A/N Ciao! Here is the next chapter! :) It's kinda sorta short, but I think it's pretty good. Haha. TWO MORE DAYS. AASDJEIOGM. I. Can't. Wait. Not gonna lie, I maybe shed a tear or two writing this. The next chapter or the one after that willprobably be several weeks after this takes place. If you have any ideas, please share them! Oh, and don't forget to review! Also, I made a TWITTER specifically for this. It's ezrialoverB26 … follow me for updates when I'm writing new chapters! AAaaand the next chapter will be way longer, I promise.

Aria stood there, unsure of what to do. She moved her eyes hesitantly moved to Ezra, who was just as baffled as she was. They both weren't expecting Byron to come up to Aria at all that night, much less want to talk to her. He had acted hateful towards her just a few days ago; although Aria knew that her dad really did love her, just as Ezra had said moments before. The reason she was so tentative was because she didn't know what he would say to her. She didn't want to go along with talking to him and have it blown up in her face by him saying something else hurtful about her, Ezra, or her baby. On the other hand, maybe he would apologize to her. She looked back to her father, surprised that his expression had changed to desperate. Reluctantly, she nodded her head, following him to a small, vacant space with a few chairs and a coffee table. As her dad sat down across from where she stood, she kept her focus on a uniquely shaped vase with a lone, vibrant daisy.

Byron took a deep breath and did something Aria hadn't seen him do in a while. He cried. And not just the quiet, sniffling cry he had when she had confronted him about Meredith, but instead it was a full on sob, tears flooding down his face, landing on his pants. He had his face in his hands, shaking his head. Aria stood there, dumbfounded, not knowing exactly what to do. Almost every ounce of her anger washed away at the sight of her father this hysterical. She kept holding onto it, knowing that she couldn't forgive him until he apologized to her formally.

After a few moments of Aria standing there awkwardly, Byron collected himself and lifted his head from his hands. He looked tired, as if he hadn't slept in days, and his eyes were already red and swollen. His eyes locked with Aria's, showing an immense amount of pain and remorsefulness. He had to swallow a few times before he was able to speak clearly.

"I'm so sorry, Aria." She could feel the heartbreak in her father's voice, but decided to stay silent while she waited for him to speak up again. "What I said was wrong, and I regret ever saying it. I know this doesn't justify those words, but please listen to me." He looked down at his feet. "When you told me about your relationship, I was angry, yes. Of course I was infuriated at him. But what bothered me the most was that you lied about it so easily. How you went to him for everything and not me. It was hard to imagine that you wouldn't have to rely on your mother and I for everything anymore. I knew that you were maturing and becoming more and more independent. But you were always going to be my little Aria. The one that smiled at me the first time when she was a few weeks old, whose first word was "dada", and who always looked up to me. I always reminded myself that I would always be the number one guy in your life, and you would always be my little girl." He looked back at her now, grief evident in his expression. "When you told me otherwise that night at the father-daughter dance, was the night I realized I lost you to him. I had you for sixteen years, and already I was replaced in a matter of months. When I found out you were pregnant, my heart broke, but I needed to be there for you, like I vowed I would the day you were born.

"He was out of the picture, and I was silently thankful that I got to have you all to myself again. I did everything I could for you these past six months, and for him to come back, and for you to run back to him in one day, I finally realized that you weren't my little girl anymore. You were going to start a family. You, Ezra, and a baby. He would be the man in your life from now on. I couldn't accept it, and I still can't. But I'm going to do everything that I can to make sure you're happy and in safe hands. This baby will be an amazing addition to this family."

When Byron stopped talking, Aria had tears of her own about to spill over. She looked at him incredulously, not knowing that he had felt this way so long. She hadn't meant to shut him out, and didn't mean for the comment about not being his little girl anymore to make him this heartbroken. He kept his eyes on her, hoping that she would understand.

"Dad…" Aria said softly. She finally let all the anger and pain fade away, forgiveness taking its place. "I'm sorry too. I didn't mean to make you feel like you didn't matter."

Byron stood from the chair, walking over to Aria. "I love you, sweetheart."

Aria hugged him and, for the first time in six months, felt happy again. "I love you, too, dad."

They pulled away a moment later, her father hopeful. "Will you come home? I miss having you there."

Aria smiled, "Of course. I miss being there. I feel like I'm intruding upon Ezra anyway, although he states otherwise."

"The man truly does love you, doesn't he? I can't think of anyone else that would put up with you for this long." Byron chuckled.

"Yeah, he does. I can't either. I mean look at me, I'm an emotional mess." She smiled, wiping the tears from her eyes.

"Nonsense, you're just a hormonal teenage girl who is about to become a mother."

Aria's smile grew wider, happy that things were back to normal between the most important man in her life.