Chapter 44: Big And Important Things

Tony couldn't help but think back to the few months after his and Angela's unexpected night in Brooklyn. At the time, there didn't seem to be much change to their relationship, but when they looked back later, it was obvious that a lot of little things happened as they moved through the fall of 1989 and into the winter and spring of 1990.

He knew that both he and Angela had a hard time putting Brooklyn behind them, especially on those nights when they found themselves on the couch or sitting at the kitchen table, mugs of tea in hand, discussing their day, what was going on with the kids or the latest stunt Mona had pulled. They both had come to realize that there really was no other place or other people they wanted to end the day with, which was starting to make their nightly parting at the top of the stairs that much harder. Tony remembered how, on more than one occasion, he had thought about slipping into Angela's room for just a little bit; just to be able to scratch that itch that they both were feeling. He knew, though, it wouldn't take much for them to fall off the tightrope yet again, even with the kids close by.

So, it was a surprise when, while consoling Pee Wee after his wife left him, Tony was asked out by one of the women they ended up sitting with at the local Italian restaurant, which also happened to be known as one of the biggest singles bars in town. He, of course, had no interest in Joan, but with Pee Wee egging him on, he wound up saying yes. And even though he quickly canceled the date the next day (he groaned inwardly thinking about the little white lie he used as an excuse which ended up creating a huge mess when Joan turned out to be Dr. Powell, his new professor). At the time, it all seemed innocent enough, but it sparked a bit of jealousy in Angela after he was forced to tell her what happened. The mere fact that he tried to hide it from her should have been a red flag, but at the time, he chalked it up to not wanting to hurt her feelings; nothing more. Certainly not that in his heart of hearts, he felt like he almost cheated on her.

Things went pretty much back to normal after that as they dealt with Angela almost agreeing to merge The Bower Agency with another bigger agency, Sam deciding to become the manager of Al's band, which really forced Tony to recognize that his little girl wasn't a little girl anymore, followed by his realization, with Angela's caring and gently prompting, as well as the whole family's support that he just couldn't handle school, the kids, and all his household responsibilities on his own. Looking back now, going to see Dr. Berl had been exactly what he needed, just like Angela had assured him it would be.

But then came something so unexpected that even all these years later, he still shook his head at it. Angela, of all people, spreading a rumor that she and Tony were having an affair. While technically what had happened (was happening?) between them could be characterized as that, it really was so much more. Therefore, Tony was very protective of it, and of keeping it to themselves until their time actually came. While he understood why Angela had said what she said, he was glad she'd been able to discreetly clear everything up without the kids, or Mona, finding out. That had made things somewhat uncomfortable between them for a little while, but their best friend status was reassured when he needed Angela's support as he finally found a major and ultimately a career.

Years later, it would dawn on him that it was teaching, not baseball, that was his true life's work and passion. And Angela's words on that fateful day still filled him with so much pride, "I always knew you'd do big and important things."

She was and always had been his biggest cheerleader with unwavering faith in him, and it was at about that point in time he began to really wonder how much longer this charade needed to go on. They were dating in almost every sense of the word, and he now had a much clearer path forward.

Angela had agreed, in Jamaica, to wait while he figured out his future a little bit more, and now he had. Maybe it was time; especially with Sam confronting Angela about her future with Tony. Sam had come right out and said she thought they would get married someday, and when he and Angela briefly talked about it later, neither one of them could or wanted to deny that it was a possibility, if not an almost forgone conclusion. But, in the back of his mind were still the nagging fears of what would happen to their family if it didn't work out as well as his ability to handle the fact that Angela now would almost certainly be the primary breadwinner between them.

"Dad, Dad, what on earth are you thinking about?" Katie asked, leaning over to lightly tap his arm. "You've been deep in thought for a minute."

"Sorry, sweetheart, I guess I was. Where were we?" Tony asked quickly to stop his mind from going further down the path it was headed.

"Sam just reminded us about her Winter Break trip to Fort Lauderdale," Angela said with a glint in her eye as she looked down at Tony.

Angela remembered how Sam had practically begged her to come along as a distraction for Tony, so he would, hopefully, give his daughter some space. Angela smirked to herself; if only Sam had known that she wanted nothing more than to go and spend some quality time with Tony. They had both been so busy lately, other than late at night when they ended the day together but always with an air of longing hanging between them. A change of scenery would do them both some good. Angela knew, though, she couldn't appear too eager, so she used Jonathan's potential date as an excuse to decline. She knew her mother could see right through her and, of course, she did, again pushing her and Tony together by agreeing with Jonathan that he didn't need his mother around for his big date.

