Chapter 4 – Birthday Trip
Thursday, August 11th, 2022
Gabi's POV
I waited on the sidelines as tonight was the first pre-season game as the past couple of weeks had been bustling with training camp and all things football. I was finding Troy watching more film and I had been documenting everything with our IVF journey which at the moment was in a lull. I was just waiting for my period to start, and we were finishing the pack of birth control pills this week and I was dreading it. I had thrown myself into The Sunshine Pact as we had expanded to two more hospitals, and I was looking into more help in getting the blankets and baskets made. I didn't want to go too far from us making them because it was supposed to be made with love and if I had random people who didn't know what they were doing – it didn't matter anymore.
"Gabi, where is daddy?" I looked around the field as I spotted him doing some hand-offs. He wasn't playing much today, maybe the first series, and then he would watch his back-up get all of the work in. Amber was standing next to me with Lulu and Cami who were both looking for their own daddy. I had asked Eve if I could steal Claire for at least the first half of the game to watch and then I would leave early to take her home. I had a surprise for Troy tonight since they were off until Sunday.
It was his last weekend off for a little bit and before full-blown IVF starts and football season. We needed to get some of our time in right now. Hanson was the first to look up in our direction and he went to push Troy as he turned around and let a grin tug on that face. He pulled the helmet off his head and came jogging our way. "Daddy!" was squealed between the three girls causing Amber and I to laugh. I picked up Claire and she launched herself at Troy as he chuckled.
"Hi baby girl, this is the best surprise." He hugged her tightly and she giggled, "Gabi asked mommy if I could come for a little bit,"
"Did she?" Claire nodded and Troy smiled over at me. That mega-watt smile that caused everything in my body to vibrate. "Gabriella," he murmured as he drew me in for a hug and tilted my head back for a kiss. "Thank you," he whispered, and I gave him a smile. "Play hard, I'll see you at home after." Troy nodded as he brushed his thumb over my bottom lip. "I love you, thank you for getting her." I nodded, "Always. It worked out." Troy kissed each of us one more time as him and Hanson went running back to the locker room.
We all headed up for our suite upstairs as I let my hand lock with Claire's as we made our way through the crowd. Once we got to the restricted area and into our suite there was a room full of people. Troy's family, my family, all of the girlfriends and wives that were in attendance. "Troy still knows nothing about this weekend?" Lucas asked sliding up to me. I shook my head, "No, he doesn't know. Why? Did something come up?" I asked nearly pleading inside of me that nothing was changing.
Claire was sitting on Scarlett's lap as she was staring at Auggie as they had made a trip up here for the week and luckily it worked for me because she was staying with Ember. "No, no, I was just making sure. The plane will be there, his bags are in the car, I made sure coach didn't need anything extra from him this weekend and he said no. Troy will have all of his film anyways. He just needs to be here on Monday morning."
"We fly back Sunday to get Claire," I reminded him. Lucas just nodded as he ran his hands through his hair. "Okay, okay, he'll be in a better mood when he comes back anyways. He was bitching just the other day that he already hates that he doesn't see you enough and the season hasn't even started." I laughed as we had both been busy. "I know, that's why we are doing this for the two of us. Who knows what will start next year like." Lucas gave me a smile and he squeezed my shoulder. "I'm sorry my brother has shitty swimmers,"
"Lucas," I scolded with a laugh, and he just shot me a grin. I shook my head as I went over to greet my mom and dad. "Hi sweetie, how are you doing?" my mom asked rubbing my back. "Good, I am doing good. I think the videos and The Sunshine Pact keep me overly distracted, so it helps but I am ready to start the process." My mom just squeezed my arm. "I am so proud of you. You are going to be such an amazing mother, but the time will be right for the both of you." I smiled as she hugged me again. I hugged my dad, but he was too busy talking as I dove down for Auggie. "Hi baby!" he squealed, and I just hugged on him. He had slobber on his chin as I wiped it away with his bib before sitting down next to Scarlett.
"Hi baby sis," I smiled. "Hi, how are you and Daxon?" I asked her. "Really, really good. We are having so much fun with Auggie." I gave her a smile. "Good. I am so happy for you and proud of you." Scarlett just wrapped her arm around my shoulder as I leaned into her. Auggie played in my lap as they started introductions and I handed Auggie back to Scar. I got up as I found Claire sitting outside with Lucas and Marco. I sat down outside as Troy came sprinting onto the field right behind Hanson.
He pumped up the crowd as if they needed any more excitement than to just cheer on their Super Bowl champions. I ran my hands down my arms as the place was rocking and I couldn't help but feel content and happy being here with him right now. My eyes glanced at my wedding ring, and I looked at him as I found my phone and took a video of him throwing the football around. "Gabi, I love watching Daddy play." I laughed, "I love watching him play, too." It was quick for the game to start as we were going on defense first. I pulled Claire into my lap, and she snuggled in while we watched the defense go to work.
"Gabi where are you and daddy going this weekend?" she asked.
"The Hamptons. We are going to just hang out the two of us to celebrate your daddy's birthday." Claire scrunched her nose, "But his birthday isn't for like 15 days," I laughed and nodded, "I know but we can't leave until the bye week if we don't go now so I figured this was the best time."
"What are you going to do?" Claire asked and Lucas grunted with a laugh next to me. "Lucas," I said, and he just laughed again as Marco smirked. "We are going to just hang out. Maybe get a massage and just get to eat dinner together and hang out." Claire scrunched her nose, "But can't you do that here?" Lucas busted out laughing at her question and I just rolled my eyes as I shot him a look. "We could but your daddy can't stay focused on me when he's here. He wants to focus on football, and this is the last time that he can focus on me and just hang out with me without feeling too guilty."
