"I know I made a mistake. I let my jealousy swallow me. But believe me, George, I love Tanya. I have never loved anyone as much as I love her." I looked at her tenderly as she sat on her hospital bed gazing at me with her doe-like eyes. The eyes that spoke to me, the eyes that saw through me, the eyes that brought so much happiness in my life. I took her hand and brought it to my lips before returning my eyes to George. "And I'm going to love her more than I ever had before. Those ten years I didn't have her in my life was hell. I don't want to waste another day without her. I'm not going to let her go again, especially now that she's carrying my child."

"George, mahal ko si Wayne." She silently said, squeezing my hand. "May mga naging pagkakamali din ako kaya hindi ko siya masisisi. I left him ten years ago. Hinayaan kong lamunin ako ng takot ko. Ayaw kong mawala ulit siya sa akin. Kailangan ko siya, kailangan siya ng anak namin at ni Therese. Ikaw din ang nagsabi na gusto mong magkaroon sila ng kumpletong pamilya."

George face softened when she spoke. "I did, sweetheart. But he denied his own son, my grandson! He hurt you."

"Ako ang mas may malaking kasalanan sa kanya. I left him years ago. Bumalik siya sa buhay ko at patuloy niya akong minahal. He had always loved me despite of what he thought I was. Pero sa pangalawang pagkakataon, sinaktan ko ulit siya. I pushed him away dahil pinangunahan na naman ako ng takot ko. I didn't know how to tell you about us. Hindi ko alam kung paano ko sasabihin sa'yo na nagsasama na kami.You need someone to take care of you and Therese. Lalo na ngayon sa sitwasyon mo." She said.

"Oh honey. Hindi ka dapat natakot. There's nothing more I want than for you to settle down and have your own family. You've done nothing but to take good care of Therese. You've selflessly dedicated your whole life to raising her. I just feel bad because now it seems like you forgot to take care of yourself . Hindi dapat kita binigyan ng ganong responsibilidad." A hint of guilt and pity crossed his eyes.

"You didn't give the responsibility to me. I was the one who whole-heartedly took Therese in. Hindi mo naman din kami pinabayaan, you've been a good father to us. I don't want you to blame yourself."

"George, give me a chance. I'll prove myself to you, to Tanya, and to our baby." My eyes lowered fondly at Tanya's belly. I reached down and touched her stomach. "I regret what I did to her and our baby but I'll regret it even more if I let go of them. I won't give them up, George. I want to give our child a complete family."

"You're still an asshole." He said in a low snarl.

"I can't argue with that." I nodded my head.

"And I still hate you but I want my daughters happy..." He sighed with resignation.

"Is this your way of giving us your blessing?" I asked, stroking Tanya's hair.

He cocked a brow. "Maybe."

"I love Tanya. I love her, our baby, and Therese."

"I love them too so please take good care of them. I am in no position to judge you as I've had my shortcomings as a father to them."

"They don't need to know. It was enough that Therese and I knew and we knew that you love us with everything you have." Tanya smiled, her eyes watering with tears.

"I never kept my girls a secret, Wayne." George looked at me quietly. "If someone asks, I openly tell them that they are my daughters. I still have not formally introduced them to the public but I never once denied them. I just wanted to give them a normal life. Especially Therese. She's still young and I don't want her to get mixed in this circus that I am in. Maliit ang mundong ginagalawan natin, Wayne. Everyone around me knew they're my daughters. I've kept them private but not a secret."

"I'm... I'm sorry." My eyes lowered with shame.

"My daughters are the most precious thing in this world. Tanya loves you and Therese adores you. As much as I hate to admit it, they need you, Wayne."

"Is it true that Almira is Therese's mother?" I wanted to hear it from him.

"Yes... yes, it is true." The old man nodded his head. "She worked as a consultant in my company. She's a very intelligent woman, very vibrant, confident, she always knows what she wants. I didn't know she had a family. I only found out about her past when I had her investigated. She was so young when she had you. Only seventeen. She married your father because she was already pregnant with you."

"She left when I was a kid. My Dad has a family of his own now with the same woman she's been cheating on my mother with. Almira abandoned me. She said I was a burden to her..." I tried so hard to hide the slice of pain I felt in my throat.

"Wayne, I'm sorry." Tanya seemed to have noticed what I had been trying hard to hide. She gave me a kiss on the top of my shoulder before resting her head on top of it. How extraordinary that her touch could stop the flow of pain. With just her touch, she could speak to me in a hundred silent ways.

