Aria POV Ezra phoned to say he wouldn't be able to leave work any time soon. I hated parent teacher meetings, they always kept him at Hollis for the night. And me, at home, alone. "I'll to try to come home when I'm on my break," Ezra promised me over the phone. "Hey, it's alright. I'm sure we'll be fine. Now go and get work done without stressing about us at home," I urged. We said our goodbyes and hung up. Seeing that he won't be here for the next, give or take, eight hours, I decided to head out. "It's just you and I, baby girl," I said to my ever growing belly. "Hey, Em," I greeted the brunette across the counter. She worked until she had enough money to buy the coffee shop, one of her greatest investments. "Hi. Lydia, please get me two ice teas, 2 subs and a caramel latte," She stated firmly to one of her employees. Lydia immediately started on the order. "Hanna," Emily answered my thoughts about the latte. "Ezras working late tonight," I sat on the plush sofa in the secluded area of the coffee shop, which was over looking the first floor. Emily made it known that this part of the shop was for her girls, with the exception of our kids and significant others. No customers. The stairs spiralled up to the top. The walls were lined with black and white stripes, sofas were plush and a round coffee table sat at the centre of the space. There was a huge window with its own five seater nook. On the side overlooking the shop, there was a sound proof glass that separated us from the sounds of the outside world, we had the choice of whether or not to turn the sound proofing on. We could also tint the glass with a click of a button. Caleb installed it for her. We all contributed to this. Spencer put in the television set and the beautiful indoor plants. Hanna gifted the coffee table, wallpaper and signed her name on all of Calebs gifts. Toby built the cool wardrobes that were within the walls. Ezra and I contributed the sofas and red furry carpets. Alison and Emily added the nook. "Want to come over? I'll ask the the rest of the girls to meet up at my place," Emily offered. "That sounds great but I have to decline your offer. We're married and most of you have kids, remember?" I asked, rhetorically. "Which is more of the reason to have some girl time. You need to, before your little one arrives. I mean, we don't know when's the next time we'd all be together. With Hanna and Caleb always travelling, Spencer and Toby expecting. When would we have time?" She sat back, grabbing the remote from its holster on the side of the coffee table. She switched the television on and connected her phone to it. She then chose a track which played softly in the background. "You're right," I agreed. Our iced tea and subs had arrived along with Hanna. "Ar," She beamed, "Long since. How's the pregnancy?" Hanna pecked my cheek, went on to greeting Emily then took a seat next to me. "Surprisingly, good. I haven't had any type of sickness, my cravings are basically dying down and I've finally managed to sort out our hospital plan. One more month and baby Fitz will be here," I caressed my belly. "Gosh. I envy you," Hanna playfully rolled her eyes. "With my pregnancy, I had morning sickness every other day and craved at least 12 different things a week. Remember how much of weight I picked up just because of Kyle?" Her eyes widened at the thought. I chuckled and took a bite off my sub and groaned in pleasure. "Wow, this is amazing. Great choice adding it to the menu," I complimented Emily. "People's choice. That seems to be one of the five most sold foods in the café. Girls, I need to put out my new items. Catch you in a bit," she stood up and made her way to the door. "New items?" Hanna asked, looking at me in hopes that I would be able to clear her confusion. I shrugged and turned my attention to Emily. "Oh," she stopped in her tracks, "Totally slipped my mind. I have a few items that need to be on their shelves for selling. I've decided to start selling miscellaneous items to the public after one of my customers asked if I sold mugs. Weird question, I mean, its a coffee shop. Now, Here I am, selling branded mugs etcetera. Proceeds go to the orphanage," she smiled at me. Back when Ezra and I got married, we decided to visit the orphanage, then thought that we should wait for when the moments right. Which brings us to four years after our wedding. There were many adorable kids to choose from. The week before our paperwork was approved, something tragic happened. There was an oil tanker passing through the town as