Here it is! It's a long one! Over 2,000 words! I had a little trouble writing the gender reveal party part but I think it turned out okay. I hope ya'll are happy with it and please please please make sure to review! I love hearing from you! Also be sure to go to my page and check out my other Ezria oneshot titled Breakeven! Also my new twitter account for this story and my others! Just search Fairly Foolish on twitter! Anyway I hope ya'll enjoy it! It might be a while before I get the next one up!
Amanda
Chapter 18: Revelations
Four hours after leaving the doctor's office we were sitting at a small table in the back of the local Rosewood bakery. We had just handed over the envelope; I had had to keep it in my pocket the whole drive because Ezra kept trying to steal it away so he could get a peek. Now, Janet, the head baker and owner of Rosewood Confections, was sketching out the design for the cake as I explained what we were going for. Together, Hanna and I had come up with a unique but simple design.
The cake would be just two tiers, with one tier for each baby. So that when we cut through the first tier we would find out Baby A's gender and cutting through the bottom tier we would reveal Baby B's gender. On top of the cake would be two little babies sitting in pea pods, with the words Two Peas in a Pod written in icing across the bottom tier. Fondant ivy and vines would be dripping from both tiers in an elegant display. I had to give Hanna the most credit for doing some intense Google image researching. The cake was going to be perfect and I couldn't wait to see it. I just hoped the rest of the planning and decorating was going to go as smoothly as planning the cake had gone.
When we had finished up at the bakery we headed over to Ella and Byron's house for dinner. Hanna was joining us so she and I could go over more details for the party this weekend. Because all of my close family and friends, as well as many of Ezra's friends, lived in Rosewood, we had concluded that it was best to have the reveal party at my mother's house.
"So, what time are we starting on Saturday anyway?" Ezra asked as we pulled to a stop at a red light.
"One o'clock. That gives everyone enough time to visit for a while and then around two we will cut the cake."
"You're going to make me wait that long?"
"Yes! Trust me, it will be worth it." I leaned across the console, pulling him into me as I kissed him. His lips moved against mine in a swift motion, quickening when I allowed entrance to his tongue. He took his right hand off the steering wheel, placing it on my cheek, rubbing small, calming circles with his thumb. I pulled away, our noses touched as we fought to catch our breath that puffed out in hot streams of air. I tilted his chin up to mine, softly nibbling on his lips with my teeth.
A horn suddenly blared behind us and we shot apart. The light had turned green without us realizing. I slumped back in my seat, a quiet peal of laughter escaping from my lips. Ezra shot me a dumbfounded glance before breaking out in laughter too. We wondered if anyone had seen us and pondered what each of their thoughts could have been, keeping us in a fit of giggles all the way to my parent's house.
Dinner went well, it was nice to catch up and spend time with the family as well as Hanna. Emily and Spencer had even been able to join us for dessert and afterwards the girls and I set to work on getting the last minute details of the baby shower complete.
The following two days passed by quickly, between my online classes and finishing up the baby shower I was exhausted at the end of the day. When Friday night rolled around I crawled into bed eagerly, snuggling up against Ezra's warm muscular body and easily drifting into a deep sleep.
Saturday morning came all too quickly; Ezra and I had to be out of the house no later than nine in order to make sure we had plenty of time to pick Ezra's parents up from the Philadelphia International Airport before getting to mom's a couple of hours before the party started.
"Aria, I'm worried that you're going to cause too much stress over this party." Ezra stated. It was a little after eight in the morning and we had just stepped out of the shower.
"Ezra, I want to help plan it, it's the baby shower that others are supposed to host, not the gender reveal. I just want to help do some last minute decorating and besides we have to pick up the cake still. Not to mention I want your parents and my parents to spend some quality time together before everyone gets there."
Ezra nodded his head in agreement, and then shot me a confused look, "Hanna isn't picking the cake up?"
"No, Hanna is going to be helping Ella and your all morning getting food and decorations ready. Besides, I want us to be the first ones to see the cake."
"Okay, but you are going to be limited to how much help you give when it comes time for the baby shower."
"That's fine by me." I said, pulling a pair of maternity jeans on. Even though I was four months pregnant with twins, I had been surprised earlier this week when I had gone to put my normal jeans on and they hadn't fit. I had to admit that the maternity jeans were quite comfy, something I hadn't been expecting.
Ezra and I finished getting ready and before long we were out the door and on our way to the Philadelphia International Airport, or PHL as it was known to the locals.
Still tired, I slept nearly the whole way to the airport. Ezra gently roused me awake when we arrived and we walked hand in hand from the car to the elevator. I was nervous to meet his parents, but Ezra assured me that from what they said about me to him on the phone that they already loved me.
"Is their flight in yet?" I questioned as we exited the elevator onto the arrival and departure floor.
Ezra glanced down at his watch before responding, "It's the next flight in. About ten minutes." I flashed him a nervous smile in response as we wound our way in between passengers that streamed out of the double doors that led to the gates. When we reached the giant electronic board that said which gate Ezra's parents' flight was coming in at we stopped and looked to make sure we were headed in the right direction.
"Uhh, okay. Flight 254 comes in at gate 7B in four minutes. And it is," Ezra paused, a finger in the air as he spun around to figure out which way we were headed. "That way." He decided, and we started off toward gate 7B. We reached the gate just as the plane slowed to a stop on the tarmac. Ezra pulled me by the hand, weaving in and out of the small crowd of family and friends that had gathered to great their loved ones off the plane. He was fidgety by my side as we waited for the plane to be hooked up to the tunnel that allowed passengers on and off the plane. A flight attendant came over the loudspeaker as people finally began to trickle into the waiting area.
