A/N: I'm back? I haven't really written since I abandoned this story 3 years ago, so I apologize if it's rocky. Life got in the way and I got lazy, but quarantine has me really missing my old craft. I don't really expect anyone to read this, but if you're here I hope you enjoy!

Previously: "Marry me."

2016

Aria hadn't felt this sick to her stomach since she found out she was pregnant with Sophie. Telling her mother the news was the single most terrifying thing a young Aria had ever had to do. But that moment was about to be topped.

As Aria sat at the table by the window in the Apple Rose Café, she couldn't tear her eyes away from the street. Cars passed and parked, but none of them contained Ella…at least not yet. Her legs bounced beneath the table, a nervous habit that did absolutely nothing for her nerves, and her mouth remained impressively dry despite the large amounts of water she had gulped down. She had gone over the conversation she expected to have with Ella a million times, none of them ending in her favor. Ella wouldn't just be mad, she would be disappointed, and that was an emotion that she hadn't even shown when Aria handed her a positive pregnancy test at 18.

For eight years, Aria had done an amazing job at painting Ezra as the bad guy in her life. He had walked away from his best friend the minute he found out she was pregnant. Shortly after their blowout fight, Aria had told Ella about their 4-year clandestine relationship, conveniently leaving out the part that Ezra could also be Sophie's father. Ella hadn't understood Ezra's reaction, but she stuck by her daughter nonetheless. And when she saw the toll that the fallout was taking on her 18-year-old, she began hating the boy who had once felt like a second son to her with all of her might.

Nothing about this situation was ideal, especially the fact that Sophie had spilled the beans to Ella instead of Aria. When she last spoke to her mother on the phone to schedule this lunch date, Ella had barely said two words to her daughter. It was clear to Aria that Ella was hurt, not only by the information itself, but by the fact that it was delivered by the child and not the adult in the situation.

If Aria wanted any chance at a normal relationship with her mother, she had to be completely transparent during this lunch, no matter how awkward or embarrassed she may feel. Aria knew this. But she also knew that there was only so much information that Ella could handle in the span of a couple of hours. That's why Aria was deciding to leave out any detail of her date night with Ezra the night before. And she certainly wasn't going to mention the question Ezra had asked her after their passionate bout of love making…or her answer to said question. Ella didn't need to have a stroke today.

A gray Lexus pulled into the parking space almost directly in front of Aria's table as if it knew where she would be sitting. Aria held her breath as Ella stepped out of the car and began walking towards the door. She had sunglasses on barring Aria from getting any sort of read on her as she made her way down the sidewalk. This was going to be a rough afternoon.

When Ella crossed the threshold and spotted Aria from the hostess stand, she gave a tight-lipped smile and proceeded toward her. Aria stood up, not sure if her mother would accept a hug from a liar, but willing to try regardless.

"Hi mom," Aria held out her arms sheepishly.

"Hello," Ella said flatly as she put her sunglasses on top of her hand and, surprisingly, met Aria for a hug.

The two embraced, both noting how uncomfortable things felt between them as the did so. Aria inwardly groaned, knowing these next couple of hours would be the longest of her life. But she was a big girl. She had gotten herself into this mess and it was finally time to clear the air.

"Where's Sophie?" Ella looked at the empty chair next to Aria as they sat down across from one another.

Aria furrowed her brow, "You thought I was going to bring her?"

Aria may be a liar, but she wasn't a bad mother. She knew that this lunch could get heated. She also knew that they would be very blatantly discussing Sophie and her conception, a topic that the little girl did not need to hear ever. Sure, Sophie would've loved to see her grandmother, but this was not the time or place to do so.

"No," Ella picked up the menu and scanned it quickly. "I just want to know who you left her in the care of." Here it comes. "Is she with a friend or…her father figure?" The judgment in Ella's voice was palpable. Aria's stomach sank. There was absolutely no way that Ella was going to leave this lunch happy about the fact that Ezra was in Sophie's life.

"She's with Ezra," Aria muttered. She had wanted to lie and say she was with a friend, but that wouldn't do her any favors. There had been too many lies told already. It didn't matter if it would've just been a white lie. Even those weighed heavily in a conversation like this.

After Aria and Ezra had breakfast that morning, the two checked out of the Radley Hotel and picked Sophie up from Ella's house. Aria had hoped that Ella would stand at the door as Sophie ran down the sidewalk to their car simply so she could gauge her mother's mood in advance, but she hadn't so much as peeked out the window to see that Sophie made it safely to her parents. And that in itself told Aria everything she needed to know about what was to come.

