Reaching the car, Angela tried to regain her composure wondering how it was that her mother could always be so perceptive to all things sex related. How could she face her in the office today, she wondered? How could she warn Tony before Mona somehow got a hold of him? There was no way out of this situation! Her mother knew and it was only a matter of time before she confronted them both or worse yet, found out about their other little secret.
Okay, she thought, they could possibly explain the sex part; they got caught in the moment, they finally gave into years of built-up sexual tension, they finally admitted they loved each other. Ya, it was okay, she would be thrilled for them and maybe give them the time and space they needed to adjust to it all without any more pressure. But them not annulling their marriage, now that was another issue all together. That changed the whole dynamic of their family, that was a huge deal. Tony didn't want anyone to know till they could be properly engaged and married. This was not good. This part couldn't be explained.
She began to hyperventilate, sitting in the car, as all these thoughts raced through her mind. "I gotta go, I gotta get out of her," she said to herself! "Calm down Angela, get a hold of yourself," she shook her head, "There is no way she'll find out about the non-annulled, annulment. It's impossible!"
Finally convincing herself to go on into the city and meet with Mr. Hamilton, her fake morning meeting she had to at least make an effort to make real, Angela proceeded into Manhattan and her uncertain day.
Satisfied and proud of the shock she gave her daughter with her morning revelation, Mona floated into the office ready to face the day and get the details of her daughter's unconfirmed rendezvous. Checking her messages, she was disappointed to find one from Angela stating she wouldn't be in, with a phony excuse of meeting clients all day.
Ha, good excuse, she thought, "You can't hide from me forever!" She whispered to herself. "I'll catch you my pretty," she laughed," And your little lover boy too!"
Hours ticked by as Mona fielded call after call for Angela, making excuse after excuse as to why she wasn't in the office or available, "I'm sorry, Mr. Charles, Angela is in a meeting. I'm sorry Mr. Henry, Angela is out of the office today. I'm sorry Mrs. Reed, Angela is on an international call and will be a while." On and on all day, call after call, Mona fielded each with one with a different message until the one call she didn't expect rang through about a quarter to four.
"Bower Agency, can I help you?"
"Angela Bower please?"
"I'm sorry, Ms. Bower isn't in at the moment, can I take a message?"
"Yes, this is Ms. Foster with the Internal Revenue Services, please have Ms. Bower return my call immediately."
"Oh hi, Ms. Foster, this is Mona Robinson, Angela's mother, we met the other day, anything I can help you with? Did everything get taken care regarding their little situation?" She snickered.
"Hello Ms. Robinson, no, I'm afraid not. It appears that Ms. Bower and Mr. Micelli did not file the paperwork to annul their marriage as they said they were going to, so I need to speak to them immediately so I can update my investigation and find out what their intentions are with their tax bill. Need I remind them that interest and penalties are being accrued every day until this is resolved." She spat.
Trying to process what the snooty IRS agent had just divulged, Mona questioned, "Did you say that they didn't file for an annulment?"
"That's correct!"
"Well, well, the plot thickens," she whispered.
"Pardon me?" Ms. Foster questioned.
"Oh, never mind, never mind!" Mona quickly retorted. "Say, Ms. Foster, why don't you come by the house later this afternoon, I'm sure we can get this all situated and straighten out!"
"Very well, Ms. Robinson. What time?"
Knowing that Angela was probably already home, being as she was only out of the office trying to avoid her, Mona quickly replied," I'd say about five-ish, yes, five-ish should be just perfect."
"Okay, please tell her I'll be there at five!"
"Oh, believe me, I'll be sure she's there!"
Mona hung up the phone, grabbed her purse and headed for the train. "If I catch the four-fifteen, I'll make it there just in time!"
Just as predicted, Angela had gone home shortly after lunch, anxiously awaiting Tony's return from his morning classes. Upon his arrival, she filled him in on her mother's confrontation and they agreed that they would come clean to Mona about their romantic involvement in order to avoid any other embracement and uncomfortable situations knowing she would be happy for them but decided to keep the lack of their annulment to themselves.
After deciding on how to navigate through their immediate future, Tony continued with his afternoon schedule to pick up Billy, take him to swim practice, pick up Jonathan, take him to his study date and stop by the grocery store to pick up dinner prior to making the rounds back to gather the boys and return home.
