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.18Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ1FM1PjB4di
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.18Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡfomKN9MJgu
Tedd told her he still woke up in the middle of the night, gasping with guilt.18Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡByyD6GUapl
They didn't try to erase those truths.18Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ3cs23VnsUY
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.18Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡQofHFiLOhk
He adored Sam and treated him like a real younger brother.18Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡFYGFHnb7Kk
He'd help him with puzzles and cartoons and even taught him Ilocano phrases that confused Jaimie.
"Papa what does ay ayatenka mean?"18Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡDDquHcAMZi
"It means 'I love you.'"18Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡpSnL9jExjw
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.18Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡryLtSQ6LDd
No hospitals.18Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡjgTwOJqw9Z
No tension.18Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡB7ZOH2hXyS
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.18Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡg2mmxAEUgN
Max buried Tedd in sand and declared himself the "king of the beach."
They snorkeled.18Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡWzYvMiOeuS
Danced in a street festival.18Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ9CQKfS8GXl
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.
18Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡctzjzSYZU0