Sophie hadn't exactly been gung-ho about staying with Ezra while Aria went to lunch with her grandmother. She was still warming up to the idea that Ezra was her real dad and being alone with him made her a little uncomfortable. In fact, when Aria had left the apartment, Sophie had been in her room with the door shut and had asked Aria to tell Ezra that she wanted to be alone for awhile. One could guess it was because she was engrossed in a game of house with her Barbie's, but both Aria and Ezra knew better. She didn't want to have to pretend to get along with Ezra for several hours. And the last Aria had heard, Ezra was keeping his distance and watching the cooking channel by himself in the living room. She hoped he wasn't offended. Sophie had been very hot and cold with him since she found out about their relation. Some days she seemed happy to have him around, others, she would be short with him and only answer to Aria. She was adjusting, and Aria was sure that spending the night at Ella's didn't help her sort out any positive emotions toward her father.

"Are you sure leaving her alone with a grown man that she barely knows is safe?" Ella looked down her nose at Aria as she asked the disgusting question.

Aria had to fight the urge to get defensive. She knew that Ella was angry, but asking a question that insinuated such a vile thing made Aria's skin crawl. How dare she? But Aria couldn't react. She couldn't play her mother's game.

"They've known each other for a few months," Aria picked up her water and took a hefty swig to calm her stomach. "He's good with her."

Ella said nothing. She just kept looking at the menu as if Aria hadn't spoken at all.

They stayed like that, in silence, until the waitress came to take their orders. Once she walked away, Ella shifted in her seat and looked directly at Aria willing her to speak. Aria licked her lips, racking her brain for the right place to start. Her story had so many jumping off points that she got dizzy thinking about all that she had been through.

Becoming impatient, Ella cleared her throat, "So, when did you and Ezra start talking again?"

Aria sighed. Ella had picked a good place to start, but it meant rehashing the Noel Kahn situation – a topic Aria really wasn't excited to get in to.

"Um, well," Aria started. "A couple of months ago, I went on a date with this guy named Noel. We went to Snookers and things were going well, so we decided we were going to…um… go back to his place." Once again, Aria could feel Ella's judgment burn through her skin, but she kept going. "When we got up from the table, I realized I was incredibly drunk and needed to use the restroom. The ladies room was locked, so Noel snuck me in to the men's. He, uh, tried to…well…hurt me," Aria decided on the least triggering word to describe how her date with Noel had ended. She watched Ella's face turn for the first time to concern as she listened to her daughter. "Luckily, he forgot to lock the door, so Ezra, who happened to be at the same bar, walked in and put a stop to it."

Ella nodded, unable to hide the feeling of déjà vu from washing over her features. It relaxed Aria to know that her mother couldn't not care about her even if she tried. But then again, it was stupid to even think that she could stop caring to begin with. Aria knew how she personally felt about Sophie. Nothing that little girl could do would ever change how Aria felt about her. She knew that Ella had the same feelings towards her. Suddenly, Aria could feel a sense of hope that had previously been lost. It may take time, but they'd get through this.

"Ezra is currently going through a divorce with Nicole and doesn't have a place to stay," Aria continued. "When he saved me, I felt like I owed him something despite all of the hate in my heart for him. So I offered him the couch for the night."

Again, Ella nodded, but said nothing. Aria had to keep speaking.

"We got to talking. It wasn't friendly, but it was cordial. Neither of us wanted to make amends, but we couldn't help how nice it felt to actually have a civil conversation again," Aria smiled slightly at the memory. "The next morning, Sophie came home early and met Ezra. Noel called me from jail asking for bail money, so I had to step out of the room. I asked Ezra to help her with breakfast because I was so flustered by my situation." Ella furrowed her brow, letting Aria know how weird it was that she just left her child alone in a room with the man she'd hated for eight years. "Yeah, not my finest moment," Aria acknowledged. "But it happened. And then Ezra let Sophie know that we had been friends for 18 years. When I found out, I got angry and went to his motel room to confront him."

"When did you tell him the news?" Ella interrupted.

"When I confronted him," Aria admitted. "It slipped out. We got into an argument about Matt and everything that happened senior year. I don't know what came over me, but suddenly I couldn't hold back."

It was the truth. She hadn't intended on ever telling Ezra about his relation to Sophie. She hadn't intended on ever telling anyone. Life would've been much simpler if she had stuck to her guns. But she hadn't and now she was here…dating Ezra, working on her relationship with her daughter and trying to explain everything to her mother.

"When did you find out that Matt wasn't Sophie's father?" Ella sipped her water.

