Chapter 77 – We were a family

KIRA.

I couldn’t help but smile to myself as I sat in this spot, the terrace of his house, which had become a favorite spot of mine, and observed the world outside. My joy stemmed from the fact that Gabriel and I had made up, and I was once more his.

For so long, I was lost without him. The connections between us had become so strong that when we were apart, I felt like an essential part of me had been taken away. But now, everything felt right again.

I could feel the warmth of the sun on my face, and I knew that this was just the beginning. Our lives would merge once again, and we would build a future together.

I knew that there would be difficulties since there always were in life, but I had faith that we could get through them. We could withstand everything the world could hurl at us because of our growing love.

After feeling suffocated for so long, I could now finally take in a full breath of fresh air. I have been able to free myself from the heavy burden that was weighing me down, and now I could expect a brighter future for us.

I knew well that our journey would be far from perfect, however I had no fear of whatever difficulties may come our way, as long as I had him standing by my side. I could hardly contain my excitement as I expected what our future held, and I was certain it would be a remarkable journey.

Taking a last glance around the world, I felt an overwhelming assurance that everything was going to be okay. Gabriel’s presence in my life made me feel complete and whole again. Our lives would intertwine nicely, and we would get back on track. Experiencing that feeling was absolutely the best thing in the world.

Despite being preoccupied with my own thoughts, I could still hear when the door opened and a child’s voice sounded. My child.

“Hi, Daddy!”

I felt my heart swell with joy and excitement when my daughter Maddie stepped through the doorway. It had been an entire year since I last laid eyes on her, and it was almost too much to take when I saw her standing there before me. Tears suddenly flooded my eyes, and I had to take a deep breath to keep my feelings at bay. Reaching out to her, I felt my hands quivering as I pulled her close to me, wrapping my arms around her in a tight hug.

As I held onto her tightly, the tears flowed down my cheeks and I could not bring myself to let go. I had yearned for her presence in my life for so long and the thought of finally being reunited with her soon was almost overwhelming. The moment I locked eyes with her, my heart filled with an abundance of love, and I took in every single detail of her face that I had longed to see again.

Maddie and I were both motionless in amazement that we had finally been brought back together. We embraced each other in a hug that seemed to last forever, both of us overcome with tears of happiness. The moment was one that I would never forget, filled with the love and joy that I had been wanting for such a long time.

As we finally pulled away from each other, I couldn’t help but feel grateful for every second we had together. Reuniting with my daughter after such a long time had passed was a powerful reminder of how much I valued our relationship and I made a promise to myself that I would never take our time together for granted any longer.

“Mommy?” she said, her voice like an angel singing.

“Yes, my darling!” I answered, my voice choked with emotion.

“Is it really you, Mommy?” she asked, and she reached out her little hands to my cheeks and cupped them longingly.

That was the moment I shattered. I took her in my arms.

“Yes, baby, it’s Mommy”

“Tell me you will never leave me again, Mommy,” she cried, squeezing me tight.

“I promise, Maddie! I promise never to leave you again”

Our eyes communicated the same despair as we looked at each other, making it hard to part from one another. To spare her any further discomfort, I had to bring up another topic of conversation, although she was still crying. “Maddie, sweetheart! How about you show me your room?” I suddenly said, wiping her tears and mine.

“Yes, of course!” she giggled.

I followed her upstairs right to her room. She was overjoyed to present me with an insight into the last year of her life and show me what her world had been comprising. “Mommy, come see my room! I’ve been working really hard to make it look nice.” she said, her voice filled with excitement.

“Wow, Maddie! Your room looks amazing. I love how you’ve organized all your toys.”

“Thanks, Mommy! I’ve been trying really hard to keep it clean. Do you want to see my new toys?” she asked.

“Of course, I do! What new toys did you get?”

“Well, I got a new dollhouse and some new dolls. I also got a bunch of new coloring books!”

“That’s so exciting, Maddie! What books did you get?” I asked her, holding her gaze. She was overjoyed to show and talk to me.

“I got some new princess books and some animal books. I learned all about different animals and where they live!”

“That sounds like so much fun! What else have you been up to this past year?”

“Well, Daddy and I went on a trip to the beach last summer. We built sandcastles and swam in the ocean. It was so much fun!” she said and her eyes filled with joy. She really loved him and I was so lucky that Gabriel loved her, too.

“I bet it was! How did you get along with Daddy?”

“We got along great! We played together every day and had so much fun. He’s the best!” Maddie stated with a giggle.

“I’m so glad to hear that, Maddie. It sounds like you’ve had an amazing year.”

“I did, Mommy! I can’t wait to see what the rest of the year brings!” she said and hugged me again. My heart melted once more.

I was sitting across from Maddie and I couldn’t help but feel overwhelmed with emotion, tears running down my face. Finally, after so many years of being apart, we had the chance to reunite. An immense feeling of joy and appreciation filled my heart. I looked at her and felt an overwhelming sense of love and pride. She had blossomed into a gorgeous young lady and I was so fortunate to have her return to my life.

After all the sorrows and difficulties that we had endured, it was unbelievable that we had reunited again. I made a solemn promise to myself that nothing, no matter the situation, would ever keep us apart. We were a family, and the future before us was full of endless possibilities.

As we embraced, the full force of the years that had passed since we last saw each other suddenly vanished away. Even though I knew there was a significant amount of catching up that needed to be done, I would put in the effort to make up for all the time I had missed.

At that moment, I felt a sense of clarity wash over me. Despite the various hardships and struggles we had faced as a family, we only grew stronger from them. I felt confident that we would make it through any difficulties that stood in our way because we had the support of one another.

Feeling a deep sense of appreciation as we sat to chat about the years that had passed, I was grateful that I had given us the opportunity to create a new beginning. The aim was to make sure that every moment we were together was filled with the utmost amount of love, joy, and laughter.

I knew that there would still be obstacles to overcome, but I was determined to face them head-on. With Maddie by my side, I was confident that we could handle anything that came our way.

I noticed Maddie was as enthusiastic as I was as we discussed the start of this new phase of our lives. We made plans for the future, imagining the amazing things we could do, the incredible places we could travel to, and the wonderful memories we could make.

At that moment, I knew I was the luckiest person in the world. To have my daughter back in my life and to share in her joys and triumphs was a blessing beyond measure.

But it was time to go. I needed to put my life in order before all this started.

“See you soon, Maddie!”

As we said our farewells, I held Maddie in a tight embrace and promised that nothing could ever break our bond ever again. I was prepared to take on the difficult times that were ahead of us, however having my daughter by my side gave me the strength to face them. We were family, and our bond was unbreakable and no matter what, it would never change.