I pressed a kiss on the side of her hair, whispering a soft "I love you" against it. "It doesn't matter now. I have you and Therese and we're going to have a baby soon."

"Hindi na ulit kita iiwan."

"I know... and I won't ever let you go."

Tanya's POV

Nakayakap si Wayne sa akin, nakahilig ang ulo sa tiyan ko. I was released from the hospital and the doctor told me to get plenty of rest. Our baby was out of any possible harm. I didn't think Wayne had any plans to let go as he seemed to be drifting to sleep. Inalagaan niya ako. Nag-usap kami. I told him everything that happened in those ten years we weren't together. He did the same. We were trying to fill all those years we weren't with each other.

I lightly brushed back some of the hairs that covered his face. He was so handsome. Hindi na ko makapaghintay na makita ang magiging anak namin. Sino kaya ang mas magiging kamukha niya? Ako o ang Daddy niya?

Wayne opened his eyes and looked up at me. "Angel? You should be resting..."

"I am..." I smiled.

He kissed my stomach. "I still can't believe we're going to have a baby soon. I'm excited to meet our child."

"Me too. Naiimagine ko na agad ang itsura niya. Sigurado akong kamukhang-kamukha mo siya."

"I want our baby to be more like you. Your soft beauty, your heart full of compassion and gentleness. I want our child to have all those." He lifted his body up to level with me. Hinaplos niya ang pisngi ko. "I can't wait to wake up to our children jumping on the bed. I can't wait to watch our sons while they play soccer and football. Or take our daughters to their ballet, singing or whatever class they wanted to go to. I will let them know that the stars are like their dreams, they can have millions of them and each one is bright. They will know without a doubt that we love them and we want nothing but the best for them."

"Oh Wayne... akala ko hindi na darating ang araw na ito." Nag-init ang sulok ng mga mata ko. "I regret leaving you back then. Sorry for letting my fear swallow me. You gave me a love too deep, too strong and it was too much for me to handle.You were all I had and I was scared of losing you. Nagsimula akong tanungin ang sarili ko kung sino na ako kapag nawala ka sa buhay ko. Lalong lumaki ang takot ko sa sinabi ng Daddy mo sa akin noon. The love you gave me defined everything that I was. I got scared because I thought I'd be nothing without you. Kapag nawala ka pa sa akin, wala na din ako."

"Hush, angel..." He whispered into my ear. "I forgive you. I understand now."

"Mahal na mahal kita, Wayne. After all this years, ikaw at ikaw lang ang lalaking minahal at mamahalin ko. Alam kong ikaw lang. Kahit noong mga panahon na nawalan na ako ng pag-asa na magkikita pa ulit tayo. Even after I accepted the fact that we can't be together again, that it just wasn't the same as before and you will never love me like you did back then."

"I've always loved you, I never stopped loving you, and I never will no matter what happens. Ikaw lang. You know there's a theory that in a finite amount of time the universe will end and everything will cease to exist. All the atoms in the world will grow so apart that there will be nothing left. But having you here in my arms, looking at you in the eyes, I figured some things don't have a beginning or an end. Like us. Our bodies may have only met ten years ago but our souls know each other even before the beginning of everything. And even if the universe disappears into nothingness there will still be those eyes staring at me. There will be my chest and my arms and my lips still burning for you. No matter how this world ends or begin again, this moment will stay." He took my hand and slipped a ring in my ring finger. It was the promise ring I gave back to him. "You, me and our love are infinite."

I caressed his cheeks with hands and pulled him into a kiss. "Thank you, Wayne... Salamat sa pagmamahal na ibinigay mo sa akin."

"And thank you for carrying my child, Angel. Thank you for giving me a second chance." He nuzzled his head in the crook of my neck. "I love you."

"I love you, too." I answered back.

"Wayne, I really thought you knew that George is my father. Do you remember? Yung sinabi mo sa akin noon tungkol kay Therese, tungkol sa pagiging anak niya sa labas... That time I thought you already knew..."

"I didn't but I'm sorry for assuming the worst of you."

She pressed a gentle kiss on my lips, telling me that I was forgiven.

"The house next door is up for sale." He propped his elbow lifting his body up. "I've already contacted the owner and told her that I'm interested in buying her house."

