My sincere apologies for this being so late! I am glad to finally be finished with this chapter as I can't wait for y'all to read it! I hope you enjoy it!

This is the last chapter of the story! I have not fully decided on if there will be an epilogue or not. Thank you to everyone who has read this story from the very beginning starting with Fairly Foolish! All of you dedicated readers have made this an incredible experience! Thank you!

Reviews are very much appreciated!

Amanda

Chapter 26: Walking on Water

I have just arrived home from dropping the twins off at preschool and am sitting down to play with Brennen when the living room fire alarm suddenly began to blare boisterously. The thick scent of smoke fills my nostrils at the same time I notice bright orange flames clinging to the edge of the ceiling.

I jump up in a panic, cold sweat clings to my neck as I take in my surroundings and the ringing sound that still reverberates in my ears. The room is dark and it takes a few seconds to allow my eyes to adjust. I feel the weight of Ezra's body move beside me then hear a tap as he pushes the snooze button. He rolls over to face me.

"Did you have a bad dream?" He questions quietly, the heat from his body pressing against me.

"No. I…Your alarm just startled me." I assure him, my eyes fully adjusted to the dark now. They fall on the subtle outline of his jaw, tracing along his gentle silhouette.

"Are you sure you don't want me to stay home and help set up for the party?"

"No, I'll be fine. Hanna will be here, remember?"

"Okay." Ezra says. He leans closer, his warm lips connect with mine for a brief second, and then he is rolling away from me. He taps the off button on the alarm and tumbles out of bed. The warmth of his body next to mine quickly dissipates in his absence.

Somehow I am able to roll back over and drift off to sleep for three more hours.

"How are those cards coming along you two?" I ask Lila and Ben later in the morning as I am cleaning up from breakfast.

"Good!" The twins say in unison, barely glancing up from their work. I smile, watching them scribble furiously across colorful pages of paper. The only way I could get to them to calm down and stop pestering me about Brennen's birthday party was to have them construct birthday cards for him. Of course now I'll have one more mess to clean up once they are finished dropping pieces of paper onto the floor, spreading glitter across the table and themselves and smearing glue across their hands but at least they aren't under my feet…for now.

Hanna arrives with Sophia a couple of hours later as I'm tossing the third load of laundry for the day into the dryer.

"Yay! You're here! The kids are napping and I've been running around all morning like a chicken with her head cut off." I greet Hanna, scooping Sophia out of her arms.

Hanna sweeps her eyes over my disheveled hair and pajamas. "Wow, I can tell." She grins sarcastically, her eyes twinkling.

"Han!" I reprimand, smacking her arm. "I didn't say I looked like a chicken with her head cut off, I said I've been acting like one."

"Well I'm here now so go make yourself look like a human. I'll give you my baby back when you look presentable."

I groan, handing Sophia over. "Fine."

"What can I do while you're getting ready?"

"Dishes, please?" I plead with my eyes. Hanna rolls hers.

"Okay." She agrees.

I turn and dash up the stairs as Hanna sets Sophia down in Brennen's pack-and-play. The warm water cascading over my body in the shower soothes my aching muscles. Drowsiness suddenly creeps over me and I reach to shut the water off before it can fully consume me. I dry off quickly, attempting to avoid the chill of the air on my wet skin.

I hear Brennen fussing in his crib as I am pinning my hair up. I quickly secure a few more strands in place with the help of some bobby pins before pushing open the door of Brennen's room.

"Hello baby. Did you have a good nap?" I whisper quietly, pulling him from his crib. I grab his birthday outfit and tip-toe down the hallway, trying not to wake the twins, knowing this rare nap will do them well later on during the party.

Hanna is rocking Sophia to sleep when I reach the living room.

"I got the dishes done, the floor swept and the laundry switched over." She whispers to me.

"Thank you!" I whisper-shout back, settling Brennen onto the couch so I can change his diaper. I wait until after he has had his lunch before changing him into his birthday outfit, an adorable long-sleeve blue plaid shirt and a pair of dark denim jeans.

"No ridiculously adorable outfit to match the party décor this time?" Hanna questions as she prepares sandwiches for us, a smile lingering upon her face.

I shake my head. "Lila and Ben ruined their outfits on their first birthday, so I figured something cute but not over done would work just fine this time. He has so many plaid shirts I don't care if this one gets so smothered in cake I can't save it."

"That was horrible! I still can't believe you can actually smash cake into a shirt so much that it won't come out no matter how much you scrub it!" Hanna recalls, laughing.

"My arms hurt so badly from all of that scrubbing, never again." I say, snapping the last button on Brennen's outfit. I place him in his high chair and hand him some snacks to eat while Hanna and I have our lunch.

"Mommy?" Lila's sleepy voice interrupts Hanna and I as we are beginning to eat. I glance over toward the sound of her voice and find her peering around the corner of the living room wall, her left hand rubbing the sleep from her eyes as a yawn grows on her delicate, soft face.

"Did you have a good nap baby?" I ask, holding my arms out to her. She shuffles over to me and I pull her up into my lap.

"Yeah." She responds finally, settling against my chest. "Did I miss Brennan's party?"

"No silly. You didn't miss the party."

"Good." Lila smiles.

"Are you hungry Lila? I can make you a sandwich." Hanna says, speaking for the first time since Lila entered the kitchen. Lila offers her a tiny nod of her head.

Finally after getting everyone fed, including Ben, who woke up shortly after Lila, Hanna and I get started on decorating for the party. We assign simple tasks to Lila and Ben and by the time Ezra walks in the door at three P.M with the cake the house is complete.