And the trip had gone relatively well, even with the fact that they were all forced inside for most of it by the relentless rain. She and Tony played cards, flirted a little here and there and were just best friends, at least until that last night. If she had only known what was in store for them just a few months later.

"What do you say once we're done doing bed check with the kids that we head down to the bar for a drink and a little dancing?" Tony asked as they walked down the hotel hallway, checking each of the kids' rooms to make sure they were all where they were supposed to be with no late-night visitors. Even though he was proud of Sam for how she had ultimately handled things with Bonnie and those two idiotic guys, he still didn't trust a group of hormonal teenagers.

"I'd love to, Tony," Angela answered with a warm smile. "Even with the rain, it's been such a busy few days. It will be nice to finally relax a little."

Soon they were seated at a small round table, Tony with a beer and her with a glass of Chardonnay, as they reflected on the trip. Before long, they were out on the dance floor and in each other's arms, swaying in time to the romantic music of the steel drums.

"Angela," Tony finally said with a sigh. "It's late, and we have to get up relatively early tomorrow to catch our flight. We should probably head up."

Nodding slowly, Angela stepped back reluctantly before taking Tony's hand in hers as they walked across the lobby toward the elevator bank. They kept their hands clasped together as they got off the elevator on their floor and walked toward their rooms which happened to be right across the hall from each other.

Arriving at her door, Angela couldn't help but see the parallels between this and how they ended their nights at home. The difference being that they actually had some privacy here, even with the kids, including Sam and Bonnie, scattered about.

"Tony," "Angela," they said in unison. And without another word, Angela opened her door with the key, and Tony followed her inside.

"Are you sure?" Angela asked as Tony wrapped his arms around her waist and pulled her close.

"I think I am. About this and about what should happen once we're back home. You've been patient for a long time, Angela, and I can now see my future more clearly than ever before," Tony said softly, looking deep into her dark brown eyes that immediately filled up with unshed tears after hearing his words.

"Oh, Tony," Angela choked out before Tony's lips were on hers, reinforcing what he had just admitted. No other words were spoken as they showed each other what they were really feeling.

"So, drinks and dancing and that's it?" Sam asked skeptically. "I guess with all us kids around, even tucked away in our rooms, that was probably enough, especially for the chaperones," she said with a smirk.

Tony smiled, but his thoughts were already back on what did actually happen when they got home which was...nothing. He had meant what he said, but somehow, they both found it difficult to actually take that next step and go on a real date (and not to a comedy club this time!). Finally, though, they got up the courage when they decided to go dancing at the club. Of course, to the family, it looked like it was just two best friends heading out for the night as Tony had made a big show of asking what everyone else was doing before getting around to Angela. That seemed sufficient to throw the family off while Angela and Tony were well aware of the step they were about to take.

The evening started out so promising, especially after meeting Brad and Jane; a couple that seemed so similar to them. While Tony and Angela felt the need to deny they were an actual couple (it was definitely too soon since they could barely admit it to themselves), they had a lot of fun with their new best friends. That is until, a few days later, when Brad and Jane's actions forced Tony and Angela to face some of what their potential issues could be should they actually decide to get married. Even though they had briefly discussed it, in the roundabout way they had, and even sealed it with a kiss when Angela decided she had to demonstrate how Brad had grabbed and kissed her (Mona admitted to Angela years later that this was one time she wished she hadn't been so nosy), they decided that maybe Brad and Jane were a sign that it wasn't quite the right time for them just yet.

That proved to be a wise decision when Mona suddenly fell ill soon after and ended up having to have her gallbladder removed. Angela needed to be able to lean on her best friend, and Tony was happy to oblige. It just seemed easier to fall back into their supportive best friend status than to contemplate actually moving forward.

It was when Tony took Sam to visit colleges that he realized how much he missed Angela and wished that she was with them. It just felt wrong to be doing such a parental thing without his parental partner; hell, he admitted to himself, his life partner. He remembered on the drive home promising himself that at the next opportunity, he was going to move them forward no matter what it took. It was definitely time.

"So, Dad, it's obvious now and was obvious then that you and Angela had grown closer than close by that point," Sam said, bringing Tony back to the present. "I mean, Jonathan and I basically decided that you all were dating and just not ready to tell us about it yet."

Taking a deep breath and knowing that there was no way around it, she asked pointedly, "So, what the hell were you thinking with Kathleen?"

"Who's Kathleen?" Katie immediately asked…