Only five minutes later, I was sitting in my old living room with my parents in the sofa opposite of the one I sat on and my husband standing up in front of all of us in the most awkward silence ever. I was beginning to grow impatient and uncomfortable; and the shirt I had chosen to wear after the wedding was a bit...tighter than I had originally planned. That meaning that if someone knew what to look for, they'd be able to tell that I was pregnant. Then, I saw Ezra shift his weight to his dominant leg like he always does when he's about to give a presentation or speech.
"Mr. and Mrs. Montgomery, I'm sorry to invade your privacy without prior notice of my arrival; but this had to be done in person." He said, just loud enough to be heard by the people in the room. I glanced past him for a moment and saw Mike sitting on the staircase. I didn't want him to get involved with what was about to happen. I couldn't be responsible for my little brother getting hurt.
"What's wrong, Ezra?" My mother quietly asked as she adjusted her hair back behind her ear. Everyone has their own nervous tick; and that just happened to be my mother's. It felt normal to be in an environment where Ezra's name wasn't Mr. Fitz or Professor Fitz. Normalcy, however, was a very new thing to me.
"I have...we have...been meaning to tell you this...for months, actually. And we figured that it needed to be said now or never." He replied, motioning towards me. I think he was silently preparing for a beating after he said what he was about to say, and I honestly don't blame him.
We were planning on telling just my mom, as I hadn't seen or heard from my dad in over a month. Ezra knew what my father was capable of, especially after the hospital incident. My dad was extremely scary when he was angry or in an irascible mood. Ezra, my mom and I knew this first hand. There was an even more intense silence that followed his statement as my parents waited for his supposed life-changing news to break the silence and fill the room.
"Mr. and Mrs. Montgomery, Aria and I have been seeing each other...socially, romantically or whatever you'd like to call it...since Labor Day last summer." He said, very slowly and very cautiously before ending his monologue with a bang. "I am in love with your daughter. I love Aria."
As he finished saying this, my heart skipped a beat or two. I never knew how that phrase would've sounded if it were real and he actually meant it.
My mom's mouth gaped in awe at the situation and my father's face was growing redder, telling us that he wasn't just getting angry; he was getting pissed off. I didn't care that much for my father, but I began to grow worried. Not for his sake, but for Ezra's. My mom reached for my father's hand and she stood up, presumably to slap him. But, she didn't; she stormed over to where I was sitting and I instinctively covered my stomach with my arms. I actually think she noticed this this time, but she didn't seem to care.
She began yelling at me because I hadn't told her and that I had been lying these last few months of my life. Usually I would get defensive, but today, I just let her verbal beatings hit me with full force and I remained calm. Then, my dad walked over to Ezra and began raising his voice. He raised his arm, presumably to knock him out; and it was then that I knew I had to do something before I had to call 911.
I stood up, shoved past my mom and ran over to violent huddle in the center of my old living room. Ezra told me to stay out of the violence, as he didn't want me getting hurt. I don't think my father cared so much about me finding a man that actually cared about me, but more about the fact that he just happened to be my former English teacher. Ezra got a swift punch in the jaw by my dad, and I lost it.
I slapped my dad as hard as I could. Then, I felt the same burning feeling in my fact that I had felt that day in the hospital. That's right; my father had just slapped me...again. This time, however, was different. He hit me with such force, that I fell to the ground. Ezra shoved my father off of him and dropped down to the floor with me and put his arm around my shoulders.
"Aria, are you okay?" He whispered as he helped me to stand up. As soon as I was up off the ground, I began shouting.
"You have NO RIGHT to do this to us." I yelled at my father. Ezra kept his hand on my shoulder to hold me back from doing anything violent. I sincerely wished that he would let go, even for a moment, so I could punch the man who put my family through hell several times. But, I was also glad that he held me back.
"You're MY daughter! I'm trying to HELP you!" My father screamed back. I was getting angrier, and I couldn't take this anymore.
"Not anymore I'm not! I'm moving out! And there's NOTHING you can do to stop me!" I yelled. I grabbed Ezra's hand and we both began to walk out the door. Then, I stopped when I heard my dad yelling at me again.
