Party Starts Right Now: Chapter 4
Author's Note: Sorry this chapter took longer than usual. I'm busy catching up with the summer homework I procrastinated on!
Note: This chapter picks back up directly from the end of chapter three.
Aria's POV:
"What secret are you talking about Aria?" a voice, my mom's, from the computer beside me inquired.
I nearly jumped a mile because the voice was so unexpected. "Mom?" I said timidly, refusing to believe what she had heard, refusing to believe that she had listened to every word of that conversation with Ezra. And then I understood, the impact like a slap on my face. Shit. I was so dumb and tired that I hadn't ended the call with my mom; I'd only minimized the screen. If only I had pressed that small red button, this wouldn't have happened. Why am I so fucking stupid? I opened the lid of my laptop and was greeted with my mom's inquisitive face, leaning so close towards the camera that I could see every pore and every hair. So close, as if inching towards the screen would allow her to read my mind. That's not possible, right? No, get that thought out of your head, Aria.
"I really can't do this right now, Mom. Tomorrow, maybe?" I suggested quickly, everything coming out as a long string of words.
"No, Aria, you've kept enough secrets for two lifetimes. I'm not letting this one go."
"Mom, you don't know what you're asking of me."
"You think I care?" Ella's voice softened. "Please, Aria. Whatever it is, I'll be there with you every step of the way."
I was silent on the other end. How could I say something? Ezra and I had promised each other.
"Aria, I'm not going away anytime soon."
I glanced up at my husband and he gave a small nod, saying it was okay, that I could tell my somewhat nosy, extremely protective, but amazing mother.
Taking a deep breath, I started. "Mom…wait put your earbuds in first. If I tell you this, you have to keep it to yourself." I silently prayed to myself. Here goes. "I'm not having just one baby, Mom."
She leaned back into the sofa, her brows knit in confusion, and suddenly her eyes lit up as bright as fireworks. "Oh my gosh, Aria! You're having twins?!" Ella was practically yelling out of excitement.
"Mom! Keep it down," I chastised her. Soon enough, a smile crept across my face. "Not just two; you're missing one. There are three babies in my belly!" For a second, Ella didn't process the words I had said. "I'm going to have triplets, Mom!"
Ella literally jumped up and down for joy. "Oh, this is going to be amazing! You're going to be the best mother, Aria. What are their genders? I wonder what names you and Ezra have picked for –"
"Slow down, Mom. We're keeping the genders a surprise for ourselves, but you are not going to pry names out of me," I laughed heartily, and realized I wasn't very sleepy anymore. I giggled as I watched my mom dance and sing for me. When she finally sat back down, I looked her in the eye and said, "No one can know about this. Not Dad, not Mike, not a colleague from work, not anyone, okay? You have to keep this a secret."
"Yes," she sighed. "Don't worry, my lips are sealed."
"Thanks Mom," I said gratefully. "I'll talk to you tomorrow. Love you!"
After the call ended, I curled up on the couch with Ezra and decided to read for a little bit until the adrenaline wore off.
Hanna's POV:
I motioned for Caleb to come downstairs. "Caleb, do you want to go out to get some newborn clothes for Eve?" He stared back at me, stunned.
"Um, Han honey, in case you didn't know, it's 2 AM and you should get ready for bed. We're only going to be able to get a few hours of sleep tonight," he informed me in a way that screamed 'duh'.
"Aw, Caleb! I'm not tired at all! Please, we'll just make a quick stop at the mall!" I whined.
"No can-do Hanna Banana. Spencer just had a real, live baby and she needs her rest too. Even if you go clothes now, you can't just barge into her house and shower her with gifts. Plus, the mall was closed, like, 2 hours ago. Though I admit, you are adorable for asking that." He ruffled my hair, kissed me on the forehead, and headed up the stairs.
I scowled and dragged myself behind him. You never think of the mall being closed. It's kind of like the staple item in every town: the place there are five hundred stores to explore and buy clothes from, where kids bribe their mothers into getting them ice cream, where people find the perfect piece of jewelry to enchant their friend or loved one. The possibilities are endless. We always think of the mall being the place where there is always fluorescent light beating down on the ground and people buzzing around scrambling from place to place. When night comes, everything is shut down: still, quiet, and dark. It's almost as if we're frozen in time. The next morning, after we've woken up and feel refreshed, we start a new day. Our days are the exact same, in the sense that the sun rises and sets, we go to work and come home, we cook and clean up after ourselves. But it is also entirely different. After all, it's the little things that ultimately matter the most. Something like that – Spencer had said it to us once. Every day contrasts with the next because of a new experience, new sight, or simply a change in daily routine. It may sound cliché, but this reminds me to photograph each moment and to not overlook tiny details the way I did before.
