Travis
After four years...

The entire surroundings were filled with loud applause and cheers due to the consecutive bursts of fireworks in the sky, led by Jairus.
“Merry Christmas!”
I smiled as everyone around us began to exchange greetings.
It is that time of year again. For now, we have decided to celebrate Christmas at our home in Baguio. Only our family should be here, including my parents and Tiffany’s parents. But for some reason, Jela and Jairus suddenly appeared out of nowhere.
“Merry Christmas, Daddy!”
My gaze shifted from the sky to our son, Troy. I immediately bent down to lift him up. “Merry Christmas, baby.” I gently squeezed his nose.
He frowned suddenly. “I’m not a baby anymore.” He even crossed his arms.
I was about to say something when I noticed Tiffany approaching us. She lovingly stroked Troy’s hair.
“Well, for us, you are still a baby. Just look, your daddy is still carrying you.”
“No. It’s Daddy who suddenly lifts me up.” He furrowed his brows when he looked back at me. “Put me down, Daddy. I’m a grown man already.”
I chuckled and gently set him down. But I raised an eyebrow as he suddenly entered the house. We immediately followed him inside.
Leaning against the doorframe, I watched him busily fiddling with the gifts under the Christmas tree. He eagerly opened the presents, even those not intended for him.
“He’s really independent. He’s just four years old, but he already knows what he wants and doesn’t.”
I was taken aback when my wife hugged me from behind.
“No worries. Whatever happens, we’ll always be here for him,” I assured her.
“Of course.”
We gazed affectionately at our son when suddenly someone shouted from somewhere.
“Merry Christmas, lovebirds!”
Surprised, we turned to Jela and Jairus. They were holding hands and wearing wide smiles.
“Merry Christmas! When do you two plan to settle down?” I asked them directly.
Tiffany lightly slapped my shoulder. I looked at her, greeted by her wide-eyed expression. “What? Is there something wrong with my question?”
“When will you give Troy a brother or sister?” Jairus countered, diverting our attention back to them.
“You can’t dodge our question forever, you know.” I smirked at him.
“Grandma, Grandpa, look. It’s an airplane. I can fly now!”
Our attention shifted to Troy, who was running towards our parents, who had just entered the house. Jairus and Jela joined them, successfully evading my question again.
“I’m glad that they’re okay now.” Tiffany sighed.
“Yeah.” I kissed the top of her head as she looked at her parents lovingly.
She never stopped hoping for reconciliation between them, especially since her parents had not formed new families.
A few weeks before our wedding day, her parents finally made amends. Since that day, they have also returned to their previous residence.
“We might run out of energy with this child,” Mom said as she approached us.
“To be honest, my back is still hurting from chasing him earlier,” agreed Tiffany’s mother, Aunt Mariel.
My wife immediately approached them both.
“Let’s go and eat so you can rest as well.” She called out to the others to head to the dining table.
When she glanced in my direction, I nodded and gestured that I would follow. As they left, I looked at the large picture hanging on the wall, placed in its center.
I can’t help but smile upon looking at our wedding picture. It’s been almost five years since we got married, but it feels like it just happened yesterday.
After a while, I joined them, and we started eating while playing Christmas music. Even though the night was getting darker, the surroundings were still bright because of the twinkling Christmas lights.
Apart from that, we were all wearing thick jackets because of the cold weather here.
I looked at each one of them. Truth be told, the scene right in front of me is a dream come true. It made me sigh in relief and contentment.
“What are you thinking?”
I felt Tiffany’s gentle squeeze on my hand, resting on the table.
“Nothing. I’m just happy.”
“So am I.”
I turned to her and quickly planted a kiss on her lips.
But we were surprised when my father suddenly stood up, holding a bottle of champagne.
“The night will not be complete without this drink. Let’s all cheer for a merrier and more prosperous Christmas!” he exclaimed loudly before popping open the champagne.
He then filled each of our glasses, one by one. Afterwards, we all raised our glasses in unison.
“Cheers!”
But we were taken aback when we heard Troy’s voice. Startled, our attention shifted toward him.
However, we let out a sigh of relief when we saw that he was holding a glass of milk. We all chuckled, realizing the situation.
***
“You’ve been deep in thought earlier. Are you sure there’s no problem?”
I blinked, turning away from gazing at the rising mountains in the distance and facing my wife. Concern was evident on her face.
“There’s nothing. Is Troy already asleep?” I asked, leaning in and affectionately wrapping my arm around her waist.
“Yeah,” she replied, looking at me with a hint of doubt.
“What?” I asked innocently.
“Do you miss acting?” she inquired.
I paused and stared at her. After recovering from the initial surprise caused by her question, I took a deep breath.
“Well, of course. But I’m more than happy and content now. That’s all that matters.”
She nodded. “Alright. But just in case you want to go back, you can tell me anytime. I’ll support you no matter what.”
I pulled her closer to me, pressing our foreheads together.
“Nah. I prefer to stay out of the limelight for good and focus on our family,” I said with a twinkle in my eyes and a mischievous grin forming on my lips.
She raised an eyebrow before slowly stepping back.
“I don’t like that smirk on your face,” she said, pressing her lips firmly.
I ran my tongue over my lips and began to walk towards her, while she continued to step backward. Until she eventually sat down on the edge of the bed.
I approached her slowly, bringing our faces level. “Should we make Troy’s sibling already?” I asked in a seductive voice.
She frowned before gently pushing me on the chest. But even in the dimly lit room, with only the light from the lampshade and moonlight serving as our illumination, I couldn’t miss the blush on her cheeks.
“You’re incorrigible,” she said teasingly.
I couldn’t help but smile. Even after years of marriage and having a child, her shyness never failed to appear whenever we talked about such matters.
“I’m serious.”
Before she could even protest, I crashed my lips into hers. Indeed, love is sweeter the second time around, and much better with the Christmas song as our background music.