"Um…" Aria hesitated. This was the part she feared telling Ella. It was hard enough knowing that she had lied to her mother recently. But the fact that she had lied to her mother for 5 years would feel like absolute betrayal. "I found out after Matt died."

Ella raised an eyebrow. "How soon after Matt died?"

"Pretty soon," The guilt in Aria's voice seeped through to her expression. "I knew that Ezra was Sophie's father when she was three."

Ella closed her eyes and sighed heavily. There it was. The disappointment that Aria had feared. Ella wasn't even trying to conceal it.

"You've known for five years?" Ella asked through gritted teeth.

"Yes," Aria admitted awkwardly. "I'm sorry."

Ella laughed despite herself, "Don't apologize to me. Apologize to Matt. Apologize to Matt's family. Apologize to Sophie. Apologize to Ezra's family."

Aria started blankly at her mother. She hadn't even thought about doing that. Selfishly, all Aria cared about were Ezra, Sophie and Ella. They seemed the most important, and maybe they were, but that they certainly weren't the only ones affected by this.

Matt was dead, but Aria could still apologize. A trip to his grave and a prayer that she hoped would reach Heaven would do. Matt's family had thought they had a granddaughter, a niece, a cousin…but they didn't and they deserved an apology. She had already profusely apologized to Sophie, but a few million more sorry's wouldn't hurt. And Ezra's family…much like Ezra himself, they had missed out on eight years of their relative's life. Ezra's mother didn't know she had a granddaughter. His brother, a niece. They needed to know who Sophie was to them, and they may never forgive Aria for not telling them sooner. And truthfully, Aria may never forgive herself either.

"I…" Aria started, feeling tears well up in her eyes.

"Was it even possibly that Sophie could be Matt's or did you just want her to have a father?" Ella shook her head with disappointment.

"It was possible," Aria nodded. "I, um, slept with Matt and Ezra within the span of two weeks." Though Aria knew this didn't make her a slut, she couldn't help but to feel like she needed to repent when she said those words aloud.

Ella nodded and bit the inside of her cheek. "Five years…" She clucked her tongue. "You knew Sophie was Ezra's for five years." Aria cast her eyes down to her lap. She felt the weight of what she had done begin to crush her soul.

"I know I messed up," Aria croaked. "I wish I could change it, but I was just so scared back then." She sniffed. Here came the tears. "I felt so alone and I was so selfishly convinced that Sophie needed a father more than I needed to tell the whole truth. I thought I was doing the right thing for her."

"So was Ezra really angry about you sleeping with Matt, or is there more to that story?" Ella pushed the narrative along so that she could have the full picture.

Aria shook her head and took a deep breath, forcing herself to look back up at her mother. "When I went to him and told him that I was pregnant, I was convinced that she was his. I don't know if that was intuition or just me wanting it to be Ezra over Matt, but either way, I told Ezra she was his. He asked if she could possibly be Matt's and since Matt and I had unprotected sex, the answer was yes," Aria sniffed again. "When I told him that, he asked me to involve Matt in the discussion of a paternity test. I started to freak out. I didn't want Matt to know. I didn't trust him like I trusted Ezra," She popped her knuckles under the table. "So I told Ezra I would ask Matt to take the test if it came back that Ezra wasn't the father. He didn't like that answer. He thought I was trying to tie him down and manipulate him into putting off college for me because I got pregnant. He was so angry with everything that had happened in the span of that month that he wasn't willing to even entertain the thought of taking the test unless I told Matt. When I refused, he walked out on me…on us."

Aria knew that Ezra wasn't the only one to blame. She had been incredibly selfish back then too. And her decisions led to so much heartbreak and pain years down the road. If she had only accepted his ultimatums, her life could've been a lot different.

Their food arrived before Ella could respond, but when they were alone again, she leaned back in her chair and pinched the bridge of her nose as if she had a headache.

"I knew something was off when Sophie came out with those big blue eyes," Ella admitted. "I knew Ezra for as long as you did. I knew those eyes."

Aria bit her lip, fighting off a smile. The expression didn't fit the moment, but Aria couldn't help it. Ezra had the most beautiful eyes. Sophie had the most beautiful eyes. It didn't take a rocket scientist to put two and two together. "I did too."

"Well," Ella picked up her fork and stabbed some salad leaves with a force that Aria recognized as frustration. "I don't like anything about this situation." Aria sighed. "But, none of us can go back and change what has already happened. Now, I am just concerned for the well-being of my granddaughter. And I know you must be too, right?"

Aria nodded rapidly.

"How is Sophie handling the news?" Ella asked a question she already knew the answer to. She was just testing Aria's perceptions as a mother.

