Chapter Forty-Six

Aria straightened her posture, trying to work the pain out of her lower back from standing on her feet all day. The ache traveled down the back of her thigh, but she forced a smile to the couple taking their time to order their food.

The new manager was kind enough to let Aria work for the next couple of months until it was time for her baby boy to come. After her appointment that morning, she realized it would be here before she knew it.

"I'll go put this in, and be back with your appetizers shortly," she said, taking the ticket to the window, and waddling her way toward the back.

Joan walked behind Aria and began to rub her shoulders while she made her customer's salads. "Any news from Ethan?" she asked.

Aria stiffened. "It's only been two days since she told him, and it felt like two years. It wasn't as if it ever left her mind but danced along her thoughts, fighting anything else that tried to take control.

"No," Aria said bluntly.

Joan sensed her tone and turned her to face her. "Aria. I wish you'd just go talk to him again. Who is to say that he hasn't stopped by your apartment to check on you, and you just left?"

"He has my number, Joan. He could have texted or called. I'm not that hard to find; plus, even if he did show up, I'm not sure I want him around. The look on his face—the indifference—it wasn't someone that was happy about expecting a baby. Or someone that even considered it. He told me he never saw himself as a father, Joan, and that wasn't very long ago. I have to be honest with myself—for me and my baby—and I don't see Ethan pulling through for me. Okay. I don't want to see him again. I thought he liked me, and … turns out he doesn't."

Aria turned her back to Joan to hide the tears threatening her eyes. She hated herself for crying because she felt silly for being attached to him. For thinking he would pull through for her.

She finished her customer's salads and walked them to their table, checking on her other customers before she made it back to the server station. Her ankles cried out as she leaned against the wall to relieve some of the pressure. One of the waiters offered her his barstool, and she took it without any hesitation.

She closed her eyes when she heard his voice.

At first, she thought it was a hallucination, but then it hit again. This time he was interacting with someone. Aria slipped off the stool and walked around the corner, so she could eavesdrop easily.

"… Aria Linetti. Is she here?"

Their new manager, a no-nonsense woman in her fifties, scoffed. "I can't give out that information, sir."

The silence told her Ethan was aggravated. "Ma'am, it's very important."

Aria envisioned Mrs. Monica giving him a look that screamed I don't care. "I'm sorry, son. If you're so close go by her place, or call her, but I'm very busy and need to get back to work."

Aria jumped from her place back to the server station when she heard Mrs. Monica's footsteps.

"Aria, a gentleman came looking for you. I didn't tell him anything, but—he was a good-looking young man," she said with a wink. "Is he," her gaze lowered to Aria's protruding belly. "The father?"

There was no sense in lying anymore. "Yes."

Mrs. Monica frowned. "Does the child not have your phone number?"

Aria's stomach dropped, and she swallowed the lump in her throat.

Mrs. Monica waved her off. "I'm sorry. It's none of my business. I just wanted to let you know that he came by. Sit down if you need to, honey."

Aria sighed in relief when she left. She didn't want to start bawling in front of the restaurant or her manager that gave her a second chance. She tried to focus on getting her customers taken care of and making it through her last few hours.

In the last thirty minutes of her shift, Aria felt herself relax for the first time all afternoon. She bent over to clean off her last table when Joan approached her and began to help. "I saw Ethan come in," Joan said.

Aria scrubbed a ketchup stain harder with her washcloth. "Yeah, you know Mrs. Monica didn't tell him anything."

Joan nodded. "No, she's very professional. She wouldn't do that. And even though I wanted to go speak to him because he looked worried, I hid like I figured you did." Joan stood up and stared down at Aria. "But why didn't you go speak to him?"

Aria frowned. "Because I've already told you, Joan. How am I going to trust him? He left for days without trying to contact me after finding out that I am pregnant with his child, and he thinks he can just waltz in whenever he pleases? How can I trust behavior like that?"

"Aria, you're young, and you're alone. You need to reach out to him, even if it doesn't work out romantically after this; he has a right to know his child and needs to help you financially. He owes you that."

Aria pressed her lips together to keep herself from crying. She knew reaching out to Ethan was what she needed to do, but she was afraid. Afraid he wouldn't want her anymore. That he would give her the bare minimum or just disappear as so many fathers did nowadays.

Or he wouldn't love their child like her.

Or he wouldn't show up to birthdays, holidays or school events and leave her son's emotions hanging in the wind to be swept away and forever forgotten. She wouldn't let a man come in and out of her son's life that way. He deserved better.

"How do I know he'll stick around, Joan? He is a playboy—"

"That has persistently charmed and wooed you, Aria. He deserves a chance."

Aria knew what Joan said made sense, but the fear she had for a man not pulling through for her son strangled her. Aria tucked a brown curl behind her ear and let her gaze drop to her swollen ankles. "I can't talk about this now. I have to take this ticket to my last table. I'll see you at home."

Aria took the long way home, after grabbing an ice cream cone from a local fast-food restaurant and sitting in their parking lot for over an hour. There were so many things on her mind. Rational and irrational thoughts battled it out, leaving her with a headache from hell.

Joan's living room lamp was still on when Aria pulled into the driveway. They never really argued before, so she didn't know how to go about apologizing for being irritated with her.

When she opened the front door, Joan sat on the couch in her robe with a frown on her face. "I'm sorry," they both said at the same time.

Joan walked over to hug Aria, laughing as her stomach got in the way. "I don't mean to get in your business because it's your life and your baby. I just want you to get what you deserve," she said, cupping Aria's cheek.

"I'm sorry for being so sensitive. It's been a roller coaster these last few months, and now that he knows, I don't feel as relieved as I thought I would."

Joan nodded. "I understand. But I have something that I thought would cheer you up."

Aria slipped out of her shoes as Joan walked over to grab her phone. She snickered on her way back, making Aria curious.

She pulled up their local newspaper on social media and handed Aria the phone.

Her eyes widened at the sight of Landen's mugshot on the front page. "What the—"

"Local boy arrested after refusing to leave apartment complex after told his ex-girlfriend moved without telling him."

Aria felt a bubble of laughter move up her throat until she was laughing so hard she began to cry. Joan pointed toward the article. "It says he insisted the landlord tell him where you moved to and tried to bribe the new tenants to let him into the apartment to double-check. Has he been calling you?" she asked.

Aria wiped the tears from underneath her eyes. "Yes. Nonstop. This is priceless, and you're right. This definitely cheers me up."