"We won't get to do this once Ma'am announces her candidature, right?" Nat wondered out loud.

"Not as often. Sorry..." Aika sighed softly.

"It's all good. I can do all the shopping and all you have to do is visit, eat and spend time with us...that's not against protocol or anything right?" Nat didn't mind as long as he and Jamie could still spend quality time with Aika.

"Of course. Wouldn't give up anything for you two." Aika gave Nat a smile.

Friday nights were now family nights for the trio. Nat and Aika were on the way to pick Jamie up from kindergarten and grocery shop before heading home to make dinner.

"Daddy! Tita Aika!" Jamie lit up the second she saw the two familiar faces coming to pick her up.

Jamie ran pass Nat straight into Aika's arms, leaving Nat with a gaping jaw and injured heart.

"Jamie Lee. Is this how you greet your father?" Nat rolled his eyes jokingly as he took Jamie's back off her shoulder.

"I see you 7 days a week but I only get to see tita Aika 2 days a week!" Jamie wrapped her arms around Aika's neck tightly.

"My girl is so smart. I see your daddy lesser than you do and I get tired of him, I understand you totally..." Aika teased as she let Jamie down.

"I know right? Daddy can be such a nag at times..." Jamie pouted as she complained to Aika.

"Wow...I feel excluded and betrayed? Aren't you scared that I leave the two of you here?" Nat scoffed.

"We'll just go to my house and have dinner with your lola Leni and tita Tricia if that happens, right sweetheart?" Aika looked at the little girl.

"Sounds like a fantastic idea." The girls did a fist bump before breaking out into laughter at Nat's expression of disbelief.

"Come on big baby, let's go get groceries..." Aika held Nat's hand, making him melt immediately.

"I'm so weak for you two, I'm not even complaining..." Nat chuckled as he took his position on the other side of Jamie.

~

"May I have this please?" Jamie held up a pack of sour candy in front of Aika. Nat had left them alone to grab something in another aisle.

"You know your Daddy doesn't like you eating too much candy...If you promise me to eat only one a day, we can get it." Aika knew that restricting Jamie's sugar intake was only going to make her want it even more. Teaching her moderation was a more effective and healthy way.

"If only Daddy thinks like you. He says no to anything dangerous or unhealthy..." Jamie complained.

"I know your Daddy can be a little protective at times but it's because he loves you..." Aika knelt down to meet Jamie's eyes.

"I know...it's also because I don't have a mummy to ask..." Jamie hung her head low.

"Come here..." Aika carried Jamie and stroked the girl's back softly.

"If there are things you really want, you can always tell me and I can talk you Daddy for you..." Aika whispered sweetly to Jamie.

"Really?" Jamie perked up, thrilled at the thought.

"I can't promise you anything since the final decision lies with your Daddy...but no harm trying, right?" Aika didn't want to cross boundaries and give Jamie false hope.

"Ready to check out?" Aika and Jamie turned at Nat's voice.

"Yep, let's go. I think we're all hungry..." Aika nodded, relieved that Nat didn't catch their conversation.

"Daddy! Did you see my mermaid keychain?" Jamie noticed that her favourite keychain was missing from her schoolbag.

"No...it must have fallen out. We'll search for it after we pay, okay?" It was almost their turn at the cashier.

"I'll go with Jamie to look for it while you pay? It's faster that way." Nat nodded at Aika's suggestion.

"Let's search the aisles we visited..." Aika and Jamie headed back into the depths of the huge supermarket.

"I can't find it..." The two had traced their steps but had no luck. Jamie was starting to tear up, making Aika anxious.

"Let me look under the shelves, maybe it got stuck underneath..." Aika was about to get on her knees when someone spoke.

"Hi, are you guys looking for this?" Jamie and Aika looked up and found a lady holding Jamie's keychain.

"My keychain!" Jamie's eyes lit up at the sight of her favourite keychain in the lady's hand.

"Thank you so much! She really likes this keychain a lot..." Aika thanked the lady.

"No trouble at all..." The lady smiled.

"Thank you for finding my keychain!" Jamie happily took the keychain over from the lady.

"You're welcome. What's your name, little cutie?" The lady ruffled Jamie's hair.

"Jamie!" The girl gave the lady her signature eyesmile.

"Jamie...that's a beautiful name." The lady looked at Jamie with an indescribable look in her eyes.

"Love? Jamie?" Nat called out from the other end of the long aisle.

"I'll take my leave then..." The lady turned away and rushed off quickly upon hearing Nat's voice.

"Who was that?" Nat asked when he approached.

"Oh, the sweet lady had found Jamie's keychain for us..." Aika was perplexed why the lady was in such a rush but figured that she was probably busy.

"Thank goodness...Shall we go home for dinner now? I'm starving..." Jamie and Aika nodded.

As the trio left the store, the lady from earlier was staring at the sight of Nat holding the groceries in one hand and another holding Aika's while Aika had a giggling Jamie in her arms. The smile she had on earlier was nowhere in sight.

~

"Now that we are all fed and satisfied, I was thinking that we should discuss something..." Nat, Aika and Jamie were on the couch after dinner.

"About dessert?" Jamie was expecting an ice-cream treat.

"Not what I was thinking of but we can put that on the list." Nat chuckled at his daughter’s ingenuity.

