Chapter 20

AN – The last scene is rated more M than T

Aria's pov

Standing in the hotel garden with everyone, the photographer took the after ceremony bridal party photos. We already did just the guys, just the girls, the bridesmaids with the groomsmen, Spencer with the groomsmen, Toby with the bridesmaids, the ones of just Spencer and Toby with each one of us, them with just the kids, and family photos with Ella, dad, Peter, Mary, Alex… and even Wren. No one understood why Wren stayed after Melissa had gotten escorted out of the hotel, but he hasn't caused any problems so far.

"Okay, are there any other photos you want done?" The photographer asked Spencer.

"I think that was about it." Spencer said.

"Did we do the photos with just Aria and Caleb?" Toby piped up.

"Yeah, did we do our photos with Aria and Caleb?" Spencer repeated, looking at me.

"Seriously, did we?" I inquired, turning to Caleb.

"Did they do their best man and maid of honor photos? Also, why are we obsessed with mentioning Aria and Caleb?" Emily managed between fits of laughter.

"Because home girl, we're iconic." Caleb pointed out laughing.

"Keep thinking that Techie boy." Emily teased.

Oliver came over by me, lifting his arms for me to pick him up as Spencer and Toby spoke with the photographers about what pictures have already been taken and what still needs to be done. So far Oliver has been good throughout the ceremony and photos, but I'm not sure how much longer he'll be able to stand still for any other photos they may want him in…. we're all shocked Luna made it this long.

"We have not done the maid of honor and best man photos yet." Toby called out.

Oliver wrapped his arms around my neck and I kissed his forehead, hopefully we can finish today without any tantrums from him. But the pass few days, he has been clingier than usual and I'm starting to worry if it's because of the baby…. Which Ezra and I still need to tell the boys that they're going to have twin sisters instead of one sibling.

"Ollie you have to go with daddy now. I'll be inside soon" I told Oliver, setting him back on his feet.

"Daddy, I gotta go potty." Oliver told Ezra, hurrying towards him.

"Yeah… let's get you to the bathroom lil man." Ezra responded.

….

Walking into the reception ballroom with Caleb, I saw the kids coloring at our parents' table with Ezra and Hardy. Caleb headed towards the bar, where Josh was having a drink with Peter and my dad. The ballroom looks even more beautiful than what I imagined when Spencer told me the colors. Oliver looked up from his coloring and scrambled off his chair when he saw me, getting Ezra to look up as well and gave him a soft smile.

"Mama, I'm hungry." Oliver said, coming up to me.

"Let's get you a little snack. We'll be eating dinner soon baby, so I don't want you eating too much." I told him

"Daddy gave me three cheese cubes." He told me.

"Really? Did you like them?" I asked, receiving a nod.

Taking his hand in mine, I led him towards the appetizers and he looked at all the options. There were stuffed mushrooms, mini meatballs, a cheese and cracker platter, fruit salad with strawberries, blueberries, and mangoes. Most of the appetizers on the table are things Oliver wouldn't like or will refuse to try, which there are not that many things he wouldn't try.

"Sawberry mama." Oliver said excitedly.

"Alright, but you need to eat the other fruits as well and not just the strawberries." I told him, scooping up a tiny bit fruit salad for him as Ezra walked up.

"Am I able to get Ollie another kiddie cocktail?" Ezra whispered.

"You're his father, you can make that call Ez." I said quietly

"I wasn't sure if you wanted him to have a lot of sugar today." He said

"Well, he's going home with my parents…. So, it doesn't matter." I joked and he chuckled before going to get another drink for Oliver.

I glanced over to see Oliver tugging at his bowtie, we all knew at some point he would want it off. The fact that Oliver has gone this long with it still on is surprising to me since he has never enjoyed wearing ties unless it's as a pirate headband or a karate belt. When I had put one on him for his first birthday, he cried until I took it off, then for my grandfather's funeral and even Mr. Fields's funeral, he kept yanking his tie off and tried hiding it.

"Mama, can I take this off yet?" Oliver asked with hopeful eyes.

"Yes, you can baby. Here, let mama get it for you." I said and set his plate on the table.

Kneeling down, I quickly untied his tie and he took it off before handing back to me. He reached into his blazer pocket and pulled out his black sunglasses, placing them onto his face. Somehow, Toby managed to convince Spencer to let Oliver and Malcolm be secret agents that need to protect the rings. Pretty sure she only agreed because of how cute the boys looked like as agents.

"Oh, aren't you a handsome little agent." I said, making him giggle.

"Where's daddy?" He asked, looking around.

"Over there, you going to go show him your glasses?" I asked, receiving a swift nod.

I pointed over to the bar, where Ezra's getting Oliver's drink. As Ezra noticed me pointing, Oliver ran towards him and I looked down to see that I still had his plate on the table. Picking it up, I walked over to our parent's table to hear Malcolm and Dani talking with Chloe about what teachers they're hoping to get in the upcoming school year and what clubs they might do. Noticing me with his food, Oliver dragged Ezra over and I heard Oliver telling Ezra how he can play with the activity book with him.

"We can play the x and o game." Oliver told Ezra as I saw Caleb motioning for me to come over to the bar

"Make sure he doesn't just eat the strawberries." I whispered to Ezra, receiving a nod.

Ruffling Oliver's hair, I made my way over to Caleb at the bar. As I finally walked up to him, he handed me a flute of sparkling cider and picked up his bottle of beer. We both knew that being best man and maid of honor was going to be quite a job, we just didn't think of the possibility of Melissa reverting back to her old bitchy self and having Veronica showing up. If I had gotten my way, I would have murdered Melissa for putting all that stress on Spencer. Of all the days to be a bitch, Melissa chose the worse day to do it.

