Seven Months Later

My eyes flutter open when I hear someone enter my bedroom.

"Ezra?" I mumble sleepily.

"It's me love." Ezra says as he kisses my forehead.

"What time is it?" I ask him curiously.

"About five o'clock at night." He tells me.

"Oh." I say as my tired eyes begin to close.

I don't usually sleep during the day, but being almost eight months pregnant is exhausting.

"Is she kicking a lot?" Ezra asks as he rubs my stomach.

"For the millionth time, we don't know if this baby is a girl." I remind him.

I told Ezra that I don't want to know the sex of the baby until he or she is born. This upset him for a while, but I reminded him that I am the one carrying the child.

"I know you want a little girl." Ezra says with a chuckle.

"That's not true!" I argue.

Actually it is true. As much as I love Jem, I really want a daughter that I can dress up and spoil. I know that Ezra wants a girl too.

"What do you want for dinner?" Ezra asks me.

"I'm craving Chinese food." I tell him.

"I'll order it now." Ezra says as he kisses my forehead and leaves our bedroom.

"Mommy!" Jem says as he jumps on top of the bed.

"Hey baby." I say with a weak smile.

"You look tired." Jem says concerned.

"I am." I say with a sigh.

"Are you coming to my first Little League game tomorrow?" He asks me.

"I wouldn't miss it for the world." I say as I kiss the little boy's forehead.

"Good, because I'm sure we are going to win! Daddy is the best coach in the world!" Jem says to me.

"I'm sure he is, but this is about having fun." I tell Jem seriously.

"Winning is fun." Jem says innocently.

"Jem, I hope you're letting your mother rest." Ezra says as he enters the bedroom.

"It's fine Ezra." I say with an eye roll.

"Just making sure." Ezra says.

"How was work today?" I ask Ezra curiously.

"It was good, I missed you though." Ezra says as he walks over to the bed and gives me a kiss on the lips.

"Mommy something just moved inside of your tummy!" Jem says as his eyes grow wide with shock.

"That's your little brother or sister kicking." I explain.

"Kicking isn't nice!" Jem says angrily.

"The baby doesn't know that, and you were much worse." I say with a small laugh.

"I was?" Jem asks.

"You kept me up all night." I tell him.

"I'm sorry." Jem says apologetically.

"It's not your fault that you were so lively." I say as I kiss his forehead.

"Hanna just sent you another picture of Kayla." Ezra says as he hands me my cell phone.

Kayla is Hanna and Caleb's daughter. Hanna gave birth to her about three weeks ago, and I am her Godmother.

"She is adorable!" I say happily.

At that moment our doorbell rings.

"That's the Chinese delivery man." Ezra says as he bolts out of the room.

I make my way to the living room and sit at the kitchen table. Ezra makes me a big plate of food and I dig right in.

"This is so good!" I say as I swallow a bite of an egg roll.

"You can slow down, the food isn't going to run away." Ezra teases.

I glare at Ezra angrily and he shuts right up.

"I'm so excited for the game tomorrow!" Jem tells Ezra.

"I'm glad you're enjoying Little League." Ezra says with a smile.

"You're the best coach in the world!" Jem exclaims.

"I wouldn't go that far." Ezra says with a chuckle.

"You are a wonderful teacher." I say in a suggestive voice.

"I guess I am." Ezra says as we both start to laugh.

"Where is the fried rice?" I ask as I look through the bag of Chinese food.

"You wanted that?" Ezra asks nervously.

"I told you a million times! How could you have forgotten?" I ask him angrily.

"I'm sorry Aria." He says apologetically.

"It's okay honey." I say with a sigh.

"You have to stop this Mommy!" Jem says with wide eyes.

"Stop what?" I ask curiously.

"On minute you're happy, then you're sad. You laugh, and then you cry and scream. It's getting really confusing!" Jem says as he shakes his head.

"You're right, I'm sorry." I say guiltily.

"Jem, I told you that we have to have patience with your mother until the baby is born. She can't help that she is emotional." Ezra says sternly.

"I still love you Mommy." Jem says as he gives me a hug.

"Thanks baby." I say as I kiss his forehead.

"Do you want to watch a movie tonight?" Ezra asks me.

"I'm really tired, do you mind if I go to bed?" I ask Ezra.

"Of course not, I'll finish grading papers so I won't have to worry about it this weekend." Ezra says to me.

"Goodnight Jem." I say as I kiss his forehead.

"I get to stay up later than Mommy!" Jem exclaims happily.

Ezra's POV

I stay up grading papers until midnight. When I get into my bedroom, I see Aria trying to waddle out of bed.

"Please tell me I didn't wake you up." I say concerned.

Sleeping at night has been hard for Aria, and I would feel guilty if I deprived her of anymore sleep.

"No, I can't sleep." Aria says with a sigh.

"Why are you getting out of bed? Do you want me to get you something?" I ask her.

"No, I was just going to watch a movie in the living room." Aria says.

"Honey you're exhausted!" I say as I direct her towards our bed.

"Yeah, but I can't sleep. Besides, I wouldn't want to keep you up." Aria says to me.

"Don't worry about me Aria." I tell her.

At that moment tears begin to stream down her face.

"Sweetheart why are you crying?" I ask her softly.

"It's nothing." Aria says as she tries to hold back tears.

"Somethings bothering you, tell me what's wrong." I say as I pull Aria as close as her baby bump will allow.

"Tell me what's right! I'm exhausted, and I'm so emotional and big." Aria says as she begins to sob.

"I can't imagine how difficult this is for you." I tell her sympathetically.

"Oh Ezra I don't deserve you!" Aria says through her heavy sobs.

"What are you talking about? You're the best thing that's ever happened to me." I assure her.

"You're doing so much for me and I'm probably the most annoying person in the world! I'm always so demanding, and I keep you up at night even when you have work in the morning." Aria says sadly.

"You're not annoying Aria! I'm happy to do all of those things for you." I tell her gently.

"Why?" She asks me skeptically.

"Because our baby depends on you for everything, so I want to make sure that you're taken care of." I explain.

"I really appreciate you, and everything that you do for me and this baby." Aria tells me.

"I appreciate that you're carrying our child." I say as I kiss Aria's stomach.

"I would have gone mad by now if I didn't have you to help take care of me." Aria says with a small laugh.

"I'm surprised my helping hasn't made you go mad! I have the tendency to mess everything up." I say with a chuckle.

"You do not!" Aria protests.

"The fried rice." I say as I raise an eyebrow.

"I've already forgotten about that." Aria says as she kisses my cheek.

"Why don't you try to get some sleep?" I ask her.

"I can try, but I probably won't succeed." Aria says with a sigh.

"I can read to you until you fall asleep." I offer.

"I would love that." Aria says with a smile.

"To Kill a Mockingbird?" I ask.

"Yes please." Aria says.

I begin to read the first page for the millionth time in my life. This is Aria's favorite book and mine. We named Jeremy after one of the main characters in the book, they even share the same nickname. By the time I finish the first chapter, Aria is sound asleep. I smile to myself and turn off the lights.

"I love you so much." I whisper as I kiss her forehead.

What did you think? The next chapter is about Jem's first Little League game. I'll update tomorrow if I get 15 reviews. Thanks for reading :)