JAY JAY POV
After a long afternoon where the rest of the world ceased to exist, our legs were still tangled together under the sheets. The room was quiet, filled only with the sound of our breathing, until a frantic pounding on the door shattered the peace.
"Ate!" Keiran's voice yelled from the hallway, sounding panicked.
"What happened?" I asked, my maternal instincts kicking into high gear. I tried to scramble out of the bed, but Keifer's arm was like a heavy iron bar across my waist, pulling me back into his chest.
I glared at him over my shoulder. "Keifer, let me go! That's your brother's 'emergency' voice!"
"It's probably just because the WiFi went out," Keifer grumbled, his eyes half-closed and his voice thick with sleep. "Let them handle it."
"Keifer, let me go!" I snapped, finally prying his arm off.
"Kevin had an accident!" Keiran shouted through the wood.
"What?!" My heart nearly stopped. An accident? He's only two weeks old! Did he fall? Is he breathing?
I didn't even care that I was half-dressed; I threw on Keifer's oversized shirt and some leggings, my hands shaking as I fumbled with the door handle. I ran out into the hallway, Keifer right behind me, looking ready to murder whoever had interrupted us.
"Where is he? Keiran, where is Kevin?!" I shrieked.
Keiran pointed toward the living room downstairs. I practically flew down the steps, my breath catching in my throat. I found Keigan standing in the middle of the rug, holding Kevin at arm's length like he was holding a ticking time bomb.
"What happened? Is he hurt? Did he drop?" I rushed over, my hands reaching for my son.
Keigan looked at me with a face full of pure horror. "No, Ate... but he... he has no loyalty."
I looked down at Kevin. He looked perfectly fine. In fact, he looked quite proud of himself. Then I looked at Keigan's expensive designer shirt.
A massive, yellow, and very wet "accident" was dripping down the front of Keigan's chest and onto the floor. Kevin had managed to bypass the diaper during a change and had aimed with the precision of a Watson.
"He peed on me, Ate," Keigan said, his voice flat and traumatized. "And then... he did the other thing. On my shoes."
I froze, staring at the carnage, before a slow bubble of laughter started in my chest.
"That's it?" I gasped, clutching my stomach. "I thought he was dying! You gave me a heart attack because of a diaper change!"
Keifer stepped up behind me, looking at his brother's ruined outfit. He didn't look angry anymore. A slow, proud smirk spread across his face.
"That's my boy," Keifer chuckled, clapping a hand on Keigan's shoulder. "Good aim, Kevin. We'll work on the timing next time."
"Get him away from me!" Keigan groaned, finally handing the giggling baby over to me. "Those shoes were limited edition!"
"Welcome to fatherhood—well, unclehood," I laughed, kissing Kevin's forehead despite the smell. "Keifer, go get the wet wipes. Your son just won his first battle against the Watsons."
1 YEAR LATER
"Kevin! Here, eat this!" I shouted, holding a small bowl of mashed fruit while sprinting across the grass.
I was officially exhausted. Who knew a one-year-old could have more stamina than the entire Section E combined? Ever since Kevin learned how to walk—or rather, how to bolt like a getaway driver—my life has been one long cardio session.
"Kevin, hon, please stop running!" I called out, my breath hitching.
"No, Mama!" Kevin yelled back over his shoulder, his little legs moving at lightning speed.
He had that naughty Watson glint in his eyes and a smirk that was a carbon copy of his father's. He didn't just run; he dodged and weaved through the garden furniture like he was practicing for a high-stakes chase.
"Kevin Jackson! If you don't stop right now, I'm telling your Dada you broke his favorite controller!" I threatened, though we both knew Keifer would probably just buy ten more if Kevin asked.
Suddenly, a pair of large, arms reached out from behind a hedge and scooped the little monster right off the ground.
"Gotcha," a deep, rumbling voice chuckled.
Kevin squealed with delight, kicking his feet as Keifer hoisted him up high. Keifer was dressed in a sharp black suit—probably just getting home from a meeting—but he didn't care that Kevin's sticky, fruit-covered hands were grabbing at his expensive silk tie.
"Dada!" Kevin cheered, slapping Keifer's cheeks.
"Hey, little man," Keifer said, his gaze softening in that way that still made my heart melt. He turned to me, looking at my messy bun and my sweat-damped shirt. "Is my wife losing a race to a toddler?"
"He's fast, Keifer! Gago, he doesn't listen to me anymore!" I panted, finally catching up and leaning against his arm for support. "He's exactly like you. Hardheaded and impossible to catch."
"That's because Watsons don't get caught, right Kevin?" Keifer asked, bopping the baby's nose. Kevin just giggled and tried to eat Keifer's chin.
"Give him to me, he needs to finish his lunch," I said, reaching for him.
"Nah," Keifer said, shifting Kevin to his hip and taking the bowl from my hand. He poked a spoon into the fruit and offered it to Kevin, who—of course—ate it immediately without a single protest.
I stared at them, hands on my hips. "Unbelievable. For me, he runs a marathon. For you, he's an angel?"
"It's the authority, Jay-Jay," Keifer teased, pulling me close with his free arm and kissing my temple.
"Whatever, you still have to help with the diaper change later," I retorted, sticking my tongue out at him.
Keifer laughed, the sound bright and clear in our garden.
As I looked at my two boys—one big and terrifying to the world, one small and a terror to my sanity.
1 year later
One year later, and I'm starting to think my son has some kind of built-in radar for when his parents want a single moment of peace.
It was late, and Keifer had finally dragged me away from the kitchen and into our room. He had just pulled me into his arms, his forehead resting against mine, and the room was finally getting quiet and... nice.
Then, the bedroom door creaked open. A small, pajama-clad shadow stood there, clutching a stuffed lion.
"MAMA! NO!" Kevin yelled, his voice echoing through the suite as he waddled toward the bed with terrifying determination.
Keifer let out a long, low, frustrated sound—somewhere between a groan and a growl. He didn't let go of my waist, but he turned his head to glare at the tiny intruder.
"You... I thought you were sleeping!" Keifer said, pointing a finger at Kevin. "We spent an hour reading you that book about the truck. Go back to your room, little man."
"No!" Kevin repeated, his bottom lip pouting out—a move he definitely learned from me. He didn't even look at his father; he climbed onto the bed, squeezed himself right in the middle of us, and patted my arm. "Mama, stay."
"Gago talaga," I whispered, trying and failing to hide my giggle. "He knows, Keifer. He always knows."
Keifer flopped back onto the pillows, staring at the ceiling in defeat while Kevin made himself comfortable on my chest. "I'm the Keifer Watson. I run a multi-billion dollar empire. I have men who tremble when I walk into a room."
He turned his head to look at Kevin, who was now sticking a tiny thumb in his mouth and closing his eyes.
"And yet," Keifer muttered, "I'm being cockblocked by a person who still wears Elmo diapers."
"Language, Keifer!" I hissed, swatting his arm, though I was smiling.
Keifer sighed, his expression softening as he watched our son finally drift off to sleep right between us. Despite his frustration, he reached out and gently tucked the blanket around Kevin's small shoulders. Then, he moved his hand to find mine, squeezing it tight.
"Fine," Keifer whispered, leaning over Kevin to give me a quick, lingering kiss on the lips. "He wins tonight. but tomorrow? I'm calling the Titots. He can go be an 'accident' in Keigan's house for the weekend."
"You're so mean," I teased, closing my eyes as the three of us lay there.
"I'm not mean, Jay-Jay," he murmured, pulling both of us closer into his protective hold. "I'm just a man who wants his wife back."
I drifted off to sleep listening to the sound of two Watsons breathing in sync.
It was early morning, the kind where the sunlight is just a soft, golden blur through the curtains. I woke up feeling a familiar warmth against my skin—the kind of heat that only came from one person.
Keifer was behind me, his lips pressing soft, lingering kisses against my neck.
"What the hell... how did I get here?" I whispered, my voice thick with sleep. I blinked, realized I was tucked firmly against Keifer's chest on the far side of the bed. "Kevin was in the middle last night."
"Shh, he's sleeping," Keifer murmured, his voice a low, gravelly vibration against my ear.
He pointed toward the other side of the king-sized bed. There was Kevin, stretched out like he owned the place, snoring softly in his tiny blue pajamas.
"You moved him?" I whispered, trying to turn around in Keifer's grip.
"I moved us," he corrected, his arms tightening around my waist to keep me flush against him. "He was kicking me in the ribs half the night. I'm not letting a toddler kick me out of my own spot. So I migrated us to the edge."
"Gago," I giggled, but I didn't try to pull away. It felt too good to just lie there in the quiet. "You're Keifer Watson, and you're complaining about a two-year-old's personal space?"
"He's a territorial little monster, Jay-Jay. Just like his mom," Keifer teased, biting my earlobe softly. "Besides, I barely got any sleep. Seeing him in our bed is a constant reminder that I lost the battle last night."
I reached back and tangled my fingers in Keifer's messy morning hair. "You didn't lose. Look at him. He's happy."
"I'll be happy when I get my wife back to myself," Keifer said, his hand sliding down to rest protectively over my stomach. He went quiet for a second, his breath steady against my neck. "But I guess... having him here isn't the worst thing."
I smiled, closing my eyes
"Happy birthday, Jay," he whispered suddenly.
I froze. I'd actually forgotten.
"You remembered?"
"I never forget anything that belongs to me," he said, his voice dropping into that deep, possessive tone I knew so well. He pulled me closer, his lips finding the crown of my head. "Go back to sleep, Teacher. I've got the morning shift. I'll make sure the little king doesn't jump on you when he wakes up."
I drifted back to sleep feeling the luckiest girl in the world.
I woke up not to the gentle sunlight or Keifer's whispers, but to a sound so terrible it literally pulled me out of my dreams. It was off-key, loud, and sounded like several people were fighting over a microphone.
"HAPPY BIRTHDAY ATE JAY-JAY!" Keiran's voice shrieked, hitting a note that definitely didn't exist in music.
"HAPPY HAPPY BIRTHDAY! TO YOU! TO YOU!"
I groaned, burying my face in the pillow as the bedroom door crashed open. Keifer, who had been peacefully cuddling me a second ago, sat up so fast he almost got whiplash.
"What the hell!" Keifer roared, but his voice was drowned out by the chaos.
In marched the usual suspects. Keiran was leading the pack, wearing a shiny birthday hat that looked ridiculous on a grown man. Behind him, Keigan was holding a cake with far too many candles,
"HAPPY BIRTHDAY JAY-JAY! EAT CAKE!" Keiran yelled.
Beside me, Kevin had woken up and was bouncing on the mattress, clapping his tiny hands and joining in the noise. "Mama! Cake! Cake!"
"Out! Get out!" Keifer snarled, reaching for a pillow to throw at them, but Keiran just dodged it with a grin.
"Don't be a killjoy, Kuya! It's Ate's day!" Keiran said, jumping onto the foot of our bed. "Blow the candles, Jay! Make a wish!"
I sat up, my hair a mess and my eyes sleepy, but I couldn't stop the huge grin from spreading across my face
"Make a wish, Jay," Keifer muttered, his hand finding the small of my back. His eyes were still murderous toward his brothers, but when he looked at me, his expression softened just a little.
I looked at the flickering candles, then at Keifer, then at my son, and finally at the idiots jumping around my bed.
I didn't need to wish for anything. I already had everything I ever wanted.
I took a deep breath and blew out the candles.
"YAAAAAY!" The room erupted again.
"Okay, now get out before I actually start shooting," Keifer said
"We're going, we're going! Breakfast is downstairs!" Keigan said, quickly herding the others out before Keifer actually lost it.
As the door slammed shut and the noise faded into the hallway, Keifer let out a long, exhausted sigh and collapsed back onto the bed.
"I'm moving. We're moving to a private island," he grumbled.
I laughed, crawling over to him and kissing his cheek. "You love them, Keifer."
"I love you," he corrected, pulling me down for a real morning kiss. "The rest of them are just lucky I don't have my gun under the pillow today."
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