Christmas was coming up. Gabriella was excited for it. It was their first Christmas together as a new family. All of them together under the same roof. Even though Nicky was only a next door, she was going to invite him to spend Christmas Eve with them, even letting him sleep in Temperance's bedroom. She knew she was only fifteen years old, almost sixteen, but she knew that telling her she couldn't sleep with Nicky would be hypocritical of her. She and Troy had been sleeping in the same bed for years by the time she turned sixteen, and they had been making love for almost two and a half years by that time as well. She couldn't tell Tempe that she couldn't sleep with Dominick, even if she didn't know that they were or were not sleeping together. The chance was high, but Gabriella couldn't and wouldn't say anything about it.
Today, a week before Christmas, Gabriella was meeting with Bianca Castellano for the first time. Gabriella and Troy were having dinner tonight at Scarpetta, an Italian restaurant in Beverly Hills, with Bianca and her husband Dante. She didn't usually bring him along with her to consultations, but he was a fan of Troy's and had been following his career for a long time. It would just be the four of them, talking about their wedding and a little basketball thrown in there. Gabriella didn't mind. When she and Bianca were talking about colors and flowers, Troy and Dante could be talking about layups and MVPs. It was going to be the perfect evening. Of course, tomorrow Bianca would be taking Gabriella to find a wedding dress and Taylor had invited Taylor to come along with them. She wanted her best friend there with her on one of the biggest days of her life. It would pale in comparison to the actual wedding day, but Gabriella didn't have a mother she wanted to share this day with.
Gabriella sat at her vanity, all ready to go, staring at her engagement ring. Troy walked up behind her, sliding his hands down her velvet covered arms, leaning down and kissing the side of her neck.
"Ready to go, Lily?"
She smiled, leaning back against him slightly. "Yes," she whispered, wrapping her arm over his arms wrapped around her.
"What are you thinking?" he asked, pulling back and taking her hand, running his thumb over her ring. "I still can't believe we're getting married." She stood, accepting her satin wrap he had, wrapping it around her shoulders. "I know it's hasn't even been a month since you proposed, but it's still so new to me."
He wrapped his arms around her again, kissing the side of her head. "Well, if you think about it, I did ask you to marry me almost eleven years ago. So, even though I just gave you this ring last month, we have been engaged for longer than that, despite being apart."
Gabriella smiled, turning around in his arms to face him. "Yo quiero, T."
He smiled down at her, leaning down to kiss her lips softly. "I love you, Lily. Por siempre."
She pulled back from his kiss and took his hand, reaching for her clutch, pulling him toward the door. "Time to go, sexy." She winked at him, walking with him out of the bedroom.
Tori was sitting on the couch with Tempe and Dominick and they were watching a Shrek movie, but it was Christmas.
"I didn't know there was a Shrek Christmas movie," Gabriella said, leaning over the back of the couch to kiss Tori's forehead.
She looked up at her, nodding. "It's called Shrek the Halls."
Gabriella stood back up, nodding as Troy rubbed the back of Tori's head, smoothing her hair down softly. "We're going to be out late. Don't forget. Mama and I want you in bed by nine."
She looked up at them, wincing slightly. "Ten?"
Troy laughed slightly, nodding his head. "Nine thirty."
Torie's face lit up. "Deal!"
Gabriella looked over at Temperance. "Make sure he takes his bath and brushes his teeth, Tempe."
She looked over the back of the couch at us. "Si. Voy a hacer eso. Se devierten."
Gabriella wrapped her arm around Troy's and they left the beach house, taking his SUV toward the Hills. It took us about an hour to get there and Troy pulled up in front of the building, using the restaurant's valet service. It was easier than finding a parking space, and it took less time. They walked into the restaurant and Bianca noticed them as soon as they walked in. She raised her hand, getting their attention before taking Dante's hand and walking with him through the sea of people over to the two of them.
"Hello, Gabriella. Troy. I'm Bianca Castellano." She smiled, shaking both of their hands before turning back to Dante. "And this is my husband, Dante."
Gabriella smiled brightly, shaking their hands. "It's a pleasure to meet you, Bianca. Dante."
Troy shook their hands, smiling as well. "Nice to meet you two."
Bianca wrapped her arms around Dante's arm and gestured over to the host's stand. "I checked us in already. They said we could be seated as soon as you arrive."
Troy nodded, wrapping his arm around Lily from behind. "Let's eat."
Once they were seated and the waiter had brought their drinks and left with their meal orders, it was time to get down to business.
