A/N CHAPTER IDEA GOES TO Shalini_Raj_7056 and Pritam_Baruah
JAY-JAY POV
As soon as we stepped inside, my son ran straight to me and wrapped his arms around my waist.
"Ma, we missed you," Kevin said, squeezing me like he hadn't seen me in years.
"Me too," Kade added, hugging my leg.
"Mama misses you too," I said, kissing the top of Kevin's head. "Where's Keira?"
Kevin pointed toward the living room.
I turned—and there she was.
Keira was hugging Keifer like she'd been waiting for him all morning. Her tiny arms wrapped around his neck, her face buried in his shoulder.
"My princess," Keifer said softly, lifting her a little as he hugged her back.
I couldn't help but smile seeing them like that
"Did you three eat?" I asked, brushing Kevin's hair back.
They both nodded, and I walked toward the living room.
The moment Keira saw me, her eyes lit up. She wriggled out of Keifer's arms and ran straight to me, her little feet pattering across the floor.
"Ma!" she said, throwing her arms around my waist.
I bent down and hugged her tight, breathing in the familiar scent of her shampoo
. Something in my chest loosened — just a little — like her hug was stitching together pieces I didn't even realize were falling apart.
Behind us, Kade and Kevin had switched targets and were now hugging Keifer like he was some giant teddy bear.
"Careful," Keifer laughed softly, steadying himself as both boys clung to him.
Keira pulled back slightly and cupped my cheeks with her tiny hands.
"Mama okay?" she asked, her voice small.
I swallowed, forcing a smile.
"Mama's okay, baby."
"Ma, we're bored," Kade said, already flopping onto the sofa like he owned it.
"What do you guys want to do?" Keifer asked, sitting beside him, stretching his long arms across the backrest like he lived here.
Kevin didn't answer the question.
Instead, he tilted his head, eyes narrowing with that suspicious, too‑smart‑for-his-age look.
"How did you two meet?"
I froze.
Keifer froze.
He slowly turned his head toward me, eyebrows raised like, Well? You gonna answer that or should I?
I opened my mouth before Keifer could even breathe in.
"Well, we met when we were in high school," I said quickly. "I transferred into your Papa's school."
Kevin and Kade leaned forward like I'd just started reading them a bedtime story.
Keira climbed onto my lap again, eyes wide.
Keifer was watching me with that annoying little smirk — the one that said I dare you to lie, Jay.
I ignored him.
"I was new," I continued, keeping my voice steady. "Didn't know anyone. Didn't want to know anyone."
Keifer snorted under his breath.
I shot him a glare so sharp it could've cut glass.
"Anyway," I said louder, "your Papa was… there."
"There?" Keifer repeated, raising an eyebrow.
"Yes," I snapped. "There. Existing. Breathing. Annoying."
The kids giggled.
Keifer leaned back on the sofa, arms stretched out, looking way too pleased with himself.
"So you liked him?" Kevin asked, eyes sparkling with mischief.
I immediately choked on my own spit.
Keifer's smirk stretched into a full, satisfied smile.
"Not really," I said quickly. "At first we fought a lot. We used to prank each other, and one time your papa glued me to a chair."
"Were you mad, Mama?" Kade asked.
"Very," Keifer answered before I could. "Your mama almost punched me that day, but she just flipped me off instead."
"Ma, what does flipping off mean?" Keira asked, staring at me with big innocent eyes.
I shot Keifer a deadly look.
"Well, dear… it means we hated each other a little extra that day," I said.
"Mama, did you ever punch Papa?" Kevin asked.
Keifer didn't even hesitate. "Yeah. She punched me more than twice."
Keira slid off my lap and marched straight to Keifer, climbing into his lap like she was switching sides.
"Ma, why would you punch Papa?" she asked, staring at me like I was the villain in some dramatic movie.
"Because," I said, pointing straight at Keifer, "your Papa once kissed me in the gym in front of everyone just to make Aries mad."
The kids' eyes widened.
"And then," I continued, already getting annoyed just remembering it, "he pranked Kuya Angelo and Aries by telling them I was pregnant. They didn't believe me when I said it wasn't true, so we ended up in a whole hospital because of your father's stupidity. I was so pissed at him that day."
The kids burst out laughing.
"Papa, you're funny!" Keira giggled, still sitting comfortably on his lap.
I rolled my eyes so hard I swear I saw my brain.
Then Kevin looked at me, head tilted, curiosity written all over his face.
"Ma… who is Angelo and Aries?"
I froze.
My mouth opened, but nothing came out.