"Where the hell will you go? Move in with your boyfriend?" He taunted. I turned around and, my voice hoarse from yelling, said one final thing before walking out.
"No." I began, looking just barely over my shoulder. Then, I turned around and put my left, ringed hand on Ezra's shoulder. "I'm moving away. I'm moving far, far away-with my husband. And don't worry; I didn't expect you to walk me down the aisle and ring the wedding bells, anyway."
Then, we were out the door and I slammed the door so hard, my arm hurt after. Ezra turned me towards him and cupped his hands on my face, checking for any cuts or bruises. There was none, maybe a little redness or blood, as he had slapped me with his left hand; but, I unfortunately couldn't say the same for Ezra. His lower lip was cut and bloody.
"Ezra, I am so sorry. If I didn't-"
"Hey, hey. Don't be sorry. As long as you and our baby are okay, I'll be okay. You know I'd do anything for you, Aria." He said, wiping tears from my face. I smiled weakly and kissed him on the cheek, as his lip was probably still hurting.
"I know. I just want him to leave us alone. I don't want to bring this baby into the world with Byron still being a threat." I whispered as I rubbed my belly gently. Ezra took my hand in his and looked at me lovingly.
"Aria, your father won't ever be able to hurt you or our child while I'm still breathing. I'll protect you both; I promise." He said, rubbing my back soothingly. He then grinned at me and stroked my cheek with his hand. "C'mon. Let's go home."
Just then, I saw Mike jumping over the fence that separated the front and back yards of my family home. He had probably just walked out the back door to say goodbye, but then he hugged me.
"Aria, Ezra, are you both okay? I'm sorry I didn't step in-" He said, his voice wavering, until I cut him off.
"Mike, it's okay. I wouldn't have wanted you to step in, anyway. I need you to stay safe." I replied, ruffling his hair. He smiled and noticed my reddened cheek and Ezra's bloody lip.
"Oh my god. Aria, Dad didn't do that, did he?" He said as he looked back and forth at Ezra and I.
"He did. I'm so sorry, Mike. But I think it'd be best if you stayed at a friend's house tonight. I don't want you to be in any danger, especially when Dad's like this." I replied, beginning to cry. Ezra walked over to me and put his arm around me. He kissed my head and put one hand on my belly.
"Aria, I'm not going to let you and Ezra move away without at least saying goodbye. And, as much as I don't want you to go, I know this is the right decision for you to make. So, helping you with the boxes is the best thing for me to do. Plus, the longer I'm away from home, the better." He said, smiling. Ezra thanked him for offering to help, and hugged him.
Ezra then helped me into the car and Mike got in the back seat once again. We drove to the apartment and began moving boxes into the small trailer which sat outside the building.
Soon, Ezra had helped Mike to put the last of the boxes into the trailer and we were saying goodbye. I hugged my little brother and began crying. I missed him so much already. Unlike the girls, I couldn't see Mike unless he came to me, as I wouldn't be seen at my old home for anything.
"Hey, don't cry. I'll see you soon." He whispered to me, hugging me back. I let go of him and wiped my eyes.
"Yeah, I know. It's just-you're the only member of my family that's actually been there for me." I replied, putting my hand on his shoulder.
"Anything for my sister. Take care of yourself, okay?"
"I will. I promise."
And with that, I walked away and sat in the car. I was crying even more now, especially after saying goodbye to the only member of my family who had stayed by me and helped me through this bittersweet time of my life. I was so glad to get away from them; especially my dad. I was excited to spend the rest of my life with the man who loved me and I knew would take care of me and our baby. I looked down and put my hands on my stomach, and I felt my little bump that I could just barely see through my jacket. I wasn't just excited anymore-I was completely ecstatic. I had completely forgotten about the numbness in my cheek from getting slapped-and in that moment, that was all I wanted. To forget this and remember that I will have something else in a couple blinks of an eye.
Ezra walked over to Mike who was now standing against the wall of Ezra's old apartment building and put his hand on his shoulder. They hugged and Ezra gave Mike the address of our new house.