"Bakit pa? We already have a house. Hindi ba ito yung pinangarap natin na bahay? Huwag mong sabihin gusto mong humiwalay sa amin?" I asked, playing with the few strands of his hair that fell to his face.

"I'm just going to expand the house. Hindi magkakasya ang sampung anak natin dito." He said.

"Sampu?" Nanlaki ang mga mata ko sa gulat. "I thought we've already talked about this. Lima lang!"

"You have to make up for all those years we've been apart. Ten's not that much." He grinned. "I mean we have Therese and baby number two's on the way. We only have eight more to go. Sayang naman yung mga practice natin..."

"Ikaw talaga puro ka kalokohan." I chuckled.

"I'm serious. You owe me ten children, Angel." His grin was etched on his face. Inilapit niya ang mukha niya sa akin at binigyan ako ng maliliit na halik sa mga labi. I gently nipped his lower lip with my teeth. He groaned and answered back with a deep and passionate kiss.

"Daddy Wayne!" The door opened with a loud thud. Tumatakbong pumasok sa Therese at tumalon sa kama.

"Careful." Wayne caught him in his arms. "Mommy just got out of the hospital. We have to be very careful around the baby."

"Okay!" She answered and then kissed him on the cheek. "I missed you, Daddy Wayne."

"I missed you too, munchkin." Wayne hugged the little girl.

"Do you know that we have the same mom? Papa and Mommy told me!" She excitedly said.

"Yes, I do." Pilit ang ngiting sabi ni Wayne.

"Isn't that cool? Have you seen our Mom?" She asked.

"Yes..."

"I've never met her before. What's she like, Daddy Wayne?" Therese was being the usual curious little girl she was.

"She's... she's beautiful. You actually have her eyes." Wayne smiled a genuine, nostalgic smile. "She bakes. She loves to bake, especially on the weekends."

"Like cakes and cookies."

"Yes. Her cookies were my favorite. She used to make me cookies and a glass of milk and I'd have it while we read books together."

"She seem like a nice Mom. I want to meet her someday."

"Yeah, maybe someday." Wayne said.

I took Wayne's hand, giving it a gentle squeeze. He looked at me and smiled. I knew he had already found forgiveness in his heart.

"Well, are you moving in with us again, Daddy?"

"Wayne needs to go home. It's getting late." George stood near the door of Tanya's room.

"George..." I quietly said.

"Just because he got you pregnant it doesn't mean he gets a free pass to stay the night." George tucked his hands inside his pockets and looked at Wayne. "You. Go home."

"I guess I'll see you tomorrow. Good night." Tumingin sa akin si Wayne bago ako hinalikan sa noo.

"Are you leaving again, Daddy Wayne?" Therese pouted.

"I'll be back tomorrow." Sabi ni Wayne sa bata bago ito hinalikan sa pisngi. "Good night."

"You promise?"

"Promise." He smiled. "Take care of your Mommy and our baby. Be a good big sister while I'm gone." Bumaba ang ulo ni Wayne sa tiyan ko at hinalikan iyon. "Baby, Daddy will see you tomorrow, okay? I love you so, so much."

"Fine." George feigned an annoyed exhale. "You can stay but Therese stays in the room too."

"Yes!" Masayang sabi ni Wayne bago muling yumakap sa tiyan ko. "You heard that, baby? Daddy staying with you, your Mommy, and your ate Therese."

"What is ate, Mommy?" She asked.

"It means big sister." I gently said, tucking some strands of her hair behind her ears.

Therese's face lit. "I'm an Ate now!"

"Yes, you are and I know you're going to be a good one." Wayne said with a wide smile on his face.

Wayne's POV

Tanya looked heavenly in her white silk wedding gown. The fabric followed her soft figure. My soon-to-be wife never made any attempt to hide her growing belly. She proudly displayed her fifteen-week-old baby bump. I just stared at her in awe, marvelling at the majestic sight standing right at the open double wooden door of the church. The light behind her bathed her, making her seem like she was glowing. Like an angel who had descended from above. Her otherworldly beauty brought me under an enchancement and for a slip second, all I could do was stare. She was a sight to behold. Her beauty was of the powerful but delicate kind which everyone could feel but which no language could ever describe.

She flashed a smile on me when our gaze met. My eyes began to instantly water with tears when I came to the realization that the woman I love more than life itself would soon be my wife and the mother of my child.