Marco and Lucas both laughed this time.
Claire sighed, "I guess. I'll miss you though."
"We'll miss you."
Lucas leaned over and he whispered in my ear, "You're telling me that he doesn't focus on you?" I shot Lucas a look, "You know, it's hard when he doesn't get home until 10 at night." Lucas smirked, "Sorry, I like to keep him busy." I gestured, "Exactly." He shook his head as our defense stood up and stopped them. They punted it and Troy took the field with his receivers. He barked out his cadence on the line as he snapped the ball, and I couldn't take my eyes off of him. He was just…amazing. The ball perfectly spiraled in the air and landed in Reggie's hands.
"GO DADDY!" Claire yelled and I couldn't stop my laugh as they marched down the field and scored a touchdown.
As if he never left the field from last season.
I waited patiently outside of the locker room area to see him as he thought I went home. I heard his laugh before I saw him as he came down in his khaki-colored golf shorts and an Adidas polo shirt with his backpack hanging from his fingers. He was laughing with Hanson and Colton, who was new to the team this season. "For one series it felt good," Troy spoke as he took a drink of the water in his hands. I pushed off the wall as all three of them stopped at my movement. Troy had a wide grin spread over his face. "What the hell are you doing here?" he came over and lifted me up with one arm and the biggest smile on his face.
"I have a little surprise," I said with a big grin. Troy blinked, "What?" he questioned, and I just gave him a bigger grin. "See ya, Bolton." Troy said good-bye as I folded my fingers with his. "Gabs, what are you up to and wow you look fucking amazing." I couldn't stop my laugh as I had changed into a pair of jean shorts that were a little too short for most eyes and a fitted body suit. I walked to his car, and I pulled him close to unlock it. "Gabs…" I just shook my head as I pushed him over to the passenger side.
"Gabi," he said with another laugh, and I shook my head. "It's your birthday surprise," I told him with a wiggle of my eyebrows. His eyebrows shot to his hairline practically. "Gabs, my birthday isn't until the end of the month." He protested and I just started the car and waited for him to get inside. He got inside and his blue eyes just stared at me. "El," I turned my head with a laugh. "What?" I pulled out of the parking lot and started navigating the car. "What are we doing? I have some stuff this weekend,"
"Nope. You schedule is clear." I told him. He blinked as he pulled out his phone and started calling somebody. "Troy," I said with a laugh as I tried to grab his phone. "Focus on the road, woman," I just shook my head as his car kicked into Bluetooth and Lucas's name popped up on the screen. "What? Aren't you with your wife by now?"
"She said I have nothing on the books this weekend."
"You don't." Lucas said flatly.
Troy laughed, "We just had a full meeting yesterday about my weekend and you practically had me booked." I felt his eyes on me as I pulled the car off towards the downtown airport with our private jet was waiting. "Yea, all a lie. Enjoy." He hung up the phone and Troy couldn't take his eyes off of me. "Why are we heading for the downtown airport? Gabi?" I just laughed as I pulled our car into the regular parking spot when we came here. I turned to him as I gave him a smile. I leaned forward and pulled him closer to me.
"We're having a weekend. Just the two of us and whatever iPad time you need to watch film. No phones. No kids. No nothing. Just the two of us for the last weekend we can get away for a while." Troy blinked, "You cleared this through how many people?" he questioned, and I just laughed. "I asked Lucas to make sure everything was okay. He said it was. We will be back on Sunday to pick up Claire and for practice on Sunday." Troy blinked several times as he looked at the plane waiting for us.
"You organized all of this?"
"With the help of Lucas." I said and Troy just laughed as he brought me in for a kiss. "I love you so much. Where are we going?" I just laughed as I kissed him again. "How does a weekend in the Hamptons sound?" I asked and Troy just gave me the biggest grin. "It sounds like we're back on the coast of Italy." We both shared a smile as we got out. I popped the trunk as Troy shook his head at the bags in the trunk. "How long have you been planning this?" Troy questioned and I laughed. "A little bit. I think with IVF, football season starting, and just the craziness of the next six months I want one more weekend with you."
Troy gently pulled me aside and grabbed me in a big hug. "I love you, thank you for this." He kissed the top of my head, and I gave a smile up towards him. "Happy Birthday," I whispered. He smiled as he brushed his thumb against my bottom lip. "Three weeks early but I'll take it." I pushed his shoulder, "It's not three weeks." Troy laughed as he picked up both bags and we headed up the stairs of the plane. We greeted the pilots and flight attendant as they got the plane ready, and Troy pulled me into his lap as he got a whiskey, and I got a glass of wine.
I curled into his side, and he brushed my arm with his hand. "I was thinking about what I wanted to do this weekend and when I asked Lucas what I had this weekend, and my calendar was full? I was in such a pissy mood because I wanted to do something with you this weekend. He could tell too, and that bastard probably was laughing behind my back."
A laugh broke out of me as I looked up at him, "I asked him to be mean about it because it made this even better. You looked really good tonight." A smile etched on his face, "It felt good to be back out there again. I love that field." His fingers pulled gently through my hair as the plane took off and once it did, I finished my wine and unbuckled my seatbelt. I let my legs fall on either side of his lap and those blue eyes watched every step. He swallowed as I moved to kiss on his neck and then his jaw. "Gabs," he murmured, and I couldn't help but smile against his skin.
He put the whiskey down as his hands immediately went to my waist. "Can't waste any time," I murmured in his ear, and he closed his eyes to the words. "You really are wanting this weekend to be the two of us." I smiled as I let my nose brush against his cheek that was scruffy. "I think I made sure that nobody came back here." He pulled me into a quick kiss, and I advanced it further. My fingers brushing through his hair as I rolled my hips against him. He groaned against my mouth as he tugged at my hair.
