They didn't jump back into love like nothing happened.
They didn't kiss under the stars, or fall into bed that very night.
They talked.
For hours.31Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡbQGmQ1nxoC
At cafes. In the car. Over ice cream while watching Sam run in circles at the park.
Jaimie told Tedd she still cried sometimes, quietly, when she thought of the days she carried Sam alone.31Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡl46iCLjaR2
Tedd told her he still woke up in the middle of the night, gasping with guilt.31Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡto1h7f1aHy
They didn't try to erase those truths.31Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡSb1vmsVCzK
They let them live—like scars on healed skin.
They saw each other clearly now.
And slowly...
They began again.
Max was the bridge between the cracks.31Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡKW5RYvu2JX
He adored Sam and treated him like a real younger brother.31Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡE6C3BjVne0
He'd help him with puzzles and cartoons and even taught him Ilocano phrases that confused Jaimie.
"Papa what does ay ayatenka mean?"31Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡOt2JbTrCXl
"It means 'I love you.'"31Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡVVApSlqzMc
Sam giggled. "I say that to Mama and you!"
Tedd nearly cried on the spot.
When Max's birthday rolled around, Jaimie surprised all three of them with something unexpected—
"We're going to the Bahamas."
A real vacation.31Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ8RIvIGHnvG
No hospitals.31Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡAewGeuMyxT
No tension.31Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡe5uGq3QNKe
Just the four of them.
The trip was magic.
Sam held onto Tedd's arm on the plane like it was the only thing keeping him safe.
Jaimie wore sundresses and laughed like she used to.31Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡSFMeUIQfyC
Max buried Tedd in sand and declared himself the "king of the beach."
They snorkeled.31Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡEIj775Zv1A
Danced in a street festival.31Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡIsRiv682tW
Took a family photo with a stranger's polaroid.
And one night, as the waves crashed softly under moonlight, Tedd tucked a stray curl behind Jaimie's ear and whispered—
"We don't have to rush this. I'll love you even if I wait forever."
But they both knew—
They weren't going to wait much longer.
31Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ9iqXw2DLuW
