"Apo, nervous ka ba?" Lola Agnes laughed as she looked at Jayden.
"Kunti lang po..." Jayden puffed his cheeks nervously as he looked at his reflection in the rear mirror.
"Have faith in yourself, Apo." Lola Agnes encouraged Jayden as he helped her out of the car.
"I'm counting on you, Lola..." Jayden smiled as he held Lola Agnes' hand and walked towards the Robredo's condo unit.
"Patty, stop pacing about and come set the table!" Aika called out to Tricia.
"Coming..." Tricia grabbed the cutlery from Aika and placed them neatly on the dining table.
"Is Jayden reaching soon?" Atty Leni asked as she brought out another dish from the kitchen.
"He said he just reached the carpark..." Tricia replied.
"Shouldn't you go down and offer your assistance?" Atty Leni wondered.
"Too late..." Aika chuckled as they heard the doorbell ring.
"Tricia!" Lola Agnes went straight in for a hug the moment Tricia opened the door.
"Namiss kita, Lola...thank you for coming." Tricia smiled as she hugged the elderly lady.
"Hi, ganda." Jayden felt his nervousness quell slightly when he saw Tricia's face.
"Hello, pogi." Tricia chuckled as she held Jayden's hand and gave it a tiny squeeze.
"Hello po, ako po si Leni. Ito ang panganay kong anak, Aika." Atty Leni introduced herself to Lola Agnes.
"Hello po, ako po si Aika, ate ni Patty." Aika greeted Lola Agnes respectfully.
"It's an honour to meet you, Atty. You too, Aika. Please, call me tita. And do call me Lola, like Tricia does." Lola Agnes smiled.
"Opo." Atty Leni and Aika nodded.
"Shall we eat first? We can talk later..." Tricia suggested. She was equally nervous.
"Here, Lola..." Jayden pulled out a chair for Lola Agnes as Tricia helped her to the table.
"Salamat sa invite at dinner. It's usually just me and Apo during dinner so it's nice to have more people." Lola Agnes thanked the Robredos after saying a prayer.
"Walang anuman po, I hope you like the food." Atty Leni smiled.
"Eto, kain ito po kayo...it's easier to chew." Jayden exchanged his serving plate with Lola Agnes'. He had deboned the chicken and cut them up into bite-size pieces since Lola Agnes had been having issues chewing.
"Thank you, Apo..." Lola Agnes appreciated the thought.
"Trish, your favourite salmon..." Jayden placed a spoonful of Tricia's favourite dish on her plate.
"Kumain ka na rin..." Tricia reminded Jayden. His plate was still empty.
"Sige...salamat po sa dinner, Ma'am." Jayden thanked Atty Leni.
"Call me Tita, Jayden. We're family now." Atty Leni offered Jayden a spoonful of adobo, which he gratefully accepted.
"Opo..." Jayden nodded.
"Mama's sold, Patty." Aika whispered to Tricia.
"Alam ko, why wouldn't she?" Tricia was confident.
"Hay naku..." Aika shook her head as she took a bite of her food.
"Would you like to look at Patty's childhood pictures, Lola?" Aika offered as they all sat in the living room after dinner.
"Oo naman!" Lola Agnes grinned.
"Hindi yung childhood pictures please..." Tricia whined.
"Patty was really cute when she was younger..." Atty Leni chuckled as she handed Lola Agnes the album.
"Ito ang aking embarrassing history..." Tricia buried her hands in her head.
"I beg to differ. You were cute then...and still are." Jayden assured Tricia with a smile.
"Apo was a little chubby when he was younger too..." Lola Agnes shared.
"Talaga? I wouldn't have guessed by looking at Jayden now..." Atty Leni was surprised.
"I started Muay Thai as a way to lose weight and ended up falling in love with it..." Jayden explained.
"Either way, both of you look great now..." Aika gave the couple a thumbs up.
"Where's the beloved paborito? Jillian ang pangalan niya ba?" Lola Agnes wondered.
"Opo pero late na siya...she should be reaching soon..." Atty Leni nodded.
"Sorry I'm late!" The main door flew open to a panting Jill.
"Jill..." Atty Leni looked at her youngest.
"Ah right...Nice to meet you po. Ako po si bunso, Jillian." Jill greeted Lola Agnes respectfully.
"I've heard a lot about you. Ang paborito, tama ba?" Lola Agnes grinned.
"Opo, ako ang paborito." Jill nodded, making the entire house burst out into laughter.
"Paborito things..." Aika and Tricia exchanged looks and shook their heads.
"The only child in me can't relate." Jayden loved that the sisters were so close.
