I was helping Rowan clear dinner when my phone went off. Excitement ran through me when I saw who it was.

Smiley

The best part of my day.

Sharon had been face-timing me every day at least three times a day since Javier and I left Monterey Bay. I love it, and I look forward to those calls every day. It allowed me to still be part of Melody's life, and I didn't have to miss her as much. It was the best of both worlds.

I set the plates in my hand down and picked up the call. "Hey, sis, what's going on?"

"Why are you all wet," Rowan asked, coming up behind me. "Are you alright?"

Sharon stopped drying her hair and gave us an innocent smile. Something was definitely wrong.

Sharon cleared her throat and started explaining. "Clips note version, we were down by the beach having a bonfire when Sharpay went postal. I lost grip of Melody, and Troy had her until a huge tide came in, causing him to lose his grip. I had to jump in to save her and go back and save him after he tried coming in after me and started drowning."

"What," We simultaneously exclaimed in fear. "Are you two OK?"

Sharon nodded. "As far as I know, she's fine, but Javy, Tony, or Brook should take a look at her when we get back tomorrow. Just to be on the safe side."

"And you," I asked, not bothering to hide my anxiety.

Sharon shrugged, "I've been through worse."

I let out a breath I didn't realize I was holding and relaxed for the first time since Sharon called. We moved on, and I got to see my baby girl. I could tell she had quite a day and was feeling pretty tired. But I was just happy to see they were both OK.

Sharon reached out, stopping Melody from crawling off the bed. "You want to show Mommy what you made at My Museum today?"

Melody nodded, and Sharon helped her off the bed. We talked while we waited for Melody to grab what she made.

"So, how are you and my new little nieces or nephews doing?"

I placed a hand on my stomach with a worried look. "Tony wasn't able to see the baby too well because of the position, so I have to go back in tomorrow."

"Well, no news could mean good news," Sharon offered, trying to look on the bright side. "And you? Are you OK?"

"Define OK," Sharon raised a brow in confusion, and I elaborated. "Medically speaking, I'm not too bad. All my numbers are holding solid around where they were last week."

"But…" Sharon prompted, knowing there was more.

I sighed. "Physically, the pregnancy is already starting to tire me out, and mentally is a whole other ordeal."

Sharon gave me a sympathetic smile. "It can't be easy. I'm only the Aunt, and I'm constantly worrying. It must be a million times worse for you."

"It helps that Tony and Javy are the doctors, but I still worry. I think it's a parent thing, just knowing the possibilities you worry about your kid."

"I hear you," Rowan agreed. "I know True's got a clean bill of health, and I still worry."

Sharon reached over as she talked. "And you both should take it as a good thing because it says a lot about you both as parents. I mean, I don't need to remind you of my parents."

I scrunched my nose. "Nope, you certainly don't."

"Are you OK, Rosie?"

Rowan nodded. "I'm good, and this little one is already showing some really positive signs."

Sharon beamed like she just heard the best news. Her smile started fading moments later as she realized something. "You don't know for sure yet, do you?"

Rowan shook her head. "Not until it's born or there's some real clear sign of a defect."

"Like with Javy or True," Sharon's smile faded completely when Rowan nodded.

Melody crawled onto Sharon's lap, waving something in her hands. "Mommy!"

I gasped. "Hey baby, what did you make?"

Sharon helped Melody hold up the picture. "Mommy and me."

I grinned from ear to ear. "That's beautiful. Did you make something for Daddy too?"

Melody shook her head. "No, Daddy. Uncy Jaby."

She reached over and pulled out another picture to show us. I couldn't hold back a wince. "How did Troy take it?"

Sharon chuckled as she settled Melody on her lap. "About as well as you'd expect. I'd say he's still jealous of Javy."

I raised a brow. "Why? He has nothing to be jealous about."

"We know that," Sharon replied. "But does Troy?"

I blew out a breath and dropped my head. Picking it back up, I answered her. "No, because I still haven't talked to him."

Rowan nodded. "And there are only two ways for the jealousy to end. You tell him or him not liking you anymore."

"And given your own admission just now and from what I've seen, neither of those had happened yet."

"But I will talk to him; I swear," I paused, avoiding their gaze. "I just need more time."

"And we don't have a problem giving you that time," Rowan assured me with a comforting tone. "It's totally your call when you talk to him. But we just want you to know the sooner you do so, the better because it will only get harder the longer you wait."

I forced the corners of my lips up a bit into a small smile. "I just need a little more time."

Sharon adjusted Melody in her lap when she started drifting off. "Hey, are Grandmary and Javy OK? Tony texted me they were sent to the emergency room earlier."

"Yeah, Grandmary said she felt lightheaded earlier, and that's why she fell. She's feeling a lot better now, and if the final test comes back clean, then she's free to go."

"And Javy," Sharon asked.

I shook my head. "He had a scare with his E.A., but it turned out to be nothing."

Rowan added. "He's upstairs putting True down. Do you want to talk to him?"

Sharon stood carefully, being sure not to wake Melody, who had nodded off. My heart ached, longing to hold my little girl. Tomorrow couldn't come fast enough in my book.

