Two whole months had passed, and in that time, the only notable thing that had happened was the growth of Aria's midsection. She was becoming less and less enthralled with the way her daughter seemed to take up every spare nook and cranny of her body, and (if it were possible) she was even less enthralled that her daughter had started creating space of her own.
The miracle of life was miraculous and all, but after a while…it got old.
Pregnancy seemed to have finally lost its glamor and Aria found herself itching to have her body to herself again. She'd been warned that this day would come, but she hadn't wanted to believe it.
Now, as she sat with her feet propped up on the ottoman, a bowl of popcorn at her side, and the remote control resting in balance (for the time being) atop her eight-month-round belly, she let out a deep sigh and tried to re-position herself into a state that put slightly less pressure on her bladder.
"You're a pain in the ass, you know." She let out a huff.
"Everything okay in there?"
Ezra sat behind her at his desk, typing and clicking away as always. Ever since he'd come home from his trip to Boston, he'd seemed preoccupied – and not in an I'm-writing-a-new-book sort of way – which would have been forgivable. At first Aria had pestered him about it to no end, but that had only resulted in heated arguments about trust and personal space. Sometimes he'd get a phone call go all the way down to the brew to answer it. Other times, there were meetings that required late night drives into the city.
It wasn't that Aria was not longer curious or had stopped caring; she'd just simply lost the energy to nag him about it all the time. The fact was: she trusted him. Trust would have to be enough.
So instead of making a pointed remark about the fact that he'd spent the better part of an hour behind her at his desk instead of watching the movie they'd picked out together, she simply replied "yes" and shoved another handful of popcorn into her mouth.
She felt the tension in the air swell like a balloon. She heard his chair swivel around and she could just picture him, sitting with his elbows propped along the armrests, his hands dangling somewhere near his knees.
"Aren't you going to ask what I've been doing all night?" he asked.
She rolled her eyes. "I'm not wasting my breath."
It should also be mentioned that her patience was in short supply. Though this development wasn't exactly new to the third trimester.
Ezra pushed himself out of his chair and made his way around to the edge of the couch, sitting down beside her. He took the remote off her bump and hit the pause button before tossing it to the ottoman.
"Not even if it involves a surprise?" He brought her legs up onto his lap, massaging her feet.
"That depends on whether or not the surprise involves pie…or a pair of pants that miraculously contains all of this," she motioned to her waist, "and doesn't make me feel like I'm wearing a body suit."
He gave her an incredulous look. "I don't know that I can do anything about the pants situation, but if pie is what it takes to get your attention, I can make arrangements."
She stared at him for a moment, narrowing her eyes in thought. "You have my attention."
"Good," he said, his mouth turning up at the corner into an excited grin. "Aria Marie Montgomery…"
She cut him off with a snort. "You've already asked me to marry you, you goof. What are you proposing now?"
"Will you let me finish, woman?" He stopped massaging her feet and instead spread her legs so that they were on either side of him. Ever so gently, he pulled her toward him until she was positioned on his lap, both legs on either side of his waist.
"Ezra," she said through a fit of laughter as he buried his head in the crook of her neck. Her words lilted off into a saddened plea. "I don't move like I used to…please be careful." She let out an uncomfortable sigh. "Everything aches."
"Sorry," he said, freezing his body buy letting his head stay buried beneath her hair. She smelled of sweat and something sweet. Her perfume, or maybe just shampoo – whatever it was, the combination was distinctly Aria. "How would you like to live in Boston again?"
Ezra had his eyes closed as the words left his lips. He'd put so much behind this one question that he wasn't sure what he'd do if she said no. He could feel her small frame freeze against his chest and he was almost certain he could feel her heart beating.
"Okay," he started, breaking the silence. "Let me try and sell it to you a little. I already have a condo picked out, and if your answer is yes, we close this weekend. It's pretty centrally located, right outside of the historic district. It's got a lot of character…plenty of space to grow. Rosie will have her own room, we'll have an office…it overlooks the most beautiful park. I know you'd be leaving a lot behind, but think of what this would mean for us. The publishing world is vibrant there. The only person we have to risk running into is Liam and I don't give a fuck about him anymore…"
Aria pulled his face up to look into her eyes and before he had the chance to say anything else, she crushed her lips against his.
"Ezra," she breathed between kisses. "It sounds perfect."
"You're sure?"
There were probably ten different things Aria could have said that would have let him know she was sure, but she never got the chance. Before she could open her mouth, a ripple carried across her belly. There, between them, they felt the undeniable agreement from their little third party. In that moment, all either of them could think about was their child, and what as best for her. They couldn't afford to let this town swallow her whole like it had them.
Days bled into each other as Aria and Ezra closed on their new home and began to pack up their life in Rosewood. Ella and Byron were overjoyed to hear that their daughter was getting the chance to start fresh in a new place, with her new family. Of course, that didn't mean they weren't saddened at the idea of being apart.
"Are you sure you're going to be okay? Wouldn't you like me to come up and stay for the first month or so? It's going to be so much to get used to…especially with a new baby."