"To us, for being the best maid of honor and best man ever to walk the planet." Caleb said, clinking his bottle to my flute.

"You did the hard work of actually getting Melissa and Veronica out." I pointed out.

"No, the hard work was keeping you from murdering Melissa." He joked.

As I rolled my eyes at him, I saw Mike holding Aiden as he talked with Elizabeth and Uncle William from Dad's side. Ella is at her table talking with a couple of Marion's family members while coloring with Oliver and Luna. I looked towards the entrance even though Spencer and Toby haven't been announced yet. Oliver came hurrying towards me and Caleb picked him up before I could.

"Mama, is the scary lady or Mellie coming back?" Oliver asked.

"No, but let's not mention them around Spencie okay?" I told him

"Okay mama. I gonna go color now." He responded.

"Hey ace, will you color me a picture tonight?" Caleb asked and Oliver nodded.

Caleb stood Oliver back down just for him to rush back to the table. Spencer wanted to get a bunch of things for the kids to do during the reception but there wasn't a whole lot of room in their budget, and the hotel took up most of it. Luckily, the hotel offered the catering, the decorations, and the block of hotel rooms for guests that decided to stay in the hotel overnight. While Spencer took care of planning almost everything, Toby got put in charge of the music and the honeymoon. Josh came up to me and I gave him a smile.

"Can I get you a drink?" Josh asked.

"I would love a cherry coke." I told him.

"Your wish is my command." Josh said softly

Hopefully, he won't get me an alcoholic cherry coke and I won't have to tell him about being pregnant yet, let alone expecting twins. Even though I'll have to tell him soon, I'm not sure if I'm ready to have that conversation with him yet and telling him here might not be a great idea. Besides, sooner or later I'll have to tell him that Ezra and I are expecting twins… no one knows yet, not even the boys. Just as Josh walked off towards the bar, the music stopped and we all looked over towards the DJ.

"What is it?" I asked.

"Nothing, seeing you and Josh together… it's just different from your past relationships and I'm not just talking about Ezra. Forget it, this isn't the time and I shouldn't have said anything." He said

"Caleb, I like to think we've gotten closer in New York and I even consider you my brother. We both know there's something you want to say, now say it." I told him.

"Fine, you want me to say it… I think you're forcing yourself to believe you're happy being with Josh. I may have seen you with Jake once, but you were happier back then than you are now." He said quietly.

"Being with Josh makes me happy, I promise." I responded, but I don't think he believed it

"Ladies and gentlemen, for the first time ever…. Mr. and Mrs. Cavanaugh! Please clear the floor as the bride and groom begin their first dance as husband and wife" The DJ exclaimed.

He quickly started playing Glitter in the Air by P!nk, Spencer and Toby walked through the door and we all started cheering. I watched as he pulled her close him as they hit the dance floor, it's obvious they're in their own little world right now. Josh walked back with a bottle of beer and a glass of cherry coke and Caleb quickly excused himself, Josh handed me the glass of coke and gave me a soft smile.

"I even got the bartender to give you a couple cherries." Josh whispered.

"Thank you." I said softly, kissing his cheek.

He took my hand in his before leading me towards the bridal party table, where Emily and Hanna were already sitting. Josh sat down next to me as Malcolm came over with Dani and they sat in their seats. I looked around, to make sure Oliver was behaving and I saw him and Ezra playing something in one of the coloring books the kids' brought at the parent's table.

"How did they come up with Glitter in the air for their first dance?" Josh asked.

"It's their song. On their first date, Toby was driving Spencer home and this song came on and they ended up having their first kiss to the song." I explained.

"Maybe tonight we'll find our own song." He whispered and brushed his lips to mine.

"The bride and groom invite you all to join them on the dance floor." The DJ called out.

As Josh pulled away, 'Thinking out loud' by Ed Sheeran came on and he took my hands in his before leading me onto the floor, along with everyone else. I wrapped my arms around his neck as he pulled me close to him. Chloe told me that she had to help Josh pick out his suit because he had no idea what he should wear and apparently left it until a few days ago, but I'm actually glad she helped because he looks really good in his wine red button down shirt.

"You look very pretty." Josh whispered.

"Thank you, you don't look bad yourself." I said.

"As much as I want all the credit, Chloe helped… more like just pulled stuff for me." He admitted.

"Remind me to thank her later." I giggled.

….

I walked over to my parents' table to see only Ella and Oliver sitting at the table, he saw me and lifted his arms for me to hold him. As I sat down with him on my lap, Oliver reached his hand into his mouth and yanked out a tooth. Oh my god, I really hope that tooth was already loose and he didn't just yank a random tooth out of his mouth. Looking up, Ella caught my eye and we shared a slightly grossed look as she handed Oliver a glass of water.

"My tooth came out." He said happily.

"Ollie baby, how long has your tooth been loose?" I asked.

"Last week." He told me.

"Why didn't you tell me?" I asked.

"I told someone." He said, admiring his baby tooth.

"Mama, does this mean Santa is gonna come give me a present for it?" Oliver asked, looking up at me.

Brushing some of his hair with my hand, I softly smiled at him and shook my head. It's so cute that he thinks Santa also gives presents for baby teeth, but it's time he also learned about the tooth fairy. I kissed his forehead as he pouted about the fact Santa won't be bringing him any presents for his tooth. But how did he come up with that Santa was bringing him a present for a loose tooth?

"No, Santa isn't going to come and give you a present. But the tooth fairy will bring you a little something." I told him.

"The who?" Oliver asked confused.

