A/N at the bottom: Happy Reading
Ezra glared down at Aria before spinning on his heel and looked at Jay, he shook his head and opened his mouth to say something but Lacy cut him off, "Who's this mom?"
"This is Mr Fitz, Jay's friend. He just came to ask me a few questions about Malcolm his son who works for me."
Jay looked between Aria and Ezra and knitted his eyebrows together trying to think if he believed her story or not "Is this true? What's going on with Malcolm?"
Ezra let out a breath, "Well Aria seems to think that working Malcolm into more hours is okay. I just came down here to tell her that he's still in school and needs at least three to four days off a week." He lied badly.
"Right," Jay mumbled, "Is that true Aria? You were the very one telling me that high school kids can only work twenty to thirty hours per-week… why are you working Malcolm more?"
Aria closed her eyes and let out a half smirked grin. This lie was getting worse by the second, "Jay can you just meet me in the Garden and pick a spot? I swear this conversation between your friend and I will be soon over!"
Ezra who just stood there staring at the young girl stuck his hands in his pockets and rocked back and forth as if he didn't just storm into the room demanding answers.
Jay looked between Ezra and Aria and then down at Lacy who looked up at Ezra as if she seen a ghost, "Alright," He nodded, "I will see you in a few minutes."
Aria took a few steps closer to Ezra and looked him in the eyes, "You have to understand Ezra. Things changed, there are so many things that I wished could have happened differently but-"
"She's my daughter isn't she? You never really answered my question at the bar when I asked about Lacy." Ezra asked politely his whole demeanor changing, "She's beautiful Aria."
Aria smiled, "Yes Ezra she's yours."
"Please tell me the truth. Stop hiding things from me and try to tell me something that is worth it." He pleaded, "You have this whole different life here and I'm just trying to figure things out. Aria I have been trying all these years to come up with the solution as to why you turned me down when all this time we have been fighting to stay together." Ezra looked down at his feet, "I need you in my life. Things have been bad and all I wanted from you was a hug and a few words telling me everything will be okay."
"What are you talking about? What happened?" she asked with confusion and concern.
Ezra sucked in a few shaky breaths and looked back up at her, "Malcolm isn't my son. Maggie took off and only contacts him once a month if he's lucky. She put my name on the birth certificate and thought that with my mother's money, I or she could take care of him." He explained, "When I found out I went crazy. It's then when I started drinking, and everything was going downhill."
"When did you find that out? That Malcolm wasn't your son?"
Ezra looked around the room and then up at the ceiling, "The day after your graduation. When I asked you to marry me" He lied
"I am so sorry Ezra," Aria cried taking a seat that was next to her, "I wish I would have been there to help you!"
Ezra shook his head, "Don't be sorry Aria." He licked his lips, "Just tell me why? Why did you lie to me and why would you take my daughter away from me?"
"It's complicated Ezra. There are things that are worth not knowing." She picked up her folder and pushed her chair in, "I'm sorry and I hope we can be friends."
"Do you love him?" He blurted stopping her from leaving, "Do you love my best friend"
"I can't give you an answer to that." She said looking at the door.
"And why is that?" He laughed out, harshly.
Aria turned around to look at him, "Because you won't like the answer and will find a way to blame me more."
LINE BREAK
Aria walked out into the garden and looked for Lacy and Jay. The backyard garden was full of Aria's favourites; down from Roses to Daisy's and even Sunflowers. She loved that feeling of being so at peace and not has a care in the world.
Now if only she could tell Ezra that out of all of the blackmails and unwanted letters and threats she had back in high school did faze her now. She would be lying to herself, she was totally afraid of telling Ezra the truth because it still is infect of what might or could happen.
She walked around for another few minutes until she found Jay and Lacy sitting on a picnic table towards the end of the walk way. Jay nodded his head toward her and Lacy turned around and ran towards her mother with an embracing hug "Finally,"
Aria laughed, "I wasn't gone that long," She hugged her daughter back and looked down at her as she bore her eyes into Aria's, "I want to talk to you!"
"Mom," Lacy smiled, "Your looking into my eyes,"
Aria nodded, "Their beautiful," she brushed her hair back and held her hand as she squatted down to her level, "I want to talk about you staying with me over the summer and then starting the new school year at Rosewood Elementary."
Lacy smiled widely, "Really?" She asked excitedly, "Public school?"
Aria nodded, "Yes, it's where I went as a little girl and I would love for you to enjoy the happy experience that I had with my friends."
"I love you so much," Lacy hugged her tightly, "I will never forget this"
"Come on," Aria stood up and squeezed her hand, "Let's go have lunch"
Once they reached the table Jay lent over and gave Aria a tender kiss to the cheek which caused Lacy to make a goofy face and made Jay laugh. He handed Aria a bottle of water and then sat down, "Is everything okay?"
"Mommy said I could stay after the summer is over!" Lacy squealed, "I get to stay, how exciting is that?"
Jay nodded, "Congratulations, "he looked over to Aria who had a smile on her face, "You caved"
She shrugged, "I thought about it and yes I want my daughter to spend more time with me." She looked over at Lacy, "I thought spending time in my home town would help her to get to know me a little more!"
"Such as?" Jay asked taking a bit of his sandwich, "what do we not know about you?"
Aria licked her lips after taking a sip of her water, "I was a book worm growing up, I thought of myself as an individual and I thought I could get away with anything."
"But we already knew that" Jay laughed, "Tell me something I don't know about you. Something that will shock the heck out of me"
"Like a secret mom," Lacy smiled eating her chips
Aria tilted her head and then shrugged, "Like my freshman year I was a Goth sort of speak. I used to dress in really dark clothing and once I even had pick hair" She laughed, "It was more of strips but it was pink"
"You had pink hair?" Lacy smiled, "Can I do that?"
"No," Aria shook her head, "Not right now. I love your natural hair color let's keep it around for as long as we can"
"Wow," Jay spoke, "Never thought you were a Goth."
"What did you think I was going to say?"
He shrugged, "I don't know. Maybe a Hippie or something," He joked causing Aria to push him aside, "I was kidding," he laughed more
"Maybe one day I'll tell you the deepest secret that I have," she whispered in his ear, "its dark"
"What's dark?" Lacy mumbled with food in her mouth "Sorry," she spoke again after she swallowed,
Aria turned to her and wiped the corner of her lip, "Its not for you baby. But I will tell you a secret too. One that you've been asking" she gave a half smile and sighed, "But that's for when you are ready."
Okay that was awkward... Sorry its so short but this is just a filler chapter... And I am sorry that the part with Lacy and Ezra is really short too... Thoughts? Ideas? To be honest I am getting stuck on this story. Before the whole A thing came out I was on a role. I have up too chapter 14 I think it was and then boom nothing. Everything on the show is a mess and I can't even think about Ezra being A... This is not right. But okay sorry its all I have been thinking about since Tuesday and now my ranting is over.
Thank you for all the kind and loving words from each and every one of you... I am glad to know that there are a few die hard Ezria fans. And I do believe they are endgame.