In the End

Fiddling with the belt of her dressing gown, Ariella tapped her foot impatiently, her blue eyes fixed on the clock which sat on the bathroom wall. It hadn’t been long, after Estella had pushed a pharmacy bag into her arms and sent her towards the bathroom, only a couple of minutes had passed, but still Ariella couldn’t help but wish time away, wanting the four minutes that she had to wait to see the results to pass as quickly as they could. It had surprised her slightly, when her mother had joked about her possibly being pregnant, it was like a lightbulb had flashed on in her head, but whilst it surprised her, she couldn’t help but be slightly excited, even if she had yet to see the results. The idea that there was a chance that she was pregnant for a second time was enough to bring a faint smile to her lips.

Bouncing her leg irritably, she watched the second hand tick around the clock’s face before the sound of the bathroom door opening and closing reached her ears, causing her to drop her stare towards Estella who’d paused in the doorway, a doting smile on her face. “How long?” she posed as she stepped a little further into the room, perching on the edge of the bath beside her daughter.

“A couple more minutes” Ariella replied “What’ve you done with everyone else?” she posed.

Estella shrugged. “There’s a lot of things to keep them busy” she mused “Antonella and Daniella are in the process of having their hair done, your father is watching Toby, Sabrina and Stefan have headed over to the venue to make sure that set up is going to plan and none of them are looking for you, which means you have a few minutes to yourself before they realize that we’re behind schedule” she added, nudging her daughter’s shoulder encouragingly.

Ariella flashed her a soft smile before she shifted slightly, resting her head gently against her mother’s shoulder. “Are we really behind schedule?” she mumbled, sparing another glance up towards the clock.

Estella, who’d wrapped her arm around her daughter, shrugged. “A few minutes” she mused “By now, you were supposed to be having your hair done, but it’s fine. I’m sure Gerard won’t freak out that much if you’re a little late” she added, her voice warm and teasing.

She knew that Ariella was a little surprised, ever since the word ‘pregnant’ had fallen out of her mouth, she had appeared a little quiet and shy, and Estella wanted to lighten the mood, almost certain that the news of her second pregnancy would be something that Gerard would greet with open arms. They were wonderful parents, since Toby had arrived a year previous, they’d been nothing short of wonderful with him, and Estella had no doubt that they’d be the same second time around, even if she had been expecting more of a gap between Toby’s arrival and any younger siblings. She had no doubt that both Ariella and Gerard would be over the moon at the thought of their family growing.

Ariella snorted playfully. “You’ve met him, right?” she joked.

Estella laughed softly before she gently shifted her head, pressing a soft kiss against the top of Ariella’s. “It’ll be fine” she reassured her softly “Besides, once he knows why you were a little late, I doubt he’ll care all that much. I mean, you could be carrying his baby, Ella” she fussed excitedly.

Ariella grinned goofily, a soft blush spreading across her cheeks, before the sound of her phone’s alarm filled the air, something which caused her to jump slightly before she gently pushed herself up to her feet, padding towards the bathroom countertop. Hesitating for a split second, she spared a brief look back towards Estella who offered her encouraging thumbs up, before she reached her hands out, collecting the two tests which she’d taken. Swallowing, she took in a breath before she flipped them over, a grin quickly flooding her face as she spotted the same one word written on both tests.

“Well?” Estella peeped.

Ariella breathed out a soft laugh before she turned to face her mother, the grin on her face immovable. “I’m pregnant” she gushed.

Estella clapped her hands together excitedly before she stepped towards her daughter, wrapping her in a tight hug for a few seconds before a knock at the bathroom door reached them, something which caused Estella to lean back, her fingers gently tucking Ariella’s dark hair off of her face. “We really should start getting ready” she mused “I mean, you’re supposed to be getting married in a couple of hours” she added gently.

Ariella spared her another goofy smile before she nodded her head, something which caused Estella to offer her another soft squeeze before she pulled the bathroom door open, greeting Jacob who stood on the other side. “She’s coming” she mused, cutting her ex-husband off as she ushered Ariella out of the bathroom.

Jacob frowned slightly, but nodded his head. “Good” he noted simply.

~#~
Staring at her reflection in the mirror, Ariella chewed on her lip, trying to stifle the bright smile that itched to spread across her face. It had taken a while, after Estella had ushered her out of the bathroom, she had spent almost two hours getting ready, but she knew that the time had been worth it. The way she looked in the mirror had taken her own breath away, and she was hopeful that Gerard’s reaction would be the same. Gingerly passing her fingertips over the material of her dress, she breathed out an awed sigh before she shook her head to herself, wordlessly gushing over how nice she thought she looked.

“Ariella?”

Ariella, who’d been quietly admiring her reflection, lifted her head at the sound of her father’s voice before she turned to face him, spreading her arms out slightly. “Papa” she greeted “What do you think?” she posed, grinning.

Jacob shook his head. “You look...you look beautiful, Ariella” he stumbled out.

Ariella’s cheeks flushed a soft shade of pink, something which made Jacob smile gently before he gestured over his shoulder. “We should be going” he mused “Your bridesmaids have already headed out and your mama is waiting downstairs for us. You ready?” he asked.

Ariella spared the mirror another glance, scanning her appearance for a split second, before she nodded her head. “I think so” she mused.

Jacob nodded before he stepped towards her, taking a hold of her hand. “You’re 100% sure about him, aren’t you?” he asked “I mean, I think I know the answer, but I just want to be sure. If you say the word, we can pack you a bag and get you out here” he added, his voice caught between teasing and serious.

Ariella giggled softly before she nodded her head. “I’m sure, papa” she mused “I see my future with him, I have done for a long time, and whilst that used to scare me, it doesn’t now. I love him, papa” she insisted gently.

Jacob smiled. “I’m glad to hear it” he mused “Now, we should get out of here. You’ve got a wedding to get to” he added before he guided her out of the room. Ariella followed after him with a small smile on her face, more than sure that this was the right step for them to take.