"Tooth Fairy, she takes kids loose teeth and gives money for them. You put your tooth under your pillow and she comes to take the tooth while you sleep." I explained.

"Why does she take peoples teeth?" He asked, catching me off guard.

"To make fairy dust." Ella said quickly, noticing I didn't know how to respond and I gave her a grateful smile over Oliver's head.

"How much will I get?" He asked.

"Sometimes it ranges; it could be a quarter or even a dollar." I said.

"I hope she'll leave me one hundred dollars." He said, handing the tooth to Ella.

"You'll see in the morning baby." I told him.

He quickly ran off to find Rosie and Aiden, with Luna following him. Making sure he wasn't anywhere he could see me, I quickly got up and hurried towards the bridal party table. Ezra and Caleb were watching the kids play with each other. Glancing around, I pulled a dollar out of my clutch and looked at Ezra.

"Did you know Ollie had a loose tooth?" I inquired.

"No. Why… should I have?" He asked confused.

"I didn't even know. He just pulled it out in front of me and Ella like no big deal." I told him.

"Ollie is something else. Next thing we know, he'll pop his shoulder back in after falling off something." Caleb joked, sipping his beer.

"Or teaching himself how to ride a bike." Ezra said and I stared at him.

"No, don't go there! It's bad enough he's almost five and starting kindergarten." I exclaimed and Ezra soothingly rubbed my back a bit.

"But it makes me feel better that neither of us of us knew about his tooth." I added.

"You guys talking about Ollie's loose tooth?" Hardy asked, walking up.

Ezra and I shared a look before looking at Hardy. Oliver only remembered he told someone, but not who it had been. Of course, it would be Hardy that he would tell if it's not me or Ezra. Hardy looked between us and I could tell he was starting to get a little nervous. He once waited to tell me Oliver fell off his bed when he watched the kids while Caitlyn and I went to New Jersey for a Taylor Swift concert. I didn't even know until I got a bill from the hospital, then Hardy seemed to remember about Oliver's fall from jumping on the bed.

"Oh uhm, did I forget to tell you?" Hardy asked nervously and I glared at him.

"He told me two days ago….. please don't kill me. You have that murderous look in your eye." He continued cautiously.

"Just be glad his tooth didn't come out when he told you; otherwise, you'd be dead." I told him.

"Breathe Aripop." Ezra said, resting his hand gently on mine.

"I'm going to check on… Caleb." Ezra said getting up.

Watching Ezra get up and hurry off, I looked down to stare at my hand. The second he called me Aripop and placed his hand on my, my stomach had started fluttering and I know it wasn't neither of the twins since it's still too early for them to be moving like that. Hardy carefully sat down next to me and I looked over at him, he had the same look Caleb had earlier.

"Already heard it from Caleb." I mumbled and quickly glanced around for Josh.

"At the bar with Toby and Caleb. Come on, you still owe me a dance." He said and held out his hand.

"Only if you don't make it weird." I told him, giving him my hand.

"Damn, that was my whole plan. I was going to make it so weird between us that you can never look at me ever again." He joked, making me laugh.

"Shut up Pierce, you were not." I managed to say.

"Yeah, you're right. But it did get you to laugh." He said, twirling me onto the floor.

Ezra's pov

I saw Oliver coming back from Ella and Daniel's table, attempting to drink out of his empty cup. He saw me and looked around before running to me, he literally looks like me when I was his age. I had hoped that he would end up with Aria's eyes at least, she would whack me every time I mentioned it and reminded me that she did not push him out of her to not look like me. But I'm hoping the twins or at least one of them look like Aria and not me. Even if the twins are the last kids I have with Aria, I just really want them to look like her.

"Daddy, my cup is empty." He said.

"Come on lil man, daddy will get you another lemonade." I told him, picking him up.

"Can I get a strawberry lemonade?"

"A double please." Oliver said, making the bartender chuckle and I looked at him.

"Where'd you learn that?" I asked, hoping Aria won't kill me

"You, biggie and Tobby." Oliver told me.

"Yep, we're great influences." Toby said coming up.

"Strawberry lemonade, double."

The bartender handed Oliver the lemonade, I stood him back onto the ground and he quickly ran off towards the other kids. Toby motioned for two beers. Looking towards the floor, Toby and I chuckled at the sight of Oliver and Rosie dancing together as 'Walking on sunshine' played. We turned back around to see the bartender setting our beers down. Picking them up, we clinked our bottles together and turned our attention back to the dance floor.

"Got any marriage advice?" He asked and I turned to look at him.

"Pretty sure I'm the last person that should be giving you marriage advice since I screwed mine up…. Multiple times" I said.

"Give it time, it always works out between you two." Toby pointed out.

Sighing, I looked back to the dance floor again to see Aria and Josh dancing close together. She looks absolutely beautiful, but she's always beautiful even when she's in sweats or even having morning sickness. As the song ended, Josh pecked Aria on the lips and my stomach felt churned at the sight. It should be me kissing her, not him. What could she possibly even see in him?

"Everyone please have a seat as dinner is served… along with a special toast." He said.

We parted ways, I caught Aria's eye on my ways towards the table and gave her a small smile, knowing she's about to give her maid of honor speech. Toby was right when he said that it always worked out between me and Aria before, but it's different this time around. Seeing Aria tonight with Josh, I'm starting to think it won't work out for us this time even though I want it more than anything.

….

Aria's pov

"Hi everyone. I'm Spencer's best friend and Toby's sister Aria. I figured it was best to give my speech now, between my crying sessions." I started, getting everyone's attention.