Arriving back at the house, twenty minutes to five, Tony began preparation for dinner while the boys began their homework and Angela retreated to her office to catch up on work, she had put off not having been in the office all day.
Hearing the doorbell ring, Tony called out, "I'll get it," as he made his way from the kitchen through the living room. Opening the front door, Tony froze as he laid eyes upon the not so pleasant, IRS agent.
"Good evening Mr. Micelli, may I come in?" She greeted noting his shocked look.
"Uhhhh, Ms. Foster, what are you doing here?" Tony inquired.
"I'm here to see you and...
"Tony, who is it?" Angela questioned as she made her way around the corner. "Ms. Foster, what, what," Angela stuttered as she caught sight of the woman at the door, "Are you doing here?"
"Awwww, Ms. Bower, just the other person I needed to see! Mr. Micelli, can I come in?" She repeated.
"Yes, yes, I'm sorry!" Tony opened the door wider to allow her in.
"Ms. Foster, what can we do for you?" Angela hesitated.
"Well, as I explained to your mother this afternoon..."
"My mother," Angela interjected?
"Did someone call my name?" Mona bounced into the room, swigging the kitchen door open, announcing her presence.
"Yes," Ms. Foster continued, "As I was saying, as I explained to Ms. Robinson this afternoon, there seems to be a little issue with the fact that you and Mr. Micelli didn't in fact file the annulment paperwork as you said you were going too."
"Mother, why didn't you tell me that Ms. Forest called and was coming by the house?" Angela spat through her teeth.
"Oh, I'm sorry dear, I didn't think you were reachable being as you were out all day! I rushed right home to tell you. I'm sorry I didn't arrive in time!" Mona snickered.
"I'll deal with you later!" Angela growled.
Turning to Ms. Foster, "Ms. Foster, come into my office please so we can talk in private." Leading the way, she turned to Tony, "Tony," motioning to him in the direction of her office to follow.
Filling the agent in, on an abridged version, of the occurrences in North Carolina, they explained to her that although they never had the intentions of being married at the time that their accidental marriage occurred and that they had not been living as a married couple trying to deceive the IRS of their marriage for tax benefits, they had, as a result of this complicated mishap, finally declared their love for each other, in turn, deciding to not annul their marriage as they had intentions of making their marriage official in a proper ceremony at some point.
Shocked and touched by their story, how could two people so in love with each other live such a lie for so long, she questioned, she congratulated them and promised to help them with their tax issue, so they won't be responsible for the entirety of the tax bill she had presented them with earlier.
Apologizing again for not having called her to update her on their situation, Tony and Angela escorted her back out to the living room to bid her farewell.
Reaching the door, Ms. Foster declared, "I really am very happy for you all and congratulations!" Giving each of them a hug.
Re-entering the living, Mona inquired, "What are we congratulating?" A taunting tone in her voice.
'Well Ms. Robinson," the agent turned to Mona and smiled, "You know what I say, if it looks like a duck and quacks like a duck,"
"It must be a duck!" Angela and Tony replied in unison. Turning to Mona, they looked at each other, smiled and squealed, "Quack, Quack!
Closing the door behind Ms. Forest, Tony and Angela prepared themselves for the barrage of questions they knew was about to hit them.
"So, do either of you care to explain to me just what the hell is going on here between you two?" Mona questioned.
"Not until you explain what you were thinking, sending Ms. Foster here to confront us on a very personal matter! Did you stop to think about the kids and what they might think about this?"
"Well, no dear, because I don't know what "this,"" she emphasized, "Is all about! You two have been acting very strange since you got back from North Carolina. Care to explain to me what gives?"
Shaking her head, defeated in the situation, Angela took a deep breath, "In the kitchen Mother!" She directed, motioning towards the swinging door.
Regaling Mona with their story of how their declaration of love came to be and why they decided to not annul their marriage, they were met with an outpouring of affection and excitement from Mona, whose only comment was, "It's about time, I'm so happy for you both!" She wrapped her arms around each, giving them tight hugs!
Making her promise not to say anything to the kids before they could tell them as a family, Tony called Sam, at the dorm, and requested her presence for a family dinner.
