The couple made their way straight to the mall, just as Lucas had promised. Inside the baby store, Lucas quickly found himself giving the sales associate specific instructions like a man on a mission.
“I want that crib and that walker. Set them aside for me. I’ll pay for those now. Follow us after — we’ll choose more.”
Then he darted toward a rack of clothes and held up an outfit far too large for a newborn.
“What do you think, baby girl? I think this one suits him.”
Rhea gave him a look, one eyebrow raised. He truly had no clue.
“Um, sir?” the sales associate asked cautiously. “How old is your baby?”
Lucas scratched his head, frowning. “He’s not born yet. He’s only four months along. Still inside the womb.”
Rhea stepped in before things got any more awkward. “Where are the clothes for newborns?”
The associate smiled with understanding and led them to a different section. Lucas followed, though he looked a bit grumpy.
“What’s with the face?” Rhea asked quietly.
“I just realized it’s still months before we get to meet our firstborn,” he muttered.
Rhea shook her head. “You’re hopeless, Lucas.”
Ignoring him, she began selecting onesies, cloth diapers, binders, baby bottles, pacifiers, and a few maternity dresses for herself. She made sure to get everything their baby would need for the first few months. Lucas helped where he could, though most of the time, he was busy loading the cart with whatever caught his eye. By the time they reached the cashier, the cart was overflowing. Lucas handed over his card. “Please include the delivery fee in the total. This is our address. Make sure everything gets delivered properly.”
The transaction didn’t take long. Once done, they exited the store and made their way to the Bluesky Restaurant for dinner. They had spent hours shopping, and exhaustion was beginning to show on Rhea’s face. Still, she glanced at Lucas as they walked. He was talking animatedly, gesturing with his hands, practically glowing with pride. And despite everything — despite the difficult road that brought them here, Rhea smiled.
Her heart felt full. This was the life she never thought she’d have. A husband who adored her. A child is on the way. A future that no longer felt so uncertain. She reached for Lucas’s hand and squeezed it gently. Lucas looked down, surprised, and smiled back. Whatever challenges lay ahead, they would face them together. As a family.
Five Months Later…
Tension filled the hospital waiting room. Kaley and the rest of Lucas’s friends exchanged weary glances as they watched him pace back and forth for what felt like the hundredth time. Even his siblings, Luciana, Lucia, and Luca, were starting to grow restless, eyes following his every anxious movement.
"Kuya, can you please sit down? You’re making me dizzy," Lucia complained, hugging a pillow against her chest.
"She’s right, Lucas. Rhea’s going to be fine," Rave added, trying to reassure him. "She’s strong. She’ll get through this."
Lucas shook his head, his voice low and tight. "I can’t relax. I read somewhere that childbirth is one of the most painful things a woman can go through. What if she’s hurting right now? What if she’s—"
Before he could spiral further, Ruffa stood up and grabbed him by the shoulders.
"Enough, Mars. Breathe. She’s okay, and she’s in good hands," Ruffa said gently, giving him a comforting squeeze. Then, with a motherly firmness, she guided him into her seat.
Moments later, the door opened, and the midwife who had assisted with Rhea’s delivery stepped into the room. Lucas was on his feet in an instant, rushing to her with eyes full of desperate hope.
"How is she? Is Rhea alright? And the baby?" he asked breathlessly.
The midwife gave him a soft smile, clearly familiar with the kind of anxious love radiating from new fathers. “Mrs. Villareal is resting peacefully. The delivery went well. You can go see them now."
Relief swept through the room. Lucas barely heard the excited chatter of his friends and siblings scrambling to follow him. All he cared about was getting to her first, and he did. Inside the room, Rhea lay asleep, her face pale with exhaustion but peaceful. Even in her worn-out state, there was a faint, serene smile on her lips that took Lucas’s breath away.
And then he saw their baby. A nurse stood nearby, gently cradling the newborn in her arms. The tiny boy was crying, his skin flushed a soft pink, his eyes still puffy from the journey into the world. Lucas’s heart swelled at the sight. The baby was beautiful.
"Would you like to hold him, sir?" the nurse asked kindly.
Lucas’s throat tightened. "May I?"
With care, the nurse passed the newborn into his arms. Lucas looked down, awestruck by the little miracle in his hands. The baby’s fingers curled instinctively, his tiny mouth opening in a soft wail.
Lucas began to rock him gently. "Shh... Daddy's here," he whispered.
From behind him came soft gasps and cheerful murmurs.
"Oh my gosh, kuya! You're really a dad now!" Luciana whispered in awe.
"Our federation is shrinking. Lucas has officially defected to Team Parent," Kaley said dramatically, but his grin was full of love.
"He’s beautiful," Rave murmured. "His eyes... they look like Rhea’s."
Lucas nodded, his voice thick. "Yes. But I think the lips are mine."
He was too overwhelmed to say more. All he knew was that nothing in his life had ever felt this real. This right.
This child was everything.