"Even before we were born, Spencer and I have been attached at the hip. It had been only us until we were four, then I met Toby because I was afraid to go down the big slide and I decided 'Hey, let's make this one kid go down with me.' And that day I gained an honorary brother and Spoby's fate had begun. They've always loved each other; I knew it since we were kids…. I even wrote about it in my childhood journal. And it only took twelve years for their feelings to be revealed... Of course, I was the one who revealed their feelings." I continued, receiving laughs and felt my emotions start stirring.

"Also, thank you for not killing me for that. Watching your relationship go from best friends to husband and wife has been so amazing and I cannot wait to watch you two spend the rest of your lives together. Now everyone please raise your glass in toast of the bride and groom, I love you guys." I turned to Spencer and Toby, ending up in tears.

I handed the DJ the microphone back and walked back to my seat. As I back down, Oliver patted my arm and I kissed the top of his head and the strawberry scent of his shampoo tickled my nose. Should've seen it coming that he'd be concerned of my tears, he hates it when I cry, even if I'm just crying at a movie. These years have gone by so fast and I absolute miss the days when he was a little baby.

"Don't cry mama." He said concerned, I quickly wiped my tears as he turned and reached over for a napkin for me.

"Look, no more tears!" I told him, as he looked back at me.

"Goodie." He said happily.

"But they were happy tears." I explained.

"No sad tears?" He asked and I shook my head.

The waiter came and started placing our food down and Oliver watched as the waiter handed him his chicken tenders, broccoli and French fries. Hopefully, he won't have a tantrum about having to eat the broccoli. I'm just glad there's plenty of peas, corn, and carrots in the mixed veggies since those are the only veggies he strangely likes. As he licked his lips at the sight of his food, he looked at my place and looked at me confused.

"Mama what's that?" He asked, pointing to the mashed squash on my plate.

"It's mashed squash, do you want to try it?" I asked, receiving a nod.

I scooped a little bit onto my spoon and handed it to him. Usually, he doesn't really try new things unless they look good to him but he'll try a new vegetable if I don't make him eat all of it. Pretty sure he only wanted to try it because it looks like mashed potatoes and not squash. He licked the squash, squinted at it before putting the spoon in his mouth and doing a taste test.

"I don't like it." He said, with the squash still in his mouth.

"That's okay Ollie, you tried it. But you need to finish that bite, you can't spit it out here." I said softly .

Without missing a beat, he squished his eyes shut and made a face as he dramatically swallowed the small spoon full of squash and I shared a look with Ezra. If either of us ever wondered if Oliver would ever be dramatic… this just proved it. Softly chuckling, Ezra turned his attention to him and Josh gave me a small smile. The boys seem fine that Josh is here, but I had asked them multiple times if they were sure that they'd be okay if I asked and then asked them multiple times again to make sure they were okay with it after Josh accepted. Malcolm has been pretty vocal these past few weeks about wanting Ezra and I back together and us being a family again, but he hasn't said anything about not wanting me with Josh. Which should be a good thing…. But part of me feels like it's not.

"Good job trying it lil man." Ezra said giving Oliver a little high five.

"You're eating good tonight aren't you Ollie? Chicken tenders, mixed veggies, and French fries. Wish I had French fries, you're lucky." Ezra said.

"Here you go daddy." Oliver said, giving him a small handful of fries.

"Aw, really lil man? Thank you." Ezra thanked him.

"Cheers." They said, both taping a fry together as a photographer caught the moment.

"Do I have to eat this mama?" Oliver asked, pointing to his broccoli.

"At least eat these pieces, but you do have to eat your other veggies." I said, separating four pieces away from the rest.

Spearing one of my mushroom and four cheese ravioli out of the creamy alfredo sauce, I could see Oliver trying to sneakily place all of his broccoli onto Ezra's plate. I caught Ezra's eye and we both tried to hold back our laughter. As Oliver got rid of his broccoli, Ezra pretended not to even notice that his plate now had broccoli. Of course, Oliver would try to get rid of his it.

"Didn't mama tell you to eat those?" Ezra said, without looking at Oliver.

"Remember, they know everything." Malcolm said, getting Dani to giggle a bit,

Ezra carefully scraped the broccoli back onto Oliver's plate as I noticed Emily's pained facial expression, it has to be from wearing her heels. Knowing that at least one of us would end up in pain from our shoes, I convinced Spencer to let us get high tops for the reception. Catching Emily's eye, I motioned for her to look under her hair. She looked at me confused but carefully looked under her chair and sat back up, holding the high tops I placed under her chair. While Spencer was taking her shower this morning, I brought the high tops down here and set them under our chairs when the hotel and the wedding planner started setting up the ballroom. Looking back at my plate, I saw the corner of my eye that Oliver was eating his broccoli.

"Ladies and gentlemen, the father/daughter dance."

We all turned our attention to the dance floor to see Peter and Spencer making their way as My Girl by the temptations began to play. When we were younger, Peter had a customed music box made for Spencer that played My Girl and Melissa ended up breaking it. Spencer had been too afraid to tell Peter and Veronica that Melissa broke it, so she just claimed that she must not have placed it far enough back from the edge of her desk.

The girls and I were all doing some dance we found online for Jumpin' Jumpin' by Destiny's Child. How Hanna convinced Spencer to have us all do this dance or teach it to Alex in such a short time; I will never know. But I'm just glad the song came on when it did, Josh mentioned maybe I had a thing for older guys to both me and Ezra. The song ended as Maya took my hand and we made our way back to the table just as Josh was getting up. I don't think I could have taken another second at the table after his comment, and I'm pretty sure Ezra would have punched him if we weren't at a wedding reception and if the kids weren't around.

