Wonderful Unknown

Chapter 12

A/N: Ready or not 🥲

***

She drew the blinds and let the sun in. The skies were clear, not a dark cloud in sight. It was a beautiful day, perfect for everything she had planned.

“Hi, Aiden. Good morning, baby.”

Her toddler turned and hugged the blue bolster pillow she placed beside him last night, fearing that he would fall off the edge of the king size bed. 

Roxy rubbed her son’s back, gently stirring him awake. It was past 8 AM, and his breakfast was getting cold.

“Wake up na, birthday boy,” she said softly, easing him out of sleep. Supplies for the party have arrived and were brought to the garden. Luckily, Manang Sally has already returned from Bohol, and she declared herself in-charge of all the decorations and the small setup for the afternoon’s event.

She kissed the baby’s chubby arm and lightly rested her chin there. “Do you know who’s coming home today?” 

Archie was due to arrive from Boston late that evening, and he was really bummed about the change in flight schedule because he didn’t want to miss the children’s party. He even planned to hide inside a huge gift box and surprise the unsuspecting toddler. 

“Bahala ka pag umiyak ‘yan.”

“Naaah, he’ll be fine. You’ll see.”

Alas, the airline gods ruined his plan, hence the huge empty box sitting in their garage. 

It’s been a while since they stayed in the Aguerro mansion, but everything was still the same, as if the house was frozen in time. Archie had been talking her into staying there for good, especially now that her Ate Ria was bound to leave for Riyadh in three weeks.

“Nahihiya nga ko, Archie. Anak mo si Aiden, pero hindi niyo naman ako kaano-ano.”

“Roxanne, you’re the mother of my child. Obviously, welcome ka sa bahay. And we both know there’s an easy way to solve that non-problem. Marry me.”

“Aaah.”

“Hmmm.”

“Pag-isipan ko.”

“You do that, baby.”

She lifted her hand and let the sun hit the beautiful stones sparkling on the base of her ring finger. Little did he know, it was Archie who was in for a surprise. She was wondering how he’d react if she hid inside the box wearing the tiny blue number she ordered online. Roxy may have bought it in her size, but it was definitely a gift for him. The nightie was eye-catching, it would probably take Archie some time before he noticed the jewelry she was wearing.

She checked her phone to see if Archie sent a new message. But she only found the ones from yesterday afternoon.

DADDY: I can’t wait to see you both. 

MOMMY: Excited na rin kami ni Aiden. :)

MOMMY: Pero bakit gising ka pa? 3 AM na diyan ah. Diba maaga yung flight mo?

DADDY: Couldn’t sleep. Love you, baby. See you soon. ;)

A gentle knock brought her back to the present. “Tulog pa rin?”

Sky came in early to help with the party preparations, needlessly proving again that Roxy chose the best Ninang her son could ask for. Aside from accompanying them during check-ups, she would always volunteer to babysit whenever she didn’t have classes. Both she and Archie trust Sky with their son’s life. And even though she still bickered with her older brother a lot, the siblings’ relationship have already came a long way since their graduation almost three years ago.