Standing next to her was her father, George. Her arms were encircled around his arm. The music began to play and people paid no attention to anything but lovely bride. They slowly walked down the aisle and she never once took her eyes off me. I never took mine off her. She was all I wanted to look at.

They reached the end of the aisle and stopped in front of me. George looked at me with tear glazed eyes.

"I am handing my daughter to you. Be good and take care of her." His voice cracking.

"I will, sir." I answered.

George gave me Tanya's hand and the moment I held her hand, I felt her soul and her love. It filled me with a warmth that told me I was home. At that moment, there was not nothing in the world that could've stopped my heart from feeling what it was feeling. I wiped away the tears that settled on the corners of her delicate eyes. She was beautiful and she was mine.

We made our way to the altar and there we stood in front of the small crowd of people who were very close and dear to us. This was how we wanted it. Small, simple, and intimate.  The ceremony began and I held her hands the whole time, my eyes fixed on her.

"Wayne, alam kong ilang beses ko na nasabi sa'yo ito pero gusto kong ulitin para kahit kailan hindi ito mawala sa isip mo. Ikaw ang lalaking unang minahal ko at ikaw lang ang mamahalin ko. Hindi ako magsasawang ipaaalala sayo iyon. Iniwan kita noon dahil pakiramdam ko hindi ako buo, na may nawawala sa buhay ko. Gusto ko kasi kapag binigay ko na ang sarili ko sa'yo kaya ko na ibigay iyon ng buong-buo. Wala nang pag-aalinalangan sa puso ko. I tried to find myself somewhere else but my heart lead me back to you. The thing about hearts is that they have a mind of their own. Alam ng puso ko kung saan ka hahanapin. My heart lead me back to you at sa'yo ko muling mahahanap ang sarili ko. I traveled across the earth to try to find myself only to end up back to you. You are my beginning and my end. I'm sorry it took me having to leave to realize that. Ibinalik mo ang lahat ng nawala sa buhay ko. You are the other half of me. The only man I see myself building a family and spending the rest of my life with. Someone once told me that important words must be said three times to hold true. One for the speaker, one for the listener, and one for the rest of the world. I love you, Wayne Cameron St. Croix. I love you. I love you."

I blinked away the tears that coated my eyes when she slipped the ring on my finger. Her eyes too were already welled with tears. After slipping the finger on me, I hugged her and kissed her on the forehead, whispering I love you in her ear.

"Our love became a language that cannot be translated by anyone but us. I tried to find the words to explain it but I fall short everytime. Your love has crafted me into a poet giving me a poetic bloodline but still I couldn't find the perfect similes or metaphors that could ever describe my love for you but I will try. You are everything I am missing but you're everything that I am. You are my very being. A day will come when we'll be eighty lying in bed, holding each other's hands and death will consume us. There will be nothing but darkness for awhile and a life will be born again. I am fond of believing in the thought that somewhere in another life, we will find each other again and we will love each other the way we always have. What we have is so real that it has no end. Tanya, angel, thank you for coming into my life. Everything I've ever wished for, everything I shouted out into the world had come back to me in your form. My soul has traveled a thousand journey to meet yours. Our stars align in every lifetime but sometimes they align more perfectly than the others. But in every lifetime we had ever lived we have chosen to come back to each other and fall in love over and over and over again. I have loved you since the beginning of everything. I have loved you as we wandered on into life separately, and I have loved you every day since you came back to me. If this was the last thing I got to tell you, this is what I would say. I loved you yesterda. I love you today. And I'll love you for all eternity. I have loved you for a very long time and I can't see myself ever stopping." I slipped a wedding band on her.

"You may now kiss the bride." The priest said.

I wiped away the tears that flowed generously down her cheeks with my thumbs before I lowered my lips to hers. Love surged through every part of me the moment our lips locked.

I decided to take Tanya to the vineyard villa I own in the quiet town of St. Tropez in France for our honeymoon. Besides running bars, nightclubs, and lounges, I also have my own wine and brandy label and this was where they were all made. She instantly fell in love with the place the instant she saw it.

"Wayne, napakaganda talaga ng lugar na ito." Her eyes lit up with fascination as she looked over the balcony of our room.

"Not nearly as beautiful as you." I wrapped my arms around her waist from behind. It was the break of dawn and the sun was just starting to rise. The smouldering pink and violet light of the sunrise exploded over the dark sky, shedding dimly unto the vineyard and her soft, beautiful face. Her beauty was intensified by the the light from the beautiful sky.  

