Aria's POV
When I wake up the following morning Ezra's side of the bed is empty. I check the clock and realize it's already eleven thirty! I enter the living room and see Ezra sitting with Spencer and Toby.
"Hello." I say as I enter the living room.
"How are you feeling Aria?" Toby asks.
"A lot better." I say with a smile.
"Good, because you're going shopping with me, Hanna, and Emily!" Spencer exclaims.
"I don't know Spence, I haven't talked about it with Ezra." I say as I shoot him a please get me out of this look.
"Go have fun." Ezra says with a smile.
Thanks Ezra!
"What about Jeremy?" I ask.
"Toby and I are taking him and Taylor to the Zoo." Ezra informs me.
I nod my head and join the group on the couch. Moments later Jem and Taylor enter the living room.
"Auntie Aria!" Taylor says excitedly.
"Hey Tay." I say with a smile.
"I've missed you." She says timidly.
"I've missed you too." I tell the little girl truthfully.
"Go get dressed Aria, we have tons of stores to hit!" Spencer says enthusiastically.
"You sound like Hanna." I say with an eye roll.
Line Break
After shopping for about four hours, the girls and I stop at a restaurant for lunch.
"Are you really going to eat a whole order of cheese fries?" Spencer asks Hanna with an eye roll.
"Yeah, I'm eating for two now." Hanna says nervously.
"Oh my gosh, are you pregnant?" Emily asks Hanna excitedly.
"Yeah, that's why I invited you girls to come shopping with me." Hanna says happily.
"Congratulations." I say with a smile.
"Aria..." Hanna says sympathetically.
"I'm happy for you, I really am." I assure her.
"How are you and Ezra?" Emily asks nervously.
"Fine." I say hoping to change the subject.
"You know we're here for you right?" Spencer asks as she grabs my hand.
"Of course." I say with a small smile.
Moments later I hear my phone buzz, Ezra sent me a picture message. I look at my phone and see Taylor and Jem standing next to a sheep in the petting zoo.
"Look at how cute." I say as I show Spencer my phone.
"They look like they're having a good time." Spencer says with a chuckle.
"I hope Ezra doesn't give Jem too much sugar, I don't want to deal with a hyper four-year old." I say with a sigh.
"Spencer is the one who has to deal with him." Hanna says.
I see Spencer nudge Hanna from underneath the table.
"What are you talking about?" I ask confused.
"You'll find out soon enough." Spencer tells me.
I shrug and decide to drop it.
"How far along are you?" I ask Hanna curiously.
"About a month, but we don't have to talk about it." Hanna says concerned.
"Let's not turn this lunch into a pity party for me. Hanna this is a special time in your life, you should make the most of it." I say seriously.
"So is giving birth really as bad as people say it is?" Hanna asks nervously.
Spencer and I look at each other uncomfortably.
"I'm not even going to answer that." I say with chuckle.
Ezra's POV
I drop Jem off at Toby's house and make my way home. I'm surprising Aria with a romantic candle light dinner to help get her mind off everything. I'm hoping she will open up to me since we have the entire night to ourselves. I put a lasagna in the oven and start decorating the living room. I turn off all the lights and scatter candles around the room. At about six o'clock I hear Aria entering the house.
"Ezra I'm home." I hear her yell as she walks in through the front door.
Aria gasps when she enters the living room.
"What is all of this?" Aria asks in amazement.
"A candle light dinner just for you." I say as I hand her a bouquet of roses.
"Where is Jem?" Aria asks worriedly.
"He is sleeping over at Spencer's." I say as I kiss Aria passionately.
"You did all of this for me?" Aria asks in shock.
I nod my head and wrap my arms around her waist.
"Thank you." Aria says softly.
I kiss Aria again before leading her to our couch.
"Enjoy." I say as I hand Aria a glass of wine.
"My favorite." She says with a smile.
"Stay here, I'm checking on the lasagna." I say as I get off the couch.
"You made lasagna?" Aria asks as her eyes grow wide with shock.
"Yup." I say proudly.
"You really went all out for this." Aria says in amazement.
"You deserve it." I say to her.
A worried look washes over Aria's face, but it quickly passes.
I make Aria a plate of lasagna and set it in front of her.
