Epilogue
COCO
Anais was busy with painting our daughter's nails pink when I walked into the room. It was two years ago when Anais gave birth to a beautiful baby girl we names Priscilla Brooke Cordova. Anais came up with the nickname Pixie for our daughter because she thought our daughter looked like Tinkerbell. She had my eyes and my hair but everything else she got from her equally beautiful Mymy. I paused and just stood there, quietly watching them. My heart swelled with so much pride. These girls were mine. God, everytime I look at Anais, Cookie, and Pixie I feel like I'm the luckiest man in this planet. My wife and our kids are the reason for my very existent.
"Dada." Pixie lifted her head and smiled when she saw me. Itinaas niya ang kamay niya at pinakita sa akin ang painted nails niya. "Look my naiws, Dada! Like Mymy!"
"You want to be like Mymy, don't you?" Malambing na tanong ko habang naglalakad palapit sa mag-ina ko. I stopped in front of them and sat on the floor by Anais' feet. Nakaupo sila sa armchair habang nakakandong si Pixie sa kanya.
"Mmhm! I pwetty too!" She nodded.
"Of course you are!" I reached up to touch her cherub cheeks.
Sinara na ni Anais ang nail polish at tumingin sa akin. "Nasaan si Cookie?"
"We're playing hide and seek. I'm hiding from him." I chuckled.
"Gabi na saka date night natin ngayon." Anais reminded. We have date nights every weekend where we spend quality time together, away from the kids. I usually take her out for dinner or we'd go out and watch movies. Sometimes we'd even check in to a hotel for the night and go home in the morning.
"Napaliguan ko naman na si Cookie. I'm just tiring him out so when Bryce and Ronnie gets here, hindi na sila mahihirapan patulugin siya." I told her.
"Napaliguan na tapos magpapawis na naman kakalaro niyo." Anais sighed.
"Daddaaaa!" I heard Cookie's voice out in the hallway.
"Don't tell him Dada's here okay?" Sabi ko kay Pixie.
She smiled and nodded her head. "Okay!"
I hid behind their armchair just in time as the door swung open.
"Dada?" I heard Cookie call out.
"Dada's not behind the chaiw." Narinig kong sabi ni Pixie. Anais chuckled.
"He's not?" Tanong ni Cookie habang naglalakad palapit.
"Nuh-uh!" She answered and then yelled. "No, Kuya! Don't gow thewe! Dada's not thewe!!!"
"Gotcha!" Tumalon si Cookie. He wrapped his arms around my neck from my back.
"You got me!" I laughed, standing up and lifting him off the floor.
"Matulog na kayong dalawa. Come on, you two. It's already late." Tumayo na si Anais, our Pixie on her hip.
"I don't want to sleep yet. I want to go with you and Mymy!" Cookie pouted, resting his chin over my shoulder.
"It's Dada's time with Mymy." Sabi ko. "Ngayon ko lang ng masosolo si Mymy, anak. Bigay mo na kay Dada ito."
"Saka bedtime niyo na, di ba Pixie?" Anais asked our daughter.
"Yeah." She yawned and buried her face in Anais' chest. "I sweepy."
"Tonight is Dada timw. Tomorrow, It'll be Cookie and Pixie time again."
"Tomorrow I want to go to the Mind Museum. Can we go there?" Cookie asked.
"Okay. Wala naman work si Dada tomorrow. We'll bring you there." I answered.
"Yay!" He cheered.
"Pupunta na ba si Bryce at Ronnie?" I asked my wife.
"Papunta na daw sila." Sabi ni Anais. We had help in our house but when it comes to the kids, Anais and I were very hands on. Mula sa paggising sa umaga sa kanila hanggang sa pagpapatulog kaming dalawa ang gumagawa nun. Whenever we're not around, kailangan may mga kamag-anak kaming nagbabantay sa mga bata. Mas panatag ang loob ko kapag sina Mama at Dad o hindi kaya ang mga magulang ni Anais o ang mga kapatid namin ang nagbabantay sa kanila.
"We need to get you to bed so you'll wake up early tomorrow." Sabi ko kay Cookie.
"Good night, Pixie." I kissed my daughter on the lips before turning to Cookie. "Say good night to your baby sister."
"Good night, Pixie!" Cookie kissed her on the forehead.
"Night, Dada. Night, Kuya." She let out a smile even though her eyes were already drooping from sleepiness.
"I'm going to take her to her bedroom." Sabi ni Anais bago yumuko para halikan si Cookie. "Good night, Kuya."
"Good night, Mymy." He smiled.
