A/N: Thank you for your patience. The family is about to hit another period of significant change. Let's appreciate that our beloved couple is getting along and enjoying their relationship, despite there being some unresolved issues.

I had to leave an allusion to one of my favorite stories, Abracadabra by 90schild.

Chapter Forty: Ninety-Nine and Sunny

Angela sat on her mother's loveseat wearing shorts and a tank top after being covered up all week. It was ninety-nine degrees and sunny, and Tony was at the community swimming pool with the kids. She tucked her feet under herself. Her hickeys and bite marks were faded, but there was no way she could join her family without attracting unwanted attention. Mona spotted one impression on her daughter's inner thigh that still looked pretty bad, yet Angela insisted that she hadn't been hurt. She chewed on the edge of her finger while her mother waited. Ultimately Mona got impatient and knocked Angela's hand out of her mouth. "Something's bothering you. Talk," she demanded.

"Oh, alright. I'm confused over my work situation. You know, he deserved to be forced out of his job. I have no regrets about what I did after the way he took advantage of me. But when I go to the office and he's not there, I feel lonely. Do you think I miss him?"

He was Nate, of course. Nobody wanted to speak his name, but Angela was preoccupied with thoughts of him.

"You miss your fantasy of him," Mona began. Angela made a face. "Not like that. Or was it?"

"Mom!" Angela protested.

"I just mean that you didn't know him very well, and because he was polite and good looking, you decided to fill in the gaps with positive qualities that he didn't have."

"We got along so well, though."

"He was never really your friend, Jess. He was a wolf all along, and now you know it. Maybe you feel like you should have realized earlier."

"He was helping me progress my career," she reminded her mother.

Mona couldn't let the assertion stand. "He didn't tell you that the promotion was final because he saw an opportunity to get you alone in a hotel room where he knew you wouldn't fight back."

"He didn't attack me, Mom." Why was she defending him now?

"Didn't he? What do you think would have happened if your husband hadn't interrupted?"

"I wasn't going to sleep with him. Really. I didn't want to. I just liked being around him."

"You weren't going to kiss him either. But you did."

"I was drunk!" she cried. "And not by choice." It was a convenient excuse, but an incomplete explanation.

"You need to start being more honest with yourself, or you won't be able to move past this," Mona insisted. "Why didn't you tell him no?"

"I did. He asked me to lie on the bed, and I refused. I thought he understood that we weren't going to do anything together. But then he told me I was hard to resist. You probably hear that kind of thing all the time, but I don't. It was confusing." She had felt guilty for manipulating him and flattered to have his attention. She searched for another explanation. "Maybe I was a little curious."

"I'm curious, too. I'm curious how friendly the two of you were getting at work, especially after I saw him hug you from behind in his office."

Angela gasped. "You were spying! The day we traded cars." She remembered how conflicted she had been, feeling her boss' unfamiliar embrace. He had started whispering positive feedback about the way she was managing her team, though, and she wanted to hear everything he had to say, even if it came with an inappropriate snuggle. When he turned her around, she stepped back, ensuring he wouldn't cross a clear line.

"Windows are see-through, dear."

"What you saw only happened once. It never went farther than that."

"You obviously love your husband. So why did you develop this infatuation?"

"Nate was impressed by me. He saw my potential. He even said I talk like a Harvard MBA!"

"Gee, I wonder why that is."

"I earned his admiration, Mom. He saw the real me."

"Or he flattered you with the most cliched comparison in business. He probably said a dozen versions of that line, and you remembered the one time he got it right."

Angela gripped the arm of the loveseat. It was true that Nate had only been spot-on one of the times that he'd thrown out a bold compliment. She couldn't let go of the notion that he'd seen the Angela Bower in Jess Moretti. Suddenly she thought of proof.

"He knew I wanted another baby."

"Have there been any little ones in your office?" Mona asked. She had always known that Angela's plan included two children.

"Actually, we have had a few babies come through the department," she admitted. She had ended up holding each of them for an extended period, sniffing the heads of the littlest ones and playing peek-a-boo with the older ones. Just after returning from their Grand Canyon trip, she'd fed an eight-month-old boy while his mother, a former employee, visited her old colleagues. In retrospect, it was pretty obvious how much she adored children.