"I didn't bring swatches or anything," Bianca told the Gabriella and Troy. "I just want to get an idea of what you two want and then the next time we meet, I'll have a comprehensive selection focused on what you two have told me. Now, first thing, the flowers. They always take the longest to order, especially if you want the right ones."
Gabriella leaned forward. "We don't want anything big, Bianca. We want this as simple as possible."
Bianca looked over at Troy and back at Gabriella. "This is your day, Ella, and I want it as perfect as it can be."
Gabriella smiled, leaning back against Troy's arm, wrapped around her chair. "It will be," she said, directing her smile at Troy. "I'm marrying my soul mate."
Bianca smiled over at Dante and then back at Gabriella. "It will be the most amazing day of your life, Gabriella. Even if you two got married in potato sacks and were married by a hobo, you two would remember it for the rest of your lives as the most special day ever."
Gabriella and Troy laughed. "Well, we don't want that," Gabriella said, giggling softly.
Bianca took out her tablet from her bag. "Now, what type of flowers would you like?"
Gabriella looked back at Troy and he nodded, answering for both of them. "Lilies."
Bianca nodded, writing down and Gabriella added, "With accents of lilacs."
Bianca looked up and nodded at both of them. "I like that. Very classic and original at the same time." She jotted down some more in her tablet, looking up at the two of them.
"Colors? I'm thinking lilac and maybe cream?" she asked them and Gabriella nodded, impressed.
"That's exactly what I wanted."
Gabriella knew that Bianca Castellano was the best in the business, but now she knew exactly why. It was as though Bianca knew exactly what Gabriella wanted. She understood she wanted her wedding simple. She didn't wan thing s to be overdone. But this wasn't just Gabriella's wedding.
Throughout the meal, Gabriella and Bianca talked about music and more details on colors and more to do with the wedding while Troy and Dante talked about Basketball and the Lakers and how their season was going. Both Troy and Gabriella had a good time at dinner and were almost sad to see the evening come to an end. But the girls had plans to go dress shopping tomorrow and Troy invited Dante down to practice with him. They said goodnight and Troy and Gabriella headed home.
Tori was fast asleep on the couch when they got home, quietly snuggled underneath the throw blanket usually draped over the back of the couch, her head softly resting on one of the throw pillows. Her DS was laying on the pillow beside her head, clutched in her tiny hand. Troy reached down slowly and carefully took the game system from her, turning it off.
"Don't wake him," Gabriella whispered softly.
Troy looked up at her, nodding his head as he put the DS on the coffee table. He leaned forward, kissing Tori's head gently. Gabriella leaned down, kissing his head as well. Troy walked around the couch, wrapping his arms around her as she looked up at him.
"Soon we'll be tucking another little one into bed as well," Troy said, letting his hand slide over her flat stomach under the side of her wrap.
Life had been so stressful lately, they hadn't even been thinking about getting pregnant. They'd been making love, but the idea had only been there subconsciously. They hadn't thought about it actively. Gabriella smiled up at him, letting her hand rest on top of his.
"Want to go upstairs and work on that?" she asked him, tossing her wrap on the chair beside the couch before letting her hand slide up his arm.
He smirked briefly before leaning over and picking her up into his arms, standing up straight to walk toward the stairs. Once up in their room, Troy kicked the door shut with his foot, walking over with her to the bed. They hardly ever got to make love in their bed with Ito sleeping between them, so they were going to take advantage of the opportunity. Not only were they making love because they wanted to have another baby, but because they loved each other and wanted to show the other just how much.
"Te queiro, T," Gabriella whispered, pushing his jacket off his shoulders.
Troy shrugged the jacket away and lifted her slightly to unzip her dress. "Te quiero, Lily."
Gabriella smiled softly, letting him pull her dress down and off of her shoulders. She looked up into his eyes as she undid his tie and started to unbutton his shirt, her dress falling to a puddle at her feet. Troy tugged his shirt off and tossed it on the chair by the bathroom door, leaning over and taking her in his arms again, lifting her only for a moment before laying her down on the bed. She smiled, looking up at him, letting her hands trail down his back, lifting her hips to him. He pulled at her panty hose and dropped them off the side of the bed, coming back up on top of her. He let her tiny hands pull at his belt before undoing his pants and pushing them down off his body. Closing his eyes, he inhaled deeply, loving the feel of her hands.
