Lena
3 Years Later
"Dear God, thank you for allowing us to gather here together. God we thank you for our strength, love, and happiness. Thank you for this food we are about to eat and allow it to fill and nourish our body. I pray that you continue to bless this family and our World. Amen" I spoke as my family sat in the kitchen.
"Amen" Everyone repeated before lines started to fix plates.
I smiled as I watched Maria lead her two daughters first with their plates. Her sweet husband of two years held their newborn baby girl in one arm and a plate in the other. Even though Melody was not his child biologically, he loved and cared for her as his own.
I felt proud of the woman she grew up to be. Even though our relationship didn't start how we wished it had, we were blessed to have each other. At a young age she understood great loss of her mother and father. Yet, she was able to be a great mother to two and find a man worthy of her.
I silently thanked God for giving her strength to surpass all of the pain in her life and be able to stand in this new sense of happiness.
After they finished their plates, Hazel and Travis followed behind with Anna and their two year old son, Melvin. She held her growing pregnant belly as she helped the children fix their plates before making her own.
Even after all of these years, Hazel continued to be my best friend through it all. I admired the playful and happy relationship she built with Travis. They continued growing their beautiful family and relationship through it all.
Next in line was Jalen and his fiance Mallory. To say I was excited about having a future sister in law was an understatement. After years of Jalen being alone and rejecting love, he finally allowed himself to fall in love. I was more than proud it was with a woman with Mallory. She cared for him in such a strong way.
Behind them was my father and mother in law. They laughed and talked while holding their plates. Over the years, they definitely developed a kind friendship which made August and I more than happy.
Overall, our once small family was growing everyday with nothing but happiness. After everything we went through, God held us together and filled us with peace.
As I spotted August, I quickly walked over to help him. He held Alana's hand and our 2 year old son, Landon.
Once Landon saw me coming, he smiled and ran up to my legs.
"Hi baby, what're you doing?"
"Daddy is gonna get me some food" He smiled.
"Well isn't that sweet. What do we tell him?" I asked, smiling up at August.
"Thank you daddy" He said, hugging his leg.
"You welcome" He replied, running his hands through his hair.
"And how are you sweetie?" I asked Alana, kissing her forehead.
"I'm good mommy. I missed you today"
"I missed you too baby. You ready to eat?"
She nodded her head so I fixed her plate while August did the same for Landon. Once we finished we allowed them to sit at the kids table. I made sure everything had everything they needed before finding August.
"Baybeh, relax" He said, grabbing my hand and making me sit across from him.
"Right, sorry" I smiled.
"Its okay. You got everything you need?" He asked.
"Yes babe. Thank you" I replied, leaning over to kiss him.
"Okay now yall, wait til you make another Landon" August's mother said, surprising me.
I laughed, blushing a little before looking towards August who had a goofy smile on his face.
"Stoooppp" I whined, feeling my face heat up more.
"What?" He laughed. "I ain't do nothing"
"Whatever." I replied, laughing with him.
He continued looking at me with his precious smile. I studied his face, admiring his luscious lips and smooth skin. Even after all of these years, my love for him never faded.
And to think we were just high school seniors, in over our heads. Somehow we made it all this way. Happy in our careers, happy with our family.
No matter how much we were put through, we made it out on the other side. We didn't lose ourselves or our love along the way. Our precious and sacred love.
"I love you baybeh, forever" He spoke, as if he was reading my mind.
"I love you even more" I smiled, as he kissed my hand.
I looked around the room, seeing all of the children smiling and talking. Their pure joy made my heart grow warm. I looked towards my brothers and sisters, father and mother in law. They conversed with smiles on their faces. Lastly, I looked at my loving husband. His presence alone brought me peace and security. In this moment, I knew this is all I would ever need in life.
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Omg.... my babies are all grown up ;( I am so proud and happy with this sweet story. I genuinely hope you all enjoyed it as much as I did! This was only my first story to ever write. After this, I will be stepping up my game :) Check out my other story and show some love. I love you ALL!