a short cut. It exploded right outside the orphanage, brutally taking the lives of 21 out of 34 orphans. It was the highlight of the year. The only survivors were either adopted or moved to another orphanage before we could get to them. We were at the bottom of the waiting list anyway. "Don't you already have like 10% of each sale going towards the building of a new orphanage?" Hanna asked. Emily nodded, "but I want to do more," she smiled and left. "She has the sweetest soul. I hope that Grace and Lily pick that up from her instead of having Alisons devious ways," I rolled my eyes. "Ditto," Hanna sipped on her latte. "They seem to be okay. Except for that one time Lily threatened Kyle. I saw an Alison in the making," "Wait. What? When was this?" "Last Christmas. Grace asked Kyle to be her partner for their school dance. Lily told Kyle to ditch Grace and be with her instead or else she'd tell the class that Caleb and I aren't exactly home with him all the time and he has mommy issues." I was shocked to hear that. "But of course, that wasn't true. I had to work. The fashion industry isn't exactly the easiest if you have a family," she explained. "Han, you don't need to justify yourself. I understand. Please tell me her parents did something about that attitude?" I begged. We don't want a repeat of what happened to us. "Emily pulled her out of the dance. Grace and Kyle went together. How do you not know about this story?" She raised an eyebrow. "I think I was with Ezras family that Christmas," I pondered out loud. "How's your mom keeping? Three kids are a lot of work," I tried to catch up on her life, I've missed out on so much. "Ted's a blessing. That's for sure. But she refused day care saying that she would rather have them bonding with her. At least if have piece of mind, anyway. Kyle and Felicia are the devil's spawns. They truly drive my mom crazy. She once caught them in the kitchen, having a fight with flour and water. You would think that 7 year old's would at least behave. But Blake, on the other hand, she's an angel," Hanna smiled to herself. "So I've heard. Spencer's favourite niece," I said. I looked out at the coffee shop, "This place keeps getting better and better," I said in admiration.
"On the house," Emily said when I attempted to pay. "Fine but next one's on me," I put my money into the tip jar. "Thanks, Aria," Lydia smiled gratefully. I waved off the ladies and walked out into the streets, Hanna close to my side. I followed her to Radley so she could leave her car and go shopping with me. We pulled up to Rosewoods mall not more than five minutes later. "Chose a name yet?" Hanna asked as she walked down the baby aisle. I shook my head, "Not really. We can't seem to decide on which one to pick. We've made a top 5 list. Elizabeth, Arlene, Rosanna, Avery and Lisa," I said to her as she passed me the baby lotion and wipes to put into our shopping cart. "Trust me when I say this, You'll know her name when you meet her," Hanna advised while deciding which of the two bubble bath brands to buy. "When we had Kyle, only then did we decide on his name. He didn't look like any name that we'd discuss prior to his birth. Sometimes the spontaneous name works, sometimes it needs thought. But you and Ezra will figure it out," she assured me. "I don't know," I heard someone say on the phone. A tall, skinny looking guy stood beside Hanna and I, looking confused and like he needed help. He ran his fingers through his hair and sighed, "Forget it. I'll have to figure it out myself," he hung up. Hanna looked at me and I nodded. "Excuse me," She went up to him, "Hanna Rivers, Mother of three. Can I be of any help?" She looked at the diapers he was infront of, then back at him. He nodded in desperation. "Please. My cousin's wife is expecting. Just found out. Need to get them something," He sighed heavily, "I thought of nappies, which is the best brand? And for some clothing for the mom." "Wait, so the baby hasn't arrived yet?" I overheard Hanna ask. He shook his head. "Nappies sounds like a bad idea," I butted in. "Aria, Mom to be," I said in a warm tone. "Hi. Oh. Almost forgot, I'm Brandon," he smiled politely. "See this here," Hanna pointed to the nappies, "this is the baby's weight. So unless you know what's the weight of the baby, you can't exactly buy nappies. Try baby lotions, wipes, toys or bags instead," Hanna explained. He thanked us and completed his shopping. "See. We're nice people," I smiled and shrugged. "Haven't heard anyone who thinks otherwise. But okay," Hanna nodded.