Aria had been on the phone with Ella for the better part of an hour. She and Ezra were currently sitting cross-legged on their bedroom floor, boxing up their room, throwing pile after pile of clothes into suitcases and boxes, doing their best to get rid of anything that wasn't essential. Ella was on speakerphone between them.
"It's going to be fine, Mom. Remember – this is why you and Spencer agonized over your calendars for a week and a half." Aria rolled her eyes and Ezra shook his head in response, staying out of it. "I'm scheduled to be induced on the 18th and that's only if the baby hasn't come before then. You're going to be there the first week after I've given birth, then there will only be one week between you leaving and Spencer arriving...if it helps you not worry, remember that I am not a single mother. I do have Ezra here…and Hardy lives in the area too, so…"
"But do Ezra and Hardy really count for anything?" Ella cut in.
"Mom!" Aria looked up at Ezra and mouthed sorry. In Ella's defense, Ezra hadn't announced himself when he walked in the room a few minutes ago, and Aria hadn't found the right moment to address it.
"Well, have either of them ever had a baby before?"
"No – but neither has Spencer. I'm just saying, it's not like I'm going up completely alone, without any resources. Ezra and I are as prepared as we possibly could be. I know a few people from when I was working up there, and it'll at least be comforting to know that Hardy is around if we need an emergency driver or something…I don't know."
"I guess," Ella said over the speaker. "And I shouldn't say that about Ezra. He's going to be a great father and a huge help – I know it. I'm just worried about you. You're my baby. What if you need me?"
Even thought it was posed as a question, Aria knew her mom wasn't really looking for an answer, and that made her heart break. "I'll call you, Mom," she said. Her voice was quiet. She let the shirt she had been folding drop to her lap and her shoulders seemed to curl forward. "I'm actually getting sort of tired. Can we pick this up tomorrow?"
"Of course," she said. "Tell Ezra I said hello."
There were a few seconds of dead air (during which Ezra let out a sigh and shook his head at the ground) before there was a click signaling the end of the call. Ezra watched the look of defeat pass over Aria's face.
"Hey," he said. "Look at me."
She gave him a watery smile. "I'm fine." She refolded the t-shirt and stacked it among the others before her. "It's going to be fine – this is not something I'm going to worry about."
"Good. I'm glad." He threw an unfolded pair of pants into a box and moved the phone from the floor to the dresser. "But that wasn't what I was going to say…"
Her eyes narrowed and she leaned back, letting her arms support her. Ezra scooted over until he was beside her and leaned down onto his elbows.
"Don't expect anything from Hardy," he said with a smile. Aria threw her head back and the room was filled with a melody of laughter. She eased herself onto her back and Ezra moved to join her, mimicking her position.
"Hey," she said quietly, her eyes alight. "Let's force Hardy and Spencer into going on a double date with us when she's in town."
"We're going to have a two…three week old baby," he said, his eyes narrowing. "You're not going anywhere."
"That does not mean we can't trap them in the same room." Aria raised her eyebrows at him. "He seemed very interested in her when you guys called me a few weeks ago. She just needs a push."
"Those aren't really two people I would want to see at odds, though," Ezra said, a little more reluctant. He reached out and picked up her left hand, playing with the ring on her finger.
"I guess it would be awkward if they hooked up and things went south…birthday parties and holidays would get kind of sticky." She stared at the ceiling for a few seconds, enjoying the feeling of his fingers as they pressed into the palm of her hand. "Doesn't that feel weird? Thinking about birthday parties?"
She could feel Ezra smile beside her. She turned and let her cheek press into the carpet as she looked at his face, taking in the way his cheeks were covered in stubble, the way his eyes creased at the temple.
"I'm really excited to do this," she said quietly. "And I'm really thankful that you're the one I get to do it with."
"You're stuck with me, Montgomery," he said, pulling her knuckles to his lips as his eyes stayed focused on the ceiling.
She felt a warmth grow in her chest as she closed her eyes, glad to have someone by her side who made her feel as safe and as comforted as he did.
AN: Sorry it took so long to update. That last season really threw me out of touch with Ezria. I've had a really hard time reconnecting with them for some reason...which honestly makes me feel super sad.
I know I harp on this all the time, but I make a point to say it for the sake of all the other fic writers out there. As a reader, please try your best to not be a nag. If it takes someone 2 to 4 months to update, so be it. At least they're updating for you. Whenever someone stopped updating a story I loved, my first concern was always that they had gotten in a horrible accident or that they were clinically depressed...would you really want to leave a nasty comment on their story if that were the case? Probably not. If you want to ask if I have an update in the works, PM me. Anyone who has ever messaged me knows that I am not bothered by people reaching out. Also, I am more active on Tumblr (same name) - so if you want to keep up with me there, please do.
Anyway. We're getting close to the end... I'm thinking there will only be one or two more chapters. I'll try to cover as much as possible. MAYBE we'll see a few oneshots that dip into life after the end of NMA. That's something I'm considering...not sure that I'll commit to anything yet though.
PLEASE. Let me know what you thought. Make me feel like this tedious (and most likely boring) update was worth posting Lololol *cries tears of exhaustion*