"Should I be afraid?" Aria asks as she stares at the plate in front of her.
"Don't worry, I already checked to make sure it was edible." I assure her.
A smile spreads across my face when Aria starts to giggle.
"That's the first time I've heard you laugh since the accident." I tell her.
An awkward silence passes between us, and Aria takes a bite of the food.
"Ezra Fitz I'm impressed, this is delicious." Aria says with a smile.
I beam at Aria and kiss her forehead.
"Did you have fun with the girls?" I ask her.
"Yeah, Hanna is pregnant." She tells me.
"Are you okay with that?" I ask concerned.
"I'm happy for her." Aria assures me.
"Have you though about having another baby?" I ask Aria curiously.
"Can we please talk about something else?" Aria snaps.
I stare at Aria concerned, I obviously upset her.
"I'm sorry, I didn't mean to snap at you. How was the zoo?" Aria asks as she rests her head on my chest.
"It was a lot of fun, Taylor and Jem loved seeing all the animals." I tell her.
"I'm glad." Aria says sweetly.
"You're beautiful." I say as I stare into Aria's hazel eyes.
"Are you kidding? I have a cast on my leg and I'm all bruised up." She says with a sigh.
"You still look breath-taking." I say as I kiss Aria passionately.
Aria kisses me back, but quickly pulls away when I start to remove her shirt.
"Ezra, I really don't want to." She says softly.
"That's okay." I say as I back off.
"I'm sorry." She says apologetically.
"You never have to do anything that you're not comfortable with." I tell her gently.
"I'm being stupid." She says as tears begin to pour out of her eyes.
"No you're not." I argue.
I gasp when Aria starts to sob uncontrollably.
"What's the matter?" I ask concerned.
"This is killing me." I hear Aria whimper.
"What?" I ask confused.
"You." She says sadly.
"Me?" I ask hurt.
"You're so nice to me all the time, and you should hate me!" She cries.
"Aria that's ridiculous." I protest.
"No it isn't, you're hurting and it's all because of me." Aria says frustrated.
"I'm hurting because you're so upset." I tell her.
"Stop pretending like you don't care!" Aria shouts angrily.
"About what?" I ask confused.
"Our baby is dead because of me and you act as though you don't have a care in the world!" She screams.
"Of course I care, but I don't blame you for our baby's death." I say defensively.
"I would, I do." Aria says quietly.
"This is why you shut me out." I say in realization.
"I don't want to hurt you anymore." Aria says sadly.
"You don't hurt me Aria, you make my life amazing." I tell her.
"Our baby is dead because of me!" She reminds me.
"You're right, it is all your fault." I tell her.
This causes Aria to cry even more.
"It's also my fault for not offering to drive you to work. What about Jem? If he had spent more time talking to you that morning you never would have collided with that car. I also blame Hanna, Spencer and Emily, if only one of them had invited you to go shopping. What if that drunk driver hadn't gotten behind the wheel? Or what if one of his friends had stopped him?" I ask Aria.
"I understand where you're coming from, but the baby was inside of me. I was his or her mother and I didn't keep our baby safe." Aria says as she sobs into my chest.
"When you first got in the accident I blamed myself." I tell Aria.
"Why?" Aria asks confused.
"Because I'm your husband, and it was my job to protect you and the baby." I explain.
"You couldn't have prevented the accident." Aria argues.
"And you could have?" I ask as I raise my eyebrows.
"No, but if I had listened to you and went on maternity leave I might have been strong enough to keep the baby alive." Aria says.
"You flew through a windshield Aria, there wasn't anything you could have done." I protest.
"Than why do I feel so crummy?" Aria asks me.
"Because you're the most compassionate person I've ever met. It's one of the many reasons why I love you so much." I say as I wipe away her tears.
"Why are you so damn perfect?" Aria asks with a slight smile.
"I'm far from perfect." I argue.
"That's not true." Aria says before kissing me passionately.
I kiss her back, and soon Aria is removing our clothes.
"Aria we don't have to." I say cautiously.
"I want to." Aria says as she runs her fingers through my hair.
I respond by carrying Aria to our bedroom and making love to her for the rest of the night.
What did you think? If I get 15 reviews I'll update on Thursday. Thank you so much for all of your continued support, I hope you enjoyed this. :)
