Beside You
by: LunarEclipse360
A/N: So, I lied. There will be one last chapter. I hope to have that chapter out before the end of the year. Enjoy!
Chapter 9
August
Gabriella sat on the halfway point of being asleep and being awake, with no plans of crossing into one or the other, when she felt the feather light touch of a finger on her cheek. Feeling it trace down the side of her face, she moaned softly and opened her eyes. Her gaze met the blues of her husband's as he smiled at her; his finger still moving across her skin. She returned his smile with one of her own. His hand, then, reached for hers under the covers and brought it to his lips. He kissed each one of her knuckles.
"Morning," she whispered, eyes never leaving his face.
"Good morning." His lips found hers. "Slept well?"
"Barely," she answered, moving onto her back. "I can't tell you how many times I had to get up to pee." He laid his head on the pillow next to hers and ran his hand along the smooth skin of her stomach. "Not to mention, I've been gassy."
Chuckling, he nodded; his nose hitting her shoulder. "Yeah, I noticed. You, uh, fart in your sleep."
"Troy!" Lifting her hands to her face, she covered it in embarrassment. "Why didn't you tell me that before?"
Shrugging, his lips touched her shoulder to ease her shame. "It's a normal thing, and I'll love you whether it happens or not."
Turning her head towards him, she lowered her hands; one hand touching his cheek. "You are far too good for me."
"I believe it is the other way around." His mouth pressed against hers in a chaste kiss. "We should be getting up. If we're late, we'll never hear the end of it."
"We still have time."
"Not according to your best friend." He moved onto his back, running a hand through his hair.
"Well," she started, climbing on top of him and straddling his hips, "my best friend is not the one you're married to, and I say we have time."
Grinning, he nodded. "You're the boss."
With a giggle, she closed the space between them and kissed him. His arms came up around her, crushing her frame to his chest. One hand reaching to hold her head, the other moved down to her backside and took hold. She moaned against his mouth and ground her hips into his. Slipping his hand under the waistband of her sleep shorts, he brushed her exposed cleft with his middle finger. Out of nowhere, the phone started ringing; interrupting the silence of the apartment.
"We should probably answer that," Troy commented as Gabriella's mouth moved to his neck.
"Just let the machine get it."
"But…"
She lifted her head to look at him. "Troy, do you wanna fuck me or not?"
"You know the answer to that."
"Then don't worry about the phone."
As she leaned down to kiss him, the shrill beep of the answering machine filled the apartment, followed by the voice of her best friend. "Gabriella Marie Bolton, stop having sex with Troy and answer the damn phone!"
Groaning, Gabriella climbed off Troy and went to grab the phone. "Hello?"
"Good morning," Sharpay said in a voice too chipper for that time of the morning. "Hope I didn't interrupt anything."
Gabriella loved her best friend, but at that moment in time, she wanted nothing more than to reach into the phone and strangle her. The blonde heiress knew very well what she interrupted and she was being completely smug about it. "Of course not," she answered in a sarcastic tone.
"Good." The amusement in her voice made Gabriella want to hang up the phone. "So, Chad wants to get there at 11, when they open. It's going to take us at least an hour and a half to get there, so we need to be on the road by 9:30. Are you two dressed yet?"
With a sigh, Gabriella answered: "Not yet."
"Well, get to it. I'll expect you and Troy at my house by 9:15."
"We'll be there."
"Alright then. Tootles."
Hanging up, she placed the phone back on its base and ran a hand through her hair. As silent as a mouse, Troy snuck up behind her and wrapped his arms around her. She jumped, not expecting him. "Shit, Troy, you scared me."
He chuckled. "Sorry," he apologized, nuzzling his nose into her neck. "So, no morning sex?"
"No, unfortunately. Shar wants us at her house by 9:15, which means we have…" She glanced at the clock, "fifteen minutes to get dressed and get out of here."
Humming against the column of her neck, his hand reached up to cup her breast from beneath her shirt. "You sure?" he asked, rubbing his erection against her backside.
She bit her lower lip. "There's always shower sex."
"Sounds like a plan." She unhooked herself from his grasp and took his hand, leading him into the bathroom.