"Who knew you had a thing for the mile high club," Troy teased, and I could barely care. I need him. He bruised me with another kiss as I could taste the whiskey on his tongue which only turned me on more. He easily popped open my jean shorts as he wormed his hand inside. "Fuck, you are so wet for me. You always are." I whimpered as I needed him to hit the one spot. "Troy," my words were choked, and he hummed a laugh as he teased around it. "Why are you teasing me?" I tried to move my body to make him, and he just chuckled, "Because watching you struggle is half the entertainment.'
"Troy Bolton," I hissed, and he could only laugh in response. "Troy, please, I need you."
"You need me to what?" he asked ever so patiently. "I need you to fuck me," I nearly lost myself as he did exactly what I asked with his hand as he quieted me with a kiss. I rolled my hips over him, and he grunted as two fingers of his slid inside of my while his thumb rested over the spot. He didn't stop kissing me until I came around his fingers and he muttered curse words as he withdrew them. I lifted my hips up just high enough as he ditched his pants before I slid right onto him. "Fuck, Gabi," he threw his head back against the seat as it was my turn to torture him.
Friday, August 12th, 2022
Troy's POV
I stretched out in bed as I was waiting to come in contact with my wife, but I came up empty, but I felt the breeze. I turned to look to see that the door was slightly open to the balcony. She caught me off guard yesterday with the whole trip. We did both need this though. Who knew what this season was going to look like between the two of us. I was shocked as hell but so happy. I pushed up in bed as I slipped out of bed and pulled on a pair of shorts. I walked out onto the balcony as it was a gorgeous view of the Hamptons.
Gabi was curled up in the chair on her computer with a coffee in her hand. "Hey," I scratched my head as I looked over at her. She lifted those brown eyes to meet mine and she smiled, "Good morning," she smiled as she shut her laptop. I went to sit next to her, and she gave me a smile as she took a sip of her coffee. "Did you sleep well?" she asked me, and I nodded my head. I reached for her, and she just smiled as she climbed over and into my lap. "I did sleep well but I was looking for my beautiful wife when I woke up." Gabi smiled as she brushed her lips against my cheek.
"I woke up and I knew I had a few things that I needed to do so I decided I should do that before you get up." I ran my hand down her legs that were smooth and silky. My nose brushing against her skin as she inhaled, "Already trying to get me back into bed?" she asked and I laughed, "No." I took her coffee as I took a sip of it. She glanced at me, and I smiled, "Do you have plans for today?" I asked her. She shook her head, "I want to lay by the pool, get some lunch, and what not. We do have reservations for tonight." My lips pressed into the top of her head as I stared out at the water in front of us. "Sounds like a damn good day to me. Do you care if I watch film by the pool for a bit?" I asked her as I rubbed her arms up and down.
"No, I knew you would have to do some of that. I'll take my book with me. I just wanted quality time with you."
I grinned, "You know we both thrive off quality time. I love you." She turned her head up to look at me with a smile on her face. "I love you, too. Tomorrow, our day is full of birthday festivities – so, make sure you get what you need done today." I couldn't let my grin escape me. "Yea? What do I get the privilege to do tomorrow?" she twisted in my lap to face me, and her legs fell on either side of mine. "It's a surprise." She murmured close to my mouth, and I shook my head with a grin on my face. "How about we go get more coffee and breakfast before we come back here?"
Gabi nodded her head as she wrapped her arms around my neck and hugged me. I wrapped my arms right back around her as I held her for as long as she wanted me, too. "You, okay?" I whispered into her ear after a few moments, and she nodded her head. "I just feel the best right here in your embrace." She whispered and my eyes closed to her words. "Then you stay as long as you want." I could feel her smile against my shoulder. She eventually got up and she pulled on my hand as I followed her to the bathroom. We both got ready as she pulled on a pair of jean shorts and a crop top that showed off a sliver of her belly.
I pulled on golf shorts and a t-shirt with a hat as I could pull it down in hopes of starving off looks of people. I sat on the bed as I waited for Gabi to put on her make-up as I looked up at her. "Do you miss being on the floor as a nurse?" I asked her and she turned to look over at me. "That was random." She asked looking over towards me. I shrugged, "I was just thinking about how much I loved my job this past weekend and how excited I am for the rest of the season, and you walked away from being a nurse and I know how much you loved it. I just…I didn't know if you missed it."
Gabi painted lip gloss over her lips as she capped it before turning to look at me. "I mean, I would be lying if I said no but I also love The Sunshine Pact way more. I love you way more. I love Claire way more. I love trying to have a baby way more. I love all of those things more than nursing. Could I find a way to bring it back into my life again in the future? Maybe. I still get to be a part of the community with my page and mentoring nurses. I want to expand The Sunshine Pact one day to help mentor oncology peds nurses to have a place for them. I love the bedside, but I love this more."
She shrugged as she looked at me. "If I ever needed to be a private nurse again, I would." She said with a wink towards me, and I chuckled as she walked closer after adding her engagement and wedding rings to her fingers and a few bracelets. I slid my legs apart and I pulled her between them as she cupped my face. "I am having so much fun doing what I am doing now. Planning the Gala? Amazing. Getting to see smiles on all of these kids' faces and making an impact with them? Even better. I promise. I'll let you know when I am missing it and want to go back but I don't know if that will happen."
