Happy weekend everyone. Today's not a good day for me but I still updated for you, guys. Anyway, I hope you like this chapter. 

🗽©️💞ⓙ 🗽

CHRISTINE's POV

The morning before the party, we went out to go to the couturier to pick-up our party-attires for tonight. While we were in the car, on our way to our destination; I played nursery rhymes and sang it together with JC. To my surprise, he willingly sang it with me even though he wasn't familiar with the lyrics.

I patiently taught him the lyrics of each songs and I noticed that he was a fast learner. Bit by bit, his awkwardness and shyness around us was gradually disappearing with each passing day and it was making Jace and I happy.

"Mommy, did you sing me these songs when I was still a baby?" JC asked curiously out of the blue.

"Of course, sweetheart. Even when you were still inside my tummy, mommy used to play songs or sing for you. You were so energetic everytime you hear music that you kept on moving inside mommy's tummy." I answered with a sweet smile on my face, reminiscing the past.

"Really, mommy? Was I a crybaby back then after I was born?"

"Hmmm. Yes, sweetheart. You cry everytime you don't see mommy around you. You loved being carried and lulled to sleep on mommy's arms." His forehead furrowed.

"What about daddy? Didn't I like him back then?" I couldn't help but to chuckle because of what our son said. Jace has an amused look on his face as he glanced at JC.

"Well, you were a mommy's boy, son. Whenever you cry and mommy was doing something, daddy was the one who carries you and you always become cheerful everytime. But if you happen to spot mommy nearby, you begin to cry and reach your arms for her." JC's lips parted in awe.

"Wow. I wish, I could remember it but I can't." He even pursed his lips which made me and Jace laugh.

"Son, you were still a baby back then. Don't worry because we will create a lot of memories together from now on."

"Really, daddy? We will be together forever?" Jace chuckled.

"Of course, son. Your mommy and I will be with you and your younger sibling until we die." Fear invaded JC's face.

"No!" He shook his head vigorously. "I don't want you and mommy to die!" I got worried because he sounded scared.

I glared at Jace and he heaved a sigh before mouthing sorry to me. Guilt flooded his face for using the wrong word. 

"Sweetheart, calm down. What your daddy meant was; we will be with you until our hairs turn grey. You're surely a grown-up man by then and have your own family."

"But daddy said—"

"—Daddy only chose the wrong word to say it, buddy. Don't mind what I've said. We promised that we will never leave you, right?" JC nodded his head. "And we will keep our promise, so you don't have to be scared." Jace assured our son and the fear on his face finally disappeared.

"Okay." Jace and I finally felt relieved especially when he became cheerful once again.

A couple of minutes later and we finally arrived at our destination, which was one of the branches of Luna Blanca. Luna Blanca is owned by my sister's best friend, Luna. It already has several branches here in the USA.

When we got there, Luna wasn't there because she has in an important meeting to attend to, but our outfits were already ready.

We tried it on and everything fitted perfectly. As usual, Luna did a great job. Even though she already has a lot of branches, she never fails to make sure that everything's fine in every branch of her business. She's really hands-on in handling it.

After that, Jace drop us off at home and then left for a meeting with Viper and the others. I didn't know what their agenda was but I just knew that it was for the betterment of everyone.

After lunch, JC and I watched his favorite cartoons for about an hour before he told me that he wanted to play outside. He took his basketball ball and then went to our backyard court. The basketball hoop was adjustable and Jace already adjusted it for our son so that it wouldn't be too high for him.

While he was playing, I was doing my work at the backyard patio where I could clearly see what my son was doing. Yes, even though I already left our company in Houston, my father transferred me to our branch here in New York.

I took another vacation though because I wanted to spend quality time with my family, especially with my son.

"Mommy, did you see that?! I scored three consecutive times!" I heard JC proudly said. He looked so happy.

I smiled and then clapped my hands. "Good job, sweetheart." He beamed and then continued playing on his own. I couldn't help but to feel bad for him because he didn't have anyone to play with in basketball whenever Jace wasn't around.