::
"So, how pissed do you think Sharpay is right now?" Troy asked as they pulled up to Sharpay's; seeing the aforementioned standing with her arms crossed and a put-out expression on her face. Beside her, Chad seemed to be trying to calm her down.
"I'd say super pissed."
Troy chuckled as he put the car in park. Before he could say anything else, the back door opened and in climbed a very excited Destiny. "Hi, Uncle Troy! Hi, Auntie Gabi!"
"Morning, sweetheart."
"Move over, Des." She followed her father's instruction, moving closer to the window. Sharpay climbed in next, with Chad getting in behind her. "Hey, guys."
"Hey, Chad," they chimed together.
Sharpay didn't speak a word as she sat between Destiny and Chad with her arms still crossed; her brown eyes staring at her best friend. "So," she started, "what took you two so long?"
Gabriella opened her mouth to speak, but couldn't find the right words. She glanced over at Troy, who just grinned and shrugged. "We got a little sidetracked."
"I'm sure you did." If looks could kill, Gabriella knew that Troy would be six feet under. Unable to stop herself, she laughter bubbled up within her chest and she giggled at the situation. Troy's blue eyes fixated on Gabriella's smiling face and he welcomed the warm feeling that spread through his chest. Sparing her one last affectionate look, he drove away from the curb and headed towards the main street.
::
Gabriella observed the family with fondness. From Destiny's cries of 'faster' to Chad's willingness to please his only daughter to Sharpay's look of pure adoration that she directed towards the girl. To all onlookers, they looked every bit of a happy, loving family enjoying a day at the happiest place on Earth. Her gaze tore from the happy sight in front of her to her surroundings. A trip to Disneyland had been Chad's gift to Destiny for her eighth birthday and all invited to share in the special day found themselves to be enjoying the park as well. Even Gabriella, who had to sit out the more thrilling rides due to her pregnancy, loved the atmosphere. Resting a hand on her belly, she imagined visiting this place years down the line when her son would be old enough to remember it.
"You okay, Babe?" Troy asked, appearing at her side with two water bottles in his hand.
She turned to him and smiled. "Yeah, just…imagining." Understanding, he smiled, wrapped an arm around her, and kissed her forehead. "When do you think he'll ask her?" she asked, watching as Chad helped Sharpay out of the oversized tea cup.
"Soon, I hope," he answered, already knowing what she was speaking of. Troy had spoken to Chad weeks earlier about finally proposing to Sharpay and giving Destiny the mother she wanted. His bushy haired best friend had explained that he had plans to do just that, but wanted to wait for the right time.
"So, where to next?" Chad asked as they regrouped.
"It's up to Destiny, she is the birthday girl after all," Gabriella stated.
"Um…I wanna try a rollercoaster."
"Really? You sure?" Chad asked, knowing that Destiny still had reservations about thrill rides.
"Yeah."
"How about we take her on Big Thunder Mountain?" Sharpay suggested. "It's not quite a rollercoaster like Space Mountain, but it's close."
"What do you think Destiny?"
"Okay."
"Alright. Sounds like a plan."
The group headed in the direction of Frontierland with Sharpay and Gabriella leading the way with Destiny between them. Troy and Chad hung back; both silent as they admired their respective significant other. Looking away from his wife, Troy glanced at his best friend and noticed the lovesick look on his face. It caused him to smile widely, the thought of Chad being happy with the heiress making him feel just as content.
"So when are you going to pop that question?"
"I told you when I feel like the time is right," Chad answered with a sigh.
"Dude, do you love her?"
"Yes."
"And does she love you?"
"I think so."
"You know she does."
"What's your point, Troy?"
"My point is, any time is the right time, Chad."
"Says the guy who proposed to his wife on a beach."
"That was different."
"No, it wasn't."
"It was. I'd been carrying around that ring for weeks trying to muster up the courage to ask her. I honestly thought she would say no. I still can't believe she didn't."
"She loves you. And who said I'm not carrying around the ring?"
Troy's gaze turned to his best friend. "Wait, seriously? You have it on you?"
Chad nodded. "Yeah. I've been trying to brave asking her."
"Why? You know she'll say yes in a heartbeat."
"Will she?"
