Chapter 51: Are We Moving Too Slow?

"We could tell things were changing between you two after Billy came along," Sam said with a cheeky smile. "That awkwardness that seemed to permeate the house finally dissipated, especially once Kathleen and Andy were out of the picture!"

"That's true," Tony said, nodding his head. "In a lot of ways, Billy was a bridge between Angela and me that allowed us to ease back into the friendship we'd had before everything happened."

"So, what happened after Billy became part of the family?" Katie asked with a quick look at her phone. It was starting to get late into the afternoon, and she knew that they really should finish this conversation before Sam went to pick up the kids to bring them over to the house for dinner.

Tony immediately thought about the old Starlight Ballroom. It had been so many years since it had been torn down, but what good memories it still held in his heart. That night truly was the turning point that put him and Angela on the road back toward each other permanently…

Now that Angela had dropped Andy like a hot anchor and they had been able to resume the easiness and flirtatiousness of their relationship, Tony was more eager than ever to move them forward. When the flyer announcing a last dance at the Starlight Ballroom came in the mail, he knew he had the perfect opportunity.

Of course, then, nothing had gone as planned as he'd spent so long on his plan to ask Angela, it allowed enough time for one of her clients to swoop in and ask her. Rationally, Tony knew that Angela wasn't interested in her client romantically, but it still irked him that she had said yes. So, Tony had found his own date because he sure as hell wasn't going to sit at home while Angela was out having a good time. And secretly, he hoped that even though they were each going with other people, they could at least have one dance together. It had been way too long since he'd been able to hold Angela in his arms.

It almost felt like fate when Nick and Jenny came over to their table and ended up telling them the story of how they met. What were the odds? A Brooklyn boy and a Connecticut girl who not only found each other but had been married for over 40 years? It was exactly the story he needed to hear, and he suspected that Angela felt the same way. In fact, Angela admitted to him years later that as they were listening to the story, she was envisioning herself as Jenny and Tony as Nick. Tony had laughed because he had done the very same thing.

"I wonder what ever happened to Nick and Jenny?" Angela asked, bringing Tony back to the present. "They were such a remarkable couple. I wish we'd been able to stay in touch."

As Angela contemplated that long-ago conversation with them, she couldn't help but think about the conversations that she and Tony ended up having that night. The more roundabout one in the ballroom ultimately led to the more profound one that happened once they got home. She remembered how, after Nick and Jenny had finished their story and got up to dance, she and Tony just sat there for a minute, not sure how to break the silence.

Finally, Tony asked the question that was in the back of both their minds, "Do you think we're moving too slow?"

Angela remembered how her heart screamed 'Yes' but her head prevailed. Yes, she had been ready for more pretty much ever since she admitted to Dr. Bellows that she was in love with Tony and then on any of the many occasions after that when they let their emotions get the better of them. But she knew they were on precarious ground now that they had started to find their way back to each other. So, she sidestepped his question by asking a question of her own about whether he'd been happy the last seven years and then reassured him that they shouldn't compare themselves to other people. She wanted to say more, but Tony asked her to dance, and she wasn't about to pass up an opportunity to feel Tony's strong arms around her.

Later that night, though, once they got home, things took another turn. Tony had turned on the cd player and taken her in his arms for a dance. She didn't and couldn't resist and before long, he had buried his face in the crook of her neck as they swayed along to the music. Then, he was kissing up the side of her neck and along her jaw before capturing her mouth for a long and lingering deep kiss. He started to pull her closer to him as her arms automatically moved up to circle the back of his neck before she took a step back and pushed him away.

"Tony, Tony, we can't do this. We can't just pretend like the last six months didn't happen," Angela said, taking a deep breath before walking over to sit down on the couch. Even though Tony had apologized for unintentionally hurting her, and they were in a much better place now, Angela realized that they still had not had a real conversation about everything that happened. It was time.

Tony came and sat down next to her while Angela's eyes flitted around the living room, trying to figure out what exactly to say.

"Angela, I-" Tony started before Angela cut him off.

"No, Tony, please, let me," she said softly. "I know we're in a much better place than we were even a few weeks ago, but we've never really talked about what happened. And, if we are going to be able actually to move forward, we need to be honest with each other."

Angela took a deep breath before continuing, "Tony, you did hurt me. I know it wasn't intentional, but I thought we were on the road to something permanent, especially after our talk in Jamaica and everything that happened between us after that. I thought it was just a matter of time. We were closer than we'd ever been, both to each other and to starting a real relationship. And then, you did a complete 180. I don't want to or need to rehash the whys. I've had plenty of time to process and understand why what happened happened between you and Kathleen. However, it did and still does change things between us. I'm so glad that we've found our way back to our friendship. It would have been devastating if we had lost that. However, I don't know if or when I'll ever be ready for more. If we did really ever take that next step, it would have to be forever. No more stops and starts or little dalliances, especially since we now have another child to consider. Sam and Jonathan may be older, but Billy needs a mom and a dad that are truly a united front."

Angela took another deep breath as tears welled up in her eyes, "I just can't trust you completely right now," she finished softly.

"Angela, Jesus, I am so sorry," Tony said, making himself look into her pain-filled eyes. "I've thought about this long and hard, and I know I made the wrong decision. You were gracious back then in saying that it was something we had to go through to see if we could go any further, and maybe there's some truth in that, but I know I set us back. I don't expect you to trust me right now, but I promise from this moment on, I will do whatever it takes to earn your trust back so that we can move forward when and if you're ever ready. And I really hope you will be. You understood and waited for me after Jamaica, and now it's my turn."

"Thank you, Tony," Angela said with a small smile before leaning over to press a quick kiss to his cheek. "Tonight was wonderful. I think it was just what we needed. All of it."

"Good night," Angela finished as she rose from the couch and walked up the stairs.

Tony watched her, again admiring how beautiful she looked in that short sparkling black dress, and swore to himself that he would do whatever it took to win her back. She was everything and more than he'd ever wanted or deserved. No more roving eye or flirtations with other women…