Thankfully, he looked like he was having fun even though he was alone.

After about an hour, I stretched my arms above my head to ease the uncomfortable feeling in my back because of working continuously. Then, I noticed that JC was already looking outside through the high fences, talking with some kids.

After that, the kids left and JC rushed to me. "Mommy, those kids said that it's okay for me to play with them at the nearby park. Can I go there, please? I want to play with them." He asked with puppy dog eyes and I couldn't help but to chuckle amusedly because he looked like Jace with that kind of expression.

"Hmmm." I pretended to be thinking. He took my hands.

"Please, mommy." He even shook my hands.

"Hmmm. I'll only say yes if you kissed and hug mommy." His face brightened and quickly did it. He kissed me on the cheeks and then hugged me tightly.

"Wow. My son is so sweet." His smile widened. "But aren't you tired yet? You've been playing for an hour already." He shook his head.

"No, mommy. I'm still as energetic as ever." He even tried to flex his arms, showing his muscles. I squeezed his cheeks because he looked so cute.

"Okay, okay. You can play with them but on one condition. Mommy will come with you there and promise me that you will behave there, okay?" He nodded his head vigorously.

"Yes, mommy. I promise." He even raised his right hand as if he was taking an oath. I ruffled his hair.

"My son is so cute." He giggled. I kissed his forehead before I stood up.

"Wait here for a minute. I'll just change my clothes."

"Okay, mommy." He sat on my seat. I took my laptop and then went inside the house. I changed my clothes before going back to the patio.

We then stepped out of the house and went to the nearby park. I sat on one of the benches there while watching my son play with the other kids. He quickly made friends and I couldn't be prouder of him.

While they were playing soccer, I called Jace and informed him that we were at the nearby park. To my surprise, he didn't to be happy about it.

"Mi amor, please. You should go back home." I could hint the worry in his voice for an unknown reason. I heaved a sigh.

"Jace, your son is having fun playing with the other kids here. Don't worry because we're fine."

"Mi amor—"

"Jace, I know that you're just worried about us but everything's fine. JC is a kid and playing with the other kids makes him happy. I don't want to deprive him of that." I tried to make him understand.

"I know, mi amor. It's just that..." He released a harsh breath before continuing. "Fine. I'll just send someone to guard you and JC while you're there and that's final." I rolled my eyes because his voice became authoritative.

"Whatever." I couldn't help but to get pissed. He really is overprotective sometimes. Before he could answer, I ended the call. After about three seconds, my phone rang but I declined his call.

My eyes searched for JC among the playing kids but my heart suddenly throbbed nervously when I couldn't find him there. I stood up and was about to ask the other children where he could be when I finally spotted him.

He was under the oak tree, talking with someone. It was an older man around his late fifties. Judging from the happy look on JC's face, he knew him. He looked familiar though.

I quickly stood up from my seat and walked towards them. When I was already halfway there, I accidentally bumped into a woman and the basket of fruits that she was carrying fell to the ground.

"I'm sorry. I didn't see you." I apologized and helped her picked up the fruits that were scattered on the ground.

"It's okay. I wasn't paying attention too." After that, she walked away. I looked at JC's direction and my lips parted when I couldn't find that man anywhere anymore. My forehead creased as I approached my son. I was about to ask him but he happily rushed to me and hugged me.

"Mommy, papy was here! He said he came to see me." He happily informed me. My forehead crinkled.

"Papy?"

"Yes. He said, he came because he missed me already." Then, it dawned on me. It was JC's dad. Now, I knew why he looked familiar. I've seen his photo once before.

"Where is he, sweetheart? Did he leave already?" I asked while looking around.

"Yes. He said that he will come see me again soon." My heart raced nervously. I took his hand.

"Sweetheart, I think we should go back to the house now. Mommy isn't feeling well." Worry flooded my son's face.

"Are you okay, mommy? Do you want me to call for help?" I caressed his cheek.

"No need, sweetheart. Maybe, it's just the heat. C'mon, let's go home." He nodded his head and didn't say anything more.