"Yea? Why not?" I asked as I tilted my head back to look right at her. She smiled as she let her forehead hit against me. "Because – I value quality time with my husband, too much. I value getting to watch Claire grow up. I value getting to travel with you to every single game. I value supporting you while still running my own non-profit which requires all of my time. That's what I value. I can still go volunteer and spend time up there. I promise, I am happy. I know your biggest fear for me was becoming a trophy wife and becoming somebody I'm not, but I can promise you one thing – I am not with you for the money. I'm with you because you love me. I don't care how people see me anymore."
"I love you, thank you for wanting to live this crazy life with me." She smirked as she kissed me before moving out of my grasp. "I couldn't imagine my life any other way. Just wait until we have our own little ones going everywhere with us." I smiled watching her as she waited for me at the door, and I got up grabbing my wallet and cell phone as I slipped my hand in hers as we headed down. I tucked my hat lower as I put on my Ray-Bans. Gabi tucked herself against my side as we walked down and out of the hotel and onto the main street of our hotel.
"There should be a little café up here," Gabi said, and I nodded as I felt my body relax with just being here. We rounded into a little café as Gabi held up two fingers. The host escorted us inside and to a table as we thanked him before settling in. She reached across for my hand, and I let her fingers slide into mine. She looked at the menu and I snuck out my phone and took a picture of her perusing the menu. Her fingers brushing against my palm. We both ordered a hot coffee with water as the waitress smiled and walked off.
"What are you getting?" I asked her and she smiled up at me. "I think pancakes. I am in the mood for something sweet. Maybe some eggs, too." I nodded as I was probably just going for loaded omelet and bacon. The more eggs the better in the omelet. Once we placed our order I looked across at Gabi as she looked right back at me. "What's on your mind?" she asked, and I gave a half smile. "That I like being here. I like seeing you in this element. It brings me right back to Italy." Gabi hummed with a smile as she agreed with a nod. "That it does. I was thinking. We should take Claire somewhere next year."
I scrunched my eyebrows, "What about if we have a baby?" Gabi shrugged her shoulders. "We don't know if that's going to happen yet in the next year. It could take years, Troy. I don't want to put our lives on hold for IVF. I want to work it in everything we have planned. Yes, of course, if we are lucky enough to have our baby within the next year then we re-work it. I don't even care if we have a little baby going with us. I want Claire to travel with us. You missed her so much last time."
"I also need Gabi time," I reminded her. She gave a tiny nod, "You get me alone every Thursday-Saturday consistently."
"Yea, yea, but when we have kids."
Gabi just smiled with a shake of her head, "I am supposed to start my period on Tuesday," she said with a look up towards me. I closed my eyes with a shake of my head, "Gabs, baby, I didn't need to hear those words." She gave a half smile and a shrug. "I guess it won't be that bad because I know that these are the next steps for a baby. We'll start everything for our egg retrieval. I'll go back on it for about ten days before we start the next round of meds and I need your help with those." My eyes flickered up to meet hers as I squeezed her hand. "We will do this all together, baby."
"I wouldn't want to do this with anybody else."
"I'll see if Claire can go be with Eve on Wednesday." I looked right across at her, and she let a brief smile slip on her lips as she crossed her own arms over her chest. Her lips pressing together for a moment as she shook her head.
"No, Troy, keep her. I'll be fine. I just won't be of much help." I shook my head, "No, because I can't leave you. I can barely leave you to go to practice. Claire can go be with her mom and I can take care of you. There is no discussion about this." My words were final as I shot her a look across the table. She softened with my words and exhaled as she turned to look a different direction. Her body relaxing.
"I love you, Troy, I know you hate it. I guess this way we can both be prepared."
"Nothing prepares me for that."
She squeezed my hand and we both shared a look as I exhaled, "So, after this? The pool?"
"Or the beach?" she offered.
"Where can I get more privacy?" I asked her and she just threw her head back in a laugh. "No, no, you aren't doing naughty things."
'Yes, yes, I am." We both just laughed. Fuck, I couldn't love her more.
Gabi's POV
The pool was busy with people as Troy, and I were tucked underneath of an umbrella with frozen drinks around us. Troy was mostly sucking down water but mixed in a drink every now and then. A book was planted in my lap, and I couldn't be happier than I was right now. Troy was watching film and jotting down notes, but he randomly flipped shut his iPad and put it away before he twisted and turned his full attention to me. "Yes?" I asked as I marked my page in my book and he reached over to run his fingers down my skin.
"I've had enough of that. I am ready to just spend the rest of the afternoon with you." I smiled as I tucked my book away and mimicked his position. Our chairs were close to each other as I reached out for his hand. I threaded our fingers together and he smiled. "What are you thinking about?" he asked me. I shrugged with a tiny laugh, "Everything. The whirlwind of the past couple of years. The excitement over the next couple of months. The Gala has been on my mind because once we get back, I have to get down and dirty with the final stuff of that."
"I can't wait." Troy said with a gleam in his eye. "I can't wait to see everybody honor you." I shook my head, "It's about Claire," I reminded him, and he just rolled his eyes, "No, it's about you and your brilliant brain." I laughed shaking my head. "No, it's not. It's about The Sunshine Pact." Troy played with my hand as he just smiled, "I think it's about how amazing you are." I gave him a smile, "I know I have my foundation for childhood leukemia and helping aid parents in staying near their kids during any sort of hospitalization, you have The Sunshine Pact for children with cancer…" Troy drifted off as he blinked before turning his eyes to look at me.
"What if we did something together for infertility?" Troy asked and I let my mouth drop open for a moment and Troy sat up as he turned to face me. "Yea? What would you want to do?" I asked him and he smiled, "Figure out how to help people who want to have kids but can't afford it. I saw that first bill and it almost broke me down because there are so many people out there who can't afford it and that's so unfair. We can raise awareness, do events, raise money, and start funding people's infertility treatments. I know we can't help everybody but even if we helped twenty families a year?"