"Thank you so much for everything, Mike. You were there for Aria when I couldn't be and I can't thank you enough for all your help. You're a great kid." Ezra said as he handed Mike a piece of paper containing all our necessary contact information, as Ezra and I had both changed our cell phone numbers.
"Anything for my family. Aria's lucky to have you, Ezra. Take care of her, okay?" He replied, smiling.
"Of course, Mike. We'll call you if we have any news about the baby." Ezra said as he pulled his keys out of his jacket pocket.
"Thanks, man. Take care." Mike replied as he headed over to the bus stop. I take it he was staying with a lacrosse buddy of his for the night, as the Montgomery household was probably a huge bundle of rage and disappointment.
As we drove away, I heard Mike yelling something.
"Goodbye, Mr. and Mrs. Fitz!" He yelled as he got on the bus. I laughed as I heard this and Ezra was now laughing as well.
I also heard Mike snickering, and I began to wonder what he had done. Then, I heard some metal cans clanking on the asphalt below the car and I realized what he had done. Hanna, Spencer, Emily and he had apparently painted the back of his car with an iconic "Just Married!" and attached some tin cans on strings. I told Ezra and he laughed and told me that I had the best friends.
On the drive to our new home, Ezra told me that he had called his little brother, Wesley, to help with the move because I could not move anything heavy, given my petite stature and pregnancy. I was extremely excited to meet him, as Ezra has told me many wonderful things about his younger brother.
"Have you told Wes about us yet?" I asked as I moved my hand down his face. He wasn't exactly fond of me doing that-and that's exactly why I kept on doing it.
"I don't believe so." He replied. "But, he probably suspected something when I told him I was moving from my no-bedroom apartment to a three-bedroom starter house."
I kept on asking him if his lip still hurt, and he always promptly replied that he was fine. I told him that I was going to treat him like a wounded baby squirrel until he admitted to being in pain, and this made him laugh. Spencer liked to tease me when I treated him like that; always saying that whenever I treated Ezra like a wounded baby squirrel, I was "taking away his nuts". I would laugh and tease her back about Toby. That's why we were friends. Well, that and Alison. Ezra held my hand and asked me if I was in any pain, and this confused me a bit.
"What do you mean, Ez? You're the one who got punched in the lip. The stinging in my face went away a half hour ago." I replied.
"Yeah, I know. But I'm more worried about you. You just had to witness that, and I don't want you to be in any emotional pain." He said as he moved his hand from my grasp to my belly. "Stress isn't good for you or the baby."
How in the world did I get so lucky? I thought that being Ezra Fitz's girlfriend was a blessing enough, but now I'm married to this wonderful man. He is so selfless; and he always makes sure that I'm okay. God, I love him so much.
"So," He said, starting a conversation,"if you had to choose, which would you prefer? A boy or girl?"
"I just want a healthy, happy baby;" I began,"but if I had to choose, I'd probably want to have a girl. And that's only because I've always wanted a daughter to pass Pigtunia down to; but otherwise, I'm unbiased."
"I agree." He replied, laughing. "And if I had to choose, I have always wanted to have a baby girl. But, healthy trumps gender. Speaking of which, when do we get to go in for the big gender reveal?"
"That would be in about two weeks. I'm so excited!" I squealed.
"Me too, babe." He added, kissing me on the lips.
"Didn't that hurt?" I asked after we broke our kiss.
"I can handle it." He replied with a smile as he fixed a loose strand of hair on my head behind my ear.
Soon, we were pulling into a small neighborhood in which our new house was located. I was actually happy, seeing as the drive took only forty minutes. I mean, Rosewood was small, but I never expected the neighboring town to be located so close. The only problem with this short commute was that my parents were still a short distance from us...and this idea scared me. Either way, being even forty minutes away from that house was fantastic. Good riddance.
When we pulled into our driveway, Wesley's car was already parked and he was waiting on the doorstep. Ezra hopped out of the car and helped me out as well. Ezra greeted his little brother and then Wes saw me.
"And who's this?" He asked Ezra, looking past him and at me. I smiled and so did he.
