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I'm excited for this next chapter. I'm not sure why. But I hope you enjoy!

The next morning was like any other morning. Aria woke up a little late, took a quick shower, dressed and headed downstairs. She tossed a slice of bread in the toaster and texted her normal morning greeting to Ezra. She ate her toast quickly and waited for her brother in the car. Everything was exactly how it always was, except for the diamond engagement ring she wore on a chain around her neck.

Aria went straight to her locker where she knew her best friends would be waiting, "Morning."

"Aria! How was dinner and everything last night?" Hanna inquired. Her excitement was contagious.

Aria smiled, "It was wonderful."

"Did he ask the question?" Emily wondered, speaking in semi-code.

The smile on her face said it all, "Yes. It was so romantic. He announced it in front of the whole restaurant. It was so great to not have to hide."

Spencer grabbed Aria's bare hand, "Where's the ring?"

"On my necklace. I will show you guys later. Speaking of later, do you want to ditch after lunch? Mani-pedi's for everyone, my treat. Plus I need to go to the florist and order bouquets and run to the stationary store to pick up a few invitations. Just as mementoes really." Aria explained her afternoon plans and they all agreed to leave after lunch.

Aria's first two periods dragged and even though she loved English she just couldn't wait to leave for the day. She could tell this entire week of school was going to be a lost cause. As soon as the bell signaling the end of second period rang, she packed her bag and hovered outside Ezra's classroom until all the students had filed out. She slipped inside and closed the door quickly, "Hey, Mr. Fitz."

"Miss Montgomery, how can I help you?" Ezra was visibly happier when he saw his future wife.

She pulled out an English assignment from her other class, "Well I just got this back from Mrs. Glossenger and I think she's being far too lenient on my writing. I'd like you to look it over for me and tell me what you think. That is, if you get the time. I know you are busy."

The door opened and a few students entered, "Absolutely. I will definitely look over this for you. What did you wind up doing your scholarship essay on?"

"It's a secret. But I'm just not as sure about my writing as I used to be and I'd like some help preparing for my final paper." Aria replied. They had gotten so they talked in code very little and when they were having a conversation in his classroom, it was normally legitimate.

Ezra nodded and wrote a note to Aria, "Ok, well here are a few topics that I think you would do well writing about. Do you want to look that over and come see me after school? I can think up a couple more if those don't feel right."

"Unfortunately, I am leaving during lunch, but I can get back to you tomorrow on these. Thank you, Mr. Fitz. I need to get going. I'll come by tomorrow." Aria winked so subtly that if he hadn't been looking for exactly that, he would have missed it.

Aria reached her Trigonometry class just as the bell was ringing. Aria mentally groaned as she thought about enduring math at a time like this. She pulled out her book and while the teacher was busy writing on the board, she pulled out the note from Ezra, 'You look beautiful. I love you. PS. Where's your ring?' They hadn't discussed whether or not she would wear it in public, but she didn't want to answer any questions. Although her three best friends were the only ones that knew, Aria had many people in the school she spoke to regularly and didn't want to get into any in depth conversation with any of them. They still weren't allowed to be a normal couple, so she needed to keep the secret for a little while longer.

After what seemed like a century, the lunch bell finally rang and Aria was glad to be heading out. She met up with the girls and they slipped out the cafeteria door to their cars. It wasn't an issue to be leaving. They were all eighteen and could sign themselves out whenever they wanted, but they didn't want any questions at the front office.

Once on their way, Spencer glanced away from the road to look at Aria, "Okay. We've waited all day. Where's the ring?"

"Hang on." Aria undid the necklace and slipped the ring onto her finger.

Her three companions began gushing about the ring and how beautiful it was. The only topic of conversation the entire way to the florist was the ring. Aria was glad when they arrived because as much as she loved the ring, there was only so many times she could hear how gorgeous it was.

There was a very short red-headed woman that greeted them when they entered, "Welcome to Daisy Moon's Flower Palace. My name is Glenda. Can I help you with anything today?"

Aria grinned widely, "I hope so. I know this is short notice, but I'm getting married Saturday. Is there any way we can arrange for some flowers by then?"

"Well, let's see." Glenda pulled out a calendar notebook and flipped through until she found that date, "Well we don't have any events that day, or the day before. It's only going to depend on how much you are going to need."