"I'm sure you acted like a fool around them," Mona said lightly. Her grandson had been doted upon like no other.

"Do you think I'm ever going to get another one of my own?" Angela whispered.

Mona reached over and squeezed her daughter's hand. "If you recommit to your marriage, I think Bobby would love to have another baby with you."

"You know it's not real. None of this is real." Angela said almost inaudibly. "I don't even know if the baby would be legitimate."

"It's as real as you decide it should be, dear. All marriages are. Think of the strangers who end up hitched after a trip to Vegas."

The reference hit too close to home. Angela needed to deflect. "Or Niagara Falls!" she yelped self-consciously.

"Sure, Jess," Mona placated her, rolling her eyes.

A cacophony erupted through the front door. Thong sandals slapped against the floor. A beach ball hit various surfaces. Three loud voices squabbled merrily over the results of whatever game they had been playing earlier.

Mona and Angela got up and went into the living room to find the rest of their family in nearly-dry swimsuits with damp towels strewn over the couch.

"I'm starving!" Jonathan exclaimed.

"Me too!" Sam agreed.

Tony's head was already in the fridge. He brought out the pasta salad they'd had for lunch just a few hours earlier. "Here's a little," he said, dishing out servings. "You don't want to spoil your dinner."

Angela snuck up and goosed him as he put the container back. He turned around and picked her up, kicking the fridge door shut while both arms wrapped low around her. She shrieked and flailed, but he refused to set her down. Instead, he adjusted his grip and carried her to the base of the stairs. She stepped back to inspect him. "You're getting so tan already," she said, fingers trailing from his shoulder to his abs.

"I should rinse off the chlorine," he said. "Wanna watch?" he asked in a low, suggestive voice.

She glanced over at the kids, who were happily feeding themselves. "Let's go," she said with a grin, tugging at his hand.

Tony was pleased to find her in such a playful mood after being pensive earlier in the day. He figured she must have had a good talk with her mother. They retreated into their bedroom and he immediately stripped off his trunks. "Don't laugh. I've been swimming," he warned.

"Everything looks fine to me," she assured him. He pressed her against the door and kissed her sweetly. Angela sat on the closed toilet lid while he showered and shared news of all the neighbors they'd seen at the crowded pool. When he emerged, she dried him off with a fluffy towel. They pecked gentle kisses randomly against each other's faces and necks. "Thank you for taking the kids out today. You're such a wonderful dad." She circled his trim waist, hands pressed into his lower back. "I love you."

Tony affectionately twirled Angela's brown locks. "I love you, too, sweetheart, and I love our kids. It was nice to spend time playing with them. I don't think our little girl is going to be up for kid fun much longer, with her summer job and her not-boyfriend."

She kissed him again. "Hey, I know you're going to be really busy with school, but I wanted to make a suggestion."

"What is it, baby?" he asked, giving her a look that made her believe he'd agree to anything.

"Could we go out for dinner to celebrate our anniversary? It's fifteen years." She bit her lip, not wanting to explain her decision to treat the milestone as if it were completely true.

"June twenty-sixth?" Tony confirmed. "It's a Thursday. I have class." The thought had already crossed his mind and he'd checked the calendar, but their relationship had been in a weird place lately, so he never mentioned it.

"It's alright if we do it that weekend. I just want to treat it like a real special occasion."

"I'd love that," he said. "Listen, I have a few ideas. Let me talk to your mother about watching the kids either Friday or Saturday, and then I'll plan the whole thing."

The genuine smile on Angela's face was worth every cent he planned to spend on her. "Since we're up here, you wanna make out a little?" she asked, leading him to their bed. They kissed lazily while tenderly stroking each other's exposed skin. She was fully clothed and had him at a distinct disadvantage. Naturally, her hands were drawn to the proof of his attraction. They continued kissing while she touched him, and he caressed her midriff in return. Wanting relief, he nudged her down and enjoyed the feeling of her mouth against his torso. Once her tongue was wrapped around him, delicate hands joining in the process, he finished in a few minutes.

"Thank you, baby," he said, pulling her against his reddened chest with one arm. "That was amazing."