"Wes, this is Aria." He replied, wrapping his arm around my waist. I waved at Wesley, who was now smiling.
"The girlfriend?" He asked with a smile. That's just wonderful. We had to break more news to yet another person today. I didn't mind, though. Wes seemed nice.
"No, Wes." Ezra replied. "Aria and I actually just eloped."
As he said this, Wes grew pale. I don't think he expected his older brother to get married on such short notice. Honestly, I think Mike thought the same thing.
"Wow. And why wasn't I invited to the wedding?" He teased.
"Because wherever you go, our mom-zilla follows. Sorry, Wes. We can give you pictures, though." Ezra replied, jokingly punching his little brother on the shoulder.
"Well, it's wonderful to meet you, Aria." Wes said as he shook my hand. I began moving my hand over my slightly protruding stomach out of habit and I think he noticed both my action and my small baby bump, as he eyed Ezra with a look of concern on his face. I had, however, expected that from him.
Then, I began to help Ezra and Wes with some of the lighter boxes.
As I stepped outside to grab the last of the small boxes about an hour later, I heard five familiar voices calling to me from a car. I turned around and saw Toby's car parked across the street with Hanna, Caleb and Emily sitting in the back seat and Spencer up front. I smiled and waved at them, and Hanna, Spencer and Emily got out of the car and ran over to me. A look of concern came across my face and my heartbeat increased. What was wrong?
"Hi! What are you guys doing here?" I said, calling out to them as I crossed the street to meet them halfway. They stopped running and caught their breath.
"Aria, your mom called all of us wondering where you were. Mike gave us the address and we drove down here as fast as we could. What the hell did you and Ezra do? Your parents sounded furious." Hanna said as she was trying to catch her breath.
"Oh my god. Why's your cheek so red?" Spencer asked, putting her hand on my shoulder.
"That would be the wrath of Byron Montgomery. Why else would I not want to come home? Also, if you could please keep Ezra's and my address a secret for awhile, that'd be great." I replied. Just then, Ezra walked outside and ran over to greet my friends.
"What's wrong?" He asked with a worried tone of voice as he wrapped his arm around me.
"Oh my god. Did he do that, too?" Emily asked as she pointed at Ezra's cut lip. I slowly nodded and grabbed Ezra's hand.
"How much do they know?" Hanna asked.
"Too much. But, Ezra and I have decided that we'll tell them the rest when we find out whether Baby Fitz is a boy or girl." I replied as Ezra kissed my head.
"Baby Fitz? That's catchy." Emily said, giggling. We both nodded and laughed as well. Then, Hanna's phone buzzed and she groaned.
"That's my mom. She wants to know if we found you because your mother has been calling everyone with ties to you." She explained. I asked her to keep this a secret for just two more weeks. Then, she could visit whenever. She agreed and hugged me goodbye. Ezra and I waved and walked back inside.
The house was still half in boxes, but it still felt like more of a home than I ever had expected. Wesley had left and Ezra and I were alone in our own house. It felt good; being able to live in peace with the man I loved. Emily had texted me the pictures she took at Ezra's and my wedding, and we were sitting on the couch in our living room looking at them.
Then, we began to kiss. And then that kiss turned into something more. And soon, we were in bed covered in blankets, our clothes sprawled across the floor...
"Welcome home." He whispered as he pulled me in closer to him on the bed. I snuggled up close to my husband and we fell asleep, my hand on his bare chest and his on my stomach.
Author's Note: I'm insanely sorry for taking so long to write and publish chapter sixteen. Honestly, it was very exhausting writing this, as I like to try and feel the emotions of my characters and/or the ones I happen to be working with. And for this particular chapter, those emotions were betrayal, deceit, sadness, depression, loneliness, abandonment AND ecstasy; so basically, I had my work cut out for me ;) But, it's totally worth it! Anything for a good plot, am I right:)
Will the newlyweds be able to finally live in harmony? Or will Byron Montgomery completely wreck their lives? Will Ella come around? What about Ezra's family? Find out SOON!
Kisses,
Delaney R. L.