He always loved her hands, but when they were making love, there was just something about them that was different. She touched him in a way that he knew no one else had ever felt from her. They had a connection that neither of them ever had with anyone else. And it wasn't just about the sex, but Troy knew that no one else in the world could be near as good as she was. It was the same for Lily. She knew that even though she'd never been with anyone else sexually, no one else could ever compare to Troy. He was her forever. He was her king, her El Rey, and she was his queen. That's how it would always be with them.
He pulled her panties down slowly over her thighs, letting them slide down off her calves and dropped them on the bottom of the bed before pulling his boxers off and doing the same with them. Moving between her legs, he lifted one of them slightly, taking his cock in his hand and letting it rub through the folds of her pussy. She moaned out, lifting her hips more to him.
"Sí," she barely breathed out, feeling him slide deep into her.
He groaned, wrapping her leg around him and pulling the other up to do the same. She pulled him tighter into her, keeping him there between her legs. Even as he started to move in and out of her, finding that rhythm that drove both of them to the brink, more times than not, faster than either of them wanted to get there, but neither one of them could hold back right now.
It wasn't too long before Troy felt her pussy walls clamp down around his cock. Groaning out, he moved faster in and out of her, her walls pulling at him each time he pulled out of her. Reaching down between them, he started to rub her clit, drawing out her orgasm. All it took was that touch and he sent her over the edge.
She screamed out, gripping tightly onto his shoulders, "Sííííí!"
She had to be somewhat quiet, so they didn't wake everyone else in the house, but it had come out a little louder than she intended.
Troy groaned out her name, lowly, "Lillll-lllly!" Once they were both spent, Troy collapsed on top of her, burying his face in her neck. "Oh, God, Lily! God, I love you!"
She smiled, keeping him held tightly against her. "I love you, T. Por siempre," she softly whispered against the side of his head.
He slowly pulled out of her and laid down beside her, holding her at his side. She reached down, pulling the covers over them, resting her head on his chest. Troy ran his fingers through her hair and inhaled her deep into his senses.
"You think we had any luck that time?"
She smiled, turning her head up to she was facing him. "I wish I could know so soon," she giggled, kissing his chest.
"It'd be nice if we already were pregnant," Troy said, brushing his fingers over her jawline. She bit her lip, turning her face more to his caress.
"I'd love that, baby."
He smiled, lifting his head off the pillow and lifting her head up with his hand, pressing his lips to hers. "It will happen soon. I promise you," he told her, whispering against her lips.
"Sé que," she said softly, turning her head and kissing his fingers softly.
The next morning, Gabriella woke up to Troy and Tori standing at the foot of the bed. Troy was holding a tray of food and Tori was holding a bouquet of long stem red roses. She sat, holding the sheet up against her chest.
"Que es?" she asked them, sliding her legs up underneath the covers against her breasts, keeping the sheet around her, tucked under her arms.
"Deysayuno en la cama," Tori told her, walking around and laying the roses on the bed beside her.
Troy came around on the other side of her, laying the tray down on the bed in front of her. Gabriella looked between the two of thwm, smiling brightly.
"This is so sweet of you two. Gracias."
Gabriella sat down beside her, kissing her bare shoulder. He pulled her robe up from the bench at the foot of the bed, wrapping it around her shoulders. Gabriella smiled softly, sliding her arms into it and wrapping it around her before letting the sheet go and tying the robe.
"Gracias," she whispered.
The family ate their breakfast in bed, talking and having a good time. When they were done eating, Troy said he'd take the tray downstairs and Tori asked if she could go back to sleep. Gabriella ran her fingers through his hair.
"Of course you can, but you can't sleep for too long."
She furrowed her brow at her mama and Gabriella smiled. "Don't fret, mija. You're going to watch the Lakers practice today."
Tori's eyes lit up. "Really? What are you going to do?"
She smiled, leaning over closer to her little girl. "Mama's going to go find her wedding dress."
Tori's brow furrowed in confusion this time. "Find it? Where is it?"
Gabriella smiled, laughing just slightly. "I don't know, sweetie. That's why I've got to find it."
Tori was still confused. "Why did you lose it in the first place? Don't you want to marry Daddy?"
Bri's mouth dropped open in shock. "Sí, Tori. Muchisimo."
Tori shook his head. "Then why did you lose it?"
Gabriella wrapped her arm around Tori, pulling him closer to her. "I didn't lose it. I need to go buy one, or find a place that can make one for me."
Tori nodded slowly. "Oh. Ok. May I go back to sleep now?"
Gabriella smiled, kissing the top of his head. "Take a little nap. We'll wake you up when it's time to go."