Before I could force a single word out, Keifer stepped in—calm, steady, like he'd been waiting for that exact moment.
"They were your mama's brothers," he said gently, glancing at me for a second, like he was checking if that was okay.
Kevin nodded slowly, accepting the answer without pushing it.
"Kids, don't you have school to go to?" I asked, raising an eyebrow.
"Ma, we thought we could skip school," Keira said, smiling like she thought she had a chance.
"In your dreams. Now go get ready," I said, standing up.
The kids groaned dramatically and dragged themselves to their rooms, complaining the whole way.
I turned to Keifer.
"You also have office."
"Jay, I'm thinking of skipping office tod—"
"GO TO OFFICE. YOU'RE THE FREAKING CEO. YOU CAN'T JUST SKIP OFFICE," I yelled, pointing at him like a disappointed teacher.
Keifer groaned loudly. "Why, Jay? I don't want to go. Being in there means I have to sit in a meeting that is boring and—"
I shot him a glare so sharp he shut up instantly.
"And I should go to the office," he muttered, defeated, and got up to head to his room to get ready.
I went to mine too — I had work as well.
When I came out, the kids were already in their uniforms, bags on their backs, ready to go.
And Keifer…
Keifer was standing right beside them, wearing the exact same sulking expression.
Seriously.
What is he, a four‑year‑old?
"Let's go," I said, grabbing my bag.
The kids had already eaten breakfast, and me and Keifer had eaten earlier at the beach house, so we were all set. We piled into Keifer's car — mine was still out of air — and drove to the kids' school.
When we arrived, I stepped out, and Keifer did the same. We helped the kids out of the car, and immediately Keira, Kade, and Kevin wrapped themselves around Keifer like he was some giant emotional support pillow.
"Papa, I don't want to go to school," Kade whined, clinging to his leg.
"I don't want to go to the office," Keifer said in the exact same tone.
I groaned, rubbing my forehead.
Three children.
And one overgrown one.
Perfect.
Then Keira, with the confidence of someone who absolutely knew she had leverage, looked up at me and said,
"Ma, we will go to school if you kiss Papa in front of us."
She was smiling.
Smiling like she had just discovered the ultimate bargaining chip.
I stared at her.
Then at Keifer.
And of course—
of course—
Keifer was already grinning like he'd been waiting his whole life for this moment.
"Yeah," he said, tapping his finger on his lips like an idiot. "If you kiss me on the lips, I'll go to the office."
I blinked at him.
The kids nodded like a jury that had already reached a verdict.
Keifer leaned in slightly, still pointing at his mouth, looking way too proud of himself.
I rolled my eyes, grabbed his collar, and kissed him on the lips — right there, in front of all three kids.
When I pulled back, the kids stared at us… disappointed.
Like they were expecting me to chicken out or slap him or something.
I hugged each of them and kissed their foreheads.
"Bye. Have fun," I said.
They nodded, still processing the fact that I actually kissed their Papa.
I turned to Keifer.
He was smiling like an absolute idiot — the kind of smile that said I won without him needing to say a word.
"I'll drop you off at your office," he said, still grinning.
I nodded, trying not to smile back.
Trying.
And failing a little.
As I turned back toward the car, something caught my eye — a little boy, about the same age as my kids, walking along the sidewalk. Too close to the road. Too distracted.
And then I saw it.
A car coming way too fast.
Not slowing down.
Not swerving.
Not even trying.
"Hey! Kid, move!" I yelled.
He didn't even look up.
Keifer glanced over his shoulder, and the second he saw what I saw, his eyes widened.
We just ran.
Both of us sprinted toward the boy, grabbing him by the arms and yanking him back just in time.
The car sped past, barely missing him — close enough that the wind from it brushed my clothes.
It didn't even slow down.
Didn't stop.
It looked like whoever was driving wasn't just careless — they were aiming.
I held the kid against me, breathing hard, my heart pounding in my ears.
Keifer crouched beside us, checking the boy's face. "Hey, hey… you okay?"
The kid looked up at us, wide‑eyed, shaking.
And for a moment, everything around us went quiet.
"Aion, are you okay?" Keifer asked again, crouching down to the boy's level.
"You know him?" I asked, glancing at Keifer.
He nodded just as a woman came rushing toward us.
"Aion, honey, are you okay?" she cried, scooping the little boy into her arms.
She looked up at us—eyes wide, relieved—and before I could even react, she threw her arms around Keifer.
I rolled my eyes so hard I nearly saw the back of my skull.
Get off him.
I glared at her, silently, aggressively, until she finally let go of him and turned to me.