"Mind if we pick up the kids? I haven't seen them in a week," Hanna pleaded. She got in from Japan last night. I drove to Hannas mom's place, Hannas childhood home. "Ms. Marin," I greeted. She greeted me and lead us through the house. "Hey Kiddos," Hanna bent to her children's height and opened her arms for them to run into. "Mommy," Felicia and Kyle beamed in unison. They threw their toys on the ground and sprinted towards their mother. "I've. Missed. You." Hanna said while kissing their hair. "Blake?" She turned to Ashley. "Should be up from her nap in a moment. Can I get you girls anything? Tea? Coffee? Water?" She responded and asked us. "Water for me, thanks," I smiled and sat on the couch. "Hi, aunt Aria," Felicia greeted, she was followed by Kyle. "Hello, Jelly bean," Felicia caressed my belly. She's been calling my baby Jelly Bean ever since Ezra and I found out we were pregnant and shared the news with everyone. At the time, Hanna exolained that I have a jelly bean sized baby in my stomach. Little Fitz kicked the spot that Felicia caressed, "Jelly Bean says hi," I smiled down at her. I felt a slight vibration before I heard the sound of my phone ringing. I rummaged through my bag and looked at the screen, EZRA FITZ . "Hey, baby," I greeted. "Hey, just a quick call to tell you two things," he said. "Is something wrong?" "Oh no. No. One, do you think you could make your famous lasagne? My cousin's coming over for supper, I spoke to the Dean, he's allowed me to leave for two hours, as long as I make up for it tomorrow night," He rambled. "Your cousin? Didn't know Dianne kept in touch with her family," I said, clearly surprised by Ezras new found cousins. "My dad's side. Wes usually hangs out with them when he goes to Canada. Haven't seen them in ages," he sighed. "Okay. I'm with Han, will make the lasagne as soon as I get home," "Hey. You could invite Hanna and Caleb over if you'd like. My cousin is around your age group. He'd appreciate more friends in Rosewood." "Sure. Oh and the second thing?" I reminded Ezra. "And two, I love you," he said, I know him well enough to know that he was blushing, "I love you too," I smiled and hung up. "Han, do you wanna join us for dinner tonight?" I asked. She looked towards her kids, then scrunched her face when she was too late to stop Kyle from pulling Felicias hair, "I'll pass. These kids need their mommy," she tore them apart from each other. "Come on, it won't be that bad if we separate them for the night," I plead. "Fine. But if any one of them causes trouble, its on you," she sighed. "Deal," I said aloud. "Mommy," Blake walked down the stairs, bottle hanging from her mouth. Hanna walked to the bottom of the staircase, "Hi, Princess," she kissed her cheek. Blake is three. With a bottle problem. Cute but it'll damage her teeth in the long run, Hanna was totally freaking out a few weeks ago. She carried her youngest daughter on her hip and came back to where I was sitting.
Hanna helped me with the preparation of the lasagne, well to be completely honest, she made me dictate the recipe to her while I sat at the island if our kitchen and watched the kids colour on the lounge floor. "I don't get you," I swiveled slowly on my chair to face Hanna. "What do you mean?" She questioned. "You've wanted kids ever since you've got together with Caleb and now you just up and leave them just for work. Why not take them with you and home school?" I glanced over at them then at Hanna. "Because," she paused, looked at her kids and sighed. "The world is changing. Rapidly. Things aren't the way they used to be. And in a few years time, they'll be old enough to know this. Having them with Caleb and I, travelling, would affect them. In the long run. But having a secure school, home and everything else, that means stability. When they're parents they'll understand that Caleb and I made sacrifices for them. This fashion business? It's no longer for me, Ar. Everything I do, everything I am, is for those kids right there," she said, allowing a few tears to escape her blue eyes, "even if it means that I have to travel. There'll come a time when I don't need to anymore. When I establish the new business. But for now, things have to be this way."
For a moment I forgot where I was. Who I was. My entire being was in Hannas position, trying to imagine what she has to go through for their happiness. "I'm sorry, Aria," she walked around the island and hugged me. "Sorry?" I questioned. "I was never here for you. Through those 6 miscarriages. Through the pain and suffering you felt. I'm sorry. I've never had the chance to tell you that. But now I do. And don't think, for one second, that I go to sleep without thinking about you and Ezra. Because trust me, it took a toll on me too. On all the girls. Seeing our best friend suffer without being able to do anything about it, that's the worst part." "Hey, its alright. The worst is over. You know? When they finally told me I've made it through the first trimester, I cried. I've always struggled with that. And now look, less than a month and our miracle will be here."