Chapter Forty-Eight

Aria stared at the stack of diapers, baby wipes, breast pump, and the array of baby boy clothes spread out on her bed. It wasn't how she imagined bringing her baby into the world, with his crib shoved into the corner, giving Aria hardly any room to walk.

However, she had no other options at the moment, and she wanted to make the best of it. It'd taken almost all of her savings to buy the things she had, and truthfully, that was only the beginning.

After her almost run-in with Ethan, she bribed the other servers into switching shifts for times she knew Ethan was at work. It was better this way—she thought. It'd been almost two weeks since she left Devry Media, and as time crept closer, her nerves took over every minute.

When he moved just the slightest, she feared labor would come soon after. She was well past the time of having a healthy baby if she went into labor early. Her appointments were now once a week, and her ankles had officially vanished.

The tips were good at the restaurant because most everyone felt sorry for her, but she didn't care. Any extra money helped her tremendously at this point.

"Knock, knock," Joan said, cracking the door to look inside. She walked in and laughed. "It's a tight squeeze, but I think Lil Man is used to a tight living space."

Aria chuckled and folded the last onesie before sliding the stack into the corner of her T-shirt drawer in her one lone chest-of-drawers. "We are just happy to have a place to stay. Thank you, Joan."

She waved her off and gestured toward Aria's pile of bibs and receiving blankets. "Do you need some help with that?"

Aria nodded. "Sure. Thank you."

They began to fold the items together, silence taking over the room, causing Aria's stomach to knot. When she had too much time to think, her thoughts wandered to Ethan. It wasn't that she hated him—actually, she really still cared about him, and that was the sucky part. Her feelings didn't disappear as she hoped they would.

As terrible as his hesitation and the look on his face made her feel, she still liked him. He'd been so perfect. But Aria knew what they said about things being too perfect—it meant they were too good to be true, and they were right.

"Have you thought of a name yet?" Joan asked.

Joan hadn't brought Ethan back up since their disagreement a couple weeks before. Joan thought Aria needed to talk to him again, but Aria knew she couldn't handle seeing that look on his face more than once.

Aria would be everything she needed to be for her baby … no name. She chuckled to herself. "I think I'm going to wait and see him before I decide. I don't have any ideas at the moment."

"That way you can see what he looks like, right?" Joan asked. "I hope he looks like you."

Aria smiled, but the corner of her mouth caught and forced a frown. "Ethan wouldn't be a bad person to look like either," she said softly.

Joan nodded. "You're right," she said. "He's a handsome man, but I fear that may make you sad to see him in your little boy every day."

She knew Joan was right, but ultimately, it wasn't up to her what her Lil Man looked like, and she'd take a healthy baby over anything. "Well, what was that saying from elementary school? You get what you get, and you don't throw a fit?"

Joan tossed her head back and laughed. "You're right."

"So, how was your date with Thomas?"

Aria watched Joan's cheeks turn a deep red, which was unlike her, but Aria laughed at it. "Don't get embarrassed now," Aria teased. "You were out kind of late last night."

Joan rolled her eyes and sat down on the bed to finish her share of the clothes. "It was … nice, ya know? He isn't really my type—or I thought he wasn't—but it was fun. We had fun."

Aria smirked. "Well, learn from my mistake: wear a condom and make him wait. You don't want to end up like me. A single mom living with her best friend."

"It could be worse, Aria. You need to keep your head in a positive place. I don't mean to be a Debbie Downer, but once you have the baby and your hormones are racing, you'll need a good mindset to try and avoid post-partum depression."

Aria cringed at the word. Her OBGYN mentioned getting on birth control after to prevent another pregnancy too soon and to even out her hormones to help with depression. When you're young, you never realize how much comes along with being a mother, and your appreciation for your own triples.

Aria grew apart from her mother over the years, but she didn't dare call and tell her about her baby out of wedlock since both of her parents were old fashioned. She would eventually have to tell her, but not now, not when her life was in shambles.

"I spoke with my OB about it. I don't want to think about it right now. I'm overwhelmed with the things I need and don't need. I don't feel prepared for him to come, and he'll be here any day."

Joan tapped her fingertips together greedily. "I can't wait to get baby love. It's always the sweetest. Once they hand you that little boy, you're going to fall in love. He's a momma's boy in the making."

Aria like the sound of that.

Sighing, she pulled her hair back into a ponytail and put her hands on her hips. "I can make this work. It won't be long until I can afford a down payment for my own place. I really appreciate your help."

Joan waved her off. "Oh, have you heard from Landen?"

Aria chuckled at the thought of his mug shot in the newspaper. "No, not since I changed my number last week. I'm assuming he'll get the hint sooner or later, maybe he won't go to prison before he does."

"I wouldn't hold my breath," Joan chuckled, glancing at the wall clock above Aria's bed. "Your shift starts soon. Do you want me to drive you? I know Lil Man is getting cramped against the steering wheel."

Aria scoffed. "I'm perfectly able to drive myself to work, Mrs. Comiskey."

Joan put her palms up in defense. "My apologizes," she said, bending down to eye level with her stomach. "Aunt Joan tried, Lil Man."

Aria grabbed her change of clothes and waddled toward the living room to grab her keys. She stuffed her apron into her bag and opened the front door, coming face to face with Landen.

And he was pissed.

Aria froze in the doorway, not knowing what to say or do, because the guy looked like a skeleton in front of her. Dark circles hung underneath his eyes, and his frown looked permanent.

"Do you know how long it took me to find where Joan lives, Aria?"

Aria heard Joan mumble, "Uh-oh," from behind her.

"I don't know," Aria said. "Two weeks?"

Landen swallowed, his gaze lowered to Aria's inflated stomach and back up. "Thank God I found you before you had the baby. After you cancelled, you ghosted me, Aria. You changed your number and moved? I can't believe this. Why won't you let me be a part of my baby's life? I know what I did was wrong, but it doesn't give you the right to take him away. I'll be a good dad."

Joan mumbled something from behind Aria, and Aria felt like she wanted to vomit. "I have to go to work, Landen. I'll be late if you don't move."

He didn't budge, only folded his arms over his chest and glared at her. "I'm not leaving until I get your new number and you agree to meet with me and my mother. Can you imagine how she feels about you right now? She's threatening to call CPS once you have the baby and get the courts involved because you're taking my son away."

The truth stuck in Aria's throat, crawling up to see the light of day, while she took a deep breath and braced for impact. "Landen … listen—"

A deep jolting pain shot down her stomach, and she stumbled against the doorframe of the house. Joan's hands slid over her shoulders, and she guided her toward the couch.

"Sit down, I'll get you an ice pack, you're sweating."

Aria sat down as Landen walked inside the house, and glanced around, scratching the back of his neck. "Your ankles are really swollen, is that normal?"

Aria fought the urge to reach over and strangle him when another deep cramp settled in her lower stomach, this time stronger. Aria pressed her palm at the curve of her belly and screwed her eyes shut. "Joan," she mumbled.

When she didn't answer, Aria panicked. "Joan!" she shouted. "The baby is coming. Lil Man is coming."