A/N: I'm consolidating what were originally shorter chapters. Hope it doesn't come off too clunky. There may be short chapters when the subject matter doesn't lend itself to consolidation.
Chapter Three: Bacon and Eggs
The next morning, Tony worked on assembling and decorating the cake, so they could celebrate as a family later in the day. He drank tomato juice and tabasco as he worked. When it was done, he decided to fry up some bacon and eggs. That combo always hit the spot after a night of drinking.
Angela got up and put a pink robe over her black nightgown. She was determined to act normal. Hopefully Tony would follow her lead and never mention their encounter. She walked through the kitchen door, and before she could say a word, the smell hit her. She turned and ran to the powder room, barely making it to the toilet before vomiting.
Tony ran after her. "Angela? Angela? Are you alright?" He found her rinsing her mouth. "Are you hung over? Oh no. Were you drunk last night? Oh my god. I'm so sorry, Angela."
"Tony, we need to talk," she said, leaning back against the vanity. Dread filled him. He was going to lose his best friend and his home, the little boy he loved, and his daughter's surrogate mother, all because he had taken advantage of a situation that he had known was too good to be true.
"I'm so, so sorry, Angela. I shouldn't have pushed you. I didn't think you had that much to drink. I thought…." he trailed off lamely and his thoughts shifted from the hurt of rejection to how violated she must be feeling. How could he have done this?
She shook her head and steeled herself for the disclosure she could no longer avoid. "I'm not hung over, Tony. I'm pregnant."
"What?" Now he was confused. He started wondering if he was having a vivid dream. That was the only way to explain what had happened between them, wasn't it? It wouldn't have been his first erotic dream about his boss.
"I'm pregnant. I'm going to have a baby," Angela reiterated, making sure to maintain eye contact.
"How is that possible?" Tony stared at her in disbelief.
"I went off the pill when Michael and I separated, since I'd be using condoms with anyone new. When he came home, I didn't even think about birth control."
"Oh, right," he said dejectedly. He didn't want to think about Angela and Michael being intimate with no barriers. Jonathan was evidence enough that it had happened in the distant past. The idea of it happening so recently made Tony feel like he couldn't breathe.
"I'm sorry for putting you in an awkward position. Last night, I was feeling down, and you were so nice to me. This isn't an excuse, but my hormones have been raging. I shouldn't have harassed you that way, especially knowing that you had been drinking, and I understand if you don't feel like you can keep working for me." A tear slid down her cheek.
"Well, is Michael going to be coming back around?" Tony struggled to suppress the jealous tone of his question.
"He's upset with me for not being more careful. But if he wants to see Jonathan, he's going to have to take some responsibility for this child, too." The truth was that she didn't expect much out of Michael. He had disappointed his son repeatedly, and she never would have planned to have another child with him, as much as she wanted one.
"I see. Well, Angela, I don't want to go anywhere. What happened last night...it was nice. I enjoyed it. But if that's not what you want from me, I can handle just being your friend."
"You'd stay?" she inquired. "I don't want you to go. I'd miss Samantha so much. And Jonathan would miss you, too." She took a slow, calming breath and stared at his feet. "I'd miss you. The truth is I enjoyed last night, too, but I don't want to lose you as a friend. I'm really going to need a friend."
Tony watched as Angela broke down in tears. "I want to stay. And I want to be your friend," he said, reaching out to stroke her upper arm.
"Really?" she replied, reluctant to trust that she hadn't damaged their partnership irrevocably.
"I'll support you every step of the way with this baby, if you'll let me."
"You want to come to a doctor's appointment with me on Tuesday?" she kidded. She had only gotten the nerve to call for an appointment the previous week, after two missed periods and three positive home pregnancy tests. She called Michael the day she received her divorce decree, and he asked her if she was going to keep it.
"Yeah, of course I'll come to the doctor with you," he told her.
"You would?" It would be a great comfort to have a companion, not to mention less embarrassing than going solo.
"Absolutely!" He pulled her into a tight hug. The doorbell rang, but he didn't let her go.
"I'm not ready to tell Jonathan," she murmured into his sweater.
"Your secret is safe with me," he promised. He squeezed her shoulder as he pulled away to open the door.
She checked her appearance in the mirror. Not terrible, she decided. She turned off the light and went to the entryway.
Jonathan and Sam ran into the house with hugs and kisses for their parents. Mrs. Rosini followed with an enormous decorative bottle of chianti. "Jonathan told me it was your birthday. Here," she said, pressing the bottle into Angela's hands. Tony immediately plucked it out of her grasp and set it aside.
Mona came through the kitchen door. "Thanks for breakfast, Tony. I haven't had bacon and eggs forever."
"Would everyone else like some chocolate cake? I can bring out milk and coffee to go with it," he offered.
"I'll help!" Mona insisted.
Mrs. Rosini and Angela escorted the kids into the dining room while Tony and Mona poured drinks and lit a single candle on the cake.
"Did you two have a good night?" Mona asked.
"Nothing unusual," Tony choked out in a high-pitched voice. He carried the cake into the dining room and started singing the birthday song.
Angela clapped her hands and looked around the room at all her loved ones. She was happy with the status quo, and decided not to think about how different things would be a year from now.
Angela squeezed Tony's hand. It was sweaty and he was bouncing his knee anxiously in the plastic chair. It had been a long appointment, full of invasive questions, and he learned way more than he wanted to know. Everyone assumed that he was the father, and she had to keep correcting the record.