Then she hugged me too.
"Thank you both," she said breathlessly.
I nodded, still catching my breath, still annoyed, still watching her hands like they were magnets that needed to stay far away from Keifer.
"Jay."
I heard the voice behind me, firm and familiar.
I turned and saw Kuya Angelo and Aries walking toward us, both of them looking tense.
"Ion, what happened?" Kuya asked the woman, his tone sharp with worry.
She didn't answer — still shaken, still holding the boy tightly.
So I stepped in.
"A car came to hit Aion, and we saved him," I said, my voice steadier than I felt.
Kuya's eyes flicked to me, then to Keifer, then back to the kid. He nodded once, jaw tight.
Then he stepped forward and reached out to hug me.
But I took a step back.
Not yet.
Kuya got the hint immediately and stepped back, hands dropping to his sides.
"Thank you for saving my son," he said quietly.
I froze.
His… son?
I looked at Aion.
Then at the woman holding him.
Then back at Kuya.
My chest tightened.
He's married now.
He has a son.
A whole family.
For a second, everything around me blurred — the school gate, the cars, the noise — all fading into the background.
I didn't know what to feel.
Kuya's eyes shifted from me to Keifer, narrowing slightly.
"What are you two doing here?" he asked.
"We're here to drop off our kids," Keifer said casually.
Kuya froze.
Aries froze too, but his mouth still worked. "Kids?"
"Yeah… our kids," Keifer said, rubbing the back of his neck like he always does when he's nervous.
The woman holding Aion looked at me suddenly, eyes widening.
"You're Jay‑Jay?"
I nodded slowly.
Her face lit up. "I'm Ion — Angelo's wife."
Before I could react, she hugged me again.
"Where are your kids?" Kuya asked.
"They just went to school," Keifer answered.
"I'll drop him off," Ion said, pointing at Aion.
"Actually, Ate… I think it's better if he skips school today," Aries said. "That car looked like it wanted to hurt Aion."
Ion nodded quickly and headed to the car with Aion in her arms.
Kuya turned back to us. "So… you two are together?"
Neither of us answered.
Then Kuya asked the one question I didn't want to hear.
"Jay… where were you for four years?"
I didn't answer.
Didn't look at him.
I had no intention of talking to him.
"Jay, please talk to us," Aries said, stepping closer.
I finally looked at him.
"What do you want me to say?" My voice cracked, then sharpened. "You didn't believe me four years ago. And now suddenly you want to talk?"
My voice rose without me meaning to.
"You want answers now? After ignoring me? After calling me a liar? After choosing everyone else over me?"
They both froze.
Kuya's face fell.
Aries looked like someone had knocked the wind out of him.
"We know what we did was wrong," Kuya said quietly. "We want to make it up."
"Jay… if you're giving Keifer a chance, then we deserve one too," Aries added, voice soft, almost pleading.
I swallowed hard.
"The only reason I'm giving Keifer a chance is because of my kids," I said, my voice sharper than I intended.
Keifer squeezed my hand gently.
"Jay… please give them a chance too."
I looked at him.
Then at Kuya.
Then at Aries.
All three of them watching me like the next words out of my mouth would decide everything.
"Fine," I said finally.
Aries didn't even wait—he pulled me into a hug so tight it knocked the breath out of me.
Like he'd been waiting years for that one moment.
Like he was afraid I'd disappear again if he let go too soon.
And for the first time in a long time…
I didn't push him away.
I pulled away from Aries' hug, taking a small step back to breathe.
"I have to go to the office," I said, turning to Keifer. "Drop me off."
"Jay! We'll come to your house this evening!" Aries called out behind me.
I didn't answer.
Keifer, of course, answered for both of us.
"That's fine with us," he said, slipping his keys out of his pocket.
I shot him a look — not angry, just… tired.
He gave me a small, reassuring smile, the kind that said I've got you without needing words.
Kuya and Aries stood there watching us, unsure, hopeful, guilty — all at once.
And I walked toward the car, letting the morning air cool the heat still burning in my chest.
Keifer stopped the car in front of my office, and before I could even reach for the door handle, he leaned over and kissed me.
I pulled back and rolled my eyes at him, trying to look annoyed.
Keifer only smiled wider — that stupid, smug, soft smile he always gets after kissing me, like he'd just accomplished something important.
I got out of the car, smoothing down my clothes like that would somehow calm the chaos still buzzing in my chest. Keifer was still smiling at me through the window — that soft, stupid smile he only ever gives me.
I rolled my eyes one last time before turning away and walking toward the building.