She left Tori on the bed and walked into the bathroom to take a shower. She was about finished when she felt Troy's arms wrap around her from behind. She almost jumped right out of her skin, but instantly relaxed against him.
"Mmmm, mi rey!"
He smiled, burying his face in the side of her neck and giving her a slight, sucking of a kiss. "Want this?" he asked her, his cock already hard against her ass.
"Mmmm," she moaned, gripping at his arms.
"That a yes?" She nodded her head, laying it back against Troy's chest. "Sí, T! O, sí!"
Troy smiled, pushing her up against the shower wall, sliding his arms back from holding her, grabbing his cock with one hand, lifting her leg slightly with the other, guiding his cock into her tight pussy from behind.
"O, sí! Sí!" Gabriella gasped out, gripping at the shower wall, unable to find anything to grab onto. "T!"
Troy smiled, kissing her neck, nibbling slightly there. She couldn't for the life of her understand why, but it seemed like every time they made love lately, it was better and better than the last time. It was incredible! No, there were no words to describe what it was or what it felt like. It was better than she'd ever remembered feeling. No, she could remember it feeling like this before, but this was even better than it had been then. There had to be some other reason why it was so amazing. Maybe it was because they were engaged to be married and they were even more in love than they ever had been. Could psychology seriously make physical pleasure better? She was sure that's what it had to be. There was no other explanation for it. It was beyond incredible, and she never wanted it to change.
Troy felt her pussy walls grip down hard on his cock as he thrusted once more, deep, hard inside her. She screamed out, unable to keep it in.
"O, sí!"
Troy wrapped his arms around her waist, pulling her against him, not letting go of her, staying deep inside of her as long as possible. Smiling, he kissed the space just below her ear, causing her to smile softly, turning her head toward him, leaning it against the wall.
"Te quiero. Por siempre."
He turned his lips up to hers, kissing her gently. "Te quiero, Lily. Por siempre."
She smiled even more, leaning her head back so she could kiss him again. This time, it was more passionate, even though they were both spent from their exertions of making love. They still had passion to show each other, they still were able to show each other, in a more simple way than making love. They still shared a kiss that affirmed their love for one another. It was all that was needed, even in the aftermath of their lovemaking.
About an hour later Gabriella and Taylor were walking into the bridal shop where Gabriella had agreed to meet Bianca. The door was shut, but Gabi could see Bianca through the windows across the front gallery speaking with the shop owner. She knocked on the door and the two of them turned to look at her before they walked over to the door and the shop keeper unlocked it.
"Are you open?" Gabriella asked the shopkeeper.
She laughed, shaking her head. "Only for you, Ella."
Gabi smiled brightly. Usually she hated special treatment because of who she was, but this was for her wedding. Every girl should have this experience and should be able to feel like nothing else matters for her day, so she wasn't about ready to tell the shopkeeper or Bianca that it wasn't necessary.
"My name is Serenity," the shopkeeper introduced herself, shutting and locking the door again after Gabriella and Taylor walked in. Gabriella turned to look at her, nodding her head. The store was called Serenity. That's where she had named it from, herself.
"Serenity, this is my best friend and my manager, Taylor McKessie-Danforth." They shook hands, both of them exchanging pleasantries.
Bianca wrapped her arm around Ella's waist, walking with her back toward the back gallery. "Serenity and I were looking a few dresses before you got here, but of course, I'm not sure if you'll like them. She brought out several dresses in your side. She does alterations herself, she doesn't send them elsewhere, so if there's one you like but you'd like something done to it, or it needs to be brought in, or anything, she'll take care of it personally. You're going to have the perfect wedding dress for your perfect day."
Gabi smiled brightly, loving how attentive to her wedding Bianca was being. Well, it was her job, but Gabi really felt like she was doing it better than anyone else would. She was the best in the business, that's why everyone wanted her. She had done hundreds of celebrities weddings, she's done royal weddings as well. Everyone wanted her, and Gabi knew she was lucky to have her for my wedding. And she only ever works on one wedding at a time, so Gabi knew how selective she was, and to be the one she's chosen to focus on right now, Gabi knew she was lucky. It didn't matter who Gabi was, and Gabriella hated riding on her own coat tails, but she knew that even though she was who she was, she still chose to work with me. And yes, Gabriella had Troy to thank for it, and she was so glad he asked Bianca to do our wedding, even in such short notice.