Wow, how did this thought get so deep?
Spencer's POV:
I dozed off for a couple of minutes at a time throughout the night, constantly woken up by the fresh cries from Eve. Toby was by my side the entire time, immediately taking care of anything Eve or I needed. He tried to allow me the most rest possible, and whole-heartedly understood how worn out I was. As much as I wanted to cuddle Eve and smile at her and laugh, I was barely functional. Too tired to be alert or of any help, but unable to sleep soundly – which is the most annoying leash length ever. Eventually, I placed a kiss on my daughter's cheek, stuck my head under a pillow, and fell into a light sleep.
The next morning (11 AM!), I switched on my phone and was immediately bombarded with text messages from the group chat the girls and I had. It is the same one from, like, a decade ago but the phone numbers have changed several times. If I think about it now, the time span is creepy; the days pass by too quickly and we don't realize it until it's too late. The messages read:
'Hey Spence! Hope everything is going well. Call us if you need us XO' – Aria
'We're here 24/7 for you girl 3 Call us if you need any help with Eve or the boys – Emily
'Spence, when can we see Eve today? I'm soooo excited!' – Hanna
'Just checking in…how are you and Eve? I'm getting the cutest thing for Eve's nursery!" – Ali
'I'm at the mall and there are so many cute things! AAHHHH' – Hanna
'OMG you can customize an outfit here Spence OMGGGGGGG' – Hanna
'You know diapers, bottles, and toys exist for babies too, right Han? Lol' – Aria
'yeah, ok, but I have never seen something this adorable for a newborn!' – Hanna
'Hanna, chill, Spencer might still be sleeping' – Emily
'Sry Spence' – Hanna
'Han we're both at the mall! I think I see you, turn around' – Ali
I grinned widely at their sweet texts and decided to respond after I took my desperately-needed bathroom break. I freshened up, threw on some decent clothes, and headed into the kitchen to tell Toby the girls wanted to come over.
"Spencer, how are you babe?" He embraced me in a tight hug.
"Still a bit tired, but much better thanks to you," I said.
"I was about to the take the boys to the park and then get them the 'big-brother' presents we've totally forgotten about for the past month."
"Right, that's awesome. Thank you. That'll be great because the girls want to come over and see Eve so I'll just ask them if now is okay."
"Tell them to stay for lunch, though. It would be great if I could cook something special and we all ate together as one really big family."
I gave my goodbye kisses to Toby, Cameron, and Bennett and responded to the girls: 'Hey guys, thanks for the love. Would it be okay for everyone to come over sometime around…now? Aria and Hanna, bring Ezra and Caleb too. Lmk, XOXO.' Within minutes, I received four enthusiastic agreements and went to dress Eve in a striped pink and white onesie.
Ding-dong! I barely had had time to walk down the stairs. Not surprisingly, Hanna was the first one at my door. She was carrying three large shopping bags with names written in such curly font I didn't even try to read them. "Hey Hanna! Come in!" She dumped her bags near the couch (classic Hanna) and reached out her hands for Eve. The moment I handed the baby to her, Hanna's demeanor totally flipped: one second she was a chatterbox and the next she was a soft, loving woman, doting upon a child.
"Eve is so beautiful Spencer. I can already tell she'll be just like you. But, just look at those blue eyes. They're like a replica of Toby's," Hanna smiled and gently handed her to Caleb.
"Nice vocab, Han," Alison teased as she and Emily (with Lily and Grace) walked in through the ajar door. "Hey Spencer!"
After Aria also arrived, she came up with the idea that everybody would go through their bags and put on display all the items they had bought. Hanna asked to be first, so she hauled her first bag off the floor. They guys announced they would hang out in the kitchen until Toby got back home with Cameron and Bennett.
"This party starts right now, ladies! Okay, there are a lot of clothes in the first two. Then I took Aria's advice and got some toys as well." Hanna announced. Aria, smiling, rolled her eyes. Hanna spread the clothes out across a table. There were all the bright, vibrant colors you could think of: pinks, blues, violets, greens, reds, and yellows. Lily and Grace modeled dresses, sweaters, blankets, and even a few pairs of shoes.