"I can call him later," Sharon replied, gently picking Melody up. "But Gabby, I need to ask you about Troy's great-grandparents."

I gave her a puzzled look. We didn't talk about his grandparents when Troy and I were together. I'd seen them even less. There wasn't much I knew about Troy's great-grandparents.

"OK, but I'm not sure what I can tell you about them," I admitted as I took the dishes I set down early to the sink. "I didn't know them too well. I'd barely started getting to know them when we broke up."

Sharon laid Melody down and came back. "Noted, but did Troy ever talk about his grandparents having a health problem."

I bite my lip, thinking for a moment. "Honestly, if he did, I don't remember. We didn't talk about his grandparents when we were together."

Sharon nodded and continued. "What about Troy giving his family a scare when he was born? Could that have anything to do with a health problem that runs in his family?"

I shook my head. "Probably not. He told me that when he was in the PICU, all kinds of doctors ran all kinds of tests. Nothing ever came back out of the ordinary."

Sharon sighed. "So, no family health issues. What about gambling habits?"

I hopped onto the countertop. "If his family gambled, this is the first I'm hearing of it. What's this about anyway?"

"Troy's Gram Gram and Granddad want to sell their house."

I blinked, staring at her with a blank expression. There must have been some mistake. Maybe I heard her wrong.

"Now I know that that house is special to Troy's family. His family grew up there for three generations. His Gram Gram wanted to pass it down, so they would never sell that house unless they had to."

Sharon eyed the balcony, staring out at the sea. She sounded distracted as she said. "Yeah, that's similar to what I just heard. So if it's not their health and they don't gamble, do you have any idea why they would need to sell their place against their will?"

I blew a raspberry, feeling like I was grasping at straws. "I'm not sure. But if I'd to guess, I wouldn't say it's their finances."

Sharon's brows narrowed in confusion. "Why?"

I shrugged. "Sharpay and Ryan are two of Troy's best friends. If his family has financial problems, I doubt they'd hesitate to help him. After all, they are beyond loaded."

"OK, you think they'd tell me anything if I asked?"

"Not sure," I replied with a shrug. "It can't hurt to try."

"Guess not," Sharon agreed. "Speaking of your friends Ryan and Sharpay, Zeke and Sharpay are getting a divorce."

My mouth dropped to the floor, too shocked to even form a mere thought. I asked Sharon to fill me in when I could finally form words through my shock again. By the time Sharon was done, I was sure my head had grown two sizes.

"I'll talk to them…see if I can figure out what is going on."

"Sounds good," Sharon agreed. "I better go; I have an early day tomorrow. I'll let you know if I find anything out about Troy's family."

"Bye," I waved, "I'll see you when you get back tomorrow."

"Bye, let Javy know I'm glad he's OK, and I'll see him when I get back tomorrow."

Sharon ended the call, and I gave Rowan a hand with the rest of the dishes. I disappeared into my room when we had cleared everything. I couldn't stop thinking about my friends all night. There had to be something going on and, even more important, something I could do to help them.

Several days later, I decided to go talk to Zeke. Wildcat Bar was closed for the afternoon when I pulled into the parking lot. Parking the car, I entered the bar through the kitchen.

"Zeke," I called through the empty kitchen.

I was about to call again when Zeke came out of the office. "Sorry, I was finishing something in the office. How are you?"

"Good," I smiled, pulling him into a hug when he reached the bottom step. We headed into the dining area when we pulled apart. "What about you? Are you OK?"

The corner of his lips barely went up. "Why wouldn't I be?"

I debated for a moment if I should say anything. I was still hesitant as I spoke. "Sharon told me about your fight with Sharpay."

Zeke stopped mixing the drink as his expression changed. "How much did she tell you," He asked in a whisper.

I shifted in my seat, feeling like maybe I'd overstepped. Clearing my throat, I said, "Enough to know you're getting a divorce.

He returned to mixing the drinks, trying to mask the pain in his eyes. "So you know everything. There's nothing left to say."

"Maybe or maybe not," I replied. "You once told me I have friends in my corner and are willing to listen to me. Well, you do, too…starting with me. If you ever want to talk about why, what happened, or anything else, you have me in your corner too. Just like how I have you. Where have you been staying? I doubt Sharpay is still OK with you two bunking in the same house. If you need, I'm sure Javy won't mind having a guest until you find a more permanent place."

Zeke placed a hot chocolate in front of me with a smile. He started to explain as he took a seat. "And you'd be right, as usual. I've been bunking at Chad and Taylor's. Thanks for having my back; that means a lot. I just wish Sharpay understood."

I raised a brow, curious at his comment. "What do you mean?"

He sighed and elaborated. "Lately, Sharpay has just been so paranoid. Every woman I talk to is a mistress in her book and gets the royal Sharpay treatment."

My stomach felt queasy, fearful of what the royal Sharpay treatment was. I scrunched my face into a frown. "Do I want to ask?"

Zeke held up his hand and started counting. "First, it's accusations of her believes that you can't tell her otherwise. Then it's the threats, which will lead to the final straw, the follow through on the threats."

I didn't bother to hold back a wince. "That bad."