"I also have brides' maid's dresses if you'd like to look at them," Serenity said, walking into the back gallery with Taylor. "And I have a catalog if you don't see anything you like here in the store."
Gabriella looked over at Taylor. "Would you like to look at dresses first?"
She shook her head. "Oh, no, girl! This is your day! We'll look at dresses for you first!"
Gabriella laughed, turning back to the selection Bianca and Serenity had on display for her. They were all so beautiful, she didn't know how she could ever choose just one. But a girl doesn't need more than one dress. Ok, so maybe a dress to get married in and then a dress for the reception, but that dress she didn't want to be an actual wedding dress. Oh, and then a dress for the rehearsal dinner and a dress for the wedding breakfast. Four dresses isn't too much to ask for, is it? She laughed silently to herself and lifted her head slightly as Bianca walked over to one in particular.
"I love this one the most, and with your theme as it is, I thought you might like it as well."
Gabriella walked over to it, letting my fingers run over the delicate material of the dress. It was so soft. It had lilies embroidered into it. She never thought finding the perfect dress would be so easy, finding it with the first dress she looked at.
Turning to Serenity, she asked, "May I try it on?"
Serenity and Bianca both laughed and Serenity stepped forward to unzip the dress and pull it from the model. "Of course, you can try it on, Ella! That is what we are here for."
Gabriella laughed as well as Serenity handed the dress to her. Serenity turned and opened the door to the dressing room. "Let us know if you need help."
Gabriella thanked her and stepped into the room and Serenity closed the door. Gabriella hung up the dress on the built in hanger on the wall before turning toward the mirror and giving herself the biggest smile ever. She couldn't believe all of this was was actually coming true after so long. After everything she and Troy had been through, she couldn't believe they had actually gotten to this part. They would be getting married in just a few short months and she had never been happier in her life. Things were so much better now than they had ever been. Even if she had messed up so much along the way, they were finally together and having the life they wanted to have. Finally.
The bodice of the dress was a corset and it required being laced up in the Esperanzaback. Once she had the dress up, she turned to look at herself in the mirror, and as she did, her smile completely began to cry. She suddenly felt very fat. Even with the lace up back, she wasn't going to be able to wear this dress. She hadn't even noticed she had put on weight, but with the dress on now, she could see it and she could definitely feel it. She jumped when she heard a knock at the door.
"G? What is it?" Taylor called from the other side of the door and Gabriella turned to open it, shaking her head as the tears continued to fall.
"I'm fat!" she sobbed, her head dropping to look down at the floor.
Taylor's eyes widened and she looked back at Bianca and Serenity who looked almost as shocked as she was before looking back at Gabriella. "What in the world are you talking about, G?"
Gabi looked up at her best friend. "It doesn't fit! Its my size, but I'm fat! It's not going to fit!"
Taylor stepped forward, wrapping her arms around Gabi, pulling her into her embrace and holding her securely. "G, you're not fat! Ok, you're not fat."
Gabriella pulled her head back. "G, it's my size. It should fit perfectly, but it doesn't! I'm too fat!"
Taylor looked down at her, shaking her head before looking back up into her red, tear-streaked face. "You are far from fat! You wanna see fat?" She held up her shirt, showing Gabriella her stomach. "I just had a baby and I can't get rid of this!" she said, patting her stomach. She wasn't fat, but she was still losing her baby fat, and she wanted to make Gabriella feel better.
Gabriella shook her head. "Like you said, you just had a baby. I have no excuse. I'm fat!" She turned away from her best friend and pulled the dress off of her body, hanging it back up and picking up the dress she had been wearing.
"I can't do this," she said, turning and grabbing her purse before walking out of the dressing room. "I just can't do this."
Both Bianca and Serenity came over to her, trying to soothe her and help her relax, both of them assuming cold feet. "We can find another dress, Ella," Bianca tried to assure Gabriella, looking over at Serenity.
Serenity nodded her head. "Of course. I have hundreds of dresses. We can even make you one specifically for you."
Gabriella shook her head, looking over at Taylor, pleading with her to get her out of here. "No. I can't do this. Not right now. I just can't."
Taylor came over, wrapping her arm around Gabriella waist, pulling her away from the other women. "She needs a breather," Taylor told them, pulling her best friend away from the two of them and out of the shop.
They started walking down the sidewalk, not even walking to Taylor's car. She hadn't even taken her arm from Gabriella's waist, holding her against her side.
"It's ok, honey. We don't have to deal with any of that until you're ready."