Upon Sam's arrival, Tony and Angela gathered the crew in the living room for a family meeting.
Mona, Billy and Sam sat on the couch, while Jonathan sat on the armchair closest to the kitchen with Angela on the opposite chair and Tony on the arm rest next to Angela.
"So," Angela began, "We wanted to get you all together so we could tell you some news!"
"What's wrong? Something happen?" Sam interrupted.
"No honey, everything's okay." Tony consoled.
"So, what gives?" She questioned.
"Well," Angela continued, "We were hoping for a little more time before we told you this but,"
"Oh my God, Mrs. Napolli is taking Billy back?" Jonathan blurted.
"No Jonathan! God NO!" Tony assured noting the panic on Billy's face. "Billy isn't going anywhere."
"Can I please finish without any further interruptions?" Angela pleaded. "As I was saying, we were hoping to have a little more time before telling you all but due to interfering circumstances, we feel it best to just be honest and tell you all what's going on."
Noting the perplexed look on each of the children's faces, Tony grabbed Angela's hand and placed his arm around her shoulder, "I love Angela!" He stated.
"Ya and?" Sam replied.
"Okay, so what's new?" Jonathan declared
"Duhhhh!" Billy rolled his eyes.
Chuckling, Tony clarified, "No, Angela are IN LOVE!" He smiled
"Oh my God that's amazing!" Jonathan cheered.
"Finally!" Sam screeched.
"So?" Billy wondered.
"Come here sweetheart!" Angela motioned to the boy. Sitting him on her lap, she explained, "It means Tony and I love each other more than just friends. It means that we're a couple and,"
"Yuck, does that mean you're going to kiss and stuff like that?" Billy interjected, snarling his noise in disgust.
Laughing, "Yes honey, it means we're going to kiss and stuff." Angela squeezed the boy.
"So, when did this happen?" Sam questioned.
"Well," Angela began, "It kind of happened when we were in North Carolina, we,"
"Oh stop!" Jonathan hollered, "Please, I don't want to hear what happened, la la la la la," he put his hands to his ears.
"Jonathan, grow up!" Sam scolded.
"Jonathan!" Tony fretted. "It was nothing like that!"
Clearing her throat, Mona looked at Tony and Angela and rolled her eyes suggestively.
"Mother!" Angela yelped, "It was nothing like that!" Her cheeks burning red.
"Awwwww," Sam moaned, "I knew there was a little something, something between you two last night." She pointed her finger between the two of them, a smirk on her lips.
"Will you all please stop!" Tony scolded.
"Anyway," Angela continued, composing herself, "We made a decision that's going to affect all of us, and we wanted to discuss it with you. We were hoping for a little more time to adjust to it all, instead of just throwing it all on you at once, but like I said, other circumstances have brought us to now."
Looking at Tony, she smiled as he took over, "You see, we decided to not annul our marriage, instead, if it's okay with you all, we're going to get married for real!"
"Oh my God, no way!" Sam jumped up, running towards the happy couple wrapping her arms around them, nearly squishing Billy. "I'm sooooo happy for you! This is so exciting!" She gushed.
"Seriously!" Jonathan probed.
"Ya, buddy," Tony shook his head in affirmation, "If it's okay with you, I'd like to marry your mom for real!"
"Okay with me? Heck ya!" Jonathan affirmed, "It's about time!" He got up and gave Tony a hug. "Can I be your best man?" He asked. "I promise not to puke on mom's shoes!" He laughed.
"Thanks, I appreciate that!" Angela gaged.
"You bet buddy; I couldn't think of anymore I'd rather stand up for me!" He embraced Jonathan with a tight hug.
"What do you think about it, sweetheart?" Angela questioned Billy.
Shrugging his shoulder, Billy looked perplexed, "I thought you and Tony were already married."
As the group fell into laughter over Billy's statement, they all came together for a family hug, rejoicing in the comfort of the love and family bound they had built over the last seven years. Tears swelling in her eyes, Angela looked at Tony, knowing that the only change their official marriage would be creating was the physical change between them and where Tony would be sleeping at night because as far as she was concerned, they were already a family in every other way that truly mattered. Nothing would ever come between the love they had built together at 3344 Oak Hills Drive.
