Chapter 5

Aria carried her bag upstairs, setting it on the bed before wandering into the bathroom to change out of the clothes she'd worn to her appointment. The ultrasound photo was tucked safely in her purse, and she couldn't wait to show it to her mother, to watch her face light up the way it always did whenever anything about the baby came up.

She changed into something more comfortable and made her way back downstairs, humming softly to herself.

By the time she reached the kitchen, Claire was already there, her hair damp and pulled back into a loose braid, wearing a fresh set of clothes as she moved around pulling ingredients from the fridge for dinner. If there was anything unusual in her expression, Aria didn't catch it.

"There's my girl," Claire said, glancing up with a warm smile. "How did it go?"

"Really good." Aria pulled the folded ultrasound photo from her purse and slid it across the counter. "Look."

Claire wiped her hands on a towel and picked it up carefully, studying it like it was something precious. "Oh, Aria." Her voice softened. "Look at this little peanut."

"The doctor said everything looks perfect. Heartbeat's strong."

"Of course it is." Claire handed the photo back, her eyes glassy for a moment before she blinked it away and turned back to the stove. "This baby is going to be so loved."

Aria hopped up onto a stool at the island, tucking the photo safely back into her purse. "Logan said he stopped by earlier. Said he forgot his charger?"

"Oh, right." Claire didn't miss a beat, stirring something in the pot without looking up. "I had borrowed it last night. My phone was almost dead."

"Makes sense." Aria reached for an apple from the bowl on the counter, turning it over in her hand. "It's kind of nice, actually. You two getting along so well already."

Claire's spoon paused for just a fraction of a second before continuing its slow circle through the pot. "He's a good man," she said. "You're lucky."

"I know." Aria smiled, taking a bite of the apple. "I really am."

They spent the rest of the afternoon together, Claire teaching her how to properly season a dish Aria had been trying to master for months, the two of them laughing over small mistakes, flour dusted across the counter, the radio playing low in the background. For a while, everything felt easy. Normal. The way it had always been between them.

It was well into the evening by the time Logan's car pulled back into the driveway, the sky outside already deepening into soft shades of orange and purple.

"He's home," Aria said, glancing toward the window, wiping her hands on a dish towel before making her way to the door.

Logan stepped inside, loosening his tie, looking every bit as exhausted as someone who'd actually spent the day buried in meetings.

"Hey." Aria wrapped her arms around him, and he pulled her in close, pressing a kiss to the top of her head.

"Hey yourself." His eyes drifted past her toward the kitchen, where Claire stood at the stove, her back to them. "Smells amazing in here."

"Mom's been cooking all afternoon." Aria pulled back, smiling up at him. "Long day?"

"You have no idea." He rolled his shoulders, setting his bag down by the door. "Glad to be home."

"Dinner's almost ready," Claire called over her shoulder, not turning around. "Perfect timing."

Aria took Logan's hand and led him toward the table, chattering happily about the ultrasound, about the crib she and Claire had finally agreed on, about nothing in particular, the easy noise of a life she thought was exactly what it seemed to be.

Across the kitchen, Claire set the pot down on a trivet and turned to watch the two of them for a moment, her expression unreadable, before she smoothed it back into something warm and joined them at the table.

Dinner passed easily enough, filled with the same comfortable conversation as the night before, and if Aria noticed the occasional glance that passed between her husband and her mother.

Later that night, after the dishes were cleared and Logan had disappeared into the study to answer a few last emails, Aria found her mother on the back porch, a cup of tea cooling in her hands as she looked out over the dark yard.

"Hey." Aria eased the door shut behind her and settled into the chair beside Claire, one hand resting on her stomach. "You okay out here?"

"Just getting some air." Claire glanced over, offering a small smile. "It was a good day."

"It was." Aria tucked her feet up under her, watching the porch light flicker against the moths gathering near it. "Thank you for being here, Mom. I don't think I've said that enough since you arrived."

"You don't have to thank me." Claire reached over and squeezed her hand. "There's nowhere else I'd rather be."

They sat in comfortable silence for a while, the kind that only existed between people who'd spent a lifetime filling each other's quiet moments without needing to.

"Can I tell you something?" Aria said eventually, her voice smaller than before.

"Always."

"When I found out I was pregnant, I was terrified." Aria stared down at her hands. "I know you did it alone, and you made it look so easy, but I'm not strong like you, Mom. I panicked. That's why I asked Logan to marry me so fast, before It will even start showing. I didn't want to do this by myself. I didn't want to be scared the way I know you must have been."

Claire set her mug down slowly and turned to face her, reaching out to cup Aria's face in her hands. "Look at me," she said softly, and Aria did. "You made the right decision. Do you hear me? The right one."

"I just didn't want to fail her. Or him. Or you."

"You could never fail anyone." Claire pulled her into a tight hug, holding on longer than usual, her chin resting against the top of Aria's head. "You did what you needed to do to protect your child, and that's not weakness, sweetheart. That's exactly what a mother does."

Aria let out a shaky breath against her mother's shoulder, some of the tension she'd been carrying for months finally easing. "I was so scared you'd think less of me for rushing it."

"Never." Claire pulled back just enough to look at her, brushing a strand of hair from her face. "I am so proud of you. You hear me? So proud."

Aria wiped her eyes, laughing softly at herself. "Okay. Okay, I'm done being emotional."

"You're pregnant. You're allowed." Claire smiled, though something behind her eyes didn't quite match the warmth of it, gone as quickly as it appeared.

"I should probably head to bed," Aria said eventually, stifling a yawn. "This one's been wearing me out today." She patted her stomach fondly.

"Go on. I'll finish up out here."

Aria kissed her mother's cheek and disappeared back inside, leaving Claire alone on the porch with her cooling tea and the quiet hum of the night around her.

She sat there a while longer, staring at the light still glowing from the study window, before finally setting her mug down and standing

.She stepped back inside the house, the door clicking softly shut behind her, and made her way up the stairs first, pausing outside Aria's door. She pushed it open just enough to look in.

Aria was already asleep, curled on her side with one hand resting over her stomach, her breathing slow and even in the dim light. Claire stood there for a moment before she pulled the door closed again, soft enough not to wake her.

Then she turned and made her way back downstairs, toward the study, where Logan was.