"She's…" Aria trailed off, trying to think of the right word. "She's okay. Some days are better than others. Ezra and I are thinking about finding someone for her to talk to."

Ella's eyebrow shot up, "Ezra and I?"

"Yes?" Aria raised an eyebrow. Had she stuttered?

"You're allowing Ezra to make decisions for Sophie now?" Ella quizzed. Clearly, she hadn't been expecting that news.

"Yes," Aria shrugged, trying her best to look confident. "He's her father. He deserves- "

"He deserves nothing, Aria," Ella cut her off. "He wasn't around for eight years. You cannot just let him waltz in and start deciding what's good or bad for Sophie!"

Aria almost laughed. One minute ago, Ella had called Aria a good mother. Now she was questioning her parenting. She knew that Ella's concerns were valid, but Aria wasn't going to let that intimidate her.

"I'm not an idiot," Aria confirmed. "Ezra doesn't have total access to Sophie. He may be her father, but he's still learning." Ella rolled her eyes. "Ezra is trying his best. He really cares for her and he feels awful about missing out on her first eight years of life. Would I let him take her to the doctor by himself? Absolutely not. I'm not comfortable with that yet. Would I let him help me decide which therapist to take our daughter to? Absolutely." Aria sat up a little straighter to affirm her decisions. "He's her father. Point, blank, period. I am trying to help him build a relationship with his daughter because he is going to be a part of her life now. I've made a lot of mistakes in the past, but I'm not going to make another one. If Sophie can have her biological father in her life, then she will have her biological father in her life. She will learn to respect him, just as he will learn to respect her," Aria stated matter-of-factly.

"And remember," Aria added with a smirk. "If I was expected to respect my step-father and the decisions he made after missing out on 20 years of my life, Sophie can do the same with her real father who only missed eight. It's not impossible."

Aria knew she'd made her point by bringing up Ella's husband. Yes, the situations were nowhere near the same, but it was the principle of the thing. Even if Sophie never fully accepted Ezra as her biological father, one day, she would accept him as a father figure, just as Aria had with her step-dad and Ezra with his.

"She's going to need that therapy," Ella retorted, deciding against acknowledging the point Aria had made.

It was Aria's turn to roll her eyes, "We know."

"We?" Ella took another bite of her food. "Are you and Ezra a we now?"

"What do you mean?" Aria poked at her plate with her silverware, avoiding eye contact. This was a dangerous question.

"I know you two went on a date last night," Ella chewed. "So are the two of you back together or is this something you're just trying out?"

"We're…" Aria's eyes darted back and forth. How much of the truth could she reveal? "Back together." She settled on the simple answer.

Ella frowned, "Really Aria?" Her tone was accusatory, not inquisitive. Aria didn't like it, but it was what she expected. "You do realized how much more damage that could do to Sophie if you two don't work out."

Aria narrowed her eyes at her mother. Ella really did think Aria was stupid, didn't she? As if Aria hadn't already thought about this. As if Aria didn't know how much she could hurt Sophie if the two of them broke up. As if Aria didn't know how much explaining she would have to do when people found out about them being together again. Emily suspected a relationship and Spencer knew, but there was still a whole list of old friends and new who didn't know the status of Aria and Ezra. It was going to be a bitch to explain, but it was worth it.

"We've talked about it," Aria shoveled a bite of food into her mouth, realizing she hadn't taken a single bit yet despite the food being in front of her for several minutes now. "It's a process and a risk, but we're willing to try for Sophie's sake."

"It just doesn't sound like you have Sophie's best interest at heart," Ella pursed her lips. "I'm not trying to be a bitch, Aria, but I think remaining friends and simply co-parenting would be easier for Sophie to understand and run absolutely no risk to her development."

For the first time in their entire conversation, Aria was fuming. Ella knew absolutely nothing about Aria and Ezra's relationship now. It was so much more mature. It was so much more official. They were meant to be. And there was no way that growing up in a two-parent household would do any harm to Sophie's "development."

"Don't tell me that I'm hurting my daughter by trying to have a relationship with her father," Aria seethed. "Dad walked out on us when I was 15 and I can promise you that that did way more damage to me than Ezra and I being together again could ever do to Sophie."

She watched as what looked to be guilt flash over Ella's features before something that resembled annoyance settled on her face instead. "You don't know that. Getting back together, breaking up, getting back together, breaking up…what kind of example would that be setting for Sophie?"

"Who said anything about us breaking up?" Aria's eye twitched.

"It's a possibility," Ella shrugged.