"Kuya, Mom, and Dad are on their way. Lolo and Lola too," Lucia said, glancing up from her phone before turning it toward the baby to take a photo.
"Excuse me, sir," the nurse interjected gently. "We’ll just take the baby for a quick check-up. You can see him again in the nursery in a little while."
Lucas nodded reluctantly and kissed the baby’s forehead before handing him over. The nurse then handed him a form.
"Please write your son’s name here."
He smiled as he wrote the name that he and Rhea had chosen months ago.
"Louis Kingsley B. Villareal," he said aloud.
Nicole, who had just walked in, read it with a grin. "That name sounds like royalty! Louis Kingsley? Is the next one going to be Thor?" he teased.
Cheers to all the Project Loki fans in the house. Time passed, and finally, Rhea stirred awake. Lucas rushed to her side and pressed a tender kiss to her forehead.
"Where is he?" she asked in a whisper, still groggy but already searching.
Lucas took her hand and squeezed it warmly. "They just took him for a quick check. But we can go see him in the nursery now. Wait here. I’ll get you a wheelchair."
In no time, he returned and gently lifted her into the seat. Slowly, lovingly, they made their way down the corridor, side by side. At the nursery, their eyes found him at once. Louis was lying peacefully in his crib, soft breathing, his tiny chest rising and falling.
"My son," Rhea whispered, her voice catching in her throat.
As if sensing her, Louis stirred and began to cry. Without hesitation, Rhea entered the room and carefully picked him up. She sat down and began to nurse him, her face glowing with wonder.
"Hi there, little one. I’m your mommy," Rhea cooed gently to their son. I don’t know how to describe it, but when she said those words, our baby made the sweetest little noises. It sounded like he was trying to talk to us, and it melted me from the inside out.
I reached for Rhea’s arm, and she looked up at me. When our eyes met, I leaned forward and kissed her gently on the head.
"I love you, my wife," I whispered, my heart full to the brim.
She looked at me with tears in her eyes, the happiest kind. "I love you too... my wonderfully gay husband," she whispered back, her voice thick with emotion. And in that quiet moment, holding the two people who mattered most in the world, I knew one thing for certain. This was everything.
Three Months Later…
The soft afternoon light filtered through the sheer curtains of the Villareal home, painting the living room in shades of gold and rose. Dust motes drifted lazily in the glow, moving as if time itself had slowed to match the gentle rhythm of this new life. The once-quiet house, once too large and empty, now carried a different music—the tender cries of a newborn, the shuffle of tired but eager footsteps, and the mismatched lullabies of a man who had discovered a part of himself he never knew he had.
Lucas sat on the couch, his shirt wrinkled, one sock missing, and a burp cloth hanging crookedly over his shoulder. His tie lay abandoned somewhere hours ago, and his hair was disheveled beyond repair, yet he looked more whole than ever before. In his arms, baby Louis wriggled, fighting sleep with tiny protests until his father’s low, steady hum began to soothe him. The melody was off-key, half-forgotten, but full of love.
"I think he likes it when you sing badly," Rhea teased softly as she entered from the kitchen, carrying a warm bottle of water and a neatly folded blanket. Strands of hair framed her face, her smile tired but radiant.
Lucas glanced up at her, his eyes weary but glowing with a love so deep it stole her breath. "He doesn’t have a choice," he replied, lowering Louis carefully into his crib by the window. The baby sighed in his sleep, stretching once before curling into stillness. "He’s stuck with me forever."
Rhea’s laughter lingered in the air as she stepped into his waiting arms. She fit against him as though she had always belonged there, his embrace steady and warm. Lucas pressed a kiss to her hair, exhaling a contented sigh that spoke of a man who had finally arrived where he was meant to be.
"Can you believe this is our life?" he murmured.
"Sometimes I still think I’m dreaming," she confessed, her voice full of wonder. "There were days I thought we’d never reach this. That we’d always stay lost in the pretending."
Lucas pulled back to meet her eyes, his thumb brushing her cheek with reverence. "Nothing about you ever felt like pretend. Not from the first smile, not when the world believed our lies, and certainly not now. You’ve always been my truth."
Her eyes softened, shimmering with unspoken gratitude. "I know that now," she whispered.
They sank onto the couch together, shoulders touching, hearts quiet. Through the half-open door, their son lay dreaming, his small chest rising and falling in perfect rhythm.
"Do you remember when you used to call me your gay husband?" Lucas asked with a crooked grin.
Rhea nudged him playfully. "I still might. Keeps you humble."
He laughed, the sound rich and easy, before kissing her with gentle finality. "I’m yours, in every way, in every lifetime."
"And I’m yours. Always," she answered, her head resting on his shoulder.
Outside, the sky deepened into shades of pink and lavender, the day surrendering gracefully to evening. Inside, the Villareal home glowed with warmth, with love, with beginnings that would stretch into countless tomorrows.
Louis stirred once but did not cry. Not tonight. And for the first time, and perhaps for all the days to come, everything was exactly as it should be.