While we were walking towards the house, a familiar car stopped. It was Jace's. He had a serious expression on his face. JC and I got inside the car.

"Did you have fun at the park, buddy?" He asked JC when we arrived home, waiting for the gates to open.

"Yes, daddy! I met a lot of kids there and we played soccer. It was so fun!"

"Really? That's good to hear." He then drove past the gates. We entered the house after that and I helped JC cleaned himself. It was already almost 4 pm. Later on, I made a snack and he ate it with gusto.

When Jace came down, I talked to him.

"Are you mad at me, mi amor? You've been ignoring me since a while ago." I asked. He sighed before gazing at me.

"I'm not mad at you. I just got so worried that I rushed home." I bit my lower lip.

"I'm sorry. I just felt bad for our son because he wanted to play outside with the other kids. I didn't see anything wrong with that."

"I know. It's just that..." He raked his fingers through his hair in frustration.

"What is it about?"

"My men discovered something but it's not sure yet. I don't want to tell it to you now because it might destroy your mood in the party later. We'll just discuss about it after the party."

"But—" I was about to protest but he already sealed my lips with a kiss.

"Please?" He pleaded after that delicious kiss.

I sighed in defeat. "Fine." He finally smiled and was about to say something when I continued. "I have something to tell you though."

His eyebrows knitted together. "What is it about?" I glanced at our son who was busy eating his snacks in front of the TV.

"We saw your father at the park a while ago." I said with a soft voice so that JC wouldn't hear it. His face hardened as he gritted his teeth.

"I don't know how he knew that we were there at the park. While we were talking on the phone a while ago, he approached JC. I wanted to talk to him after that but he suddenly disappeared." He remained silent but I could tell that he was mad.

"Are you mad at me?" I asked with a hint of worry. His face softened.

"Of course not, mi amor. Forget about him for now. Let's just eat our snack and then prepare ourselves for the party." I smiled.

"Okay. Whatever you say, mi amor." We ate our snacks. JC enthusiastically told Jace everything that he did at the park and he looked so happy. He even mentioned about seeing his papy and I couldn't even more proud because of his honesty.

After about an hour, we went upstairs to get ready for the party. Later on, we were ready to go. The venue was at the Montereal Hotel.

We wanted the party to be held at our house but we changed or minds because the space might not be enough.

"Wow. My baby is so handsome." I praised JC. He looked so cute in his kiddie black tuxedo. I even styled his hair with a gel.

He beamed. "Thank you, mommy. You too. You look so beautiful."

"Aw. Thank you, sweetheart." The smile on his face widened.

"What about me, mi amor? You forgot about me." Jace asked sulkily and I chuckled.

"Of course, you're as handsome as always, mi amor." His grey eyes lit with happiness.

"Of course, I am, right, son?" He asked JC full of confidence.

"Yes, daddy." I laughed. Like father like son indeed.

After that, we drove to the venue on a limousine. We were early because we were the host of the party. JC and I stayed at the private room while Jace was the one who entertained the guests. Most of our family, relatives and friends were all present.

Then, the program started and it was Jace's turn to speak on the stage. He welcomed our guests with a short speech before he finally began the announcement.

"I know that you might be wondering what this party is all about. Well, Christine and I purposely didn't inform about it to everyone because we wanted it to be a surprise. We want to share our happiness with you all." He then stepped to the side. "Everyone, I want you to carefully watch what will happen next because I will reveal what this party is all about by pressing this button. Are you ready?" He asked while holding a small remote control up in the air.

"Yes!" Everyone answered in unison. We could see what was happing on the stage because of the backstage monitor near JC and I.

"Okay. 1, 2, 3!" Jace then pushed the button and the red curtain that was covering the wall of the stage pushed aside. 'Welcome back home, JC.' was written on the wall with a lot of decorations. Everyone's forehead wrinkled while looking at Jace confusedly.

"Ma'am, get ready. We'll bring him up the stage in 30 seconds." One of the staff said to me.

"Okay."

"Mommy, do I really need to stay in here?" JC asked me. He was standing on a big podium with railing around him to hold onto. I smiled at him.

