It's here! I have decided to post the first chapter to the sequel of Fairly Foolish a day early! I am in love with this story plot line and I hope y'all enjoy it as well! It is very different from Fairly Foolish but is filled with more drama!

If I get 10+ reviews on this chapter I will post the next chapter on Sunday!

Amanda

All the Salt in the Sea

Chapter One: Fairly Graceful . . . or So it Seems

The sweet melodic sound of laughter wafting up from downstairs fills my ears as I struggle to dress my four month old son, Brennen, who is wriggling beneath my grasp.

"Bren, bud can you just stay still for two minutes so mommy can dress you?" I ask him, he responds with a toothless smile and tries to wriggle away again. Finally, after several minutes he is dressed in a navy and white striped bodysuit and denim overalls. Outside the window overlooking Brennen's changing table, the late March weather is gradually warming up. Snow has finally begun to melt, leaving small patches scattered here and there throughout the backyard.

I pick Brennen up, and am on my way into my room just as Lila and Benjamin, my four-and-a-half year old twins, suddenly come bounding into the room, both squealing with delight.

"Mommy they're here!" Ben shouts as he jumps up and down on the just-made-bed with excitement.

"Okay Benny, I will be right down. Now get off mommy's bed, I just made it, you crazy boy." Lila and Ben dance out of my bedroom and down the stairs and I hear my three best friends, Hanna, Emily and Spencer, happily greeting them and asking where I am. I quickly toss Brennen's pajamas, that I'm still holding, into the laundry hamper and follow the kids downstairs where I'm instantly greeted with hugs.

"You look great Han!" I compliment, hugging Hanna tightly, causing her to blush.

"Oh please, you look stunning!"

I turn to Caleb next, carefully wrapping my arms around him as he is holding his and Hanna's sleeping little girl, Sophia.

"Are you excited to meet your little girl yet?" I smile as I hug first Emily and then Maya.

"Yes! We can't wait! She is due in just a few weeks and our surrogate is so excited for us to meet her!" Emily gushes, her smile reaching her eyes. I turn to embrace Spencer and Toby next.

"Liam already took off with Ben." Toby tells me, pulling out of our hug.

"I'll have to hunt him down to get a hug and kiss out of him now!" I smile. Spencer laughs and I notice her cheeks radiating warmth. I shoot her a knowing smile, and she leans closer to me so only I can hear her say, "Don't say anything. We are going to announce the news in a while. Now you have to act surprised." She smiles and I have to contain a squeal of happiness as I pull her in for another hug. Turning around I see that Ezra is already deep in conversation about something sports related with Toby and Caleb. Maya and Emily are sitting on the couch next to Hanna who is helping Lila hold Sophia. Ben and Liam are sprawled across the living room floor, deeply involved in a role playing game involving cars and trains. I place Brennen in his bouncy seat on the floor and creep up behind Liam.

"Boo!" I whisper in his ear and he spins around, squealing, to face me.

"Auntie Ari, why you scare me?" He giggles as I pick him up.

"Because you didn't give me loves!" I say, kissing him on the cheek. He quickly responds with a wet kiss and struggles in my arms, anxious to get back to playing. I set him on the floor and he scurries off to Benjamin and the toys.

"Hey, Spence, want to help me get lunch ready?"

"Sure!"

"You know I haven't even had breakfast yet." I laugh as we walk into the kitchen.

"Ugh, neither have I. This morning sickness is killing me this time around."

"How far along are you?"

"Fourteen weeks yesterday."

"Spence! Why didn't you tell us sooner?" I say in surprise.

"We found out just a few days after you had planned this get together so we wanted to wait and surprise everyone."

"So, you've only known for, what, three weeks?" I say bewilderingly.

Spencer nods her head. "Yeah, I didn't show any signs until I was about eleven weeks along when I started having horrible morning sickness. Toby and I were surprised when the doctor told us how far along I was already."

"I would have been surprised too!" I say, pulling ham, turkey and cheese out of the fridge and setting it onto the counter next to the bread. Spencer reaches into the fridge behind me, pulling out the condiments.

"Hey can you grab those bags of salad too?" I ask.

"Yeah." Spencer sets her armful of supplies on the counter and we begin making lunch, catching each other up on our lives.

Several minutes later we have a platter piled full of sandwiches, a large bowl of salad and a pitcher of iced tea ready. We carry the food and pitcher of lemonade out into the living room, setting it down on the coffee table in between the two leather sofas where everyone is sitting. As I stand up from placing the bowl and platter on the table, I feel Ezra's soft, warm hands on either side of my hips. He gently spins me around to face him, pulling me by the hand away from the table.

"Thank you for the lunch babe. It looks great. I'm glad you decided to still have everyone over, I know how much we've gone through in the past few months and I'm glad to see you smiling again." Ezra whispers in my ear then leans forward kisses me chastely on the lips.

I give him a small smile, but for the first time in months it's not the forced ones I've been giving him and the kids, this time it's real. "I'm glad too. I'm having a good time. Come on, we better get some sandwiches before they are all gone." I smile again and Ezra takes my hand back in his, leading me over to the food.

"Mmm Mommy these are good sammiches!" Lila grins, her mouth full of sandwich.

I giggle lightly. "Lila, chew your food before you talk sweetie, you know the rule."

"Sorry Mama." She apologizes, though her mouth is still full.