"Princess, we were wondering if you were open to a change in the way you called your tita Aika..." Nat brought up the topic carefully.

"What do you mean...Is tita Aika leaving? Are you?" Jamie anxiously turned to Aika and held onto her, tears welling up in her eyes.

"No, sweetheart. I'm not. I'm not going anywhere!" Aika wrapped Jamie in a tight hug to calm her down.

"I'm sorry Princess, Daddy didn't mean it that way...I should have set the context first..." Nat realised he had jumped the gun.

"Really? You're not leaving us?" Jamie looked at Aika, her glossy eyes making Nat and Aika's heart weak.

"Really. I'll be here with you and Daddy." Aika kissed Jamie's forehead while Nat stroked her back.

"Let me start again. So, there's something important that lola Leni is going to do and I was thinking if you would like to help her with it?" Nat explained slowly.

"Lola? What is it? I want to help..." Jamie wiped her tears at the sound of VP Leni's name.

"Instead of calling me tita Aika...how does ninang alone sound?" Aika wasn't sure how Jamie would react.

It was Nat who first brought up the idea of getting Jamie to change the way she called Aika so that the girl wouldn't accidentally attract attention when they were out together. Aika was hesitant and didn't want to implicate Jamie but Nat's suggestion seemed to be the best way that allowed them to continue going out together in public.

Aika had thus been the one suggesting the title of godmother. It was Nat's turn to feel hesitant because he understood what it meant and didn't want to put that pressure on Aika, although he did dream that one day, tita and ninang could become Mummy.

Both of them ultimately agreed on ninang for two big reasons: first, to avoid confusing Jamie and second, to acknowledge the fact that no matter what happens in the future between Nat and Aika, Jamie would not have to lose her relationship with Aika.

"Ninang? What does that mean?" Jamie furrowed her eyebrows.

"It means godmother..." Aika smiled.

"Hmm...does that mean you're my mummy from God?" Jamie was still confused.

"Well that's a very good way to put it. Whenever you have something on your mind, when you need something or when you just want someone to turn to, I'll be here for you. Like a second mummy." Aika explained patiently.

"A second mummy...I like that!" Jamie flashed a bright smile at the two adults.

After a whole night of Jamie calling Aika ninang nonstop, the girl was finally getting ready for bed.

"I love you ninang..." Jamie stretched out her tiny arms.

"I love you too, sweetie..." Aika leaned in to give Jamie a hug and goodnight kiss.

"Daddy...come..." Jamie waved at Nat and whispered something into his ear. Nat tried his best to keep a straight face.

~

"What did Jamie say to you?" Aika had noticed Nat's expression earlier.

"She asked why you were her second mummy when she doesn't even have a first mummy..." Nat rested his head on Aika's shoulder. They were lying in Nat's bedroom.

"God, how careless of me...I always tell Natalia that I'm her second mummy and it slipped my mind earlier..." Aika let out a sigh, chiding herself for her slip of the tongue.

"It's not your fault...it's mine. I'm supposed to be actively searching for her mother but..." Nat was playing with Aika's hand.

"Do what you think is best for you and Jamie. I'll support you no matter." Aika kissed Nat's cheek.

"God, how is it that you make things better everytime...Jamie was right about you being sent by God." Nat muttered as he pressed his lips on Aika's forehead, letting it rest there for a while as he mindlessly caressed her arms. Aika played with Nat's hair, the position having become their usual 'charging' pose.

"Maybe I'll try contacting her this week..." Nat spoke after a long silence.

"Sounds good..." Aika hummed.

"You're okay with it?" Nat asked.

"Why wouldn't I be? She's Jamie's mother." Aika replied.

"Exactly." Nat sighed.

"You're doing this for Jamie as her father, as someone who wants nothing but the best for her. It's not about rekindling your feelings for her mother so why should I worry?" Aika had utmost confidence in Nat.

"Of course not. It's for Jamie." Nat thought out loud.

"We better sleep now if we want to be alive when Jamie wakes us up tomorrow...Good night, muscles." Aika gave Nat a goodnight kiss.

"Good night, sunshine. Praying that you appear in my dreams." Nat earned himself a light smack.

~

3rd person perspective

"I met her today." A lady in her late 20s spoke.

"Your daughter?" A slightly older man asked.

"Yes." The lady admitted.

"What about that guy? Was he with her?" The man's tone was cold.

"No, I left before he approached. She was with someone else. A woman. They looked like a family. A happy one." The lady unknowingly clenched her fist.

"A woman? Did he move on already? I thought you did that he was crazy in love with you? Didn't he come herefor you?" The man scoffed.

"He was...He was supposed to be... but the way he looked at her, I've never seen him look at me that way before." The lady felt a sharp pain in her heart.

"So you're saying he won't give us the girl?" The man sounded impatient.

"Do we have to do this?" The lady flinched when the man threw a vase at her.

"We need the girl. You know that. Find a way somehow." The man ordered.

"I'm sorry Nat but I'm going to have to hurt you again..." The lady held back her tears as she looked at an old picture in her phone.

It was a picture of her and Nat 5 years ago...Nat ❤ Aly

As usual, comments greatly appreciated! Things are moving quick🙃

Also, find me on twitter @softforjmgr and hit me up! I'd love to interact with you lovely people there🥰