This was our first morning as husband and wife and I couldn't think of a better way of starting our day than this. The beauty of her and everything that surrounded us. The harmonious chirping of the birds flying by. The cool breeze gently blowing. The sound of rustling leaves. The softness of her skin against mine. It was so immaculate. How I wanted to stay in this moment forever.

I pressed a kiss over her neck and inhaled her scent. Her natural scent was intoxicating. The scent of fresh wild flower in the start of spring. It was enough to get me high, high enough to put me to heaven. 

I have had her over and over again last night, we hardly even slept, but I still couldn't get enough of her. I slipped my hand inside her white cotton robe and cupped her breast, lifting it and rubbing my thumb across her nipple. I indulged in the new fullness of her breasts because of her pregnancy.

"Wayne..." She sighed.

"I want you, Tanya." I whispered in a throaty voice. I pressed soft kisses on the crook of her neck trailing up to her jaw.

She moaned, her hand reaching up to touch my face. With my free hand, I tugged on to the belt of her robe, and I slowly undid it. 

"Wayne!" She gasped, pulling her robe close before it could peel open. "What are you doing? Someone might see us..."

"There's no one here but us, I assure you. The nearest house is a couple miles away from here and I told my workers not to go to work today. I don't want anyone disturbing our honeymoon." I murmured as I continued kissing her. I could feel myself beginning to harden.

"Pumasok na lang tayo-" She tried to step away but I put both my hands on the railing, trapping her between them.

"Everything's just so perfect and I want to make love to you right here. Right now."

"Oh, Wayne..." There was resignation in her voice with an undertone of desire. She let go of her robe, letting her every inhibition fade into nothing but pure, unadulterated love. It fell open, exposing her luscious body. Her body was like a waking dream, every curve so exquisite, her porcelain skin soft as velvet. I pressed my hardness on her bottom and she moaned. She turned her head so that she could kiss me. I crashed my lips against her and locked in a passionate kiss.

Both my hands cupped her supple breasts as my fingers played with her hard, pebbled nipples. One of my hand traveled down her small bump and further down her crotch. I cupped her warm pussy and my fingers stroked her back and forth. She was so warm, in contrast of the cool morning air that brushed against our skin. I could feel the moisture of her against my palm as I kiss and touch her. Gently, I slid two fingers in while my thumb flicked her clit.

"You like that?" I groaned against her lips.

"Mmm..." She answered with a satisfied moan.

"You're so beautiful, angel..."

She gasped, moaning, her head held back as her hips bucked forward. Her hips thrust against to meet the movement of my fingers going in and out of her. Her juice spilled down my hand as I thrust harder and harder, curling my fingers inside her.

"Wayne, I want you." Her voice was begging me.

I willed myself not to explode. This was such a turn on. God, I wanted her too. So bad, it hurts.

I pushed her robe from her shoulders, letting it fall to the ground. She looked like a goddess, standing magnificently naked while the morning light bathing her body in an amber glow. For a moment there, I forgot how to breathe.

I pulled my robe apart and took it off. I bent her over the railing and placed my hands on her hips. I positioned myself behind her and impaled myself deep inside her. She was so warm, so cozy, so wet. I was inside her in a perfect angle the bed couldn't provide.

"Angel, you're so tight. So good for my cock." I sighed contently.

I thrust in and out, deeper and deeper with each thrust until I hear the sounds that I had beeen waiting for. Her quiet whimpers had been overtaken by intense moaning and small pantings. I picked up the pace and my right hand went back to cupping her crotch. I massaged her clit as I impaled myself over and over. I could feel her walls tightened as I stroked her. 

I let out a harsh groan, feeling myself ready to explode at any moment now. I drove in and out of her like crazy. I kept the motion up until she collapsed she had lost over me. I caught her by the waist tightly hugging her as I released myself inside her with a loud grunt.

I carried her into my arms and with lids hooded with love and satisfaction swirling in her eyelids, she looked up at me and gave me a tired smile.

"Ikaw talaga ang pilyo mo." She chuckled tiredly.

"You enjoyed it." I said with a smug smile as I carried her inside our bedroom.

"I love you, Wayne. I love you. I love you." She said, leaning her head against my chest.

I kissed her on the forehead. "I love you too, Angel."

Photo edited by gorgeybelle