"I don't know what to do anymore Joss. Every time I try to spend time with Spencer something comes up. Either it's directly Ace related or it's Esme having some Ace issue." Trina said, sounding miserable to her best friend.
"And I feel petty for saying this, because I know how much Spencer loves his brother and Ace is a baby. How am I even feeling competitive with a baby? But having that baby attached to Esme just gives everything a bad flavor."
"Well, you know there's a way to get rid of her." Joss said leaning in closer to Trina from her pool chair.
"I told you why we can't do that. What if they accuse us of falsifying evidence. Not only will this be Spencer's second strike but it will look bad if he goes for custody later on."
"Fine, fine so plan A is out but there's always plan B!"
"And what is plan B?" Trina asked hoping plan B was more legal than plan A, but this was Joss.
"We catch her outside away from Ace and kick her ass!" Josh said slamming her fist into her hand with a wide grin spreading across your face.
"So if Spence isn't going to jail you want us to go to jail, got it." Trina said, putting her head into her hands to rub her temples. She would like to believe that Joss was just joking, but in her heart she knew if she okayed it Joss would be right behind her.
"Oh, and here comes plan D." Joss said, looking behind Trina to greet Dex.
"Hello ladies,"Dex said leaning down to kiss Joss and take a seat at the end of her chair. Getting a clearer view of Trina he became concerned.
"Are you okay T?"
"She's stressing over Spencer and his baby mama drama."
"It's not baby mama drama if it's not his baby!" Trina shot back quickly only for the two to start giggling at the absurdity of this conversation.
"So what's plan D?"
"Plan D is Dex talks to someone who can help us get rid of Esme for good."
"Right, do you have any plans that don't involve one of us going to jail?"
"Can you also not involve me in your murder schemes? I have enough on my plate with Sonny."
"Fine, you two are no fun." She said with a pout. "I guess you'll probably like plan C, it's more "legal" she said making air quotes.
"Ok, lay it on us" Dex said, giving Trina a commiserating look.
Giving Trina a sly smile she began to speak when her phone went off and Mom came up across the screen.
"Oh, sorry it's my mom, I have to take this." She said answering the phone and walking towards the stairwell where it was a little quieter.
"I hope everything's alright. We left her at the house about 2 hours ago and she was holding it together." Trina explained to Dex.
"It might not really hit her until Drew leaves."
"Sorry guys, I'm going to have to cut out early." Joss said, walking back towards the couple. "My mom and Sam decided to put together a going away dinner for Drew and my mom needs some help getting things together."
"Of course, no worries. Do you want any help?"
"No, we're good. I think she just wants the company as she goes through some of their pictures."
"Gotcha, then I will see you when you get back tonight."
Dex leaned over to give her a hug and ask if she needed a ride.
"No, I'm good. Actually could you make sure Trina gets home okay. I drove us over here."
"Yah, no problem. Call me later if you need me." He said leaning in to give her a kiss goodbye.
After seeing his girlfriend off and settling into her former chair he turned to her best friend.
"I know I make a poor substitute but I am willing to listen and be a sounding board."
"I appreciate that but I think I've spent enough of today thinking about Spencer and that girl. Although, I would have liked to know what Joss's brilliant plan C was." She said with a small laugh.
"Considering the look on her face when she said it, I'm betting it was something along the lines of seduce him." He said, amusement creeping into his voice.
"What! Why would you say that? How did we go from offing Esme to seducing Spencer?"
"I'm not exactly sure what problem you guys were working on but if you can't take Esme physically out of the picture then pulling Spencer out of the equation is the other option."
"The problem is I never get to spend any time with Spencer because Esme is constantly using Ace to distract him."
"See, seducing Spencer is totally an option for that."
"How is that an option?"
"Because, if all he's thinking about is you he's less likely to care about her and her issues. I know he cares about his brother but if he's all tied up with you, he's more likely to allow others to help her solve her Ace issues." Dex explained looking proud of himself for coming up with a suitable plan.
"Okay, I see your point and I appreciate your advice. But I think I've heard enough about seduction out of you for today." Trina said with a chuckle.
"You're welcome and I agree. I don't dislike Spencer but I also don't want to play his wingman."
"So when you're not with Joss or doing whatever you do for Sonny, what do you do for fun? What are you into?"
"Well I'm a guy in his 20s, so video games, sports, and dancing."
"I agree with video games and sports but dancing isn't a common hobby for guys. What kind of dancing are you into?"
"Dancing was just a thing we did in my neighborhood growing up and when I was in high school I ended up taking some ballroom dancing classes to spend time with a girl I liked."
"Aww, that's really cute. Were you any good at it?"
"Did you not see me at the nurses' ball? I got moves you've never seen." He said wiggling his eyebrows.
