Maybe Hope is all it takes
Chapter One
18 July 2011
Rosewood, Pennsylvania
"You always think your first love is going to be your only love."
"One. Two. Three. Puuuush!" the young, blonde midwife encouragingly called out to Aria.
Aria let out a shaky, painful breath before giving one last push and sighing in relief when loud, high-pitched cries began to fill the small delivery room.
Tears of joy began to flow freely from Aria's bold, hazel eyes. A huge grin overtook her face as she watched her husband of just over a year and a half cut the umbilical cord of their newborn baby girl.
She glanced back up at Ezra as he kissed their beautiful baby girl, that they had made entirely out of love – or so she had thought – on her tiny forehead. Her cries had now subsided and the nurses had long since left the delivery room, giving Aria and Ezra the privacy they very much needed. Their daughter was now staring intently at her father, her bright blue eyes being identical to his.
Still smiling, Ezra handed the minute newborn, now all wrapped up in a fluffy pink blanket to Aria.
Ezra watched in complete adoration as his wife and young daughter interacted with one another. Complete and utter sadness filled his heart.
"Hope." Aria spoke softly, just loud enough for Ezra to understand what she had just said.
"What?" Ezra asked, confusion etched all over his face.
"Hope. I want to name her Hope. We decided on her first name together and you said I could choose her middle name, remember? Bailey Hope Montgomery." Aria stated matter-of-factly, staring absentmindedly at the plain wall in front of her.
She watched as Ezra grimaced at the name "Montgomery", but he decided to pretend he never heard.
"Hope." Ezra repeated quietly to himself, smiling sadly as he did so.
"I love it," he continued, "but why Hope?"
"Why? Because she gave me hope. I stopped trusting you a long time ago, Ezra, you know that. She gave me hope that during these nine months I wouldn't leave you. If it wasn't for her, there would be no us. I would have left you a long time ago. The only reason I am still with you is because of Bailey. She needs a father figure in her life and I wasn't going to be the one to take that away from her. One shitty parent is enough." Aria spat out a little more harshly than she intended.
"Aria," Ezra whispered with tears in his bold blue eyes. "I told you. I'm sorry. For Natalie, for hurting you, for everything. Aria, I love you. Please." He whimpered, practically pleading at this point.
"Don't, Ezra. We've been through this. I don't know if I can trust you anymore. You betrayed me. You made me fall in love with you and then you hurt me." Aria said semi-monotonously, looking down at Bailey Hope. Salty tears began to cascade down her tired cheeks.
"But, I love you. You know that right?" Ezra questioned his voice barely above a whisper.
"How can I believe you, Ezra? You broke my heart. I don't love you. At least not anymore."
Flashback
Late October 2010
Once again Aria sat alone at the granite kitchen counter in the spacious, but cozy apartment that she and Ezra had bought together.
She halfheartedly pushed her lasagna around on her plate and sighed at her loss of appetite. This was the third time this week that Ezra had to "work late" and honesty, Aria was getting sick of it. She hated coming home from her teaching job at the local middle school to sit and eat dinner alone almost every night. Every time that Ezra told her that he had to stay at the office late that night because he was drowning in paperwork, she would brush it off and go to bed before Ezra got home.
But on this particular night Aria, too had a stack of seventh grade English tests to mark, so she decided on getting them graded so her impatient seventh grade class could receive their marks the next morning.
Aria decided to make herself a cup of coffee and sit down at the sturdy, wooden desk in the living room and get to work. As she sat down she heard footsteps and not long after a key being inserted in the door.
"Aria.." Ezra stated surprised, looking like a deer caught in the headlights.
"Hey babe. How was work?" Aria asks cheerily as she gets up to give him a light peck on the lips.
"What?" Ezra asks, clearly confused.
That's when Aria notices it. The bright purple-brown hickey that is beginning to form on the side of his neck. She definitely does not remember giving him a hickey. Especially since he's been "working late" for the majority of the past few weeks.
"What's that?" Aria questions as calmly as she possibly can.
Ezra looks confused again, but he soon realizes he has been caught and he struggles to form a coherent sentence.
He touches the side of his neck and sighs, bowing his head as he stares at his shoes.
"Babe, I can expl-"
Aria cuts him off by slapping him across the face. His hand gently grazes his cheek as the stinging begins to subside.
"No need. I'm pretty sure a hickey that I didn't give you explains it all. I thought you loved me, Ezra." Aria's voice trembles and shakes as she manages to get out the last sentence.
"Aria, I do love you, so much." Ezra whispers softly.
"If you did then you never would have fucking cheated on me!" Aria screams at him.
"It's not like you never cheated on me." As Ezra says this he immediately wants to take it back, but he knows he can't.
He looks at Aria and can practically see the rage in her eyes.
"In high school, Ezra! We've been through this more than once! Andrew kissed me! I didn't fucking sleep with him! And I told you about it and explained everything! Get out! Get the fuck out of here! I never want to see you again!" Aria screeches.
"A-and tonight was the night I was going to finally tell you! But while I was planning my speech in my head you were off screwing some slut!" She continues, tears streaming down her red face.
Ezra just looked at her, completely lost for words. You could see the tears forming in the corner of his eyes – the same eyes she had fallen for three years ago.
Noticing that Ezra was not going to speak up anytime soon, she continued, "I'm pregnant, Ezra! I am fucking pregnant! And I'm scared! And we're supposed to be celebrating!" Aria is now crying uncontrollably her entire body shaking with each sob she lets out.
End of flashback.
Ezra grimaced at her harsh words. He felt as if he had been slapped across the face, or as if a knife had been plunged into his chest. He took a small step back, sadly glancing at Bailey. Tears began to flow down his sleep deprived face, tears that he thought would never stop.
Aria felt genuinely bad for what she had just said and she immediately regretted it. She pretended not to notice the broken expression that covered the 25 year olds face. She looked down at Hope, or Bailey, and busied herself with the loose thread on the hem of her light blue sweater – coincidently a gift from Ezra. She gently grazed her fingers over her silver wedding ring.
When she looked up again, Ezra was gone. That's when she completely broke down. Aria began to cry so hard that she feared she would never stop. Soon her body began to tremble and startled Bailey, who soon began to cry too. Both their cries filled the empty hospital room and Aria hugged her daughter closer to her chest, her sobs gradually getting louder.