-18.

Tommy sat in his car in the driveway of the house he shared with his family. He had been sitting in the drive way since 9 o' clock. It was now 11. He had watched as his oldest girl peek out the window. And he had watched as his wife shut off all lights in the house with exception of the one in the living room. He knew she was as angry with him as he was at her. That was one of their bigger problems, Samantha Quincy was as similar to her husband as she was different.

Tommy leaned against his steering wheel. He was exhausted. Figuring it was time to call an end to the stand off, he got out of his car and approached the house. Without a noise he entered. He slipped his jacked on to the hooks behind the door and placed his keys on the table in the entry way. Rubbing his face, he kicked his shoes of his feet before he made his way up the stair's quietly.

He peeked into Ava's room. Ava was sprawled out in her "big girl" bed, snoring softly. He smiled. Tommy gently closed the door.

He paused in front of his bedroom door. He debated whether to sleep there or in the guest room down the hall. After a moment, he pushed the door open.

Samantha was laying on her side of the bed asleep. Files surrounded her like a mote. Her cell phone was clutched in her hand and her glasses were strewn across her face. She must have fallen asleep waiting for him.

Tommy moved to his side of the room and changed out of his clothes. He returned to Sam's side of the room to check on the sleeping Bianca and remove the files, glasses, and cell phone from Sam.

She shifted in her sleep as he removed her glasses.

A while later, Tommy slipped into bed. He turned on his side to look at his wife. She looked the same, laying there in her Alma Mata sweatshirt and oversized pajama pants. But something had changed between the Quincys towards the end of their last pregnancy. What changed, he wasn't exactly sure.

Tommy reached his hand out to push a stray curl away from Sam's face.

He was startled when her hand shot up to grab his wrist. He looked down into her brown eyes.

"Hi," he whispered.

"Hi," she replied softly.

They laid their looking at each other, neither saying a word.

"I'm sorry," she said, finally breaking the silence. "I should have talked to you."

"No, I'm sorry. I shouldn't have reacted the way I did. You have the right to hire whoever you want. Sometimes it just seems like you don't care anymore," he responded. Sam placed her hand on his cheek. " You know I do. I was in a weird place. I had, had his resume on file. It seemed like the right choice at the time, but if its going to be a problem for him to be in the office, I won't give him a contract."

Tommy shook his head. "You can't make the decision just because I don't like someone. Hunter has always been a smart guy. He was always able to click with people."

"Yeah, but with the bad --"

"Sam, do you think you were wrong in hiring him?"

Sam was quiet. "No."

"The I have to accept your decisions as my boss and respect that, but you have to understand that its hard for me Sam. It gets hard to see you as my wife and my boss."

Samantha looked at him hard. "What are you saying, Tommy?"

"Its not easy for me. This balance of Samantha Quincy as wife and Samantha Martez as boss."

"Oh," Sam whispered and turned away from him.

Tommy sighed, "Sammy, please don't do that." He wrapped his arms around her and pulled her back against him.

"I - I, I'm sorry. It seems everything I am trying to say is coming out wrong."

Sam leaned her head against his. "What do you want, Tommy?"

"I want my wife, not a boss."

"Are you asking me to give up my job?"

"I'm asking---"

xxx

"You're QUITTING!" Jude shouted.

Tommy ignored her as he packed up his office.

"Tommy, you can't quit! You have been here since G-Major!" Jude ranted. "I cannot believe she is making you quit! I am going to go talk to her right now!"

"JUDE!" Tommy yelled, pulling her from her rage. " I quit. I asked her to be let out of my contract. I have a family to take care of. I'm going to stay home, do some writing, take care of the girls. Maybe I'll even start restoring cars again."

Jude looked at him in disbelief. "But Tommy, you LOVE music."

"I love my family more."

She was silenced by the finality in his voice. "okay."

"Nothing is changing, Jude."

"Everything in changing, Tommy. I didn't realize till right now how much."

Jude closed the door to his office leaving Tommy to his solitude.

xxx

Tommy closed his eyes and leaned his head against the wall of the room that had been his office for over ten years. It was time for a change. It was time to move on. Fifteen years in the music industry was a grand accomplishment, but it was time. He had other things to commit to. He had his children. He had his marriage. Maybe he could finally take that fishing trip with his dad…

Tommy looked around his office and sighed. He wasn't sure if he could do this.

xxx

Samantha was preoccupied. She tapped her pen on her desk. Tommy wasn't the only one to notice the shift in the marriage. Something had changed during her pregnancy with Bianca. Something between them had slipped. She didn't know what exactly had changed. When Ava was born they had been so blissfully happy. What had happened?

"Penny for your thoughts?"

Samantha looked up to find Hunter in her doorway.

"What are you doing here? You don't start till next week."

Hunter shrugged. "I just wanted to come by and get a feel for the joint. I like what you have done to the place."

"You're here to annoy Tommy," Samantha stated knowingly.

"Hey now. I didn't say that," Hunter responded. He walked into her office, making himself comfortable on her plush leather couch.

"You didn't have to," Sam replied, tossing her pen on to the desk.

"I find it interesting that you have married Tommy and have children with him, in wed lock by the way after everything. After the betrayals, the affairs, my sister, Portia, the drugs, the.."

"That's enough, Hunter. I get it. Tommy Q married is the 9th wonder of the world. Its why the first pictures of Ava went for over a million dollars. Its why I have paparazzi camping outside my housing community just to see what Bianca looks like. Its why my marriage is constantly being questioned. I GET IT. I did not hire you to add to it."

Hunter studied her. His roaming eyes made her uncomfortable.

"Your eyes don't shine quite the same."

xxx

Jude was angry. She declared this by growling as she slammed the door of the rehearsal space shut. Tommy was leaving. He was walking away from music and her. She knew he wasn't really walking away from her, but that is how it felt. G-Major was hers and Tommy's.

Jude slunk down into the tattered couch. So much had changed. So, so much. Jude looked around the space. Even the space had changed. Where did the world go?

Jude had everything she had ever dreamt, why did she feel so incomplete?

The phone in her pocked began to buzz. She slid it from her pocket.

Ethan's smiling face blinked at her. She pressed the ignore function. She felt guilty for ignoring him, but she wanted to wallow.

Jude suddenly felt enraged with herself and threw her phone against the wall.

It was times like these she missed her friend Patsy the most. Jude flicked the guitar pick on her charm bracelet . It had been Patsy's. Jude sighed and sunk further into the couch, cuddling a pillow to her chest.

"Can't I just have a moment that isn't out of a soap opera plot?"

xxx

Tommy lifted the final box and placed it on his desk. He sighed wistfully. His eyes grazed the now empty room.

"I'll start working from home."

Samantha stepped into the office. "You don't have to leave. I'll move into the home office, you can have this office."

Tommy shook his head in protest. "This is your company."

"It was yours first."

Tommy reached out and cupped her face in his hand. "I want a change."

"I want you to be happy."

Tommy leaned down and kissed her, secretly hoping to kiss away any of his doubts.

She moaned into the deepening kiss.

"I made my choice," he muttered against her lips.

Sam pulled away from him to search his eyes for answers.

"I'll get your release papers."