"Don't worry, sweetheart. Mommy and daddy will be here for you. Just smile when you're already up the stage, okay?"

"Okay." I then left him there and joined Jace on the stage.

"Ladies and gentlemen, let's welcome our son, JC!" He announced and then the podium rose up the stage and everyone gasped in shock upon seeing him emerged from the floor.

I saw my family stood up in shock. They couldn't believe it. Then, the people cheered happily and we thanked them. When we finally went down the stage, my family approached us.

"Oh, my God! My grandson is alive!" My mother said with tears on her face as she rushed towards JC for a tight hug. My father was the same.

"Oh, God! How did this happen? I can't believe it. I'm so happy for you two!" Maggie said emotionally and I couldn't help but to feel emotional as well. Then, our cousins and their families approached us as well.

The Amouretti and Novell family attended the party too and I couldn't be any happier. Jace and I introduced JC to everyone and surprisingly, he greeted everyone back with a smile on his face.

Later on, after all the explanations, my parents took JC away to introduce him with the other visitors.

"I'm so happy for you, Tin! I can't believe that JC is alive and now, you and Jace got back together." It was Ellie. She looked so genuinely happy for us.

"Thank you, Ells. Thank you for coming all the way from France. Anyway, where is Angela?" I asked as I looked around.

"She went to Greece to attend one of her friend's wedding but suddenly decided to stay for a vacation, but I'm sure that if she was here, she would be happy for you too." That made me smile.

"Well, she missed this happy moment because of her stupid escapades." Regan butted in.

"Well, you know your sister. She loves wondering around." It was Zandro.

"You're one to talk. You love visiting different places too, Mr. Casanova." Maggie said amusedly and Zandro shook his head.

"C'mon, Mags. I'm not a Casanova." I chuckled. It has been a while since we got together and it felt sincerely happy. I was about to speak when I noticed something.

"Mags, where are Marky and Marco? I don't see them anywhere."

"They went to the restroom. You know how Marky is. Because of being naughty, he accidentally dropped the glass of water on his feet and his socks and shoes got wet." I shook my head in amusement.

"I can't wait to introduce JC to him. I'm sure, they're going to be close as they grow up."

"You're right, mi amor." Jace snaked an arm around my waist and pulled me closer to him. Then, I heard a little squeal.

"Auntie Tin!" It was Marky together with his daddy. He let go of his father's hand and then ran towards me. I crouched down and opened my arms for him.

He hugged me happily and I hugged him in return.

"How are you, Marky boy? It's been a while."

"I'm okay, Auntie Tin. I missed you." He then kissed me on the cheek. I noticed that his words improved. It became a little bit clearer.

I was about to kiss him on the cheek too when I noticed that JC was staring at us. He was with my parents. Then, I noticed that he wasn't happy.

"Come here, sweetheart. I want to introduce someone to you." I coaxed. He came closer to us but to my surprise, he pushed Marky away from me.

"Who are you? Don't hug my mommy!" He then hugged me possessively while glaring at Marky. My eyes widened because of what he did.

"JC! Why did you do that to your cousin? Say sorry to Marky." I rebuked but he shook his head.

"Son, you should say sorry when you're theone who's wrong. Marky is your cousin and you shouldn't've done that to him." It was Jace. Suddenly, JC's eyes brimmed with tears.

"Do you like him more than me?" He asked.

"Sweetheart, it's not like that."

"Then why are you making me say sorry to him?"

"Because you were the one who was wrong. Pushing other people like that is not nice." I tried to explain but he shook his head.

"No! It's because you love him more than me!"

"Son—" Before Jace could say what he wanted to say, JC suddenly ran off.

"JC!" Everyone looked at our direction but I didn't care anymore. Jace and I followed our son worriedly, but when we reached the hallway of the hotel, our eyes grew wide in fear because of what we saw. 

🗽©️💞ⓙ 🗽

What do you think of this chapter?

What do you think Christine and Jace saw in the hallway?

What do you think of the first encounter of JC and Marky?

What do you think is the reason why Jacinto visited JC?

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