Chapter 8

"Angela," Tony said as he softly knocked on the door to her study. He didn't want to interrupt her if she was in the middle of something important.

Getting no response, he knocked again before quietly opening the door. Angela was sound asleep on her desk with her head resting on her arm that was bent at the elbow. Tony smiled because she really did look like an angel. Even though they still had so much to figure out, he couldn't help but think how lucky he was to be having another kid and that it was with Angela. Never in his wildest dreams could he have imagined this scenario. He snorted softly when he thought back to his declaration, on their first night together, that you'd never catch him sleeping with his employer. If only he'd known how often fate or divine intervention or whatever it was would push them together almost willing this pregnancy into existence.

"Hey Angela," he said, lightly squeezing her shoulder.

"Mmm...must have fallen asleep," Angela mumbled sleepily as she looked up at Tony with a rueful smile. "I guess I better get used to needing these little cat naps."

"I'm sorry to wake you, but dinner is about ready if you feel like eating," Tony said.

"Thanks. I'm not very hungry, but I know I need to eat, so I'll do my best. I'm sure whatever you've made is terrific."

"Meatloaf, baby carrots and mashed potatoes. I'm trying to stick to dishes that won't assault your senses, so that you can keep something down," Tony said giving Angela one of his disarming grins.

Angela smiled back at him as she pushed her chair back and stood up. She couldn't help but think there was no one else she'd rather be going through this with. She was having a baby, Tony's baby, and somehow, despite everything, it felt right.

"Are we ready to do this?" Tony asked quietly, stopping and turning towards Angela before they walked out of her study.

"I guess we'll find out," Angela replied with a shrug of her shoulders. "I just want the next couple of months to be as normal as possible, since everything will change once we tell the kids and Mother."

"I know; me too. This time belongs to us and to him or her," Tony said as he tentatively reached his hand out towards Angela's stomach. She placed it on her abdomen, and they smiled at each other for a moment before walking out of the study towards the kitchen.

Dinner that night was a normal affair; at least Tony and Angela tried to act as if nothing had changed. The kids squabbled over a couple of little things while Mona droned on, first about one of her classes and then about the new man she was dating, all the while observing that something was definitely up with the two of them. She was getting the same feeling she'd had when Angela confessed to her last spring that she'd slept with Tony. Mistakenly it turned out although Mona still wasn't quite sure she believed that.

She couldn't quite pinpoint it, but there was definitely something in the air between Tony and Angela. It was almost like they were going out of their way to not look at or talk to each other any more than what was necessary. Their natural easy banter that bordered on flirtatiousness, more often than not, was nowhere to be found. While Mona would usually pounce on the opportunity to find out what was going on by making some pithy comment or observation, a voice in her head told her to keep her mouth shut for now and just let it play out. She was pretty sure they'd give themselves away or she'd figure it out before too long.

Angela excused herself after dinner to go finish the work she hadn't gotten done earlier while the kids headed upstairs to to do homework and watch a little TV. As much as Mona wanted to stick around and continue observing Tony and Angela, her date was due at her place for a "nightcap" in a little while, and she wanted to freshen up first.

Several hours later, Angela wandered out of her study and found Tony in the kitchen just putting the tea kettle on the stove.

"Perfect timing," Tony said as he took a seat next to Angela at the kitchen table. "The kids are in bed and Mona is, well who knows what's she doing, but she's not here."

Angela laughed before locking eyes with Tony. "I guess we need to start savoring these quiet nights, since they won't last forever."

"No kiddin'," Tony responded. "I haven't really had a chance to think about how things will change once the baby is here, but you're right. It's going to be loud, chaotic and great," he said definitively as he pictured Angela rocking a tiny newborn to sleep, reading a bedtime story to a giggling toddler, and taking an adorable preteen girl shopping.

"Tony, I know we still have a lot of logistics to discuss, but tonight I just want to think about all the good things that are going to happen. I can't wait to see you teaching our son or daughter…" At that, Angela's voice faltered from the lump that had formed in her throat.