"Sharon didn't tell you," Zeke placed some soft pretzels in front of me.

I titled my head. "Tell me what?"

"Sharpay attempted to assault her after threatening and accusing her of being my mistress."

I shook my head, taking a sip of my hot chocolate. "She didn't. I mean, she mentioned Sharpay going postal, but she never said it was toward her. Sharon can handle herself, though. Was Sharpay always so high strong?"

Zeke shook his head. "Not always. Actually, she used to be the total opposite. I could be gone for days, and she wouldn't even ask me anything about the people I was with. If I told her it was my choice, now I can't go one day without hearing her threatening to make some other woman's life miserable."

I ripped off a small piece of a soft pretzel and popped it in my mouth. "So why did she suddenly change?"

Zeke shrugged. "No idea. I tried talking to her, but she won't tell me."

We were both silent for a couple of minutes. I broke the silence after a couple of minutes. "Do you still love her?"

More silence between us. But I already had my answer from his silence and the look he had.

"I don't think it matters what I feel."

"Of course, it matters," I told him. "Why wouldn't it? You're her husband."

He dropped his head. "I might not want the divorce, but I want to see her behind bars even less. But that's where she'll end up if she doesn't stop threatening and assaulting people."

"That's why you suggested the divorce."

I already knew the answer and didn't need one from Zeke, but he nodded anyway.

I paused for a moment before giving him my suggestion. "It sounds like you're giving up."

"I'm not. I'm just…."

"Taking the easy way out," I finished for him.

Zeke opened his mouth and shut it again. I continued when Zeke didn't say anything. "I get it. Three years ago, I felt running was easier than facing everyone and telling them the truth. Three years later, I still haven't found the courage I need to totally let everyone in. But there's not a day that goes by that I wouldn't think about what happened and wonder how things would be different if I'd stuck around. I hate myself for choosing the easy way and regret not trying to find another solution. You have other options, Zeke; you just need more time to find it. Don't make a hasty decision you'll regret later because it feels like it's your only option. Don't make the same mistake I did."

He mustered up the tiniest smile through his sadness. "Thanks for the tip; I'll think about it."

I broke off another piece of a soft pretzel and dipped it in the chocolate sauce before dipping it in the barbeque sauce. Zeke tried to hide it, but I knew he was grossed out. It didn't surprise me, though. Due to my pregnancy, I've developed some odd and even disgusting tastes. I wouldn't even think of eating half the stuff I eat now if I wasn't pregnant.

"Sorry," I apologized between bites. "I'm probably grossing you out."

Zeke shook his head. "Oh no. Everyone has different tastes."

I chuckled. "Good point. Oh, I almost forgot; I wanted to ask you if you knew anything about Troy's great-grandparents selling their home."

Zeke tilted his head and asked. "Sharon told you about Troy too?"

I nodded. "She did."

"Clearly, you and Sharon have no secrets," Zeke replied.

I chuckled. "Clearly."

Zeke stopped poking at his drink with his straw. "I don't know too much more than you probably. All Troy told me was that his Gram Gram has everything handled."

"But no idea what led to them selling their house," I stated more than I asked.

Zeke shook his head. "Nope. Troy's Gram Gram insists they have enough on their plates and refuse to say anything."

I sighed with a tiny nod of my head. "I've heard answers like that once or twice. Usually from my Nanna or Grandmary when they think we're intruding into their business."

Zeke snickered, and I couldn't help but smile. "My Grandparents would say something similar if they felt like we were being nosy too. Maybe it's an old-generation thing."

"Maybe," I agreed with a shrug. "Is that why you're not too worried?"

"Troy knows we have his back," Zeke answered, "If something were really wrong, he wouldn't hesitate to ask us for help, just like how we won't hesitate to ask him. Hey, where is Melody?"

My phone rang at that moment, and I jumped. "Playdate with my friend's nephew."

I scrunched my face when I saw who it was.

Luna

I was so not in the mood to deal with her. Things at work had actually gotten worse since Luna started working there. I didn't even believe that was possible.

"Everything OK," Zeke asked, seeing the dread on my face.

I nodded as I stood. "Yeah, I just have to take this. It'll just be a second."

Gathering all my mental strength, I answered the call once I stepped aside. I took the call as fast as possible, and Zeke was setting up for the night when I returned.

"Something wrong," He asked as he lowered a chair that was flipped over on the table so it hung off the side.

I paused for a moment staring at my phone, before saying anything. "Not more than usual; my temporary boss just needs my help with something."

He tilted his head, giving me a confused look. "Temporary boss?"

I started to gather my stuff. "Yeah, it's complicated. I'll text you, or you could tell me."

Zeke made his way over to the register and grabbed the keys in the drawer. "Here, I'll unlock the front door, and you won't have to leave from the back. Keep in touch."

"I will," I promised as I hugged him. "Keep trying to talk to Sharpay."

"No promises," He replied when he pulled away.

I left after a final goodbye. Slipping into the driver's seat, I dialed Teagan's number. As I pulled out of the parking lot, I took one last look at Wildcat Bar, waiting for Teagan to pick up. When she didn't, I left her a message before making a left toward Fantasy Event Planning.