Chapter 6
For Angela, the world seemed to freeze in place as the weight of Tony's impending revelation settled over her a few seconds before the actual words escaped his lips.
She closed her eyes as visions of Tony and Frankie together with a dark-haired, brown-eyed adorable baby flashed through her mind. Angela took a deep breath before opening them to see Tony staring back at her, unable to hide his pain and sadness.
"I see," Angela finally said after what seemed like an eternity. With her heart starting to shatter into a million pieces, she decided that she needed to take an employer/employee approach with this situation. Yes, they were so much more than that now and were on the cusp of becoming something else altogether, but she couldn't go there with Tony right now.
"Look, Angela," Tony's voice was soft, filled with regret. "I wasn't looking for this, and neither was Frankie. We're not a couple and I don't think we ever will be. In fact, I"
"Wait, Tony," Angela said quickly, not wanting him to go any further. "As your employer, I appreciate you telling me this news since I know it will affect your employee status in the future."
"Angela," Tony replied, his eyes growing wide, shocked at her suddenly formal tone. "Ay oh, oh ay, my employee status? Aren't we way past all that employer/employee stuff? You're my best friend," he said softly, looking down.
"And you're mine," Angela said, her voice shaking. "But now's not the time for all of that," her tone becoming more businesslike. "Whether you and Frankie become a couple is none of my business. I realize, though, that things will need to change around here. Have you two made any plans?"
Now, it was Tony's turn to close his eyes. This was worse than he had imagined. It was like, in an instant, he and Angela were back to square one in their first couple of months together when things were more formal between them, even if they hadn't ever been quite this businesslike with each other. He knew, though, that she was reacting this way to protect her feelings. He had just dropped a bomb, and he really needed to give her time to process it so that things could get back to whatever "normal" would be moving forward. He hoped fervently that they wouldn't be reduced to only this type of interaction, though.
Sighing, Tony decided to follow her lead, at least for now. "We've talked a couple of times, and I'm going to head into the City on Saturday so that we can talk some more. I realize that in the long run, I'll need to be closer to be able to help with the baby once it's born, but I'd like to stay on here at least until I can find another job. And I really don't want to uproot Sam again until I absolutely have to," Tony said, unable to hide the sadness in his voice.
"Of course, Tony. You and Sam can stay as long as you need," Angela replied softly as her thoughts turned to the realization that she was going to lose her "daughter." There was no way around it. Even though they weren't related by blood and she and Tony weren't together (and would never be now), Sam had become her daughter, and Angela loved her dearly; as much as she suspected Tony loved Jonathan. Damn you, Tony, she thought to herself; why did you have to do this to our family?
Angela forced herself to look into Tony's eyes, "I know this will be a difficult transition for Sam, so I want to do whatever is needed to help her through this. I care about her very much."
His voice shaking, Tony nodded slightly before replying, "I know you do, Angela, and she cares about you too. I don't want this situation to affect the friendship you two have. And I care about Jonathan very much and will always be here for him no matter what happens."
Angela suddenly felt very tired, thinking about how quickly things would change and how much they all stood to lose. Sure, she and Tony could make all kinds of promises now about how they would all continue to see each other and maintain their relationships, but that would become infinitely more difficult as time went on, especially once Tony and Sam were no longer residents of 3344 Oak Hills Drive.
"Tony, I think I need some space right now," Angela said as emotions began to overwhelm her. "Can we continue this discussion tomorrow?"
"Sure, Angela," Tony said, practically jumping up from the small sofa. "Can I bring you some tea or anything?"
Angela smiled sadly and shook her head as she realized that their cozy tradition of discussing their day, the kids, her mother's latest escapade, and everything and anything at night over a cup of tea before going to bed would never be the same again. Now, if it even continued, their conversations would consist of the logistics of this new reality they found themselves in.
"Goodnight, Angela," Tony said as he quickly closed the door to her study. He stood there for a minute, his mind spinning, before he heard the unmistakable sound of Angela crying.
In that moment, he vowed to do whatever it took to keep their unorthodox little family together even as it was coming apart at the seams…