"A swimsuit Hanna? It's January," Emily reminded her friend.
"Yeah, I know, but they were on sale and I just died when I saw it!" Hanna held up a one-piece with pineapples on a light green background.
"I love you, Hanna, you are so amazing," I thanked her.
Aria was into fashion as well, but she had graduated from her outrageously creative choices in high school. Now, she dressed more elegantly but was still spunky. Aria laid out her gifts out; they were mostly nude shades like grays, blacks, whites, and browns, but also light pink and mint greens. I especially adored the colors; they were perfect for the winter season. A few selections stood out and reminded me of her old tastes: an adorable romper adorned with flowers, and a pair of black and gold shorts. One side was striped and the other had polka dots. She also dumped out packages of diapers and a few toys for Eve.
"Do you like them Eve, honey?" Alison – who was now holding Eve – cooed. Emily and Alison knew that their fashionista friends would cover the clothes duty, so they went full-on practical and brought everything you could possibly think of for a nursery. Those two are absolutely darling.
Eve is lucky to have so many people who love her.
Aria's POV:
Right after Ezra and I got back from Spencer's, I heard a sharp knock on the door and excited whispers. Who could that be? They sound familiar…
"Hel – oh my gosh Mike! Hi!" I threw my arms around my brother, I hadn't seen him in months! Next to him was a grinning Mona, and I embraced her too. "Did you guys fly here all the way from Florida?"
"Yeah, we wanted to come and surprise you," Mona filled in.
I ushered them inside the home and after greeting them, Ezra ran to cook something up in the kitchen. "That's so sweet of you both to come and visit me! How are you?"
"Great, actually better than great," Mike said. I raised my eyebrows in question. Then, Mona drew out her left hand from behind her back and placed it in front of me. On her fourth finger was a beautiful diamond ring – an engagement ring. I pulled Mona's hand closer towards me and peered down, totally speechless. I raised my head and they both grinned when they saw my joyful expression. Immediately after the initial shock had worn off, I pulled Mike and Mona in for a three-way hug.
"Congratulations, that's amazing! I'm so happy for you guys!" And I genuinely was. Regardless of everything that had happened between Mona, the girls, and me, we had decided to be adults about the situation and put the past behind us. Mona and I had history, yes, but we became close friends over the years, and I think Mike was our mutual connection. Now we were going from buddies to sisters-in-law!
"When did this happen?" The excitement in my voice was as clear as day.
"A few weeks ago. We stopped at Mom's in Rosewood along the way, but ultimately our destination was here. There's more news. Tell her, Mona," Mike gestured.
"More? Wow, that's a lot of excitement in one day," I joked, but waited in anticipation.
"Mike and I are working to sell our condo…and we're planning to move to New York." Mona said the last part almost as if was a question.
"What? New York? You have to settle in our neighborhood. Oh, please say you'll consider it!"
"Yeah, that's our top choice right now." Mike agreed. "We were hoping we could crash with you and Ezra for a few days until we find a decent apartment.
"Absolutely! We're happy to have you. Stay as long as you need," I offered.
After an impromptu takeout dinner, Mona and I were the only ones downstairs because Ezra and Mike had gone upstairs to discuss whatever guys talk about. As we finished the dishes, Mona cupped my shoulder so I turned to her. "What was your first impression as Mike and me as a couple?" Seeing my startled expression, she shook her head and apologized.
"No, don't say sorry Mona. Honestly? Not good at all. I was appalled and confused. I was more angry at myself than you, because I firmly believed that Mike was getting himself into trouble and I didn't stop him."
"I'm sorry," Mona said timidly.
"I'm sorry too. Looking back, I shouldn't have judged you that quickly. I should have given you a second chance. I shouldn't have shut the idea out of my head. It was hard, Mona. Over the next few years, I warmed up to you, tried to see who you really were. But with you, it was like looking through sunglasses. Everything was tinted a darker shade. Now, I've gained more maturity than I thought I would ever have. You are a beautiful person, Mona. Inside and out." Tears welled up in Mona's eyes.
"You are Mike's soulmate. He always needed a person who would look out for him, confide in him, and love him. You are that someone. And I thank you from the bottom of my heart for that."
Thank you, Aria," she said to me, as she clasped her hands around mine. "And not just for tonight."
