'Til I Found You (COMPLETED)

54

It's been awhile! I'd like to wise you up of the last remaining chapter of TIFY (hanggang chapter 55 lang kaya ni author hihi) We've reached the end and I couldn't thank you enough for the support! Hope you are all safe out there and that no matter how stressful your day, never let one pass without a smile ❤

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He roams his eyes around the shore, waking to find that Lea and the kids have left him sleeping. Waves crash against the shore while the sun kisses his skin; he takes pleasure in scanning the serenity of the horizon. It is calm and comforting. The wind hugs him as he paces the white sand, and there he finds the loveliest woman in his life wearing the shirt he wore last night. Lea carries their little Psalm while Simon sleeps soundly in a stroller. As usual, he hears Lea's nagging side as Eli's stubborn self tests her mom's patience again.

It is a perfect picture of his own family. It feels like just yesterday when a moment like this was only true in his dreams. He had lost the hope of seeing a morning this lovely when she first walked away. But he has her now, only for him. That is all that matters.

He snakes an arm around her waist, inhaling the scent of her hair. "Good morning to mommy and to our sleepy Psalm."

"Good morning, daddy," she replies, giving him a quick kiss.

"I have looked everywhere for this shirt eh. Looks like it found a well-shaped body to cover."

Lea huffs at her husband's giddy remark. "You don't like to see me wearing it?"

"Nope. I like to see you wearing... nothing," he winks at her, their faces nearly touching.

"Ang landi ng asawa ko," she giggles, and Aga laughs along. They exchange a loving smile, gazes lingering. Their hearts beat to the same rhythm-full of love and admiration-and their minds know they have finally made it. This is the life they always wanted. Though they began the journey to this moment with poignant memories, it is worth the wait. She is worth every bit of his pain and happiness.

Doña Carol interrupts the scene, carrying several shopping bags. "Eli? Hija, you have to try these on!"

The newlywed couple shifts their gaze to her. Aga shakes his head at his mother's antics. "I guess Eli will be a brat from now on."

"Sayo pa lang, spoiled na yang si Eli eh. Only girl pa in our fam," Lea adds.

"Sabi ko naman sayo eh. We have to make another one. Malay mo this time, it's a girl," he jests.

"At pano kung lalaki parin? Babe, don't tell me taun-taon akong magbubuntis. Maawa ka naman sa'kin," she replies, making Aga snicker.

"The doctor said we have certain positions to follow para girl yung mabuo. We can try all those positions, babe." He receives a sharp pinch on the side and snorts with laughter at his wife's grimace. He keeps trying to convince Lea for another little one, but she declines each time. Growing up without siblings made him yearn for a big family. It was a dream he once aspired to live with Luisa when they were in love, but fate took a different path. She was his first love, but that love faded when she shattered his life. Now, realization strikes him: she probably wasn't his first love at all, because that feeling died the moment she left.

Maybe it has been Lea all this time-the true love that actually stands the test of time.

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It is the holiday season. Aga plans for the family to spend the vacation abroad. Both have been engrossed in parenting and heavy workloads since the wedding, and he views this season as a necessary break. However, Lea asks him to drop by her hometown first. It has been a long time since she left the town for a place where she thought she would spend the rest of her life alone. But fate brought her to a place where her life began to change, and she found the man of her dreams.