"I'm sure you're quite tired from all of that jumping, but care to dance with me?" Josh asked, as A Moment Like This by Kelly Clarkson began.

"Love to." I told him.

Josh gently rested his hand on my lower back, leading me back towards the floor. As we passed Chloe and Caleb having a conversation with Alex, I admired both their dresses. Chloe's wearing a baby pink sleeveless wrap dress with black ankle booties, while Alex is wearing an orange and black jacquard print bandage dress with nude peep toe wedges. Seeing us make our way to the floor, Caleb excused himself and Chloe before leading her onto the dance floor behind us; after they had broken up Freshman year of college, Hanna somehow convinced Chloe to let her give her a whole new makeover. She used to dress like a super feminine prep, like a mix of Hanna and Spencer in high school, now her wardrobe is more of a chic style and it absolutely suits her. Glancing around, I saw Caitlyn and Hardy dancing and realized that she's wearing her favorite dark green keyhole halter dress that stopped above her knees, showing off her long legs and her grey peep toe wedged boots give her an extra inch. So, she's at three inches shorter than Hardy instead of four.

"Now that I have you in my arms, I may not let go." Josh whispered, pulling me into his arms.

"What if I don't want you to let go?" I asked quietly and he chuckled.

Looking into his eyes, something about his blue eyes completely captivated me. They feel like I've looked into them for years, has his eyes always been blue and I somehow missed it? He twirled me and as I faced him again, I realized his eyes are actually hazel and not blue. Oh, I was just imagining his eyes to be blue…. But those blue eyes seem so familiar to me somehow.

…..

The girls and I were all sitting together, listening to Alex tell us how she met her boyfriend Maxwell while the guys were all having a dance off with the kids to a Disney medley mashup. I softly smiled as I saw Ezra dancing with Oliver and Malcolm while Josh was dancing with Luna, who had somehow managed to hid both her shoes. When I brought Josh to my parent's house for dinner the other night, it was clear Luna wasn't a fan of Josh but it seems she's warmed up to him a little bit. As the mashup ended and 'Can't help falling in love' by Elvis Presley came on and I saw Toby make his way over.

"Maxwell plays rugby, that's how I met him. I had to learnt it to try out for our university team, he ended up giving me lessons." Alex said as Toby came up.

"Hate to interrupt, but can I steal my wife for a dance?" Toby asked.

"Yes!" The girls and I all said together and Toby led Spencer to the floor.

"Come on babe, I'd love to dance with you." Maya said, holding out both her hands.

"I was waiting for you to say something dirty." Emily teased.

"Quite sure we all were expecting something raunchy." Alex joked and I giggled.

"Wasn't taking a chance one of the kids overhearing." Maya explained.

They quickly headed towards the floor as Mike came back with new drinks for all of us. He and Hanna were just staring at each other longingly as if Alex and I weren't at the table with them. Looking at Alex, we shared a look and tried to hold back our laughter at how bad Mike and Hanna want each other. I took a sip of my virgin strawberry mojito and noticed Josh was walking towards the table.

"Wanna dance?" Mike asked Hanna, holding out his hand.

"Couldn't stop me if you tried." She said, placing her hand in his.

"There's a slow song and if I remember correctly, you promised me all the slow ones." Josh said softly as he walked up.

"If you don't dance with him, I will." Alex joked, nudging me to go.

I stood up and took Josh's hand, leading him by everyone else. He pulled me into his arms, and I wrapped my arms around his neck as I saw Ezra offer to dance with Alex before leading her towards the floor. Of course, he wouldn't let Alex sit out while everyone else is on the floor dancing, especially since neither of them have dates. From the corner of my eye, I watched as Ezra held Alex close to him and I felt a pang of jealousy that Alex is dancing with Ezra… my Ezra. Wait a minute, I'm not with Ezra anymore, I don't get to call him my Ezra anymore. And I'm with Josh, there's no reason why I should be jealous of Ezra dancing with Alex… but I don't think I fully believe that.

"All you single ladies out there, come on out to the floor for the bouquet toss." The DJ announced.

"I'll be right back." Josh whispered, kissing my cheek.

I watched him walk out of the ballroom towards the bathroom. As I looked around, I saw Ezra over at the bar with Toby having a beer. Spencer caught my eye and motioned for the girls and I to get to the dance floor for the bouquet toss. The girls all stood up and headed towards the floor; Rosie scrambled off her chair, following Hanna and Caitlyn onto the floor. There's no one at the table to watch Oliver, and there's always a chance of him getting into mischief. Truth be told, I don't want to do the bouquet toss and be reminded that mine and Ezra's marriage failed.

"You're not single!" Oliver called after her when he noticed her.

Rosie was already out of ear shot to hear him, and I saw Spencer talking to Ezra over at the bar. I was hoping to get out of doing the bouquet toss, if I do catch the bouquet I don't know how Oliver will react. Malcolm will be fine, but he's better at controlling his feelings then Oliver is. Just then, Ezra came up and sat back down in his chair and Oliver hurried to get on his lap.

"Daddy, I need money." Oliver said, looking up at Ezra.

"For what lil man?" Ezra asked, unaware of the previous conversation.

"Flowers for Rosie." Oliver told him.

"How about this, you help me this week and I'll give you money for flowers." Ezra suggested

"Why not just give me money?" Oliver questioned.

"Because later in life you'll have to earn your money. It just won't be handed to you Ollie." Ezra explained.

"Good lesson." I said, looking at Ezra.

"Well, I was a teacher." He pointed out as Hanna and Caitlyn walked back to our table.

"An English teacher Ez." I reminded him, jokingly rolling my eyes.

"Come on, if we have to do this… so do you." Caitlyn and Hanna said together.