"I know," Tony said softly, nodding before repeating in wonderment, "Our son or daughter…"

Clearing her throat, Angela continued, "Teaching him or her to play baseball and all about sports. If there's one thing I'm certain of is that there's no way this child is not going to be a sports enthusiast."

Laughing, Tony replied, "Well maybe. But, I can also picture an adorable and smart little girl who also inherited her mom's love of shopping."

With a grin, Angela stifled a yawn before saying quietly, "We are going to have one amazing child. But, I think this little one is telling her mommy that it's time for bed."

As they both stood up from the table, Tony couldn't help but pull Angela into a tight hug unbeknownst that they were being watched.

Well, well, well, Mona thought to herself. She had been on her way across the driveway to swipe a bottle of champagne from the refrigerator when she caught sight of Tony and Angela through the kitchen window. There was definitely something going on, and it had to be major for them to embrace like that. Not wanting to disturb them, she turned back towards the stairs to her condo making a mental note to keep a close eye on whatever this was.

The next few weeks seemed to fly by as fall ramped up. In the end, Tony elected to not accompany Angela to this first doctor's appointment, since all they were going to do was draw some blood and have her take a urine test to confirm the pregnancy. Angela left the appointment with several pamphlets containing all the do's and don'ts of pregnancy. Things had changed since she'd had Jonathan. Along with that was the fact that since she was now 36 years old, hers was considered a "geriatric" pregnancy. That term did not sit well with her at all. When she told Tony, once he stopped laughing, he did his best to assure her that there was nothing about her that looked or acted geriatric.

Tony had established a new routine in the mornings where he would quietly rap on her door first thing with a cup of tea or glass of juice and a plate of crackers. Angela found that this really did quell her nausea allowing her to get through her morning routine until she could manage to consume some real food for the baby. While the kids hadn't noticed that she had started eating breakfast, Angela knew her mother had. Mona had caught Angela's eye one recent morning with a raised eyebrow. Angela played it off as finally taking Tony's advice about how breakfast was the most important meal of the day and wanting to set a better example for the children. Angela knew her mother hadn't completely bought that explanation, but to her credit, she hadn't commented further.

Other than the nausea and constant fatigue, Angela was starting to feel like herself again, especially when she was able to slip in several cat naps throughout the day or a longer nap when she got home if there was time before dinner. Her clothes still fit although they were becoming more snug by the day while her breasts, now tender to the touch, seemed to have grown out of her usual bras almost overnight. Maternity clothes shopping was in her near future.

So far everything seemed to be progressing normally with the pregnancy, and no one besides herself and Tony seemed any the wiser. The kids were busy with school, friends, and their activities. Mona had really taken to her latest beau and was somewhat scarce except at dinnertime. Even a man couldn't keep Mona from missing too many of Tony's delicious meals.

The most difficult part for Angela, and she suspected for Tony as well, was at night. They'd decided to keep the baby talk to a minimum until she was farther along and out of fear of someone overhearing their conversations which had almost happened on several occasions. She and Tony had graduated from tea in the kitchen at night to tea on the sofa. They would start out sitting a respectable distance apart but by the end of the evening, Tony would usually have his arm around her shoulders as she lay back against his chest. Occasionally, he would risk placing his hand on her stomach for a short period of time. The tiniest hint of a baby bump had started to form, and Tony seemed mesmerized by it. Angela would place her hand on top of Tony's as they smiled at each other.

But then, they would get up, share a quick embrace, and retire to their respective bedrooms. For Angela, this was the strangest part of this whole experience. With Michael, laying in bed at night talking about the baby, with his arms either wrapped around her or laying on her growing stomach, had brought them closer together. It was probably the best time in their marriage. She and Tony were already closer than she'd ever been with Michael, but not being able to share this part of the pregnancy experience with him was hard, and she had to admit, lonely. She missed that simple intimacy and had to remind herself that they were doing this for their baby, so that she and Tony didn't end up like her and Michael…