"Flight 254, from Philadelphia to San Francisco, will begin boarding in fifteen minutes at gate 7B."
Ezra and I both craned our necks, searching for his parents, and a few moments later I noticed Ezra's face light up. He pulled me forward a few steps and his parents swam into view.
"Oh! There they are!" His mother cried, rushing forward. She took Ezra in her arms, kissing him on the forehead and cheeks.
"Oh my, I missed you so much Ezra. It's so good to see you!" She cooed. Jack, Ezra's father, stepped around them and looked me up and down before wrapping me up in a hug.
"How nice it is to finally meet the woman that my boy has been telling us so much about!"
"Awe, thank you. It's so nice to meet you as well."
"Gloria, isn't she lovely?" Jack said, pulling out of the embrace.
"Oh well, aren't you gorgeous! Just look at that face! Oh, come here darling, let me see that belly." I felt my cheeks flush as she placed a hand on my stomach for a moment before pulling me into a warm hug. "I can't wait to find out what you two are having!"
"Thank you Gloria." I glanced up and caught Ezra's eyes, only then noticing how much he looked like his mom. He had the same exact color of eyes as his dad but every other feature he had inherited from his mom, from the hair color right down to my favorite boyish smile of his.
We conversed as we made our way to the luggage claim, Jack talking Ezra's ear off about last weekend's football game and Gloria asking questions about my family and the pregnancy. After gathering Jack and Gloria's luggage we made our way back to the car.
Ezra pulled into the Rosewood Confections parking lot a few minutes past noon. He hurried into the building and a minute later came out carrying a pink box with the bakery's logo printed on the top.
"Don't peek at it Aria." Ezra joked as he set the box in my lap. Giggling, I punched him playfully in the arm.
"Hurry up, I want to get to my mom's before the party starts." I teased.
Fifteen minutes later we were finally at Ella and Byron's house. We all scrambled out of the car, Ella met us on the porch, her face a canvas of happiness. Hanna appeared over her shoulder as I ran up the sidewalk and wrapped them up in a hug at the same time.
"I've missed you Aria." Ella said, kissing my cheek.
"We've been busy." Hanna said, pointing behind her into the house. I noticed through the open door decorations hung from every corner of the living room.
"Wow! Looks like there's nothing left for me to help with. It looks great." Ella and Hanna smiled, then Ella turned to give Ezra a hug.
"Ella, Hanna, this is my mom, Gloria, and my dad, Jack." Ezra introduced his parents and they stepped forward to give Ella and Hanna a hug.
"Oh it's so nice to meet yawl. Your daughter is just adorable and she and Ezra get along so well." Gloria drawled in her thick Texan accent.
"She sure is." Jack added.
"Oh thank you. It's so nice to meet you too. And your son is the perfect match for Aria. I couldn't have asked for a better guy." She flashed a wink and a smile in Ezra and I's direction, her way of saying even after all that had happened she really meant it. "Come on in, my husband should be down in just a moment."
We spent the last hour before the party chatting and finishing getting the food ready. Ezra insisted that no one look at the cake until it was time to cut it, causing me to be more anxious than I already was. Finally it was time for guests to begin showing up, I had only sent out invitations to close friends of Ezra and I. Spencer, Emily, Maya, Toby and Ezra's friend Hardy were the first to show up. Followed closely by Mona, the girls' parents, my grandparents, and a few of Byron and Ella's colleagues. The first hour flew by quickly. Ezra and I received multiple congratulatory messages and everyone seemed to be enjoying the food and themselves.
After what seemed like an all-day wait, it was cake cutting time. Ezra and I gathered everyone and flowed into the kitchen, the cake sat on the island in the middle of the room, guests swarmed around us on all sides. Ezra pulled the cake out of the box and a uniformed gasp escaped into the room. The cake was just what I had pictured it to be, delicately designed and flawless enough that I didn't want to cut into it. I cast a nervous glance at Ezra, butterflies swam in my stomach. This was the moment we found out what genders our babies were.
"You ready?" Ezra asked, picking up a knife off the counter. I nodded slowly, grabbing a plate to set the slices on. Ezra and I held the end of the knife together; I could hear the excited breaths of everyone in the room, anxious to get a peek at the color of the cake. Slowly we sliced through the first tier, I closed my eyes for a split second and when I opened them I saw a glimpse of the spongy inside of the cake. I let out a gasp along with the Ezra and the rest of the room as we placed the first piece of cake on the plate. The spongy inside was a pale purple.
"Baby A is a girl!" Ezra announced, the whole room breaking out in applause.
"Yes!" I heard Hanna exclaim.
"Congratulations." Ezra said, leaning in to give me a long kiss on the lips.
"Congratulations to you too, Daddy." I smiled. It was then that I noticed tears beginning to trickle down my cheek. "Okay let's cut the other piece before my mascara runs off onto the cake." I joked, causing our audience to laugh. We picked up the knife after wiping it clean and cut through the bottom tear. Again I closed my eyes as Ezra lifted the piece out of place. I opened my eyes just as I heard my mom exclaim, "Oh!" The crumbly inside of the bottom tier was colored orange.
"It's a boy!" I mumbled in disbelief. We were going to be the proud parents of a little boy and a little girl! Ezra kissed me again, his lips soft and warm against mine, the sound of family and friends clapping filled our ears as we shared our moment of happiness.