Be My Forever [COMPLETE]

Chapter 111

My job became life-draining. I hated almost everything about it. The only reason I stayed is because it pays well. I shouldn't have become a writer for Vogue. Nobody cares about you. Nobody's there to help you.

When I come home, completely drained of my energy, I'm greeted by none other than Aria and Ezra.

"Oh my god!" I exclaimed, hugging both of them, "when did you-"

"Toby called a few days ago, he thought we should visit," Aria said, "and, Ezra got a job at the New York Times."

Ezra got a job here? I would've loved a job at the New York Times. People there are actually nice, and they won't be angry if you screw up a little.

"That's amazing!" I said, ignoring the jealous feeling at the pit of my stomach and hugging Ezra, "where is Toby?"

"He went to take Valerie to a therapist. He took Claire with him. What happened?" Ezra asked. They deserve to know. After all, they are Valerie's real parents.

"She's been having some anxiety issues. She's been having some panic attacks and nightmares."

"That poor baby," Aria mourned, "I'm sure it's just a phase."

"I really hope so." I said.

-:-

-:-

Aria and I caught up as we waited for Toby and the girls to come back. Andrea and Lia, her twin daughters, had been practically attached to Ezra since they came here. From the looks of it, Ezra seemed like an amazing father.

It didn't seem to bother them at all that they were about to see another one of their daughters for the first time in four years. Valerie has no idea that she's adopted, but I plan on telling her when she's older.

The front door opened, and Toby came in, followed by Valerie and Claire. They ran to see me, and they looked just as shocked as I was when I first saw Aria and Ezra.

"Hi!" Valerie said, her voice remaining chipper. What I love the most about Valerie is that she's always remained optimistic, even in the worst of times.

Aria couldn't respond. She suddenly seemed nervous. "Aria, what's wrong?" I asked. Before I could even finish my sentence, she started grabbing her things and made her way to the door. As she walked, she kept muttering "I'm sorry, I'm sorry." Ezra chased after her.

"Mommy, what happened?" Valerie asked. Toby looked just as confused as me, and a few moments later, Ezra came back out. "She wants to talk to you." He said to me.

I got up and made my way to the front porch. When I arrived, Aria was sitting on the front porch swing, with her hands covering her face.

"Aria? What happened back there?" I asked, sitting next to her.

"I just kind of freaked out. Seeing Valerie made me become aware of everything. It just seemed too real."

"What do you mean?"

"That's my daughter. I know that you adopted her and you raised her and all- and it's so selfish for me to think that since I wanted you to adopt her. But I can't help but think that she's still my baby girl."

My heart dropped to the bottom of my stomach. I didn't know how to respond.

"Aria- you have two beautiful baby girls. I promise that Valerie is okay with me. She loves us and she obviously loves you."

Aria's sad, red, puppy dog eyes made my heart shatter. But when her frown turned into a smile, I was overwhelmed by a warming feeling.