As everyone is finishing up their food, Spencer and Toby suddenly stand, tapping their glasses of lemonade. I squeal inside, knowing what they know and what the rest of my friends are about to find out.

"Spencer and I would like to make an announcement." Toby says after everyone has quieted down, even the kids, who have looked up at him curiously, wondering why he tapped his glass.

"Toby and I are expecting!" Spencer squeals with delight. The whole room erupts into applause and cheers. Emily, Hanna and Maya jump up to hug Spencer, I stand off to the side, waiting for them to finish congratulating her, since I've already done so. Toby is standing next to me, Ezra and Caleb slapping him on the back and saying their congratulations.

"Aria! Get over here! Didn't you here Spencer's news?" Hanna says cheerily.

"Yes, I knew before you guys did." I say guiltily.

"What?! Why did she find out before us?" Hanna asks.

"Hey know, she figured it out all on her own when I got here. I didn't even tell her." Spencer explains quickly.

"Well that makes sense, she's been pregnant enough to notice when someone else is before they even know it themselves." Emily laughs, and even though I feel a sudden pang in my heart, I laugh along with the other girls.

"So how far along are you?" Maya asks once we've stopped laughing.

"Fourteen weeks yesterday."

"Wow so you already only have about five and half months to go then huh?" Maya says. Spencer nods.

"Does Liam know yet?" Hanna asks.

"We've told him that he is going to have a baby brother or sister to play with like Lila and Benjamin do, but he doesn't really understand yet that it takes time for babies to get here. He keeps asking when we are going to go get the new baby." Spencer laughs.

"That's great he is being so curious and accepting about it though. Lila and Ben were the same way, and they just love Brennen to pieces. Of course I'm not sure how long that will last once he has started getting into all their things." I add and we all laugh again.

The rest of the days goes by quickly and we are all sad but tired when it's finally time for everyone to go.

"Mommy I don't want Liam to go home. Please can't he stay?" Benjamin begs when Spencer and Toby announce they should be heading home. Both Hanna and Caleb, and Emily and Maya have already gone so it's just Spencer, Toby and Liam.

"Buddy, Liam has to go. But we'll see him again soon okay?" Ezra gets down on Ben's level, taking him onto his lap.

"But I wanna play still."

"Me too." Liam whines.

"You know what you two? Auntie Aria and I will talk and we will plan a night for you to spend the night with each other okay? But right now we've got go home. It's getting close to bedtime for both of you and you don't want to be tired in the morning do you?" Spencer explains. Liam and Ben instantly light up, smiles spreading across their faces.

"Mommy said we can seep over soon!' Liam squeals, hugging Ben.

"Leave it to kids to only hear one side of the explanation." Spencer says, standing up and grabbing Liam's coat off the rack. We all laugh.

When Spencer and Toby have finally made it out the door with Liam, I glance at the clock. It's nearly eight P.M, already past bedtime and the kids still need baths.

"Okay! Bath time! I'll grab Brennen and Daddy; you grab these two silly monsters!" Lila and Ben scream and begin running throughout the house. I pull Brennen out of his swing and into my arms. I have just stepped onto the landing at the top of the stairs when I hear the twins squealing and giggling loudly. I can tell by the sound of their laughter that Ezra has caught them both.

Thirty minutes later all three of the kids are sound asleep in bed, having fallen asleep easily after such a long exciting day. Ezra and I, tired as well, head back downstairs to watch T.V before heading to bed ourselves.

"Oh Titanic is on and it just started, let's watch it." I say, cuddling up under a blanket against Ezra. He flashes me his look that says, 'seriously?'.

"Ezra, please, I haven't watched the entire movie in years." I beg.

"Fine, but you're not going to be able to stay up that late to finish watching it anyway."

"Oh well. I can record it." I press the red 'record' button on the remote and then toss it beside me on the couch, snuggling deeper against Ezra. His lips find my hair, and he slowly trails his mouth down the back of my neck to my shoulder blade, leaving my skin tingling where his soft lips have touched. His left hand slips beneath the blanket, skating across my inner right thigh. Then suddenly he is flipping me onto my back, his mouth pressing firmly against mine as his hands move south.

"Ezra. Ezra." I gasp.

"What?" He breaths.

"We can't do this."

"Aria, yes we can."

"No, it's only been a month. The doctor said I still need time to heal."

"Aria," Ezra pleads, his voice filled with sadness. He pulls me up so I'm sitting in front of him. "Baby, you are healing. It's okay, we can do it."

I shake my head; tears begin to fall from my eyes. I bury my face in Ezra's chest, sobbing now.

"Hey. Aria. Shhh. It's okay baby. It's okay. You did so well today. I'm so proud of you. I know it was hard but you did it."

"I don't know how much longer I can go on pretending like everything is okay." I cry, my voice being muffled by Ezra's shirt.

"Aria, I know it's hard healing from what you've gone through. I had to go through it with you too? Remember? We're doing it together, and it may take a little longer for you to feel how you once felt, but you are getting somewhere. Look at me." Ezra pulls my face up to look at him. My sight is blurred with tears that continue streaming down my face.

"I love you Aria. I will always be here for you, and you know that."

All I can do is nod and cry. Because even though I know it's the truth, sometimes it feels as if I'm alone, like all the salt in the sea can't heal me.