I groaned as they both gently pulled me up from my chair, of course they were going to make me do this. Following them to their spot on the floor, Rosie ran towards us and held her arms up for Caitlyn to hold her. Emily and Maya walked up and I tried not to laugh at the fact they're up here while engaged to each other, even though I know they don't have a choice on this. We know that Spencer would drag them onto the floor herself if she had too. Alex came over as Spencer was walking from Alex's table back to her and Toby's table.

…..

Ezra's pov

The girls huddled together on the floor as Spencer made her way towards the stage. There weren't many women on the floor; Aria, Hanna, Maya, Chloe, Emily, Caitlyn made up most of them. Not sure if Rosie and Aria's cousin Sophie really count, but I'm guessing from Oliver wanting to buy her some flowers that Rosie just wants the flowers; not really knowing why they're being tossed to one of them. Oliver reached for one of the cookies we got him as Spencer tossed the bouquet. I watched everyone try to catch it as it flew over them and landed in Aria's arms, without her really trying to catch them.

"Ooh, Aria's getting married!" Maya joked.

"Oh, shut it." Aria told her, with a hint of a smile in her voice.

Aria pulled a couple of the white roses out of her bouquet and handed them to Rosie, making her giggle happily. The girls split up as Rosie ran towards Hardy, I'm sure to show him her new flowers. I wonder what kind of wedding Aria and I would have planned if I hadn't gotten with Nicole and we hadn't signed the divorce papers. Not something original or usual because for as long as I've known her, Aria doesn't do either of those things. It's one of the things I love about her. Even if she wanted a Pepto Bismol pink wedding, I wouldn't care as along as she got the wedding of her dreams. Would we have had our own wedding, or make it a double wedding? Maybe Hardy and Cait; but Hardy hasn't proposed yet and I don't think he will be for a while. Emily and Maya might have been up for it, I remember them teasing me about the four of us having a double wedding after the girls all graduated and came back to Rosewood. Wait a minute, Aria and I aren't together anymore… why am I thinking about this?

"Why did Spencie throw her flowers?" Oliver asked, reaching for another cookie.

"It's tradition that the Bride throws her flower and whoever catches it, is the next to get married." I explained.

"Marry mama, she caught them." He told me.

As the words left his mouth, I knew I couldn't respond that there's a pretty good chance I won't be marrying Aria again, or that she is now in a relationship with Josh. Even though she's with another guy right now, I can't help but want to be the guy that waits for her at the end of the altar. Oliver looked around, clearly in search of Aria and pointed to her when he found her. Even though I can't go back in time and be there for him more while he and Aria were in New York…. I wonder if anything would have been different if I hadn't stayed away from him.

"Ask mama to dance." Oliver told me.

"Ok, I'll ask mama soon." I promised him.

"Now daddy, or I kick your butt." He said.

I looked over to see her at the bar with Caitlyn , and that Josh was still nowhere to be seen. Love Story by Taylor Swift started to play and other couples drifted to the dance floor… The last time I heard this song was the day after Aria's eighteenth birthday. God, that day seems like it was just yesterday. Oliver crawled off my lap as Hanna sat back down and went over to her. There's no reason she would say no; we're just ex husband and wife, who are still…. Friends, sharing a dance at her brother's wedding. Taking a deep breath, I stood from my chair and made my way towards the bar and more importantly… towards Aria.

….

Aria's pov

Josh still hasn't returned from the bathroom as Love Story came on, I was really hoping to not sit this song out… Even though Josh has two left feet. Wonder if I had accidentally said something out loud, when I imagined his eyes to be blue but he would've said something by now…. Wouldn't he? As I watched some of the couples dancing , I internally sighed and turned away from the dance floor. As the bartender returned with mine and Caitlyn's drinks, Ezra came up with a look on his face, that I know a little too well… he probably has something up his sleeve to try to win me back.

"Care to dance?" Ezra asked.

"Sure, I'd love to." I said and he held out his hand.

I quickly handed Caitlyn my new bouquet and took Ezra's hand. He led me to the dance floor, as he gently held me closer to him, I felt something in my stomach. Either, the twins are somehow already kicking, something I ate isn't agreeing with me…. Or I'm feeling butterflies. No, I cannot be feeling butterflies with him! I'm with Josh for crying out loud! This is like earlier when he called me Aripop, he hasn't called me that in what seems like forever. But that felt right somehow and it's making me confused about my feelings for Josh.

"Saw you sitting there and figured Josh wouldn't mind if I stole just one dance with you. Also, I should probably mention Oliver threatened to kick my butt if I didn't." Ezra admitted.

"Well, as funny as it would be to see you get your butt kicked by an almost five year old…. This is not the place." I pointed out.

He laughed quietly in agreement, as he twirled me in a circle. God, this brings me back to the few times we've danced together. I stared into his deep blue eyes, as he told me all the cute things Oliver and Malcolm had done this morning…. Oh my god, no, no, no, it couldn't be! It wasn't some random pair of eyes; I had been imagining when Josh and I were dancing earlier… it had been Ezra's! How did I not realize it? Shaking the thoughts out of my mind, Ezra gave me that smile, the one that always me feel better when I was upset.

"Remember the last time we danced to this song?" Ezra asked softly.

"Not tonight Ezra, please don't do this tonight." I whispered and suddenly that night came back to me so clearly.