Dinala ni Anais si Pixie sa kwarto nito at dinala ko naman si Cookie sa kwarto niya. I tucked him in to his bed and within a few minutes he was sleeping like a baby. Napagod talaga ang Cookie namin. It was Saturday today, off ko kaya buong araw ko siyang tinuruan magbike sa park habang naglalaro si Pixie sa playground. We finally took off the training wheels from his bike and decided he was ready to ride a two wheeler. Sure he stumbled and fell a few times but he was still learning. Nainggit naman si Pixie sa Kuya niya at ngayon nagpapabili sa akin ng princess bike. I told her we could go to the bike store next week and I'll let her pick her own bike.
"Ready?" I asked my wife as I entered Pixie's room. She was sitting on the edge of our daughter's bed, stroking her blonde hair.
Sandaling nag-angat ang tingin ni Anais sa akin. "She's so beautiful."
"Of course, we made her." Nakangiting sabi ko at tumabi kay Anais. "I mean look at what a great job we did on Cookie and he was a complete accident."
She chuckled a little, relaxing her back against my chest. "Our children are growing way too fast. Kung pwede lang sana maging baby na lang sila habang buhay."
"No matter how old they get, they'll always be our baby." I kissed her hair.
"Ate! Kuya!" I heard Ronnie and Bryce's obnoxious voices.
"We're hereee!" Sigaw ni Bryce.
"Nandito na sila." Tumayo si Anais. I gave Pixie a kiss on the forehead and then followed Anais out of the room.
"Shh... tulog na ang mga bata." Saway ni Anais sa dalawang dalaga.
"You can go now. We have this under control." Sabi ni Bryce.
"Bantayan niyo mabuti si Cookie at Pixie. Sometimes they wake up in the middle of the night. Nandyan ang baby monitor ni Pixie, always check on her okay? Pag nagising, pagtimpla niyo na lang ng gatas at pag hinanap kami ng Daddy niya sabihin niyo we're helping Santa Clause make a gift for her." Bilin ni Anais.
"Don't worry, Ate Anais. We got this!" Sagot ni Ronnie.
"Oh my gosh, Ronnie! I have alot of kwento to tell you! You will not believe what you're going to hear!" Sabi ni Bryce. "Saka nagdala din ako ng makeup kit pero kung kulang we can always use Ate's makeup, right, Ate?"
"Fine. Basta bantayan niyo lang ang mga bata mabuti." Anais rolled her eyes at her sister.
"We can experiment on what makeup to use for the party next week." Excited na sabi ni Bryce.
"You'll do my makeup and I'll do your hair." Said the equally kikay Ronnie.
"Baka mamaya kay nag-aayos kayo kasi may mga boyfriend na kayong dalawa niyan." Kunot ang noong sabi ko.
"Of course not! I wear makeup and do my hair for myself. Those idiot guys don't even know what urban decay is. I look good for myself and nobody else. End of the story." Safot ni Ronnie.
"Fair enough." I nodded my head, realizing I was one of those idiot guys who doesn't know what urban decay is. "Kung hindi kami makakauwi ng Ate Anais niyo mamaya baka bukas na kami umuwi. Magpaluto na lang kayo ng breakfast kay Nana."
"Okay!" They answered in chorus.
Anais grabbed her bag in our room and we walked out of the house to the limo I rented for the night for just the two of us. I wanted to make sure every date night was different from the other.
"Wow! May pa- limo limo ka pa." Anais giggled when she saw my surprise.
I pulled her closer to me as I had my hand around the small of her waist. "I only want the best for my beautiful wife. I love you."
"I love you too, Coco. I love you so much." She tiptoed to give me a kiss on the cheek.
I let out a wide smile. "I'm just thinking, do you think it's time for baby number three?"
"Coco!" Her eyes widened. "I just gave birth two years ago."
"Paano yan? Sabi ni Pixie, gusto niya na daw maging Ate?" I grinned, wiggling my brows.
"Ikaw lang may gusto nun eh. Ikaw, kung anu-anong tinuturo mo sa mga anak mo." She jabbed me with her elbows. "Pagpihingahin mo naman ang uterus ko saka it's not easy to get back in shape after having a baby."
"I don't think you had hard time getting back in shape. Ikaw ang pinaka-sexy na buntis at bagong panganak na nakita ko." I buried my face into her hair and kissed it.
"Tigilan mo ako, Nicholas. Tama na yung may isang babae at isang lalaki tayo."
"Come on. I'm used to having a big family. I grew up in one!"
"Ayoko!" She shook her.
"Please?" I begged.
"Still no."
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