Chapter 7

As soon as the door closed behind Tony, the tears that had been threatening to fall began streaming down Angela's face. She knew he could probably hear her crying, but at this point, she didn't care. Even though she hadn't been able to tell him to his face, Tony deserved to hear how much he had hurt her.

Angela realized that the next few months were going to be extremely difficult and not just for her. She immediately thought back to that Valentine's Day two years ago, when Jonathan had set her and Tony up in a misguided yet endearing attempt to have them fall in love and get married so that Tony would never leave. While she appreciated that Tony had reassured Jonathan that they would still be best buddies even if he didn't live with them, Angela knew that Jonathan would take this hard. He still needed a man in his life, no more than that. He needed a father, especially over the next few years, and as much as she knew Tony would still do his best to fill that role, it wouldn't be the same.

She knew, too, that Sam still needed a mother figure in her life as she continued to navigate the perils of being a teenage girl. While Frankie could eventually fill that role, Angela wanted to continue to be the one Sam came to and confided in. However, she realized that, just like what would happen with Tony's and Jonathan's relationship, it would probably happen to her's and Sam's once they weren't all around each other on a daily basis.

And even though her mother was a grown woman (more or less), Angela knew this would also hit her hard. It was evident that Mona saw Tony as the son she never had or, more specifically, as her future son-in-law. Angela loved seeing how much her mother cared about Tony and how much Tony cared right back. Her mother had never felt that way about Michael, and Angela could only hope that this news wouldn't completely derail their close relationship.

Drawing a ragged breath, Angela finally got control of her emotions enough to slip out of her study and upstairs to her bedroom. She changed into a nightgown and robe and did her best to fix her face. While she was tempted to hide in her room for the rest of the night, she knew she couldn't avoid Tony forever. Taking a deep breath and holding her head up high, she walked out of her room and down the stairs.

"Hey Angela," Tony said quietly, looking up from the couch where he was absentmindedly flipping through channels on the TV.

"Tony," Angela said, giving him a small smile before joining him, albeit sitting farther away from him than she usually would.

"Can I get you some tea now?" Tony asked, nodding at the pot on the coffee table. "I made enough for two, just in case…" his voice trailed off.

"Sure," Angela replied as he quickly poured her a cup and handed it to her.

"Thanks," she continued, realizing she had no idea what to say next. She desperately didn't want things to become more awkward than they needed to be, but she could already feel the closeness that had been steadily growing between them starting to slip away.

"Angela," "Tony," they said simultaneously.

With a small smile, Tony nodded at Angela to continue.

"I honestly don't know what to say," she said haltingly. "I know everything has changed, yet sitting here with my best friend as we do so many nights just feels so right."

"It does," Tony agreed, a hint of relief in his voice. "Not everything needs to change all at once. We've got some time, and I want to still be able to talk with my best friend."

"Me too," Angela replied. They both took a deep breath and began discussing anything and everything besides the elephant in the room. There would be plenty of time for those discussions soon.

The next morning, Tony and Angela did their best to act as normally as possible so as not to alert the kids that something was going on. And while they succeeded, they didn't fool a very eagle-eyed Mona. It was obvious that Tony had told Angela last night, and Mona could already see the tight bond her daughter and Tony shared beginning to loosen.

As soon as Tony dropped her and Angela at the train station and they found two seats together, Mona knew it was now or never. Despite the Frankie news, she was determined to keep Angela and Tony in each other's lives until they finally realized they belonged together. She had never seen two people so in love yet who stubbornly refused to acknowledge it. Mona was very protective of this unique little family of theirs, and she'd be damned if some woman that Tony would never love was going to tear it apart.

"Angela," Mona began, her tone much softer than usual. "I can tell that Tony told you about Frankie last night, and I'm sorry. I know that had to be hard to hear, Dear."

"What?" Angela said with a gasp. "How do you already know?"

"I walked into the living room the other day just as Frankie left after dropping her bomb. Tony was beside himself and needed someone to talk to," Mona replied gently.

"I'm going to tell you the same thing I told him," she continued. "I think you and Tony are well on your way to something permanent, but you're taking the slow boat to China. He's only human, and while this baby will definitely change things, it doesn't have to ruin what you two have been building. He's not in love with her because he's in love with you."

"Mother," Angela said, holding her hand up to stop her from saying more. "Just stop with all of that. Whatever was between us, we are friends first and are determined right now to sustain that friendship in light of this situation."

Taking a deep breath, Angela continued, "Plus, he's going to have to move closer to her and take Sam with him, so at some point soon, we won't all even be under the same roof. That will profoundly change our relationship, in addition to my relationship with Sam and Tony's relationship with Jonathan. We're both committed to trying to make that transition as easy as possible for the children even though it won't be easy for any of us, you included."

"All right, Angela," Mona said with a sigh, realizing now was not the time to try and talk some sense into her daughter since Angela was apparently still trying to process the situation.

"Thank you, Mother," Angela said as she turned her head toward the window so her mother wouldn't see the single tear trickling down her cheek…