After dinner had been cooked, served, and consumed, Mona returned to her apartment, after once again congratulating the happy couple. While the boys helped Tony clean up the kitchen, Sam asked Angela if she could have a private word with her prior to departing back to the dorms.
Following Sam into the living, they took a seat on the couch, "What is it sweetheart?" Angela inquired.
Inhaling a deep breath, Sam looked down, trying to control the tears that were beginning to swell in her eyes,
"What is it honey?" Angela lovingly took Sam's hands in reassurance of her presence.
Trying to compose herself, Sam began, "I just wanted to tell you how happy I am for you and dad, really happy!"
"Awww, honey, thank you! I'm so happy, you're happy. I know this is all so sudden," she chuckled, "okay, maybe not that sudden but well you know," she laughed, "Hopefully it won't take another seven years to walk down the aisle at least," she rolled her eyes. "I love your dad very much! I hate we wasted so much time being scared of what loving each other would mean to all of us. You understand, don't you, why it took us so long to come to terms with our feelings?"
Shaking her head in affirmation, Sam confirmed, "Ya, ya I do! And I know you love him, and I know he loves you so much and has for so long but was so scared of losing you or messing up and he had to deal with, you know, uh," she tried to find the words, "Well, you know, he thought that by loving you he was,"
"I know honey," tears swelled in her eyes, "Your mom, he thought he was betraying her memory by loving me."
Sam shook her head, dropping her face down to look at their joined hands.
Lifting Sam's face back up to look at hers, "Samantha, I promise you, I would never want to replace your mom in his heart. I could never replace her! Your dad will always love your mom and I hope you know I would never try to replace her in neither one of your hearts."
Sniffling, Sam smiled, "I know Angela, it just took him a while longer to realize it but what I really wanted to tell you is thank you!"
"Thank you? For what honey?"
"Thank you for loving him and helping him love again. Giving him the time, he needed to come to his senses," she giggled. "When I was little, I worried that he would never admit his feeling for you and that you would find some guy and end up getting married and we would have to move, and I'd lose you."
"Never honey, God, you could never lose me, I love you honey like you were my own daughter." Angela cried.
"I know, but back then, I just worried, you know, especially when Geoffrey with a G proposed."
"Let's not remember that, okay?" She laughed.
"Ya okay, but then, you know last summer, I really thought it was over, that he had really blew it and you would be done with him."
"I know sweetheart, let's not remember that either, okay, it's in the past and we'll just leave it there, okay! Your dad and I both made mistakes, we were both afraid to lose our friendship and in turn risk what we had, our family but it's okay now, we're ready and we love you and Jonathan and Billy so much, we know we can make it work because we have you guys and we're a family and we're going to stay that way."
Wrapping her arms around Angela, Sam cried, "Good because I couldn't bear to lose another mother. I love you so much Angela!"
Holding Sam tight, Angela sobbed hearing the words she'd always longed to hear to match the feelings she'd always felt for the young girl, "Oh honey, I love you too, so very much and you're never going to lose me, I promise you!" She held her, both giving way to unguarded emotions.
Breaking their embrace, wiping away the tears from the young girls' cheeks, Angela looked deep into Sam's eyes, "I hope you know, that I couldn't love you more than if I had given birth to you myself. And I promise you, just like your dad, I would never try to take your mom's place. I know she loved you very, very much and I know she would be so very proud of you." She smiled, "And I know she's looking down on you, gleaming with pride at what a beautiful young lady you have become and I'm just so honored that I had was able to be a part of your life all these years. I wouldn't trade them for anything in this world." She swore.
"I couldn't have asked for a better second mother," Sam whispered.
Having somewhat composed themselves by the time the boys finished in the kitchen and entered the living, Tony caught the redness in the eyes of the two most important women in his life and questioned, "Ay oh, everything okay in here?"
Wrapping her arm around Sam, Angela shook her head and affirmed, "Everything is perfect, couldn't be better!" She leaned in and kissed Tony as he stepped towards them.
Motioning towards the boys, Angela grabbed Jonathan's hand as Billy came between her arm and chest, her other arm still wrapped around Sam's shoulder, she looked at Tony, her eyes swollen and tear filled again, "Nothing could be more perfect or better than our family!" She smiled!