"Come on, Dude. This is Sharpay Evans we're talking about here. She is brutally honest and is loyal to a fault. She is obviously in love with you and she is in love with your daughter. Shouldn't that be enough to give you your answer?"
Sighing, Chad nodded. "You're right." He smiled at his best friend. "Thanks."
"Not a problem. So, are you gonna do it soon?"
"Yeah. Very soon."
As they neared the queue line for Big Thunder Mountain, Destiny ran up to her father and grabbed his hand. She pulled him onto the line with Sharpay following close behind. Troy went to trail after them, but noticed that Gabriella wasn't with them. He turned his head and spotted her standing off to the side.
"Babe, what's wrong?"
"Nothing," she answered with a shake of her head. "I just can't ride because, you know, I'm pregnant and all."
"Fuck," he cursed under his breath. "I keep forgetting that some of these rides you can't get on. I'll stay back with you, if you want."
"No, Troy, you go have fun. I'll be fine."
"Are you sure? I don't have to go."
"I want you to. Don't let me hold you back."
"You aren't. I just feel guilty that you won't be able to go on."
"It's fine, Troy, really." She kissed him. "Go."
"Love you." He pecked her lips.
"Love you, too."
::
The night sky lit up in bursts of color as fireworks exploded above their heads. Choosing to forgo waiting in front of the castle like most people to watch the firework/projection show, the Bolton-Danforth-Evans clan decided to ride the Storybook Land Canal Boats. With Gabriella's gaze on the sky, Troy took that time to admire his wife. Glancing away from her for a moment, he noticed that Chad's attention was on Sharpay; a soft smile on his face. As if feeling his best friend's eyes, Chad looked over at Troy. The two had a silent conversation which ended when Chad nodded and glanced at the tour guide. He didn't want to interrupt her or stop her from doing her job, but he needed to do something.
"Excuse me," he spoke, causing Penny, their guide, to cut short her sentence. Everyone's eyes turned to him; all wondering what was going on. "Sorry to interrupt, but would you mind if I said something."
Penny seemed to understand what was going on and nodded. "Go right ahead, sir." It hadn't escaped her notice of the way he had been staring at the blonde-haired woman beside him.
"Thank you." He turned his gaze back to Sharpay, who was staring at him with confusion. "Shar, before I met you, I never thought that I would ever experience the soul-encompassing love that songs and books are written about. You changed that. Over the past two and a half years that I've known you, you have become an important part of my life. You're my best friend. You're smart, you're beautiful, you always know the right words to say and when I need to hear them, you've never given up on me or anyone you love, and you love my daughter as if she were your own. You've brought Destiny and I so much happiness and I…I want you to always be a part of our lives."
"Chad, what are you saying?" Sharpay asked, unshed tears blurring her vision as she watched him pull out a small box from his pocket.
"I'm saying," He opened the box, revealing a princess cut diamond ring, "Sharpay Constance Evans, will you do me the greatest honor and allow me to become your husband?"
Choking back a sob, Sharpay nodded her head. "Yes. Yes, Chad, I will."
Smiling widely, he took the ring out of the box and slipped it on her finger. Their lips met in a sweet kiss as applause rang out around them. "Does that mean that Sharpay's going to be my mommy?" Destiny asked.
"Yes, Baby. That's exactly what that means," Chad answered and the child's eyes lit up before she wrapped her arms around Sharpay.
Troy smiled at the sight before him, then, glanced at the woman beside him who was in tears. "Babe, are you okay?"
She nodded and turned to him. "Yes, I'm just…" She sniffled, "so happy for them, and…this pregnancy is making me overemotional."
Chuckling, he wrapped an arm around her and pulled her closer; dropping a kiss to the top of her head. "This really is the happiest place on Earth."
Gabriella picked up her head and looked at him. "Agreed." She kissed him, then placed her head on his shoulder. Both watched with fondness as their best friends celebrated their engagement with Chad's daughter. They've waited for this moment since the day that it became obvious to them that Sharpay and Chad were crazy about each other. To further prove that they should be together, Sharpay fell in love with Destiny and became a surrogate mother to the child. They couldn't be any more elated that they were taking that next step in making their little family whole.