"Says the paborito of all the Titas at the market." Tricia retorted.
"Pero ikaw ang aking paboritong customer." Lola Agnes held Tricia's hand.
"And you're my paborito too. I know no one else." Jayden added.
"I think I know why you're the number 1 grandson-in-law material at the market, Kuya..." Jill crossed her arms.
"I'll walk you and Lola down to the carpark." Tricia grabbed her phone as Jayden and Lola Agnes were about to leave.
"Thank your family for the hospitality for us again, Tricia. I had such a good time. Leni, Aika and Jill are as precious as you. I can see why you're such a sweet and loving girl, Tricia." Lola Agnes praised as Tricia helped her into the car.
"Maraming salamat, Lola." Tricia smiled gratefully.
"Did I do well tonight?" Jayden looked at Tricia.
"Very well." Tricia held Jayden's hand.
"Your family is amazing, I hope I matched up to what your family would have expected in your partner..." Jayden wasn't sure if he was 'up to standard'.
"Nonsense, they love you. Don't doubt my judgement, Mr Rivera." Tricia pouted.
"Oops, my bad. Sorry, Ms Robredo. I take that back." Jayden chuckled as he wrapped his hands around Tricia's waist for a hug.
"Mahal kita, sinta." Jayden confessed.
"Sinta? I like that. Mahal din kita, pangga." Tricia tip-toed for a goodbye kiss.
"I feel like a lightbulb..." Lola Agnes winded up her window and shook her head.
"Oops, sorry Lola..." Tricia and Jayden turned beet red.
~
"Kaela's visa is expiring soon and I was wondering if we could do something for them before they go their separate ways? At least for Kaela and the others." Tricia wondered. She and Jayden were having lunch in her office.
"Sounds good to me. Actually, how does baking sound? I'm sure Lola would be glad to teach them." Jayden suggested.
"Fresh pandesal is always welcome. When would Lola be free?" Tricia grinned.
"How about this Friday afternoon? You're off duty right?" Jayden checked.
"Yep. Shall we ask the rest if they're free to join us?" Tricia was already excited.
"Sure. I'll ask if Kuya can bring Joshua along, I'm sure the rest of the team would love to join as well." Jayden was equally on board.
"I'll ask if Ate Gaile is free to bring Alo and Natalia along. Mama, Ate Aiks and Jill would definitely be coming if their schedule is free too." Tricia was already texting the family chat.
"I'll get all the things ready." Jayden assured.
"I love that you're just going along with my crazy ideas." Tricia chuckled.
"The 101 of being Tricia Robredo's boyfriend, I suppose. Plus, this isn't crazy, it's a beautiful idea." Jayden flashed a dimple.
"I'll see you on Wednesday, Nurse Rose is paging me." Tricia checked her phone.
"Love you." Jayden stood up with Tricia.
"Me too." Tricia gave Jayden a peck on the cheek before letting go of his hand.
~
"This sounds like trouble already..." Jill stared at the sight before her.
"It really does..." Aika was equally scared. The children were all excited and chattering among themselves. Natalia, Alo and Joshua were already making friends with the other children.
"Is that Patty's boyfriend? The one in a black shirt?" Gaile snuck up from behind.
"Yep, he's the one." Jill nodded.
"No wonder his eyes keep wondering to Patty even though he's busy helping his Lola." Gaile chuckled.
"Patty's equally bad..." Aika shook her head.
"Hello everyone, I'm Alex and today, we have Lola Agnes here to teach us how to make pandesals!" Alex waved to get thr attention of the children.
"I'll help Lola, you go join them." Ella nudged Jayden.
"What about Joshua?" Jayden asked.
"That boy wants to do it with his Papa alone. They chased me away so they could have their father-son bonding." Ella scoffed.
"Thank you, Ate." Jayden nodded gratefully.
"Can we get 1 adult for each child? We would need 2 for Kaela, Lily and Anna, the younger ones, and 1 for Jack!" Alex looked at the adults. That meant Atty Leni, Aika, Jill, Jayden, Tricia, Alex and Sabrina had to split themselves up.
"Mama, you and Jill can partner up. I'll take Jack alone." Aika offered.
"We'll take charge of Anna then." Jill waved excitedly at the little girl, who waved back vigorously.
"Sir, do you want to take Kaela with..." Sabrina turned to Jayden.
"Trishie, Jaydie! Come here!" Kaela ran up to grab the two by the hand.
"I'll take Lily with you." Alex waited for Sabrina's nod.
"I guess we don't really have a choice..." Sabrina was visibly disappointed.