"How? Would we take nominations?" I asked him and he nodded, "We could figure it out. We would set it up with a fertility clinic of their choosing to pay for it all. That way we aren't getting scammed. We can ask for letters, recommendations, and then we can meet the families. Figure out who we think deserves that kind of money." Troy shrugged and he exhaled, "It just kills me that some people can't do this." I reached over for his hand, "You have such a big soul, Troy." I whispered and he smiled up at me. "I just love knowing that I have somebody who smiles at me that I helped create. Everybody who wants that should get it."
"I think we could do something, Troy. Would it just be the Boston area or nationwide?"
"Nationwide but if we need to start small, we can." Troy let his eyes linger on me, "This can be our thing together. We can open a window of applications with criteria that has to be met and proven, we can pick like 10-15 of them, fly them out, award them with the scholarship, and help peoples dreams come true." I couldn't stop the tears that built in my eyes as I got up and wrapped my arms around his neck. "I love it," I whispered, and he smiled as he kissed the side of my head. "You like the idea?" I nodded my head, "Yes. I do. I think we have to iron it out, figure out how to raise money to help start funding it, and we need to put a board of people together. I know we've both done this, and we have to figure out how to juggle three of them."
Troy locked our fingers together, "I'll have Marcy start working on a lot of the little things, maybe we can have a Boston athlete social night. An auction, invite all major athletes in the Boston area, do a theme night where they donate money. We can pick a night maybe in the middle of the week in the winter when most sports aren't active. We can have a bid for tickets, and I don't know – we could make it fun and ask people with money to donate instead of people. We could do spirit wear…maybe with what you keep saying in your videos."
I blinked as I thought about it, "It's all gonna be worth it?" I asked him and he nodded, "That one. We could make merchandise of that saying on it."
"I think if we can do this – we should call it Dare to Dream." Troy blinked as he turned his head, "Was that in my vows?" I smiled with a nod, "Yea, it was but for some people this is just a big dream, and we are daring them to try and get the life they want." Troy just grinned as he pulled me into his lap as we laid together on the one lounger. His arms locking me in as I smiled up at him, "I love you. I figured we would want to go through this process before we started something like this. It was in the back of my mind but…" Troy shook his head. "Nah, we have no idea how long this will take and just being dunked in the little we have been…it makes me want to help everybody."
I couldn't hide my smile, "I'm glad you like to help people," I murmured, and he let a goofy smile cross his face. "There was this girl once when I was in high school, and she showed me how important it was to help and volunteer with other people." I felt my grin widen as he captured my mouth with his. "She was a smart woman," I murmured, and Troy laughed, "She still is."
"Good thing I quit my job, we could never run three charities and I work full time." Troy chuckled as he ran his finger down my arm and back. "You're right. We would never see each other. We barely see each other as is." I agreed as I laid on my side to face him and he did as I did. "What's next with Bolton's QB Sneak?" I asked as I wasn't nearly as involved with his charity. "We are doing the donation of playground equipment at Boston Children's for all the kids. That's in September one day. I am auctioning off some signed jerseys and cleats. Then we are going to donate a sizeable check to Ronald McDonald House."
"I can't wait to see the playground equipment," Troy smiled as he nodded, "It has everything for every kid to play on it. There are no limitations, and I cannot wait to get it there. It should be going up as we speak." I curled into him as I thought of all the ideas that we could do to raise money for the IVF one. I know Troy would make it successful and I wanted it to be. I couldn't imagine if we both had regular jobs and trying to pay for IVF. I pressed my lips to his chest, and he threaded his fingers through my hair. "What should we do tonight?" Troy asked.
"After dinner?" I questioned and he nodded his head, "I think we should go get drinks at a bar, maybe dance, we don't ever do that." I said looking up at him with a pout. He chuckled as he cupped both of my cheeks, "You want to dance?" he asked, and I nodded my head. "I want to dance with you." He smirked with a shake of his head as he kissed me again. "We are going to be spotted,"
"So?" I asked him and he laughed, "As long as you are fine with it." I just nodded, "I have you. I don't care what anybody says or does."
Troy's POV
We ate a dinner that stuffed me full before I was being escorted through the backdoor of a bar that wasn't overly popular, but I would be spotted. Gabi was in a tight dress that made me want to skip this part of our night and just take her back to the hotel. She was adamant on coming out tonight though. She turned over her shoulder and gave me a smile before walking further into the bar. The music was thumping against the walls as it was pretty full. I let my hand wrap around her waist to keep a better grip on her. She wondered up to the bar as she asked for a bourbon and a vodka water with lime. I hovered over the back of her as I tossed my card down. It was the one that had T. Luca Bolton on it.
I pressed my lips to her neck, and she squeezed my hand against her waist as she received our drinks. I guided her to an empty table in the corner that we both slid into. I took a sip of my drink as Gabi leaned into me. "Drink up, we're going out there soon." She said with a nudge, and I laughed. "I think we would have had so much fun in college." I murmured to her, and she got that flash of regret in her eyes, and I had something similar. Going out after a big win at Alabama would have been fun. The parties and the drinks that we would have had together.
"We would have had fun," Gabi agreed as she laughed, "But now we get to have more fun with more money." I tossed my head back in a laugh as she took a sip of her drink with a smile. I let my hand grip the back of her neck as I kissed her softly, "Mmm…I love it." She whispered and I couldn't stop my laugh as I kissed her again. Deeper this time. I opened her mouth to mine and coaxed her into my lap. "This is so much better than dancing," I whispered into her ear. She laughed as she tilted her head back to look at me. "Yea, but getting sweaty and hot on the dance floor? The built-up sexual tension. Makes for great sex later."
I sucked in a laugh, "It sounds like you are confident in that statement." I raised my eyebrow towards her, and she giggled, "I may have some experience." I felt that hot flash of jealousy run through me as she leaned in closer to my ear. "You may not have been the first, but you will for sure be the last man to ever dance with me on the floor like that." I grunted as I kissed her roughly this time. Punishing. Bruising as she gasped against my mouth. "You are damn right. I will be the last guy." I finished my drink as Gabi finished hers as I pulled her out of the bench. I took her out to the middle of the dance floor as I pulled her back against me.
She reached back and rolled her hips against me, the beat of the song encouraging her movement as I held her tighter to me. "Fuck, is that Troy Bolton?" I groaned as I heard my name as I tucked my hat a little lower and I let my mouth fall to her neck to try and hide my face. Gabi laughed as she locked our fingers together. "We can't go anywhere with you," she teased as she looked up at me. "I told you." Gabi laughed as I kissed her as she had turned towards me. "I love you," I whispered into her ear. "I love you, more."
I let my hands run down her dress as it clung to her body. The fabric rising up as I ran down her body again with my hand as I let it slip just up her thigh. I felt the goosebumps travel across her body, and she let her hands massage my skin underneath my t-shirt. The song switched and Gabi laughed as she started singing along. My eyes took in all of her laughter as she turned around and found a group of girls as she started dancing and singing with them. Her hair was bouncing around her as she screamed the lyrics, and I couldn't help but smile watching her. The happiness that radiated off of her – you would never know that daily battle she was fighting with everything.
My fingers reached for her again as she danced back against me as she looked over her shoulder with those brown eyes glued to me as she circled her hips around. "Gabi," I growled, and she just giggled as she went back to the group of girls as they were all chatting and laughing. I love that she was always able to make friends everywhere. She had become a social butterfly since high school, and it made me so proud to watch her. Fuck, the love and desire that ran hot through my blood for her.
"Is that really Troy Bolton?" I heard the words around me. "That has to be his banging wife," another guy said, and I instinctively moved towards Gabi as I felt her laugh about something. "C'mon, let's go grab another drink." I whispered into her ear, and she just nodded. I gripped her hand tightly as I kept her in front of me as I felt the stares. "Let's take our drinks outside," Gabi tried to turn and look at me, "Troy, Troy Bolton? It really is you." I cursed underneath of my breath as I felt trapped. Gabi wasn't safe here. Gabi must have noticed my breathing change because she turned to look at me with alarm in her eyes.
Her fingers grabbed mine as she tugged me through the flock of people who were all quickly grabbing their phones as she found the outside patio that wasn't nearly as busy. Security must have caught wind because once we made it out, they shut the doors and the people who were out here were minimal. I exhaled heavily as I looked at her, "Are you okay?" I asked her as I scanned her. "Yes, I am fine. I'm sorry, I should have known this was going to be a bad idea." Her face fell and I shook my head. "No, it wasn't a bad idea. It's a fun idea and we are having fun." I cupped her face as I tilted her head back to look at me. "Troy, you started to panic, and I feel so bad." She blinked away the tears that were gathering in her eyes and I shook my head.
"I was just starting to feel trapped and nervous because of you. I didn't want anybody to hurt you. Once one starts, they all start and then I am getting mobbed. I needed you to be safe." I stroked her face with my thumb, and she exhaled as she pressed her face into my chest. "I'm sorry," I kissed the top of her head. "It's not your fault."
"We could have just gone back to the hotel." She spoke.
"And be boring?" I tossed back with a smile. "We just need better disguises." I told her. Gabi laughed and I smiled hearing it again. "Do you want to get out of here or do you want to go back in there?" I asked her. "You weren't wrong that dancing in the middle of the dance floor with you is a major turn on." We both laughed as Gabi leaned her head against my chest. "How about we go to the bar down the street? The quiet little pub?" Gabi questioned. I smiled, "Yea, let's do that. I think I like that idea." I had Gabi wait outside as I went back inside as people seemed to forget that we exited. I went to grab my card and I gave them a big tip as I walked back out and went out and down the street.
We walked into the quiet little bar with music playing as I smiled as we were able to tuck ourselves into a booth in the back corner. I grabbed us another round of drinks and I pulled her up to me. "Don't feel bad about back there. I don't mind crowds, I don't mind people recognizing me, I just…I don't like it when they could potentially hurt you or Claire. Those people are full of alcohol and who knows what else. Hearing them talk about you is hard enough. If they would lay a hand on you, I'd lose it." Gabi smiled as she looked at me, "I love you, maybe we can just rent out a club one night to ourselves." We both laughed together as I kissed her again. "I'd do anything for you."
Saturday, August 13th, 2022
Gabi's POV
Today has been a day full of festivities. We started off with breakfast in bed, we then made our way down to the spa where we got massages and facials. After that, we ate lunch at the pool. We had an early flight tomorrow morning back to Boston so we could pick up Claire and Troy could get to practice. Tonight, we had a fancy dinner that we were both dressing up for tonight. We were wondering down the street popping in and out of shops as I picked up a few different items for this season. Troy was on the phone with somebody as I looked at a sweatshirt and an expensive coat.
I hesitated as I looked at the price tag. Troy came up behind me and he glanced it as he picked through the jackets before he found my size. I spun around to stare at him, "Troy! That's nearly $600!" I gasped as I tried to reach for the winter coat. He only rolled his eyes as he responded to whoever was on the other end of the phone. "Ren, I'll look at the tape tonight after I go to dinner with Gabi. We can work on it tomorrow." He nodded a few more times as I tried to reach for the coat and Troy shook his head as he only held it above his head to the point that I couldn't reach. "Troy," I threatened.
"I gotta go, Reni. My wife forgets we're millionaires." Troy slipped his phone in his pocket as he turned his head to stare at me. "Gabs, I know you don't like to spend money like that one a simple thing but if you are going to insist on always sitting outside at the Loyalist games – then you need to have a warm coat. Now, try this on." I looked at him as he stared at me. "Gabi, it gets fucking cold out there. You are the one who insists on sitting in the elements when you have a nice warm box to sit inside of. If you like this coat – then see how you like the fit of it."
I just stared at him, and he rolled his eyes as he took it off the hanger and started to dress me in the long coat. It was a parka, and it went down to my knees as he slid in my arms as I laughed letting him just dress me. "Now? Is it warm? Snug?" he dropped into a squat as he started to zip it from the bottom. "Troy," I said as I couldn't contain my laughter as he worked the zipper all the way to underneath my chin. He gave me a smirk as he pulled the hood over my head and tugged on the strings. I was a fit of laughter as he kept fussing with the coat. "Wow, this must be what Claire feels like when you zip her coat up."
"Yea, because I make her wear a warm coat and make sure she is properly fit inside of it. If I have to come zip you inside this damn thing before every game, I will." Those blue eyes held amusement as he settled on my face. I just shook my head with a laugh, "Stop worrying about money when things make sense. Also, you deserve to have nice things if you want nice things. You liked the jacket on the rack. Do you like the jacket on?" he asked, and I nodded my head. "Good, then we are going to buy it." I just shook my head with a laugh as he helped me get out of the parka since it was 88 degrees outside.
He tucked it over his arm as we continued to browse the athletic wear. I grabbed two new pairs of leggings along with a few tank-tops that were all on clearance as the winter stuff was coming in. My eyes drifted to the maternity leggings and Troy reached for a pair. "We should get a pair." Troy said and I hesitated, "I don't want to jinx anything. We can buy some when I am actually pregnant." I told him. Troy shook his head, "No. You are going to get pregnant one day and you can have something for yourself." I turned towards him, "No, it's okay. I don't even know if I'll need maternity clothes. I could carry and nobody could ever know." Troy just blinked as he shook his head. "Plus, this is your birthday trip. Enough about me."
"Gabs,"
"No, if you want me to get something else, I like this sweatshirt." I picked up the other one I had been eyeing and he just grabbed it from my hands. I headed for the checkout line, and I wrapped my arms around his waist. "Thank you, once I am pregnant, we can go on a shopping spree if that makes you feel better." Troy just gripped my hand as he paid for the stuff, and we headed out to the street. I spotted a baby store, and I gave a tiny smile. "C'mon," I tugged his hand, and we stood in front of it. "Let's find something. It can be their first outfit. We don't know when it'll happen or how it'll happen, but we will have a baby one day. We will. Let's find an outfit for them."
Troy just smiled as he locked his hand with mine as we walked into the store together. We browsed around as we looked at different outfits and trying to find something that was gender neutral. My eyes went to the grey footies that had a zipper down the middle. It was so tiny, and I couldn't imagine anything tiny enough to fit inside of it. I let my fingers brush down it as there was a cream on behind that one. My eyes blurred looking at it as I felt the soft material underneath of my fingers. "This one?" Troy asked and I nodded my head, "Yea," I rasped, and he kissed my head as he picked up the grey on and the cream colored one. "Which one?" he asked. "I think the cream one," Troy nodded as he picked it up. He kissed my forehead, and he held it between us. "We'll take a baby home in this one day."
"Promise?" he smiled, "With Everything,"
Troy's POV
Gabi was stunning. It was a full-length dress that hugged every curve as we were going to a fancy restaurant for dinner tonight. She went to get her hair and make-up done while I watched film for a bit. Sitting on the table was the gift bag of the sleeper that we bought for our future baby. Gabi put her earring in her ear as she turned to face me, "Are you ready?" I nodded as I was wearing a pair of slacks with a button up shirt, a tie, and a jacket. I was going to sweat to death, but it was worth it to see her like that. "You are stunning," I told her as the deep pink dress complimented her tan skin tone.
"Thanks, you look pretty good yourself." She reached up to kiss my cheek softly as we headed out the door. A car was waiting for us out front as Gabi tucked her phone in her clutch. "Okay, no distractions tonight." Gabi said as we got into the elevator and made our way downstairs. "No distractions." I slid my phone out to put it on airplane mode to see a text from Eve. I paused as I read it.
Eve: Claire wants you to call her before bed.
I grimaced as I looked at my watch to see that our reservations were in twenty minutes with a twenty-minute ride. I had big plans for our private ride to the restaurant but those just got derailed. "Okay, so, no distractions…after I talk to Claire?" I asked her and Gabi smiled, "Yes, of course. We have a twenty-minute ride." We both slipped into the car as I helped her in and then I slid in after her as the driver shut the door. Gabi and I buckled in as I Facetimed Eve.
"DADDY!" she screeched through the line, and I chuckled, "Hi baby girl, missing me?" She nodded her head, "Daddy, you look fancy. Where are you going?"
"Gabi and I are going to dinner together tonight. It's a fancy restaurant." I moved the phone to show Gabi and Claire gasped, "Gabi! You look so pretty!" Gabi laughed, "Thank you, Claire. How was your day with Mom and Jackson?" she asked her as she tucked a piece of hair behind her ear. "It was so much fun. We went to the pool and played outside. I had the best day." I smiled softly staring at Gabi as she talked to Claire. The softness in her eyes as she listened to everything Claire told her. Claire giggled and I couldn't stop my own laugh as I watched her.
"Daddy, when will you be here tomorrow?" Claire asked and I turned the camera back towards me. "In the morning. Around 10. I have practice at noon." Claire sighed, "Okay, okay, I just miss you a lot." I gave her a smile, "I miss you, more. You wouldn't have been with me until ten tomorrow anyways. You missed zero days of me." I reminded her and she shrugged, "I just miss you extra when you aren't in Boston." Gabi and I both laughed. "Alright, Claire. I am going to go. Gabi and I are celebrating my birthday tonight since we will be busy with football."
"But I want to celebrate your birthday."
"We'll do something in Boston." I reminded her. "Grandma Sara and Grandpa Marco will want to celebrate with Aunt Gigi and Uncle Lucas." Claire clapped, "And Bethy?" I nodded, "We'll find a date that matches." I ended the phone call as we had five minutes left of our drive. "I love you, Claire."
"I love you, daddy." I gave a smile as I hung up and I looked over at Gabi, "Thanks," I told her as I tucked my phone away on do not disturb except for Eve. It was my only exception to nights like this as I needed to know if something was wrong with Claire. That was the only time that Eve would ever text or call me – especially after I had already talked to Claire before bed. "Troy, she needs to talk to her dad. It's not like we're in the middle of the restaurant." I played with her hair, and I twirled it around my finger. "I know, I just know that I need to also give you my undivided attention."
"You have all weekend." She reminded me. "You didn't even talk to Claire yesterday." I shrugged, "She was asleep when I had time. I know she is safe and happy with Eve; it's getting easier. I don't love it but it's easier." I squeezed her hand as we pulled up to the restaurant and I helped Gabi out as the driver nodded and told us he would be back in two hours to wait for us. I thanked him and gave him a tip for the first half before escorting Gabi inside. It was a small place, and everybody was dressed up and to the nines as a soft jazz played throughout. We were recognized and quickly escorted to the rooftop on a nice evening.
The jazz carried through and we made it to our table as I pulled out her chair and she took a seat. The smile on her face light up my entire world. We both got menus and I quickly placed an order for a bottle of wine. Gabi looked at the menu as she peeked a look up at me as I couldn't take my eyes off her. The glowing light behind her that casted the softest glow around her. "Mozzafiato, El." I whisper and her cheeks blushed a deep pink. "Troy," I shook my head. "You are stunningly beautiful, tonight. I am so lucky to have you with me."
I reached across and I stroked her hand. "You need to figure out what you are having for dinner." She reminded me. "I am too busy looking at my dessert," I tossed backwards to her. She couldn't stop her laugh. I wanted to drag out our dinner just like I wanted to drag out our night. Our bottle of wine was delivered, and we ordered an appetizer. "Before we get too far into our night, I wanted to give you something." Gabi reached into her bag as she pulled out an envelope. "Gabs, this whole weekend was my birthday present."
"It is. Claire got you something to give you on your actual birthday, but I wanted to give you this today." She took a sip of her wine as I flipped open the envelope and pulled out a handful of pictures. They were all small enough to fit into my wallet. The first one was of Claire and I on our wedding as we were dancing together. Claire was grinning at me, and you could see my same smile on the side. The next photo was Gabi and I sitting on the beach together after the wedding that one of our friends must have taken. We were both getting ready to kiss with the tide hitting our feet.
The next one was a picture of all three of us. It was a random day as Claire was sitting on my lap and Gabi was smiling at Claire and I was smiling at Gabi. It was a freaking cute picture that I had never seen before. "Gabs, I need this picture. Who took this?" she smiled, "Val, when they came down for a summer night at the pool. I can send it to you." I just gave her a smile as I flipped to the last one and almost dropped the rest of them. I could feel her smirk from across the table as I pulled it closer to my face to get a better look.
It was a fresh tattoo with words that nearly dropped me to my knees.
I love you. That's the beginning and the end of everything.
"How did you get this?" I asked looking up at her and she laughed, "Lucas found it on the plane one time, and he saved it. He gave it to me some time after the wedding and I knew I wanted to do something with that line. I was just waiting for the perfect opportunity." It was again in my handwriting but there were little hearts and stars around it. I squinted and I felt tears well in my eyes, "Gabi," I rasped her name and I looked at her. "Are those Claire's hearts and stars?" Gabi had her own tears in her eyes and nodded. "They are. We had a secret mission." I nearly choked on a laugh as I wiped my eyes. "Fuck, where is this? Did you get it today?"
She nodded, "I did. It was my first stop before make-up and hair."
"But where is it?" I asked her again and she just sent me a smirk. "You are just going to have to find out." She let those lips rise in a sexy smirk and I nearly growled. "Gabriella," she just clucked her tongue as she looked back down at her menu. The photo was taken too closely for me to get any ideas and I shook my head. "I can't believe you got this." Gabi smiled, "You both are my everything." She whispered and I just swallowed hard on her answer. I couldn't have gotten luckier.
CUTE CHAPTER ALERT – ugh I love them. Seriously some of my favorite characters to write.
I hope you all enjoyed this chapter! Let me know all of your thoughts!
To help avoid more delays like this we are going to take a litttttle break. I know, I know, both stories are going to just pause for a moment because since I am writing Coach's Wife pretty much week to week, I haven't had time to focus on Loyal either which is soon going to fall behind. If I can take two weeks of no updates hopefully, I can get back ahead of both stories!
SO.
No updates for three weeks for this story. We'll fall back into our regular pattern once we start back up! A little summer hiatus if you will ;)
PLEASE REVIEW! I wanna know all of your thoughts!
Next Update: July 2nd
