April celebrating mother's day with her family and Jackson giving her a gift from Samuel.

It's an unusual sunny day in Seattle. The sky is clean and the clouds are painted in a pleasant shade of baby blue. Sitting on the bench, April watches the kids run freely in the playground. It's Sunday and the park is full of happy little families. Happy little families? Yes, and hers is one of them.

Jackson is with the kids, by the swings. Hannah loves them. She loves the park in general, but the swings are her favorite part. Hannah Rose Avery was born in a stormy December night. Named after one of April's favorite women in the bible, she's also a Christmas baby. Well, almost. She was born on the 26th at exactly 01h31 AM, with a head full of brown hair and big, expressive grey eyes. The grey turned into green eventually, just like her daddy's. It was surely a Christmas party to remember!

"Higher, daddy. Higher!" The four year old screams at the top of her lungs every time Jackson gives the swing another soft push. He pretends to apply a little bit more strength to the push, but she knows he won't. Somehow, after what happened with Samuel, they've been unknowingly more careful with the kids, always looking after them like two precious jewels.

Kids? Yes, because their baby boy is on Jackson's hip, glued like a rock. Noah Alexander Avery is almost two. And unlike Hannah, who came as a surprise after April decided to stay and fight for her marriage, Noah was wanted. They decided to have another baby when their girl was old enough. Getting pregnant wasn't hard and once they tried a couple times, the news came in the sound of a sweet relief. Thus his name: Noah means "rest, comfort" and after he was born, healthy and strong, April knew she was finally in peace.

Looking at the scene and realizing how perfect her little family is, makes it hard to think about life before it all. It's hard to wonder how it could've gone, what could've happened if she decided to take off once again and get on that plane to Jordan. Fact was, those were the darkest times and her marriage was crumbling, being torn apart. But she couldn't let the love of her life go to waste. So, she stayed, she fought, she decided to be brave for herself and for Samuel's memory.

Hannah and Noah were true blessings. It's like life before her children didn't exist at all, it was meaningless, empty. Jackson and the kids were the only reason she ever had to keep going, to hold on to her marriage when things were tough, and to fill that empty space in heart with love and joy. The healing was complete, and she understood now God's plan for her life. Her heart was in pieces then, but it's now complete. The missing pieces were found and put back together, glued one by one, and she can now see the light.

It's mother's day. A day she's been celebrating ever since Hannah was born. The first year, Jackson gave her a rose, and a card with both her little girl's hands painted in pink, with a cute "I love you, mommy" message written in big, full red letters. Such a simple gesture that meant so much. She felt like a mom, at last.

From the bench, she sees Jackson stop the swing and kneel down in front of Hannah. Her curly hair is all over her sweet little face, but her eyes sparkle in that moment. He whispers something in her ear, and she nods, determined. Noah simply holds on to the giraffe grandma Karen gave him when he was born, completely oblivious to what is happening. Poor little guy! He loves daddy so much he doesn't want to let him go, even though he's taller than most boys his age, and could perfectly walk now.

Hannah gets off the swing and looks at her mommy, with a smile. April smiles back and spots Jackson taking off something from inside his jacket pocket and handing it to the girl.

She starts walking towards April, holding a box in her hands, skipping down along the grass. With a smile that could light up the entire town, she stops when she reaches her mom. "Hey, baby. What's that?" April asks, as Hannah extends her arms and bounces back and forth, shy.

"It's for you, mommy."

Jackson follows her, sitting on the bench next to his wife and keeping Noah on his lap. "Happy mother's day!" He says, nodding at his daughter, reassuring her it is time to give April her present.

She takes the box in her hands, not completely surprised, because he's not that great when it comes to keeping secrets. "Thank you, honey. Can you give me a kiss?" She says, lowering down to plant a soft kiss on her girl's forehead. Hannah giggles, waiting impatiently to see her mother open the box, revealing what's inside. "Let's see what we've got here…" April goes one, glancing over at her husband while opening it.

"Do you like it?" Hannah asks, moving to her mother's side and placing both hands on her leg to take a better peek. It's a simple white golden bracelet, with three little pendants. A ladybug, a giraffe, and a heart. "Daddy said I could choose it."

"Did you, honey? Mommy loves it!" She replies, noticing Jackson's grin when he sees that she truly liked the surprise. Taking the bracelet out of the box, she holds it in the air in front of her eyes, supporting the beautiful pendants with the palm of her hand. "Is this yours?" April says, mentioning the ladybug. The little girl nods, proudly. Ladybugs are her things now and it doesn't help that April has been calling her daughterladybug ever since she was a baby. It's a cute little pet name that goes with her personality so well.

"It's for good luck!" Hannah retorts, tilting her head to the side and resting her chin on her hand. "Daddy said ladybugs bring good luck."

April smiles, mumbling a silent "Thank you" at Jackson. Then, moving her attention to her boy, she knows Hannah must've chosen the giraffe for obvious reason. It's Noah's favorite teddy bear. Placing a kiss on top of his curls, she notices she last pendant left. A heart. "Is this yours?" She asks Jackson, thinking the heart could only represent him.

Jackson doesn't reply right away. He licks his lips, opens his mouth and lets out a loud breath. "No." He finally says, for a moment regretting his decision. "It's Samuel's."

She gasps, and the smile disappears from her face when her eyes move back to the little pendant. Her own heart closes and she feels a sudden, sharp pain, like a bandage being ripped unexpectedly. Images of her son cross her mind, so tiny, wrapped in a blanket in her arms. She remembers his last breath, and the memory makes her want to cry. Tears quickly fill her eyes, but she fights them when Hannah senses her mother change.

"Mama? You didn't like it?"

April pouts, trying to keep her trembling lips from shaking even more. Looking down at her daughter, she puts the box to the side and quickly reaches for her. Hugging her, having Hannah in her arms makes her forget the most important loss of her life. Hannah's voice, her beating heart, and the smell of her curls remind herself to be thankful for what she has. God is good after all and she's so lucky she has them. "Thank you, baby. I love it!"

The love for her children was a different kind of love. One she has only felt once when Samuel was put in her arms before he took his last breath. A love that could only grow deeper and stronger. Her children are her true, precious love, sent from above to give some sort of new found meaning to her life. A love so deep, it was hard to understand how she spent all of her life without it. Samuel wasn't here anymore, but he was here first. And even though she only felt like a mother now, she was a mother before. To him. For him.

And today, it was the perfect mother's day.

..

Requested by anon