Gabriella looked up at Taylor, shaking her head. "You don't understand, Tay. I'm fat! I really am! I've gained weight, and I don't even know why."
She hadn't even noticed that the dress she was wearing today was even tighter than usual on her, around her midsection mostly and in her breast area, but it was. She couldn't explain it. It wasn't as though she'd changed her eating habits. She still worked out as much as she ever had. She was able to stay up with her routines on stage. Nothing had changed, but then why was she gaining weight? Why did she feel like she was bloated like a beached whale? There was no explanation for it. She was just fat. Period. The end.
"You're not fat, G, you're not!" Taylo gave another futile try to convince her best friend, but Gabriella wouldn't listen.
"I just want to go home, Tay," Gabi told her, walking off and away from her, leaving her best friend behind. Taylor tried to catch up to her, but Gabriella flagged down a cab and quickly disappeared down the road in it.
Taylor shook her head, yelling off after the cab, even though it did no good, "G!" She sighed heavily and turned to walk back to her car, taking her phone out of her purse to call Chad.
Chad was in the coach's office with Troy, Dante Castellano, Tori with little Reggie in his arms. Troy was showing Dante around and Tori was telling him all about how great of a coach her daddy was. Dante had taken a liking to Tori, wishing more and more that he and Bianca could have child. They'd been together for almost five years now, married for almost four of those five years, and they still hadn't had a baby yet. He wasn't even sure if she really wanted one. She said she did, but she was too wrapped up in her career to want one right now. She kept telling him soon, but soon wasn't coming. But Dante wasn't worried. He knew Bianca's career was important to her, but he also knew that their life together was important to her too. He knew he had nothing to worry about.
Chad's phone went off and Tori ran over to him, offering her hands up to take Baby Reggie from him. "May I, Uncle Chad?"
Chad laughed, nodding his head. "Sit down, Tora," he told his niece, handing Reggie down to her after she'd sat down.
Taking out his phone, he excused himself from the office and answered Taylor's call. "Hey, baby. What's up? If you're worried about Reggie, she's just fine. Her cousin Tora Tora Tora is taking good care of her."
He listened as Taylor told him she wasn't worried about Reggie at all. She knew Chad would take care of their daughter even if he was at work, but that wasn't the reason she was calling.
"That's not why I'm calling, Chad," Taylor told her husband through the phone. "G's upset and I have no idea why. She ran off and isn't answering her phone."
Chad looked back through the window into Troy's office, shaking his head. "She just ran off? What were you doing?" He heard Taylor sigh through the phone.
"She was trying on wedding dresses and started crying because she thought she was fat."
Chad couldn't help but laugh, but stopped shortly. He knew Taylor wouldn't want him laughing over something like that. "Pepper is not fat! What put that into her head?"
Taylor disregarded his question, telling him, "Chad, will you just tell Troy and tell him to go find her?"
Chad told his wife he was on it and headed back into the office.
Troy looked over at his best friend. "Everything ok with the missus?"
Chad slid his phone back into his pocket. "Everything is fine with mine," Chad told Troy, reaching down and taking Reggie back from Tori. She had started fussing a little and Chad pulled her up to his shoulder and began to rock her, calming her instantly.
"Why can't I do that?" Tori asked a little grumpily.
"She just wanted her daddy, Tora. No hard feelings." He reached over, caressing Tori's back softly.
"What do you mean, everything is with yours?"
Sometimes Chad felt that his best friend was missing a few screws, but he was sure his best friend felt the same way about him at times.
"Pepper..."
Troy's eyes widened drastically. Chad was calm, but if something wasn't right with Lily, there was no way Troy could stay calm.
"What's wrong with Lily?"
Chad shrugged his shoulders. "I don't know, man. Some girly thing. She ran off and isn't answering Taylor's calls."
Troy flipped his attention to Dante. "I need to go find Gabriella, Dante."
Dante shook his head, looking over at Chad. "I'll hang around her with Chad and the team."
Troy was glad he understood. He walked around his desk and reached out his hand to Tori, "Come on, Tori. Gotta go find Mama."
Tori stood up reluctantly, grumbling. "Can't I stay here with Uncle Chad?"
Troy looked down at his daughter, trying to remain calm. "Tori, we've gotta-"
Chad took a step closer to Tori, wrapping his arm around the girl's shoulders. "Let her stay, man. You just go find Pepper."
Troy sighed, looking down at Tori again and back up to Chad. "Alright. I'll call you." He looked back to Dante, giving him a nod before heading out the door and calling back to Tori, "I love you, princess."