Pulling her list from her purse, she began going over it with the florist, "Well I don't need a lot. I need five boutonnieres, one bridal bouquet, three bridesmaids' bouquets, and two corsages.

"That's it?" Glenda skimmed the list that was in the young woman held in her hand.

Aria nodded, "Yes. It's a very small affair. We have my three bridesmaids, three groomsmen, my parents and his mother. We have a few other guests as well, but no flowers needed."

Glenda took out her order pad, "We can definitely accommodate your needs by Saturday. So first, what are your colors?"

"We don't really have colors. My bridesmaids are wearing different colors. One crimson, one royal blue, and one emerald green. The tuxedos are going to be standard black and white. I think I'd like white roses in my bouquet. Can we do the same for them, maybe a color accent here or there?" Aria requested.

"Yes. That's very simple. Anything special for the corsages and boutonnieres?"

Aria didn't have a preference, "Whatever you think will look good."

"Lovely. Do you want the tossing bouquet and the souvenir bouquet?" Glenda wondered as she continued to write out the order details.

Aria shrugged, "What's a souvenir bouquet?"

Glenda held up a finger and retreated to the back of the store, returning seconds later with four different bouquets. She set them all out in front of them as she explained, "The big one here is the bridal bouquet and the smaller version here is for a bridesmaid. This one here is identical to the bridal bouquet except that they are fake flowers. Most brides that get real flower bouquets get this as well. That way when your bouquet dies, you've got this one that will stay this way. Then this small simple one is also fake and used for the bouquet toss."

"Ok then. I guess we'll take one of each of those also. Is there any way I can have a few color accents in my bouquet as well? The same colors that go with their bouquets?" Aria wondered.

Ten minutes later, they were on their way to the mall. "That's a lot of money for flowers." Emily commented just before they reached the mall.

"I think it was worth it. And the woman threw in the tossing bouquet for free, so that was nice." Aria was thrilled with the flowers she'd picked out and couldn't wait to see the finished products.

They all turned to Aria once they got inside the mall, "So where to first?"

"Well there are things I still need to get for the wedding and we're getting our nails done. So I guess let's go to the nail salon and see if they are able to get the four of us in now or if we should set up an appointment for a little later."

Everyone agreed and headed for the salon. As expected, when they arrived they was no one waiting. They had Spencer and Aria in the pedicure chairs and Hanna and Emily sitting across from them getting their manicures within minutes of their arrival. Over an hour later, Aria felt relaxed and was glad she could spend some quality time with her friends. She knew once she was married, she wouldn't be able to do this kind of thing as much anymore.

They made their way through the mall, stopping at various stores to find all the items on Aria's list. They had gotten a package of very elegant looking print-your-own invitations. They then picked out black and white striped candles for all guests that would be attending. "Ok, last I need attendants' gifts for the guys. I know my brother is into sports, and I know his brother is into guys, but otherwise I don't know him or Jason at all." She glanced at her phone, "Give me a minute; I'm going to call Ezra."

Aria stepped off to the side, leaving her friends to talk. She returned a few minutes later, "What did he say?"

"He said they both like to drink. I was thinking stainless steel flasks with their names engraved on them. My brother will think it's cool he gets an adult gift too." They approached the personalized gift store and Aria asked the girls to wait outside.

Fifteen minutes later, Aria exited with a smile on her face, "I'm all set in there, but I was wrong before. I need to get a gift for Ezra."

"What for?" Hanna wondered.

Spencer answered for Aria, "Its tradition. The bride and groom exchange gifts after the ceremony."

Hanna mocked Spencer and all the girls giggled, "Ok. Do you know what you want to get him?"

"Not exactly. Oh wait, maybe. How about… hmmm?" Aria began walking away and her friends followed, wondering what she was up to.

Twenty minutes later they exited the old bookshop that sat in the forgotten part of the mall. Aria squealed with delight, "I cannot believe that had it! I absolutely cannot believe it. It's amazing! I'm stunned. Can you believe it?"

"Aria. We get it. It's great, but can you please tone it down a notch before we are being chased by a pack of dogs that thought they heard a dog whistle?" Hanna stuck her finger in her ear and pretended to be deaf.

Aria smiled and lowered her voice a little, "I'm sorry, but this is a miracle."

"We know," her friends all replied in unison. They all chuckled and decided it was time to find some food.