Flashback – July 14th 2012

Aria's pov

Resting my head on Ezra's shoulder, I popped another marshmallow into my mouth as Ezra kissed the top of my head. I'm glad Julian didn't schedule me to work the dinner shift tonight. He would've scheduled me, especially since I requested and gotten my birthday off but for some reason he didn't. Summer's halfway over already and pretty soon I'll be leaving for New York with Oliver; leaving Ezra and Malcolm here in Rosewood. Being scheduled for the dinner shift sucks because, I miss putting the boys to bed and any possible quality time with Ezra… all of that will be gone in a about seven weeks. Looking over, I saw Malcolm on the swing set the guys put together for the boys. Both the boys love it, Oliver just finds the swings completely hilarious which I think is completely adorable. They're growing up so fast, especially Oliver and I hate the fact that starting at the end of summer I won't be able to see Malcolm grow more every day… just like Ezra won't see Oliver grow every day. Just then, Ezra brushed his lips against my forehead and as his lips lingered I knew he sensed what was on my mind.

"Stop thinking about that Ar." Ezra whispered in my ear and spoke again before I could respond.

"Dance with me." He said softly.

Without needing my answer, he gently took my hands into his before pulling me up from my spot and into his arms. I nuzzled my face into his chest as he placed his hand on my lower back. There have been multiple times where I considered getting a secret tattoo, marking myself as only Ezra's… but I know he'd be upset about it since he wants me to date other guys at school and the tattoo might prevent that. It won't change the fact that I'm always going to be Ezra's and only his. Even in some alternate universe where Ryan Gosling wants to be with me, I'd choose Ezra over him or anyone in a heartbeat. I giggled as Ezra rested his forehead against mine, staring into my eyes.

"You do realize there's a very good chance that we'll end up kissing and our kids will be disgusted right?" I asked, receiving a chuckle.

"One of them is asleep." He reminded me, motioning to Oliver in his popup playpen.

"And the other will see." I added.

"Good point, he'll be wanting to kiss girls soon anyways. And of all the music in the world, you made me listen to Taylor Swift." He said with a joking smile.

"First of all, he won't be wanting to kiss girls for another four or five years. Secondly, don't act like you don't like her music Ez. Besides, maybe you shouldn't have lost our little bet." I teased.

"And I'm about to lose it again, right now." He whispered.

He gently cupped my face before pressing his lips to mine. Even though this entire bet was my idea, I hated it and the fact that it was pretty much practice for when I'm off at college without him. Maybe I can convince Ezra to go to New York too, we can find a great school for Malcolm that's close to my school and they can stay in my apartment instead of us doing the legal separation… but he wants me to date other people, so I don't end up resenting him or our relationship.

"EWW!"

We turned to see Malcolm making a face at us, I raised an eyebrow at Ezra. He jokingly rolled his eyes at me as Malcolm made gagging noises. I hate knowing that he will be growing up, mostly without me around but I need to just focus on being there for him even from New York. If he needs me to come home just because he misses me… I'll ditch a class just to get to him sooner. Even if I did somehow convince Ezra to come with me to New York, we couldn't just up and move Malcolm again. He's already been through enough; with Maggie leaving him with Dianne for a year, not knowing who his father is until he was seven and then Maggie leaving him for good with no goodbye or anything. He needs stability instead moving from one place to another, he needs to be with his friends and family nearby… not just me, Ezra, and Ollie.

"Told you." I told Ezra.

"Okay, okay. You're smarter than me here, but I still got to kiss you. So, I definitely win." He murmured in my ear.

End of Flashback

….

Walking towards my parent's table, I could tell they were trying to decide who would carry which kid to the car since they have Luna, Oliver, and Aiden. Oliver is about to fall asleep on the chair, while Malcolm is helping dad put everything in the kids' entertainment bag and mom is trying to keep Luna from getting cranky. Noticing me, Oliver reached for me and I picked him up as Malcolm placed the last toy in the bag.

"Okay boys, I'll see you tomorrow. Now go say goodnight to dad before you leave." I told the boys.

I stood Oliver back on the ground before ushering them towards Ezra. Turning back to my parents, I saw my dad confused on why the bag wasn't closing with the coloring books standing up and I tried to hold back my snickering. He gave me a look before handing the bag over, watching me pull out the coloring books and putting them in horizontal instead. As I turned to help Ella with Luna, I saw Oliver came running to me and I could tell he's on the verge of having a tantrum. Malcolm quickly followed him and I could tell he knows why.

"Mama! I forgot Henry in the room!" Oliver said, his voice cracking.

"I was trying to tell you that I saw him on and put him in your backpack before we left Ollie." Malcolm told him.

"Promise?" Oliver whimpered, and I kissed his forehead.

"Pinky promise." Malcolm promised, looping his pinky with Oliver's

As Oliver started calming down, Mike walked over with a sleeping Aiden in his arms. If he wasn't dancing with Hanna, he was playing with Aiden and the other kids. I cannot wait for when he has kids, he he's always been so good with Sophie, the boys, and even with Luna and Rosie. He has grown up so much since he was in high school, and even though I know he's still the same, he seems like a whole new person. From what Ella would tell me when she called me in New York, he doesn't really party like we all thought he would.

"Actually, Henry fell out of your backpack. But don't worry Ollie, he's now safely in your car seat and waiting for you." Mike said.

"Wait a minute, who's Henry?" Dad asked confused.

"His new Octopus that Toby and Spencer gave him when they took him out for his birthday last week." I explained.

"He's orange grandpa." Oliver said sleepily.

"You'll have to show me when we get to the car!" Dad told him as Malcolm took Oliver from me.