"I like to make you happy, honey," she told him. It wasn't just that. There was power in working him up to an explosion of pleasure. "I'm going to go spend some time with the kids. I can say you took a nap," she suggested. He did look sleepy.

"Mmmmm, yes. A nap," he said. The heat, sun, exertion, and orgasm combined to put him in a super-relaxed state. He rolled himself under the covers and curled up on his side.

"I'll wake you in an hour, if you're not up by then," she promised, kissing him on the forehead.

She made her way downstairs. The kids had started watching some sitcom rerun. She wedged herself in between them, and before five minutes were up, they had both fallen asleep against her shoulders. She put an arm around each of them and gave in to her own drowsiness. Ten minutes later, the show's loud theme music woke them all. "Go shower and change," she told them, turning off the TV. "Dinner will be ready in forty-five minutes," she promised. They pounded up the stairs, and she wondered if Tony would be disturbed by the noise.

Mona appeared in her hostess uniform. "I'm glad we got a chance to talk earlier. Do you feel better?" she asked. The sudden and extended disappearance of her daughter and son-in-law hadn't gone unnoticed. She was relieved to see no new marks on her skin.

"I do. You're very insightful. I think I just need to accept what happened and, like you said, recommit to my marriage as if it were performed by the Pope."

"Or someone you believe in," Mona suggested. Organized religion was never something she and Robert had wanted to inflict on their daughter. She grabbed the keys to the Mustang and left for work.

Jonathan came downstairs and helped Angela with napkins and utensils. Sam appeared ten minutes later, heeding her mom's request to collect the beach towels and put them in the laundry. Tony was dressed and downstairs not long after the kids returned. He helped Angela by making the salad and plating everyone's meals.

They quickly cleaned up and started a game of Monopoly. "Chris always gets to be the banker, and he cheats," Sam complained.

"You get my services, I get the spread," he explained, unaware of how dirty his take on the financial world sounded.

"Jen," Tony warned when he saw Sam about to break into laughter. Jonathan quickly established dominance in the game, while Tony and Angela struggled to compete against him and each other. Sam conceded early and went to bed to finish reading her novel.

" I give up. How about you, Bobby?" Angela asked, giving Tony a conspiratorial wink.

He pushed his property cards forward. "Time for bed, Chris."

"Can I put all the money and deeds back first?" Jonathan asked his parents. They agreed and settled back on the couch watching him organize the game accessories perfectly in the box. "Night Mom. Night, Dad," he said, scampering up the stairs.

Angela put her hand on Tony's leg after their son was out of sight. "Would you like to stay down here and…talk?" she asked, giving his thigh a squeeze.

"I don't feel like talking tonight," he told her, putting an arm over her shoulders. They hadn't finished processing their issues yet. Rome wasn't built in a day, he reminded himself.

"What do you feel like doing?" she asked, drumming her fingers on his chest.

"Returning the favor," he responded, brushing back her hair and whispering sweet nothings into her ear until goosebumps sprang up on her arm. She pulled him closer as his lips landed on her neck.

"Oh, Tony," she sighed, laying down on the cushions. He balanced next to her and they settled into a relaxed session of cuddling and kissing for the next half hour. When she felt him almost plumet to the floor, she pulled him on top of her and wrapped her legs around him. They were so warmed up that things escalated almost immediately.

"I really wanna take your clothes off, Ange," he rumbled between deep kisses. Her tank top and bra straps had fallen off her shoulders, and if they were home alone, he would have pushed her neckline down.

She responded by sliding her hands into his waistband and squeezing his ass. "You wanna make love to your wife?" she teased. "You wanna be inside me?"

"Fuck. You're so sexy," he said, grabbing her hips and pressing his body against hers. "I want you to lay back and enjoy while I do all the work," he flirted. "And then I want to watch you use me."

"Oh, I like both of those ideas," she cooed.

Later that night, Angela reached into her nightstand for hand lotion. The drawer had gotten cluttered, and she turned on her booklight to aid the search without waking her partner. The pros and cons list was tucked against the front panel, not underneath the assorted items where it was left. It had been updated in Tony's familiar cursive.