"Not my partner, just a friend," she said to the receptionist, the medical assistant, and the OB/GYN. Well, you have to be a pretty close friend to accompany a woman to her pelvic exam. Tony clenched his teeth as the doctor pulled out a speculum and asked the patient to scoot down a little more. She had her sock-clad feet up in stirrups and a disposable drape over her lower half. He looked at the far wall.
The worst part for Tony was when the doctor made eye contact with him while inserting gloved fingers inside her and pressing on her lower abdomen with the other hand. Angela's breathing was shallow, and she was crushing his hand. It all seemed like such a violation.
The doctor stripped off the rubber glove and picked up the chart. "You're very healthy, which is important with a geriatric pregnancy. According to the date of your last period, you're at about eight weeks now, due on Christmas Day."
Angela and Tony left with a pile of papers, which she held in her lap as he drove the jag back to Connecticut. He spoke up after several minutes of silence. "Are lady exams always so…"
"Awful? Yeah, they're no fun. I really appreciate you coming."
"It was no problem. Have you thought any more about telling Jonathan?"
"I'd like for us to tell the kids and Mother together. Not yet though." She needed time to plan. She also enjoyed sharing a secret, though she'd never admit it.
He was pleased to hear Sam would be included in the announcement. He wished he had the courage to ask about his role in the baby's life. Even more terrifying was the question of his relationship with Angela.
As June passed, Tony started to notice a slight baby bump forming. He thought it was incredibly sexy, and he found himself staring at his boss more and more often. One night after the kids were in bed, as she stood at the kitchen counter sipping a hot cup of herbal tea, he called it out. "Do you need me to get any of your clothes taken out?"
Angela was appalled. "Do I look fat?" she asked, as she set her cup down. Her eyes began to fill.
Tony felt totally insensitive. "No!" He rushed to her side. "I think you look amazing." Tears spilled down her cheeks.
"I feel huge already. I had forgotten how it feels to have my body change so quickly."
"Well, I think you're beautiful."
"Tony. You do?" she asked, incredulous that someone who looked like him could find someone like her appealing in any way. He lifted her chin with his index finger and looked to her lips. They were slightly parted, and then she darted her tongue out to touch her upper lip as she dropped her gaze to his mouth.
"I've always thought you were beautiful," he told her, leaning in slowly. After a sweet, deliberate kiss, they pulled apart, staring into each other's eyes. Suddenly they were locked in an embrace, frantically kissing. Heat had been growing between them for weeks, a result of adding the fuel of intimate secrets to the kindling of attraction. After several minutes of tongue wrestling, Tony tried to lift Angela onto the counter, where she had sat on her birthday.
"No. We can't. The kids. Mother," she spat out in staccato, fighting her desires. His move was a reminder of the embarrassment she had felt last time they had pushed the bounds of their friendship.
"Oh, right. Sorry, I got carried away," he lied. Maybe he was a jerk, but he had been vigilant for a moment of weakness on her part.
"Tony, what are we doing?" she asked. Hadn't they agreed to just be friends?
"I don't know." His need to preserve their friendship was at odds with his craving to touch her.
"Fooling around with my best friend while I'm pregnant with another man's baby? That's insane," Angela said.
"Don't forget, you're my boss," he added.
"Yes, I am. And I don't want to make things uncomfortable for you." She wondered if he truly wanted her in the way that she wanted him. Or did he just want to keep his job and a stable home for Sam?
"Uncomfortable? Angela, I'm incredibly attracted to you. But more than that, I care about you." His warm feelings for her had only grown since their first encounter and the discussion that followed. He had been paying special attention to her nutritional needs and making sure she got enough rest. One evening, she had even allowed him to give her a foot and calf massage that threatened to get out of control if not for Mona's interruption.
"I care about you, too, Tony. It's just that there are probably already going to be rumors. How would you feel if people in the neighborhood thought that this baby was yours?" She figured he would find it humiliating.
"I'd be proud," he said quietly. The only thing better than people thinking Angela was carrying his child would be if it were actually true.
Angela launched herself back into his arms. "You are the most incredible man I've ever known," she told him, smooching all over his face.
He found her mouth and kissed her until they were both breathless. When he pulled away, there was a proposal on his lips. "Angela, if you want me to raise this child with you, I will. Happily. Michael's loss is my gain."
"You would do that?"
"I'm already doing it with Jonathan, aren't I?"
"You are. But how long do you think you're going to be around?"
"As long as you'll have me? I know I haven't been here that long, but I can't think of another place I'd want to spend the next eighteen years." Or anyone he'd rather spend it with, he thought to himself.
"Oh, Tony. I can't tell you how much I appreciate this," Angela gushed.
"It's my pleasure. When do you think you'll be ready to let the rest of the family know you're expecting?"
"Let's tell Mother and the kids tomorrow. And I'll go shopping for some new clothes."
"Sounds great." He pulled her into a hug, and they lingered for a minute. "Of course, we don't have to tell them anything about what's happening between us," he said quietly and kissed her cheek.
Angela let go first, and he followed her lead. "I'm glad we had this talk. I'm going to bed now. You can have my tea," she offered. What is happening between us? She wasn't sure she even understood the current state of their relationship, much less where they were going.
Tony said goodnight and sat down at the kitchen table with Angela's tea. He was hopeful that this not-exactly-platonic friendship would continue to progress.