"Wow!" Ezra compliments as he sets the cake down to kiss me, "All we are missing now is wrapping paper and children flying all over the house."

Hanna and I laugh. "The party starts at three-thirty so you won't have to wait much longer." I tell him, leaning in for another kiss. No sooner have I finished speaking when the doorbell rings.

"I've got it." Hanna hollers, already halfway into the foyer.

"Thanks Han!" I manage, between kissing Ezra. Finally I push him away. "I have to make the punch, sorry." Ezra frowns at me before placing the cake in the refrigerator. Hanna returns a few moments later trailed closely by Spencer, Toby and their boys as well as Emily, Paige and their daughter.

"Hey!" I greet enthusiastically, making my way around the room as I hug everyone.

"Oh my gosh you two have gotten so big since Auntie saw you last!" I coo at Ava and Jackson, both snuggled in their moms' arms. I pluck seven-month-old Ava from Emily's arms, kissing her on the cheek.

"It's only been two weeks since you last saw Ava, has she really grown that much?" Paige asks as we walk into the living room.

"Yes, she looks like she has grown an inch. Ava you have to stop growing. Auntie wants you to stay a baby forever." I coo at her. She smiles, revealing two tiny teeth protruding from her pink gums.

"Don't mind her," Ezra says, entering the living room with Brennen on his hip, "She has had a bad case of baby fever recently." Hanna nudges him hard in the side with her elbow.

"Ow!" He grimaces, shooting Caleb a look that says, keep your wife in check. Caleb shrugs, causing the rest of us to erupt in laughter.

As the clock ticks closer to three-thirty, more people begin to arrive. First Ella and Bryon, then Mike and his girlfriend, next was Hardy, and finally Ezra's parents, Jack and Gloria arrived.

As everyone catches up with one another the party festivities slowly begin to unwind, each easing gracefully from one into another. By the time Brennen is half way through tearing open his presents he is cranky and ready for a nap.

"Looks like there wasn't enough sugar in that cake." Ezra comments as Brennen, cradled in Ezra arms, begins drifting asleep amidst the growing chatter of the children.

"The presents can wait until tomorrow. He is a tired boy." Gloria says, gazing admiringly at Brennen. Sophia, who is nestled on Gloria's lap, begins to fuss, her soft cries calling Caleb into the living room from the kitchen.

"I think Miss Sophia is done as well." Gloria laughs, handing her over to Caleb. Sophia reaches for Caleb as he pulls her into his embrace, her weight collapsing against the safety and familiarity of his body.

"Shh, Sophie. Daddy's here." Caleb hushes, kissing her on the head. Sophia rubs her eyes with the back of her pudgy hands as her mouth rounds into a yawn. Her cries fade as she rests her head on his shoulder. She is asleep before Hanna returns from the restroom.

"I heard her crying from down the hall. Is she okay?" Hanna asks, rubbing Sophia's back and kissing her rosy cheeks.

"She's exhausted. She fell asleep as soon as she hit my shoulder." Caleb informs Hanna.

"We better get her home." Hanna says. Caleb nods in agreement.

"Happy Birthday Brennen, Auntie Hanna and Uncle Caleb love you. We'll see you soon." Hanna whispers to Brennen, who is fast asleep in Ezra's arms. She places a gentle kiss on the top of his head and then turns to hug me.

"See you later Ar. It was an awesome party and I know you couldn't have done it without me. You're welcome" She teases, a sly grin creeping across her face.

I smack her arm. "Yeah, yeah. Thank you for your help. I really do appreciate it."

Hanna laughs, turning to say bye to everyone else.

After everyone has gone home, except Ezra's parents, we begin the daunting task of dismantling all of the decorations and cleaning up the kitchen. Thankfully Gloria and Jack volunteer to entertain the kids for us.

We finally finish just as Gloria and Jack take the kids upstairs to get ready for bed. Ezra plops down on the couch.

"Who knew a birthday party for a one-year-old could be so exhausting?" He sighs.

"Hey now, you got here after the decorating was done. I did more work than you." I tease, flashing a playful smile at him. He sticks his tongue out at me as his finger brushes the tip of my nose.

"And you did a fine job." He says, kissing my forehead.

"Awh, thank you." I kiss him back, a soft, chaste kiss on his lips, before pulling away suddenly. "Oh! I almost forgot. I have a gift for you." I say, jumping up from the couch and rushing into the living room.

"A gift for me?" Ezra replies, startled. His voice follows me into the kitchen. I return a few seconds later carrying a small rectangular box.

"Yeah. You are such an amazing daddy to our four crazy kiddos. I though you deserved a nice gift." I explain. Ezra eyes me curiously, taking the box into his hands, as I climb onto his lap.

He slowly unties the ribbon, his eyes averting from the box to mine, an inquisitive look still upon his face.

Ezra's POV:

"If you don't hurry up I'll open it for you." Aria practically yells at me. My eyebrows raise further as I pull the top off the blue box. A stunning silver watch lies on a blanket of blue velvet. My eyes widen as I pull it out of the case.

"The diamonds are the birthstones of our kids." Aria explains to me. Embedded around the face of watch are five bright gemstones. The first four make sense: aquamarine for Wyatt, pink tourmaline for the twins, and topaz for Brennen. But the fifth…. My mind shuffles around trying to remember Aria's birthstone. Suddenly it hits me.

Aria's POV:

I see the moment the meaning of the fifth gemstone, a ruby, clicks in Ezra's head. His ice-blue eyes light up as he looks up into mine and whispers, "Are you pregnant?"

I'm unable to answer "Yes" as his lips crash into mine and the watch falls unforgotten onto the couch beside us.