Babysitter Cougar [COMPLETE]

Epilogue page 3

Adult Saint takes my right hand and presses his lips at the back of it out of love. I thought of returning the same gesture as a wife but I got distracted by the length of his untrimmed fingernails when our fingers interlocked. As though he has no time to manage his personal grooming, let alone trimming his half-inch nails.

"Your nails," I gesture at them, and he understands it immediately.

"Can you help me to cut them?" he asks cheekily.

"No crying," I cringe at him.

"No, I won't cry," he giggles at my command.

He's aware that nail trimming session during his childhood was his least favourite. I used to lock him down before gruellingly cropped his nails and he usually cried during each cutting. It was easy to grapple him when he was seven, but not when he turned a year older.

"Are you ready to go home and meet the baby?" he gets up, returns the mirror back into the bag before gathers it with the rest of my get-well-soon gifts on the desk next to my bed.

"Yeah, the baby," I say softly, slowly pushing my both legs down to reach the vinyl floor. "Boy? Girl?"

"It's a girl, her name's Saloma. She'll turn one in the next couple of months," he enlightens me. "I taught her to call me 'Daddy', but she still catches up on her speech and calls me 'Abah' instead. I blame it on that 'Baa, Baa, Black Sheep' video she's been binging. Whenever she demands me to play it, she'd be yelling, 'Abba! Abba!'."

I laugh at his foolish antics but unbeknownst to me, this blissful feeling lifts off a hefty weight of something in my soul, something that used to be overpowering and afflicting. Adult Saint joins in and laughs with me like it's a recuperating session.

"Okay, Sayang. Let's go," I tell him and it takes him by surprise.

"You call me Sayang?" he gasps.

"Sorry," I immediately cup my hand over my mouth in reflex. I don't know why I call him that but I just feel that 'Sayang' has been his entitlement since – I don't know, our courtship?

"No, it's okay. We used to call each other 'Sayang'," he affirms and turns towards the exit door. "Let me call the nurse for the wheelchair."

He reaches for his tangerine fabric face mask that is neatly folded on the side table next to me but I intuitively grab his arm to pull him near for an embrace. He's puzzled by my abrupt imploration for his affection but gives in because he yearns for it too. His scent is not something unpleasant but somewhat unusual. Within that whiff of baby formula, disinfectant, tobacco smoke and baby puke, I still can make out the sweet spicy lemony smell of his cologne. His hugging is more loose and careful, to avoid hurting my fragile body.

This rediscovered blissful feeling, not only it encourages me to express my idling endearment to my husband, but it also boosts my hidden memory for reconnection. I don't exactly know if we ever had any wretched past, but I want to erase that harrowing memories and start anew with him. I really miss him.

"I miss you," I mumble under him.

"I miss you too, Sayang. I really, really miss you a lot," he drawls in his sobs. "I thought you were dead. I'm sorry that I've wronged you. I'll never hurt you again, okay? I'm so sorry."

I caress his back to pacify him. "Sayang. Sorry too."

"I love you," he snivels.

"Love you too, Sayang," I murmur to his ears slowly and let that blissful feeling travel into his system because he needs it more than I do.

I fear for his wellbeing, carrying the weight of this family on his shoulder is no child's play. I don't have the heart to tell him that he might break if he doesn't pull this through. Because with my current condition, I'll definitely be experiencing Drew Barrymore's '50 First Dates' moment every now and then. And it takes more than just a printed T-shirt to handle my long-term trauma.

I kiss his wet cheek briefly and promise to fight for my recovery. One day I will complete him as a unit and nurture this family with great love and patience in perpetuity.

Finally~ Yay! 

You are now at the end of the book. Congrats! Thank you for staying interested to this book until the end of the part. How do you like the story so far? Do let me know.

I'm going to put the status of this book as complete for the moment. But I will add one more bonus chapter on life of Sofia and Saint three years later. And throw in a couple of cameos in it. 

Thank you once again. Love you guys~

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