Two years later...

Xia's POV:

"Come on, love." I whispered to Natalia or rather Nia, my two-year-old daughter while I interlocked my fingers with her tiny ones.

A second later, she sneezed a few times consecutively and looked up at me with a pout, "Momma, I think I have the Bless Yous."

"Oh, Nia." I smiled. "I don't think you do, love. Don't worry about it."

Walking to the kitchen behind us, I collected a few tissues and cleaned her nose, washing my hands just after doing so.

"I got them, Momma." Nico came back to the living room, referring to the hair-ties that I had told him to gather.

"Alright, then." I grinned. "Let's start out mission."

Last night, just before Nia, Nico and I fell asleep, we planned to give Rico a new hairstyle. It wasn't anything too serious though. All we were going to do was tie pigtails for him.

Yeah, it's evil. I know.

Nia looked up at me, her big hazel eyes, that she inherited from me, twinkling with happiness. I smiled at her and then turned to Nico. He had grown up so much since the first time I saw him in my bakery. Being a little older now, his middle tooth fell off, adding to his adorableness.

Without wasting another second, we tip-toed into the room Rico and I shared without making a sound. After making sure that he had been sleeping, we initiated our mission.

While I carried Nia and placed her on the bed because she was too small to jump up by herself, Nico sat next to Rico's sleeping form with a grin on his face.

Since Rico was laying down on his stomach, it was a little difficult to tie his hair but that wasn't going to stop us. Not now, not ever. Nico tied a little ponytail and continued making similar ones. He had a lot of practice doing my hair so I wasn't surprised.

Nia, on the other hand, struggled to gather Rico's hair with her little fingers. Deciding to help her, I bunched a few strands of his soft hair while she wrapped a hair-tie around.

I knew Rico was awake now. He had to have been. In all the years I've spent sleeping with him, I've learnt that he isn't much of a heavy sleeper; maybe sometimes, but only when he's tired. Like, reaaallly tired.

I chuckled when he scrunched his face as Nia played with his face like she always did. I never questioned her and so I don't really know why she does it.

"He's a good boy." She stated, earning a smile from me. She's so adorable.

Once his entire head of hair was tied up with an uncountable number of mini ponytails, he groaned and turned around in the process of waking up.

Rico realized that all of us were right there, looking at him while trying not to laugh at his...hairstyle.

Nico as well as Nia couldn't hold in their laughter and just by listening to them, especially Nia's cute giggles, I laughed out too.

"I look like a Barbie doll, don't I?" Rico asked in his raspy morning voice.

"You do!" I controlled myself from laughing any further.

"I'm going to get all of you!" He sat up, which caused the three of us to want to run as far away as we could from him.

I picked Nia in one big swoop and tried running away but before I could climb out of the bed, an arm wrapped around my waist.

Quickly thinking of an idea, I put down Nia onto the carpeted floor, letting her run. She followed her elder brother out of the room, screaming in excitement.

I was pulled towards the bed by Rico and fell behind on my back. Rico hovered over me, an evil-like smile plastered onto his insanely handsome face.

I couldn't take him seriously with how his hair looked at the moment. I burst out into laughter out of nowhere while all Rico did was look down at me, blinking his eyes while his face remained neutral.

"So you think this is funny, huh?" He asked.

"I mean..." I paused, catching my breath. "Have you seen yourself in the mirror yet? Your hair looks like half of the dolls that Nia plays with."

"Really? That bad?" He furrowed his eyebrows and climbed out of the bed, walking to the full length mirror in the room.

He walked in front of it and smiled, very creepily might I add, and then the smile turned into a chortle and finally he laughed out loud.

"Okay, okay." Rico agreed. "I look ridiculous."

"And that's exactly what I thought the first time I saw you." I stated, sitting up from the bed and standing right next to him.

"Oh, really?" He challenged. "Then why did you stare oh so in awe?"

"I did not stare at you. in awe" I denied.

"Mmhm..." Rico mumbled, clearly unconvinced. In the blink of an eye, he pulled me closer to him by wrapping his arms around my waist. Placing his stubbly jaw in the crook of my neck, he spoke, "Lying, mi reina ?"

Even after all these years, his voice and his electrifying touch still gave me butterflies in my tummy. He never failed to do so.

"Pfft..." I dismissed, wrapping my arms around his neck. "Am not."

"Aaaaaaand, you're lying again...." He dragged the first word. "You know, when Nico grows older, Nia won't have anybody her age to be with...unless she gets another sibling, that is."

Well, that topic changed real quick!

"Firstly, I'm pretty sure that there are going to be many people whom she could talk to later on." I stated. "And if not in school, at least at parties in high school, or something."

"Parties?" He questioned. "Nah uh, my baby girl is never going to go to a high school frat party. I don't any men ogling at my little Nia."

My heart grew warm at how protective he being was over her. Nico and Rico have been like this ever since she was born; they're acting just like they did with her as with me when I first met them.

"Don't worry about that, Rico." I smiled, looking into his dark brown orbs that gave me a sense of safety...always. "She's going to grow up into an independent and strong woman. I'm more than sure that she'll be able to fight and stand up for herself. I mean, she's our daughter, after all, isn't she?"

"Yes, I know that, babe." He held my face with his hands. "I just want her to be safe, that's all."

"Neither do I. And secondly, I don't want anymore children, Rico. I'm more than happy with Nico and Nia."

I've been lying way too much for the past fifteen minutes. I'm surprised that my nose hasn't grown longer.

I freaking love children, to be honest. I wouldn't mind having one more but I had to tease my husband. It's like my part-time job now, besides running the bakery.

"One more Ramirez, you know," Rico paused. "only because a trio is much better than a duo."

And I agreed, but what I didn't know was that we would be blessed with twins instead.

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Author's note: