Jay's POV
Next morning
The sun was too bright. Kade was already awake, babbling to himself in his crib. Keifer was still asleep, his arm thrown over my stomach like I was a body pillow.
I should wake him. But he looks peaceful. And when he's peaceful, he's not insufferable.
So I let him sleep.
I grabbed Kade from the crib and tiptoed out of the room. He was wearing his polar bear onesie. His hair was sticking up in seventeen directions.
"Ma," he whispered.
"Yes, baby. Mama."
"Ba."
"Ba."
He patted my face and giggled.
My heart exploded. Again.
---
Downstairs was already chaos.
Ci-n was eating cereal straight from the box. Felix was trying to make toast and failing. David was sitting at the table reading a book like he was above all of this.
"Morning, ate!" Keiren ran to me and hugged my waist.
"Morning, baby." I kissed his head. He's eleven now, but he's still my baby.
"Where's Kuya?"
"Sleeping."
"Lazy," Keigan said from the couch.
I looked at him. He was sprawled out, feet up, watching something on his phone.
"Keigan, put your feet down."
"They're not dirty."
"Keigan."
"Fine." He put them down. But he was smirking.
This boy. I swear.
---
Kade saw Keiren.
His whole face lit up. Like, actually lit up. His eyes got big. His mouth opened. His little arms reached out.
"Kei! Kei!" Kade shouted.
Keiren gasped. "He said my name!"
"He said Kei," Keigan corrected.
"THAT'S MY NAME."
"Your name is Keiren."
"KEI IS SHORT FOR KEIREN."
"That's not how nicknames work."
"YOU'RE NOT THE BOSS OF NICKNAMES."
Keiren took Kade from me. Kade grabbed his hair. Keiren didn't even flinch.
"I love you too, baby," Keiren said.
I almost cried.
Keigan was watching them. His expression was soft. The softest I've ever seen him.
"You want to hold him?" I asked.
Keigan blinked. "What?"
"Hold Kade."
"I—" He looked at Kade. Kade looked at him.
Then Kade reached out. "Ga! Ga!"
"Did he just call me Ga?" Keigan asked.
"Short for Keigan," Keiren said.
"That's not—"
"THAT'S HOW NICKNAMES WORK."
Keigan sighed. But he took Kade.
And Kade immediately grabbed his nose.
"Ow—"
"Ga!"
"Yes, I'm Ga. Now let go of my nose."
Kade squeezed harder.
Keigan looked at me. "He's strong."
"He's yours."
"He's Keifer's."
"He's both of yours. You're his tito."
Keigan stared at me. Then at Kade.
"Tito," he repeated.
Kade giggled and let go of his nose.
"See?" I said. "He likes you."
"He pulled my nose."
"That's how he shows affection."
Keigan looked at Kade. Kade patted his cheek.
"Okay," Keigan said quietly. "Okay."
---
Section E stumbled in one by one.
Rory was yawning. Edrix was still in his pajamas. Felix had successfully made toast and was now eating it with way too much butter.
"Where's Keifer?" Ci-n asked.
"Sleeping," I said.
"It's nine."
"I know."
"He never sleeps this late."
"He was up late."
"DOING WHAT?" Felix's eyes went wide.
"FELIX."
"I'm just asking."
"Don't ask."
"So they were—"
"FELIX."
Ci-n started laughing. Rory joined him. Even David cracked a smile.
"You're all children," I said.
"We're your children," Ci-n said.
"I'm only five years older than you."
"So? You're still our mom."
"I'm not your mom."
"Then why do you yell at us like one?"
I threw a pillow at him. He caught it.
"Your aim is—"
"Don't say it."
"—getting worse."
"I hate all of you."
"You love us."
"I tolerate you. There's a difference."
---
Keifer finally came downstairs.
His hair was messy. He was wearing a gray shirt and sweatpants. He looked like he just rolled out of bed.
Because he did.
"Morning," he said, voice still rough.
"Morning, sleeping beauty," Ci-n said.
Keifer ignored him. He walked straight to me and kissed my forehead.
Then he looked at Keigan. Who was still holding Kade.
"You okay there?" Keifer asked.
"He pulled my nose," Keigan said.
"That's what he does."
"He's strong."
"He's your nephew."
Keigan looked at Kade. Kade was now trying to eat Keigan's shirt.
"Yeah," Keigan said. "He is."
---
Breakfast was a free-for-all.
Mama made pancakes. Tita Gema made eggs. Percy tried to make coffee and almost broke the machine.
"How do you not know how to make coffee?" Aries asked.
"I drink tea," Percy said.
"You're in London. Everyone drinks tea."
"THEN WHY IS THERE A COFFEE MACHINE?"
"Because Keifer drinks coffee."
"Then Keifer should make it."
"I'm eating," Keifer said, not looking up from his plate.
"COWARD."
"Mature."
I sat between Keiren and Keigan. Kade was in his high chair, smashing a pancake piece into mush.
"So," Felix said, mouth full. "When are you guys giving Kade a sibling?"
I choked on my orange juice.
"Felix," David warned.
"What? I'm curious."
"THAT'S NOT APPROPRIATE."
"It's a valid question. They've been married a year. Kade is eight months old. The baby factory should be—"
"FELIX."
"OPEN FOR BUSINESS."
Keiren looked up. "What's a baby factory?"
Silence.
Everyone froze.
"Keiren," I said slowly. "It's nothing."
"But Felix said—"
"Felix says a lot of things."
"Like what?"
"Like nonsense."
"KEIFER'S WIFE IS AVOIDING THE QUESTION," Felix announced.
"I'm not avoiding. I'm protecting."
"Protecting what?"
"An eleven-year-old's innocence."
"HE'S ELEVEN. HE'S NOT A BABY."
"He's MY baby."
Keifer was just sitting there. Eating his pancakes. Like this wasn't happening.
"Keifer," I said.
"Hmm?"
"Say something."
"Felix, stop asking about our sex life."
"THAT'S NOT WHAT I—"
"IT'S LITERALLY WHAT YOU ASKED."
Felix's face turned red. Ci-n was crying from laughter. Even David was smiling now.
Keiren tugged my sleeve. "Ate."
"Yes, baby?"
"How do babies come?"
I died.
I literally died.
"Ate?"
"I—Keifer—help—"
Keifer put down his fork. "Keiren, that's a conversation for another time."
"But Felix said—"
"Felix doesn't know what he's talking about."
"I KNOW WHAT I'M TALKING ABOUT."
"YOU REALLY DON'T."
Keiren looked confused. Keigan was covering his mouth, shoulders shaking.
"Keigan, stop laughing," I said.
"I'm not laughing."
"You're shaking."
"I'm cold."
"It's warm in here."
"I have bad circulation."
"YOU'RE THIRTEEN."
"SO?"
I gave up.
---
After breakfast, Keiren made a plan.
He sat on the floor with Kade, building a block tower. Every time Kade knocked it down, Keiren rebuilt it.
"Okay, so," Keiren said. "When your baby brother or sister comes—"
"Keiren," I said.
"What?"
"There's no baby coming."
"Yet," Keifer added.
"KEIFER."
"What? He's planning."
"He's ELEVEN."
"Eleven-year-olds can plan."
Keiren ignored us. "So when your baby sibling comes, I'm gonna teach them how to play video games. And how to build Legos. And how to annoy Keigan."
"I'm not annoying," Keigan said from the couch.
"You literally exist."
"THAT'S NOT ANNOYING."
"IT IS TO ME."
Kade knocked down the tower and laughed.
"See?" Keiren said. "He agrees."
Kade laughed again.
"Traitor," Keigan muttered.
I looked at Keifer. He was watching his brothers with this soft expression.
"You okay?" I asked.
"Yeah," he said. "Just... this."
"What about it?"
"They're happy."
"They are."
"So am I."
I took his hand. He squeezed it.
---
Later — Keifer pulled Keigan and Keiren aside.
I was in the kitchen, but I could hear them from the living room.
"We want you to come here sooner," Keifer said.
"Like... after exams?" Keiren asked.
"Sooner than that."
"Like... next month?"
"Sooner."
Keigan was quiet.
"I don't want you in the Philippines alone," Keifer continued. "I want you here. Safe. With us."
"We're safe there," Keigan said.
"You're safer here."
"I can take care of myself."
"I know. But you shouldn't have to."
Silence.
"Kuya," Keiren said, his voice small. "Are you worried about us?"
"Yes."
"Because of Dad?"
"Because of a lot of things."
More silence.
Then Keigan spoke. "Okay."
"Okay?" Keifer asked.
"We'll come. Sooner. If that's what you want."
"It's what I want."
"Then okay."
I heard Keiren sniffle. "I'm gonna miss my friends."
"You'll make new ones," Keifer said.
"Better ones?"
"Different ones."
"That's not an answer."
"It's the only one I have."
I walked into the living room. Keiren was hugging Keifer's waist. Keigan was standing with his arms crossed, but his eyes were shiny.
"Group hug?" I asked.
"No," Keigan said.
I hugged him anyway.
He didn't hug back. But he didn't push me away either.
Progress.
---
Yuri's POV — same morning
I stood by the window, watching them.
Jay was laughing at something Ci-n said. Keifer had his hand on her back. Kade was on the floor with Keiren, building blocks again.
They looked like a family.
Because they were.
I took a sip of my coffee. It was cold.
"Yuri."
I turned. David was standing there.
"You okay?" he asked.
"Fine."
"You've been staring at the window for ten minutes."
"I like the view."
"The view of Jay and Keifer?"
I didn't answer.
David sighed. "Yuri."
"I said I'm fine."
"You're not fine. You've been not fine for a year."
"A year and a half."
"So you're counting?"
"I'm not counting. I'm just aware."
David leaned against the wall beside me. "You know she's happy, right?"
"Yes."
"And you know he's good to her."
"Yes."
"So what's the problem?"
I looked at Kade. He was laughing, grabbing Keiren's hair. Jay was kissing his head.
"I thought it would be me," I said quietly.
David didn't say anything.
"I thought... if I just waited. If I just proved myself. She would come back."
"She chose him, Yuri."
"I know."
"So let her go."
"I've been trying."
"Try harder."
I laughed. Bitter. "You make it sound easy."
"It's not easy. But it's necessary."
I watched Keifer pick up Kade. Watched Jay lean into him. Watched them be everything I couldn't give her.
"I want to hate him," I said.
"But you can't."
"No. Because he's still my friend."
"Then be his friend. Be her friend. Be Kade's tito."
"Tito?"
"You're family, Yuri. Whether you like it or not."
I thought about that.
Family.
I used to want that with her.
Now I just wanted to stop hurting.
"Okay," I said.
"Okay?"
"I'll try harder."
David patted my shoulder. "That's all anyone can ask."
---
Jay's POV — back in the living room
I saw Yuri by the window. David was talking to him.
Yuri looked... sad.
Not angry. Not bitter. Just sad.
My heart hurt for him.
But I couldn't fix him. That wasn't my job anymore.
"Jay," Keifer said.
"Hmm?"
"Stop staring at Yuri."
"I'm not staring."
"You're staring."
"I'm concerned."
"He's fine."
"How do you know?"
"Because David's with him."
I looked at David. David looked at me. He nodded.
I nodded back.
"Okay," I said.
"Okay?"
"He's going to be okay."
Keifer kissed my temple. "Yeah. He is."
Kade reached for me. "Ma!"
I took him from Keifer. He buried his face in my neck.
"What do you think, baby?" I asked. "Should we keep everyone here forever?"
"Ba," he said.
"Ba means yes."
"Ba means ba."
"IT MEANS YES."
Keifer shook his head. But he was smiling.
---
END OF CHAPTER
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Sorry for not uploading for days so here is the bonus chapter for you.
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