They decided to go to an actual restaurant than hang out in the food court again. They found themselves at Olive Garden and were quickly seated. After they ordered, Emily chuckled, "You know. I thought the flowers were a lot of money, but that was until I saw how much you spent on a book. A single book. Where did you even get that kind of money?"

"You know I have my inheritance." Aria shrugged and began digging into the salad the waitress just delivered to them.

Hanna leaned close and whispered, "How much do you have?"

"Hanna!" Spencer's reaction made Hanna blush. She tried very hard to sink into her seat while Spencer was scolding her.

Once Spencer was finished, Hanna turned back to Aria, "I'm sorry. It's none of my business."

"It's not a big deal. I have quite a bit left. I started out with forty thousand. After the investment, I had a little over two hundred thousand. Now I think I'm down to $170,000, after my car and everything." Aria explained casually as the other occupants of the booth stared in silence at her. Feeling eyes burning into her skull, she looked up from her plate, "What?"

Emily spoke first, "Oh my god that's a lot of money. What are you doing with it?"

"Well I figured I'd save it. If I don't get a scholarship, it's college money. If I do get a scholarship, its money for a house, a car, living expenses, travel, or whatever else I want to buy. Like a book or lunch for my friends." Aria smiled and continued eating her salad.

After a few more minutes of awkwardness, they were all eating and chatting again, like their previous conversation never happened.

The rest of their trip went by quickly and they went back to the school so everyone could get their cars and go home. Aria noticed Ezra's car still in the parking lot, placed her shopping bags in her car, and went inside to find him. As she approached his classroom, she heard his voice and a female voice coming from inside. She didn't want to interrupt, until she heard her name. She wasn't sure who it was he was talking to, but she knocked and entered the room, pretending as if she didn't hear anything.

"Miss Montgomery, we were just talking about you. Why don't you join us?" Mrs. Glossenger, her Senior English teacher motioned Aria toward a chair.

Aria half smiled, "Thank you."

Mrs. Glossenger continued, "We were discussing the paper you brought here to have Mr. Fitz read over. I just want to tell you, that I was not being unfair to your writing in any way. You are good, Aria. There is no denying that. That paper got the grade it deserved. We were just discussing your essay for the scholarship contest. That was one of the most important essays that you will ever write. If you get the scholarship, it could open so many doors for you that you never would have thought about before. Mr. Fitz and I are both here to help you in any way we can. Here's my number. You can call me any time after school if you need guidance or ideas or even just a pep talk. I have faith in you."

"Thank you. It's nice to have support from you. From both of you. I need a little encouragement sometimes." Aria responded truthfully.

Ezra smiled, "Of course. Did you look at the topics I gave you to consider for your final?"

"I did. I just don't know about any of them." Aria shrugged.

Just then Mrs. Glossenger's cell phone rang and she read over a text message quickly, "Oh I have to go. Are you all set for your midterm tomorrow?"

"Yes," Aria smiled and nodded, "I think I am."

"Excellent. See you in the morning." She exited the room quickly and they heard her heels click all the way down the hall.

Ezra's stood and closed the distance between them. He wrapped his arms around Aria's waist and kissed her lightly, "How did it go today?"

"Good. Can I come by later?" Aria wondered, as if she needed to ask.

Ezra smiled, "Why not just come over now?"

"Actually, why don't you come to my house for dinner? Mom will be pleased and it will give my dad a chance to see you aren't a total jerk. We can go over everything we have set up so far. By the way, did you call the restaurant?"

Ezra nuzzled his face into her neck, "Of course I did. They have a small room that they normally use for conference lunches that they will turn into a reception area for us and for a small additional fee, they will provide a DJ."

"Great. What time?" Aria wondered pulling out her little notepad to write on. She didn't want to forget any details.

He shrugged, "Well I wasn't sure exactly what time we wanted to do the wedding, so I told her at the earliest three o'clock. I figured we would discuss it with the pastor. I will call him tonight. I told her I would call back with a definite time as soon as I speak with him."

"Ok. That's good. We need to see if they will prepare a cake as well. So you can ask about that when you call back." Aria instructed.

He hummed against her shoulder, "Chocolate cake with raspberry filling and white icing."

"Exactly." Aria smiled; happy he remembered her favorite cake.

Ezra gazed into his fiancé's eyes, "Already done."

Aria couldn't believe her ears, "You already ordered the cake? What if I had wanted orange cake with peanut butter icing?"

