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Chapter 10:

"Aria, have you seen my keys?" Ezra asked, rushing. He was late and he still had to drop Malcolm off at school.

"Yeah, I saw them on the counter." Aria called from the shower.

Ezra's eyes traveled to the counter where, sure enough, his keys were sitting. "Thanks!...And Aria? Have you seen my wallet?"

"Couch." she called.

Ezra scrambled to the couch where his wallet lay, waiting to be put back in his pocket. Now where was his favourite coffee mug? "Aria, have you seen my-"

"Second cabinet on the left." Aria called, emerging from the bathroom with a towel wrapped around her wet hair.

Ezra opened the cabinet where he found his mug. "How do you do that?" he asked in disbelief.

"Don't doubt a woman's skills." Aria replied with a laugh. "You're late, don't worry about Malcolm, I'll drop him off on my way to school."

Ezra sighed in relief. "You are a total lifesaver. What would I do without you?" he said, giving her a quick peck on the lips.

"Well, for starters, you'd be late." Aria said, laughing as she pushed him towards the door. "Go. And don't forget, you have to be home by 6:00 because Maggie called us for dinner at 7:30.

"Got it. I'll see you tonight." Ezra said, and with a quick peck on Aria's forehead, he was out the door.

"Malcolm?" Aria called.

"Over here! Have you seen my book?" Malcolm called from the couch where he was putting his socks on.

"It's on the kitchen table. We're leaving in 10 minutes, okay?" Aria said, running a brush through her hair.

"Okay. Found it. Oh, and Aria? Have you seen my left shoe?" Malcolm said, walking around with only one shoe on.

"In the closet." Aria replied, shaking her head. "You're just like your dad." she said with a laugh.

Malcolm giggled as he found his left shoe. He put it on his foot and soon enough, they were out the door.

"So, Malcolm. I was thinking that, since we're all going to dinner, you could tell your parents about Mitchell then." Aria said, looking over her shoulder at Malcolm as she drove towards his school.

Malcolm hesitated and then nodded his head slowly. "Okay. But you have to promise you'll stay with me when I tell them." he said.

"I promise." Aria assured him.

"Pinky swear?" Malcolm said, holding up his pinky finger, which Aria wrapped hers around.

"Pinky swear." she said, solemnly.

For the rest of the car ride, Malcolm seemed at ease, and he jumped out of the car as soon as Aria pulled up.

"I'll be waiting right here after school, okay?" she called through the car window.

"Okay!" Malcolm called back, running inside so he wouldn't be late.

Aria drove off, in the direction of her own school. She marvelled at how much she had changed because of that little boy. A few weeks ago, she was wishing he didn't exist, but now she loved him as though he were family, which he may very well be one day. She was still uncomfortable at the thought of being a stepmother at the age of 17, but she was making progress.

LATER:

Aria, Ezra, Maggie, and Malcolm sat around a table, waiting for their meals. They were in a nice French restaurant, making small talk, and Malcolm kept looking nervously at Aria. She smiled reassuringly across the table every now and then, but the little boy could barely stop fidgeting. Finally, with one last glance to Aria, he began.

"Mom? Dad?" Malcolm started.

"Yes, honey?" Maggie said, as they both looked at Malcolm.

"I have something I need to tell you." Malcolm said.

"What is it, buddy?" Ezra asked.

"There's this boy at school..." Malcolm started, then looked back up at Aria. She gave him a quick nod, and he continued. " and he bullies me. He always steals my lunch and hits me." Malcolm finished, looking frightened.

Maggie and Ezra were quiet for a moment, and then suddenly they were both speaking. "What's his name? How long has this been going on? Is he in your class? Did you tell you teacher?" The questions kept coming from both of them and Aria could see Malcolm getting overwhelmed, and, as promised, she helped him.

"Umm, guys? Give him a minute, let him breathe." Aria said to Maggie and Ezra, who both stopped talking and waited for Malcolm to continue.

Malcolm smiled at Aria and waited a moment before continuing. "His name's Mitchell, he's been bullying me for a month, I think. He's in grade 5. And he said that if I tell my teacher, he'll beat me up, but Aria said that you'll make sure he doesn't."

Ezra and Maggie looked at Aria. "You knew?" Maggie asked.

Aria nodded slowly. "I found out a few days ago."

"Why didn't you say anything?" Ezra asked, upset.

"It wasn't my place. I encouraged Malcolm to tell you both, but it was ultimately his decision when he would tell you." Aria replied firmly.

"So you just stood by and let my son get bullied?!" Maggie asked, incredulously.

"No." Aria replied calmly. "I told him to sit near the teachers at lunch, and I always picked him up right at the bell the last few days. That's why I volunteered to pick him up."

Maggie was about to respond when Malcolm jumped in. "Mommy, don't be mad at Aria. She told me to tell you and daddy. And she bought me ice cream when Mitchell made me cry and she chased him when he hit me." He got up and went to the other side of the table, hugging Aria. She hugged him back, and pulled him onto her lap, resting her chin on his head.

Maggie was speechless for a moment. Then she said. "I'm sorry, Aria. Thank you for looking out for Malcolm."

Aria smiled. "It's okay. Don't worry about it."

Maggie smiled back, and some of the tension between the two women eased in that moment.

Ezra cleared his throat. "So do we tell the principal about this?" he asked Maggie.

Maggie nodded. "Yeah. I'll go tomorrow morning when I drop Malcolm off to school."

"Okay, sounds good." Ezra replied. He turned to his son, who was still in Aria's lap. "Don't worry, bud. We're going to make sure Mitchell doesn't bother you anymore, okay?"

Malcolm nodded. He looked up at Aria and whispered "Thank you."

Aria squeezed his little hand in response. For the rest of the meal, Malcolm refused to leave her lap, and Aria was totally fine with it. In fact, she was actually really happy that Malcolm liked her so much. He was a sweet kid, and it wasn't his fault that Ezra hadn't known about him till now. She still wasn't a big fan of Maggie, but mostly because she was intimidated by her. If not for the situation, Aria felt that she may possibly have liked Maggie. But then she saw how she and Ezra talked, and how comfortable they were around each other, and it brought knots to her stomach. Was she just paranoid or did Maggie still have feelings for Ezra? Aria decided she was being paranoid, and it helped that Ezra kept his hand on her leg throughout the meal, occasionally squeezing it so she'd look up and give her one of his boyish smiles that made her heart beat faster. Whatever happened, she knew they would get through this. She discreetly reached for Ezra's hand and they sat there with their fingers entwined, for the rest of the night.

Hope you enjoyed the chapter! Please review and let me know what you think :)