"I'm not on Sir's level but I'm decent." Alex smiled to lighten the mood.
"Right, we're here for the children." Sabrina reminded herself as she waved to Lily.
"After you measure the flour out, pour it into the mixing bowl...Don't worry about making a little mess, it's all part of the process." Lola Agnes instructed.
"Uh oh..." Kaela made a tiny yelp as she spilled a handful of the flour on the floor.
"It's okay, cutie. We'll just clean up afterwards." Tricia assured.
"Sorry...I didn't mean to..." Kaela apologised.
"I spill flour all the time when I make bread. It's the secret to making good bread." Jayden whispered so only the three could hear.
"Really?" Kaela blinked.
"Shhh...it's supposed to be my secret." Jayden nodded.
"Should I spill more then? So our bread will taste extra good?" Kaela picked up the rest of the flour.
"Uh...not really. It has to be accidental for it to work, right Jayden?" Tricia laughed nervously.
"Right. Oh look, Lola is moving on!" Jayden distracted Kaela. Jayden and Tricia exchanged hi-fives behind Kaela's back as she focused on Lola Agnes again.
"And the last step of making bread is the most important. Can you guess what it is?" Lola Agnes asked the children.
"Eating? Baking?" The children replied.
"Cleaning up. It's important to make sure that your work station is clean after your bread is in the oven!" Lola Agnes was particular about hygiene.
"Come on, let's get down to cleaning!" Alex called out from his end.
"Jaydie, come here..." Kaela signaled for Jayden to lean in. Kaela brandished her flour-stained hands from behind her back and placed them on Jayden's cheeks.
"Did you just smear flour over my face?" Jayden could feel the flour on his face.
"Look Trishie, Jaydie looks like a kitten!" Kaela giggled.
"Meow..." Tricia was equally tickled.
"How about a tiger instead...Roar!" Jayden played along since Kaela was having fun.
"Ahh! Trishie, help me!" Kaela jumped into Tricia's arms for refuge. Soon after, the entire kitchen was in chaos as Jayden chased the children around with the flour whiskers on his face.
"I surrender...I give up..." Jayden raised his hands.
"Yay! We won!" The children cheered.
"They'd be adorable as parents..." Jill whispered to Aika.
"They've been together for 3 months, Jill. But I agree, they're cute." Aika grinned.
"Come on, Mr Tiger. You have flour all over your face..." Tricia walked up to Jayden with wet wipes.
"Children are so easily amused, it's endearing." Jayden smiled.
"Childlike innocence is really one of the most beautiful things on earth." Tricia agreed.
"Ate Sabrina, what are you looking at?" Lily tugged at Sabrina's hand.
"Wala lang, tara na..." Sabrina shook her head as she took Lily's hand and walked away.
"Shouldn't we call Kuya Jayden and Ate Tricia along?" Lily looked back.
"It's okay, they'll follow soon." Sabrina continued walking.
~
"How is Kaela getting back to the hospital?" Alex wondered.
"I'm heading back to the hospital for some admin duties, I'll take her." Tricia replied.
"Apo, send them there." Lola Agnes nudged Jayden.
"Opo." Jayden nodded. He was going to anyways.
"Thank you for today, Lola Agnes." The Robredos and the team greeted the elderly lady. Jack, Lily and Anna had already left with the worker from their orphanage.
"Bye bye, Lola Agnes. Maraming salamat!" Kaela waved goodbye.
"Who taught you how to say that?" Tricia was surprised.
"I did." Natalia raised her hand.
"We'll send Lola home on the way." Det. Torres assured Jayden.
"Thank you, Kuya." Jayden appreciated it.
"She's knocked out." Tricia whispered as she looked into the rear mirror.
"After all that running, I wouldn't be surprised." Jayden turned after parking the car.
"Let's hope she stays asleep..." Tricia opened the car door and unbuckled Kaela from her car seat.
"Come on, Kaela..." Jayden whispered softly as he extricated Kaela from the seat and into his embrace.
"We made it..." Tricia let out a sigh of relief as Jayden laid Kaela down on her bed.
"I'm glad she had fun today...I just got news that her return has been confirmed." Jayden broke the news.
"When is it?" Tricia sighed.
"10 days from now." Jayden frowned.
"That's fast..." Tricia was equally sad.
"Maybe we can bring her out another time before she leaves..." Jayden suggested.
"I'm all for it." Tricia nodded.
"Can't believe it's going to be goodbye soon." Tricia held Jayden's hand as they watched the little girl sleep with a tiny smile on her face.
A/N:
Sorry for the late update <3