"Well I know you better than that. Besides, we didn't talk about it last night, so when they asked if I wanted to order a cake, I went ahead and did it. They won't start making it until Thursday so if we decided to change it we would have time. So if you really have your heart set on an orange and peanut butter cake, I'll just call them back." Ezra pulled out his phone and mock-dialed.

Aria took the phone from his hand, flipped it closed, and slid it back into his pocket, "I think I'll survive the disappointment." She then pulled out her phone and called her mother. "Mom, I'd like it if Ezra came over for dinner. We can all sit down and talk about everything we've done so far and what still needs to be done, ok? Great. We'll be there soon. Love you. Bye." She closed her phone and turned back to Ezra, "Ready to go?"

"Sure. Let me just grab a few things." He returned to his desk and slid a few things into his shoulder bag. He refused to carry a briefcase because he thought it made him seem old. He slid Aria's paper into his bag last, "I have to tell you. Even if you weren't going to be Mrs. Fitz in a few days, you'd still be the most talented young writer I've ever encountered. It was so nice to be able to read over something you wrote again. I needed a break from the papers I actually have to read." They walked to the parking lot together and Ezra walked her to her car. He glanced in the backseat, "Wow. Did you buy out the mall today?"

Aria giggled, "It's not that much stuff."

"If you say so. So I am going to run into town quick to pick up a bottle of wine to go with dinner, and run home to shower and change, and I will be right over. Sound good?" Ezra suggested.

Aria nodded, "Absolutely. I will see you then." She squeezed his waist quickly before getting into her car and heading out. She arrived at her house alone and her mother asked where Ezra was. "He was going to stop by his house for a few minutes and then pick up a bottle of wine to bring over to go with dinner."

"What did you buy?" Ella wondered, eyeing all the bags.

Aria set everything on the floor near the wall except for one bag she brought over to her mother, "Wedding stuff. Favors for the guests, invitations, and I got this for Ezra." She handed her mother the bag.

After opening the box and peeling back the tissue paper, Ella gasped, "Oh my goodness gracious. Is this a first edition?"

"Yes. It's his favorite book. I saw it in that old bookstore and knew this was the first gift I wanted to give my husband." Aria explained and rewrapped the book so she could take it upstairs before Ezra arrived.

As she returned to the kitchen her mother was beginning to prepare dinner. Aria washed her hands and started chopping potatoes, "What are we making for dinner anyway?"

"Boiled dinner. I didn't know we were going to have company or I would have made something different, but the ham has already been cooking most of the day." Ella replied as she was slicing the carrots.

Aria chuckled, "Boiled dinner is fine. We all like it and I'm pretty sure he does too. And if he doesn't he's too polite to say so."

"Aria, I think we should talk about all this again. I'm having second thoughts." Her mother was trying to be supportive, but she needed to have a one-on-one discussion with her daughter.

Aria gasped, "Mom, what are you talking about?"

"This is all happening so fast. You are just a teenager and he's an adult. I may be okay with the relationship for what it is, but I'm not sure that I'm comfortable with the two of you progressing into something more." Ella had finished the carrots and was working on the onions, making her tear even more than she already was.

Her daughter stood there, stunned, "You were the one who brought up marriage in the first place and I know it may seem quick to you, but Ezra and I are in love and we have been for quite some time. This day was coming whether now or in one year or five years. We are meant to be together."

"You may think that now, but there is going to come a time when you will wish you weren't married and had a normal life. You are going to regret making this decision because I had to open my big mouth, because I had memories of my past flooding back over me and I would have given anything to have my professor look at me the way Ezra looks at you. I envied you and when I saw that you had the chance to be happy, I brought up the idea, so I could be happy through you, but it's not enough."

"I'm going to marry him. Our lives are joined. I don't care what your original motives were. This isn't some fling. I love him. He loves me. I know that I will never regret marrying him. I know that no matter how hard anyone tries to come between us, it won't work because if you hadn't noticed, we've beaten the odds a thousand times. We both knew the risks and knew that the other was worth fighting for. I want to know that I have your support. Because even though you may not like it, it will happen. So is it better to put your relationship with me on the line because you were hurt in the past, or just accept that I have chosen my life and I am happy." Aria wanted her mother behind her, but she needed Ezra in her life.

Ella was still crying, "But you are so young. There's such an age difference."