"Alright Magic Mike, I'll give you that. Did you just quote 'my best friend's wedding'?"
"Yes," he said, looking pleased with himself. "It's a classic."
"Omg! Where did Joss find you?" Trina said in between giggles. "But I did appreciate your moves at the nurse's ball, especially under such short notice. But I'm going to reserve my judgment on your ballroom dancing skills until I see them for myself."
"Challenge accepted!" He said getting up and walking into the building to talk to the DJ. Mission completed he returned to Trina with the sound of ballroom music floating through the patio.
"May I have this dance?" He said, extending a hand to Trina.
Deciding she deserved some silly fun after all the drama she had been through in the last few months, Trina took his hand and allowed him to lead her into a less trafficked area. Getting into the position her mother taught her before her first school dance Trina left her right hand in his and put her other hand on his shoulder.
She knew he would put his hand along her waist but she was unprepared for him to become ramrod straight and draw her in closer. Dex led her through the first few steps before she could keep up by herself.
Between his smooth dancing skills, easy personality and firm chest, Trina could see why Joss was attracted to him.
With the waltz coming to a close she expected him to let go and return to their seats. She was not expecting him to spin her around and pull her into a salsa. With all the spins and dips she couldn't help but laugh and let him do as he pleased.
She let him lead her through one more song before noticing the person staring at them from the bar.
TR-SC-TR-SC
Spencer was using all of his willpower not to run up to the dancing couple and pull his girlfriend out of the arms of that girlfriend stealing blockhead.
He had stumbled upon the pair lounging by the pool about half an hour ago. He was going to join them when he saw how serious his girlfriend looked. They could have easily been talking about Joss but he didn't realize Trina knew Dex well enough to open up to him.
However, he'd rathered she maintain her serious expression then the giggling she started to do soon after. He hadn't heard her laugh like that in months. The fact that another man was able to make her do that sent a sharp pain through his chest.
He was supposed to make her happy. Now that they could be together, they were supposed to be happy. Not that he wasn't happy when he was with her, but they seem to constantly have some kind of drama going on in their lives. Between Trina's parents and Spencer's brother, they constantly had something negative hanging over their heads.
That's not what he wanted. When he imagined them finally being together they were blissfully happy. He wanted to make her blissfully happy.
Watching Dex spin her around in their makeshift dance floor brought back memories of their dances a few weeks ago. Both started off sweet and ended in chaos and death.
He needed his brother to be safe and Esme out of the picture but he also needed Trina in his life and he was coming to the realization that he couldn't have them all. One of those three was going to have to give and he would be Damned if he gave up Trina. He also couldn't give up on his baby brother. That only left Esme. He would either have to get her out of the picture for good or learn to work around her. There was no more time to play nice with her.
Seeing his girlfriend finally notice him, he sat down his glass and walked over to the couple.
"Hi" he said, giving Dex a nod and leaning down to give Trina a kiss. "I saw you two having fun and I didn't want to interrupt."
"Not at all, in fact I could use a drink. Trina do you need anything?" Dex asked, backing towards the bar.
"Just a glass of water please."
"Hey you" Trina said leaning into Spencer and giving him a light hug. "I thought you were going to be busy with Ace today."
Spencer grimaced at the reminder and was happy she couldn't see his face. Bringing her closer into his hold he explained that he had wanted to spend some time with Trina and had left Ace at the office daycare. Esme would pick him up at the end of her shift and if there were any issues his Aunt Alexis was happy to step in.
Feeling her relax Spencer knew he had done the right thing and maybe had just saved his relationship. The thought of messing it up this quickly and losing Trina scared the shit out of him. They hadn't even really had a chance to be together and already he was losing her.
"I'm sorry I've been so caught up in my drama. I promise that I will take a step back from her and Ace."
"What? I'm not asking you to do that Spencer. I'm not asking you to give up on your brother." Trina said, pulling back to look him in the eyes.
"I know you're not babe. But as my grandmother pointed out, I'm not doing myself any favors by micromanaging her and constantly being at her beck and call. So I'm going to take a step back and co-parent separately with her. The less contact I have with her the better. That will also free me up to spend my time doing way more important things."
"Yeah, like what?"
"Like spending valuable time with my beautiful girlfriend." He said with a cheeky grin.
"Oh, a beautiful girlfriend you say? Should I be worried that I'm standing so close to you?" She asked in a teasing tone.
"You should" Spencer said, becoming serious, "she's small but mighty," he ended cracking a huge smile that stretched even wider when he heard her giggle.
There it was, the giggle, the proof he needed that he was back on the right path.
"Do you have it in you for one more dance?"
"For you? Always." Trina said, wrapping her arms around the man she loved and leaning her head on his chest as they swayed to the music.