"So was death when I married a guy in the military," Aria huffed. "That didn't stop me from doing it."

She knew it was wrong to bring up Matt in that context, but she couldn't help it. She knew Ella hated Ezra and that wasn't just going to disappear anytime soon, but Aria couldn't stand to hear her degrade their relationship the way that she was.

"Aria," Ella's face contorted with discomfort. "All I'm saying is that you never know what could happen. Besides, isn't Ezra still legally married?"

Flashback

"Marry me," Ezra whispered against her lips.

Aria had been so caught up in the moment that she almost hadn't heard what Ezra had said. However, when her brain finally processed it, she pulled back and stared at him with her wide doe-eyes.

"What did you just say?" She squeaked.

"Marry me," Ezra said, this time with more conviction. It hadn't been an accident or a slip of the tongue. He had meant it.

"I...um…Ezra," Aria backed away, pulling the sheet up over her chest. She's pictured Ezra's proposal to her since she was 14 years old, but this was never a scenario she'd dreamt up. She truly didn't know what to say.

"I know it's not the most romantic thing," Ezra said, reading her mind. "But I couldn't let tonight get away without asking you."

"But…" Aria started. "But, we've only been back together for a couple of months. This is…this is crazy." She shook her head. She wasn't saying no; she just couldn't believe what was happening.

"Aria," Ezra sighed, tilted her chin so that she could look him in the eyes. "I have known that you were the one for me since we were 14 years old. In the eight years that we spent apart, I never felt whole. The minute you walked back into my life, I felt like a person again. You complete me. It would be wrong of me to ignore this chance that life has given us. I want you to be my wife. I want to be a family."

Tears welled up in Aria's eyes at the same time something clicked in her brain. She thought Ezra had asked her out to this fancy date to get her mind off having lunch with her mother, but that hadn't been the case at all. He had asked her here to propose. He'd prepared this and timed it perfectly. She hadn't suspected a thing.

"But…" Aria started again. "You're still married to Nicole."

Ezra smiled lightly before throwing the sheets off of his naked body, slipping on his boxers and walking over to his overnight bag. He shuffled around in the bag for a moment before pulling out a few papers and returning to his spot beside her on the bed.

"Signed and sealed," Ezra handed the documents over to her. "They just need to be delivered."

Aria kept her eyes on Ezra as she unfolded the papers, only tearing them away once she knew they were all of the way open.

It was Ezra's divorce papers, signed by both him and Nicole. The moment he handed these over to a judge, their marriage would be over and Ezra would be a single man again.

"When did you…" Aria trailed off.

"Yesterday," Ezra shrugged. "It will be official come Monday morning. My accounts will unfreeze and I will no longer be married."

Aria bit her lip. She didn't know if she was trying not to smile or trying not to cry. She was overwhelmed, but something deep inside of her was elated. He was single. There would be absolutely nothing stopping them from being together again. It was finally completely right between them.

"Did you get me a ring?" Aria let out a breathy laugh as a tear fell on to the papers. How could she not cry at a moment like this? She'd have to be a robot.

"Not yet," Ezra turned a little red, though Aria didn't see. "I need money to be able to do that. But I'll take you ring shopping on Monday. That is…" Ezra leaned down to coax Aria's eyes back to him. "…if you say yes."

Aria searched his eyes for any sign of doubt or hesitation. When she came up empty, the only thing left to do was smile and nod profusely.

"Yes," Aria cried. "Yes, yes, a million times yes!"

End of flashback

"No," Aria couldn't help the smile that crept up on her lips. "They signed the papers a couple of days ago."

"Oh," Ella cocked her head to the side. "You should still reconsider. Think about Sophie."

Aria rolled her eyes once more, "Trust me. I am thinking about my daughter."

"I just don't want her…or you…to get hurt by Ezra," Ella looked at Aria earnestly. "Again."

Aria shook her head and smiled, "We won't. I promise."

Ella may not be on board with Ezra yet. It may take her months or even years to come around. And she just might have a stroke when Aria comes to pick Sophie up from her house with a rock on her finger in the near future. But regardless, Aria knew she was making the right decision for herself and her daughter. Ezra was going to right his wrong and make them a family. Sophie would have a real father and a married mother. Things would be good. Aria just knew it.

A/N: Wow, it felt good to write again. If you are here, feel free to leave a review! I'd really appreciate it. I actually already have the epilogue of this story written, so if I get into a funk again, I can at least upload that, but I truly want to finish this story. It's been 3 years and it still drives me crazy that I never finished it. I need closure, haha.

Anyways, thank you so much for reading! See ya soon!

Xoxo -Erin