"Please don't play the 'age difference' card. It's only eight years. If I was 22 and he was 30 would this be such a big deal? Besides, Dad is seven years older than you. How big of a difference can one year make? I mean, I know Dad wasn't… oh my… You think Ezra is going to do to me what Dad did to you, don't you?" Aria finally figured out why her mother was upset.

Her mother didn't speak for a few very long minutes, "I just want you to be prepared for something like that to happen. Men in general are unfaithful. He was interested in you and there will be others. He may just flirt a little, no harm done, right? But it may go further than that and then you'll be as heartbroken as I was."

"Mom, you either need to forgive Dad, or get away from him. Because if you had forgiven him like you said, this wouldn't come into our conversation. Mom, Ezra didn't fall in love with his English student. He fell in love with Aria, that cute girl he met at a bar. I'm not worried about him and other girls." Aria added the last part, which she and her mother had never discussed.

"You met at a bar? You never told me where you met." Ella wasn't sure why her daughter was in a bar.

Aria didn't care that her mother found out, "Yeah. I took Mike to lacrosse try-outs and went into that bar over there near the field to have a beer. I guess I was still so used to living in Iceland where underage drinking is normal. When Ezra saw me with a beer, there is no way he could have even guessed I'd be his student."

"Well I see now why you came off as older. Why on earth didn't you tell him how old you were?"

Aria gave her mother a confused look, "Because I was underage and drinking in a bar. Why on earth would I have told him? I mean if it had come to that point where it was imperative he know, I would have told him my age before things went too far. And frankly, he had graduated from Hollis and was going to teach. I didn't know if I was ever going to see him again. My age wasn't important."

"I still don't trust him." Ella sighed, trying to get her daughter to see reason.

Aria shook her head, "You wouldn't understand what real love is. Ezra and I aren't forced to be together. And there's no baby forcing us to get married."

Ella pretended to play coy, "What are you talking about? I know you aren't pregnant."

"I'm talking about you. You had me six months after you and Dad got married and I was a very healthy 7 pound 2 ounce baby. Even if you had gotten pregnant on your honeymoon, I would have only been about 2 pounds at the most at six months. I know that you married Dad because you were pregnant. Dad always said you hadn't known each other very long before you got married. So how long was it? Six or seven months?" Aria was mad at her mom. She had been supportive up until now and she decided to pull the plug.

Ella slammed her fist down, "It was five weeks! We knew each other five weeks when I got pregnant and our families insisted we get married. I had you and then I had Mike and it is what it is. I just don't want you to feel pressured into getting married because we're moving. I'm sure one of your friends will let you stay with them until you graduate. Then you can go off to college and be done with this."

"For the last time, I'm marrying Ezra on Saturday. I'm not being forced into anything. If anything I thought I'd have to run away to be with him. Why do you think I've been looking at colleges away from here? You know I love the Atlantic. I want your support and understanding, but I can't live without Ezra in my life." Aria stated finally. She didn't want to discuss it anymore.

"If you are sure that this is what you want and you're not getting any pressure from anyone, then I'm done standing in your way, but please just think things over before you do this. If you decide that now isn't the right time and he really does love you, he will understand and he will wait. I know he's a nice guy. I know he'd be great for you. I just wish things were different." Ella's tears had dried and she now seemed disconnected in a way that Aria had seen only one other time. The time between finding out Byron had an affair and the time she moved out. There was no anger, just acceptance and detachment.

Aria put a hand around her mother's waist and leaned against her shoulder, "I love you Mom. Please believe me that I wouldn't be doing this if I wasn't a hundred percent certain that this is what I wanted. I wish things could have been different too, as far as the circumstances surrounding our relationship, and I know that we went about things all wrong, but I know that my life belongs with his. Know that I am so happy that you will be there on the day I marry the love of my life."

"Ok. I think this conversation is over. Believe me when I say I'm not against the two of you and I want you to be happy, but this conversation needed to happen." Ella began her preparations on dinner again, completely dismissing the whole conversation.

Aria hugged her mother once more before heading for her room, "Thank you so much for caring about me. I don't say this enough, but I appreciate everything you've done for me." Aria left her mother in the kitchen and went to her room to freshen up before Ezra arrived.

Thanks for reading everyone. I hope you enjoyed it. Please review! I love knowing what everyone thinks.

Also, this is the last chapter I have fully written so the updates may be coming a little slower now. Especially since my sister just got married yesterday and we had so much wedding stuff going on that I haven't had much time to write. Thank you all for understanding!