"Ollie, did you say goodnight to everyone, especially daddy?" I asked, receiving a nod

Quickly kissing the boys goodbye and watching my parents leave with the kids, my heart ached at the fact that my boys are growing up so fast. Since I came back to Rosewood, both the boys have grown a bit taller. Pretty soon, Malcolm will be in soon high school and then off to college. It feels like I missed out on Malcolm's life, even though I saw him every other weekend or once a month at least. Looking around the ballroom, it's clear that I won't be needed for a while and made my way towards the hallway for a small breath of air. It's been a long day for everyone, but I'm exhausted not just from being awake since the dawn of time but also from being emotional over Spencer and Toby's wedding and my feelings for Ezra and Josh. Mike came back in from helping our parents with getting the kids settled just as Josh walked up to me and took my hand in his, switching spots so that my back is now facing the reception room.

"Hey, I better get going. Who knows what the traffic will be like." Josh said.

"Okay. I'm glad you came." I said, hoping he'd ask me to go home with him.

"Don't go upstairs with him." He whispered.

Realizing he wasn't looking at me but behind me. As I turned to see him looking into the reception at Ezra, I internally sighed. Really wish he said something about this sooner, I doubt the hotel has any available rooms. Or is this his way of telling me that he wants to take me home with him? It has to be, there's no reason why he would have waited this long to say something about me sharing a hotel room with Ezra. I even explained it when I invited him to be my date. Before I could say anything else, he spoke up again.

"Forget I said anything, it might just be the beer from earlier talking. Go enjoy the rest of the party." He said quickly.

"Are you okay Josh? Do you want to talk?" I asked concerned.

"No, I'm fine, I better get going. I love you." He told me and pressed his lips to mine

Hearing those words, I froze as he gave me a small smile and walked out of the hotel without another word. I stared after him in shock, there's no way he actually just said 'I love you' to me. We've only been dating for a week. Is it even possible for him to know that he loves me this soon… do I love him? A hand gently rested on my shoulder, making me jump and I looked over to see Toby looking at me. How much of that did he hear? There are so many questions in my head right now, and I need my brain to stop thinking.

"You okay?" He asked softly and I nodded.

"I'm fine, what did you need?" I inquired.

"It's time for our dance…. Unless you're leaving with Josh." He said.

"No, I'm not leaving with him." I told him.

Even though he can tell I'm not telling him everything, he won't press me for any details. Our relationship changed a lot after we escaped Mona and the shed. Toby knows that I won't talk about something that's really upsetting me unless I really want to or pushed into a corner to talk about it. He wrapped an arm around my shoulders, before leading me back into the ballroom. Mike and Caleb were having a small dance off to Uptown Funk, and I couldn't hold back my laughter as Count on me by Bruno Mars started playing.

"Our dancing skills have improved even more." I said.

"I have you to thank for my improvement, especially since you're the one who taught me how to dance for the wedding." He said, twirling me in a circle.

Later that night

Ezra and I were in the elevator, going up our room since the party had ended. Everyone else are on different floors , so it's just him and I now. Sort of alone…. Josh's words are racing around in my mind. He loves me and we've only been dating for a week or so, add the fact that I have no idea about my feelings for him. All I know is that I really like him, but unsure if it's love or not. Maybe staying in the same hotel room with Ezra is a bad idea, since my feelings are all mixed up. But I can't just randomly go ask to stay with one of the girls or go home. Driving an hour or two back to Rosewood after being up since six this morning is probably NOT a good idea. Plus, I already checked with the hotel and they're completely booked. Which means that I'm stuck sharing a room with Ezra.

"You okay, been pretty quiet for a while." Ezra asked, looking over at me

"I'm just tired, and there's a lot on my mind right now." I said.

"Do you want to talk about it?" He asked.

"Last week when you asked if I saw a future with him, I couldn't answer because I didn't know and still don't." I told him.

"I don't think he's right for you." Ezra said softly.

Our eyes met and I dropped both my bouquets and my heels before crashing my lips to his. He slipped an arm around my waist and I wrapped my arms around his neck, not wanting this to end. He pulled me closer to him and I giggled as he started trailing his lips down my neck and nibbled on my ticklish spot. He cupped my face, pressing his lips to mine and slipped his tongue into my mouth.

"Ezra…" I moaned, he slowly pulled away and lifted my chin to look in my eyes.

"Do you want me to stop?" He asked, and I knew he would if I did.

"No." I responded before crashing my lips to his once more

He pressed me up against the wall, slipping his tongue back into my mouth. he started unzipping my dress and as he was about to remove the straps from my shoulders the elevator dinged, reminding us we are not in private. The doors opened to reveal no one is in the hall, Ezra pressed his lips to mine as he managed to walk us out of the elevator. I wrapped my arms around his neck as he held me close to him and we bumped into a wall; just like we did the night we had gotten married Making our way down the hall again, he pinned me up against another door.

"Two twenty six." Ezra murmured as I realized it was the one he pinned me against.

"It's… Right….Here." I managed and he pulled away.

Quickly opening the door, he pulled me inside and pinned me up against the door before crashing our lips together again. He slid his tongue back in my mouth and slid the straps of my dress off; letting it drop to the floor. As he started undoing his pants, I dropped my flowers and quickly undid his tie and shirt, tossing it aside. He lifted me up by my thighs and I kicked my heels off as he laid me down on the bed with him carefully hovering over me. Pushing him over so I was on top, I began kissing his jawline as his hands traced up and down my back. Our lips met once more as his hands found my bra and swiftly removed it. His legs intertwined with mine as he pulled away, trailing his lips up and down my neck.

"I love you." Ezra whispered, nibbling on my ear.

Gently pulling me down and into his arms, resting his forehead against mine. Neither of us said anything as we stared into each other's eyes and it felt just like when we first met. I softly caressed his cheek before pressing my lips to his as he took both my hands in his, entwining our fingers together.