems so much bigger without the furniture, almost like a ballroom." Angela frowned; it sounded dorky the moment it came out of her mouth.

Tony didn't seem to mind, or notice anything amiss. Instead his smile grew and he held out his hand asking, "Care for a dance?"

She laughingly agreed as he placed his arms around her and twirled them out into the middle of the room. He enjoyed dancing with her like this – she moved so gracefully, responding to his lead. She giggled as he pulled her into a dip, bringing his face down to kiss her even as he lowered her.

Mona and Jonathan entered through the back door. "You're still dancing?" Jonathan asked incredulously. "Don't you two ever quit?"

Tony pulled Angela upright and answered, "Never," before placing another kiss on his wife's lips.

Jonathan groaned, "I'm leaving." He headed for the kitchen.

Mona watched them both with glee. "So, the kid's gone. Give me details! Did you really spend the whole night here dancing? Or were you up to another type of dance?"

Tony and Angela grinned at each other; they had been expecting this. After a moment, Tony broke away from Angela's gaze and spoke, "She's your mother, you talk to her. I'm going to check on breakfast." With one last glance, he pushed through the door.

"Angela," Mona whined, "I've waited nine long years for something to happen between you two. Don't hold out on me now!"

"Mother – Do you really expect me to fill you in on my wedding night?"

"A mother could dream," Mona answered. Angela just looked at her. "Tell me something, anything at least." Angela began to move toward the kitchen. "Please!" she begged.

A smile spread across Angela's face as she paused at the door and looked back. "Let's just say that it was well worth the wait," she winked and with that, she was gone.

Mona gave a loud whoop before following her daughter out of the room.