JAY-JAY POV
My phone rang on my desk, and I picked it up without looking.
"What do you want, Keifer?" I asked, already annoyed.
"Jay, I can't pick you up today, so I sent the driver to get you," Keifer said, sounding way too casual for someone who just bailed on me.
"Fine," I muttered. "Tell him to pick me up in thirty minutes. I'm almost done."
"Sure. Bye, wifey."
"Ass—" I started, but he hung up before I could finish.
I stared at my phone.
Unbelievable.
The driver arrived right on time, and I grabbed my things, still annoyed at Keifer for hanging up on me like that. I got into the car, leaned back, and let out a long breath I didn't even realize I'd been holding.
The ride was quiet — too quiet.
By the time we pulled up to my house, the sun was already dipping low, casting that warm orange glow over the driveway. The driver parked, got out, and opened the door for me.
I stepped out, smoothing my clothes again, trying to shake off the day.
I stepped inside the house and immediately heard laughter coming from the kitchen — loud, chaotic, happy laughter.
I followed the noise, already suspicious.
And when I walked in…
I stopped.
The kids and Keifer were baking.
Or at least, something that looked like baking.
There was flour on their hair, on their faces, on the counter, on the floor — basically everywhere except the actual bowl.
Keifer was in nothing but his vest, muscles out, acting like this was a cooking show instead of a disaster zone.
"Keira—!" he said, laughing as she grabbed a handful of flour and smeared it across his cheeks.
She giggled like a villain.
"Papa, there is flour everywhere," Kevin said, sounding like a tiny disappointed father.
Keifer looked around at the mess, then shrugged.
"It's part of the process," he said proudly, even though it clearly wasn't.
Kade was mixing something so aggressively the bowl was sliding across the counter.
And all three of them looked so happy — messy, chaotic, loud, but happy — that for a moment, I just stood there watching them.
I smiled at them — my chaotic little family — and quietly took a few photos before hitting record. They still hadn't noticed me standing there.
Then I heard Kevin.
"Papa, what do we tell Mama?"
Keifer straightened up like a general preparing his troops.
"Kids, come here."
They gathered around him, flour-covered and clueless.
"If your mama asks what you did at school, what do you say?" Keifer asked.
"Papa, but… you came back and picked us up after you left," Kevin said, confused.
"Yeah, we didn't even complete first period," Kade added, like he was reporting a crime.
Keira sighed dramatically.
"Idiots. We lie to Mama. We had an amazing day at school, Papa."
My eyebrow shot up.
Wow.
"Good job," Keifer said proudly, kissing Keira's forehead. "If your mom asks how school was, you say it was good and you had fun."
He pointed at all three of them.
"We don't tell her about how I picked you guys up from school."
"Papa, you didn't go to the office either," Kade said.
Kevin nodded like a tiny detective confirming the evidence.
"Idiots, we also lie about Papa going to the office," Keira added proudly, like she was giving a TED Talk on deception.
"My princess…" Keifer said, absolutely delighted by her chaos. "How often do you guys lie to your mom?"
Keira didn't even blink.
"Kinda a lot."
Kade shrugged. "A bit."
Kevin stood straighter, like he was testifying in court.
"I don't really lie to her."
Keifer pointed at Kevin and Kade dramatically.
"Then I will teach you two."
I almost choked.
He said it like he was offering them a scholarship.
Kevin looked horrified.
Kade looked excited.
Keira looked proud of her influence.
And Keifer…
Keifer looked like the leader of a tiny criminal organization.
I kept recording.
Honestly, at this point I was impressed — how long could four idiots covered in flour fail to notice the woman literally standing in the doorway?
"When will they notice me?" I muttered under my breath, still filming.
Then Keira suddenly froze, eyes widening like she'd sensed a ghost.
"Papa… Mama is about to come," she whispered dramatically. "We made a mess."
Keifer looked around the kitchen like he was only now realizing the disaster zone they'd created — flour on the counters, the floor, the ceiling fan (how?), and all over themselves.
"Mama is gonna be mad," Kevin whispered, eyes wide.
All four of them — Keifer included — nodded like they were attending a very serious emergency meeting.
"We tell her the dog next door did it," Keifer said confidently, like this was a flawless master plan.
I stepped forward just enough for my voice to carry.
"Sure," I said, still recording. "Tell her the cat also did it."
Four heads snapped toward me at the exact same time.
Keifer froze mid‑breath.
Keira's mouth dropped open.
Kade blinked like he'd seen a ghost.
Kevin looked like he was calculating how fast he could run.
I shifted my gaze to the biggest idiot in the room.
"Keifer."
The way he straightened up was almost funny.
Back stiff.
Hands behind his back.
Chest out.
Like a soldier caught doing something illegal.
"Yes, ma'am," he said immediately, voice cracking just a little.
The kids all took one tiny step away from him, like they didn't want to be associated with whatever punishment was coming.
Keira pointed at him.
"It was Papa's idea."
Kade nodded.
"Yeah, he said to lie."
Kevin added quietly, "I told them it was a bad idea."
Keifer glared at all three of them.
"Traitors."
I raised an eyebrow higher.
He swallowed hard.
"Explain," I said, my voice calm in that dangerous way that made all three kids step behind him like he was their human shield.
Keifer lifted his hands a little, flour still on his fingers.
"Jay, I missed the kids. I swear I went to the office. Then after five minutes I missed them so—"
"So you decided to pick them back from school," I finished for him, staring straight at him.
He winced.
"...Yes," he admitted, voice small.
Behind him, the kids nodded like backup dancers confirming the confession.
Then Keifer's eyes narrowed.
"Jay… are you recording?"
The kids all turned to me again, this time with matching oh no expressions.
I slowly lowered my phone just enough for him to see the red recording light.
"Stop the recording," he said, walking toward me with that determined look that meant he wasn't listening to a single word I said.
"Go back," I warned, stepping back a little.
He did not go back.
Instead, he kept coming closer — flour on his face, vest half‑covered in white, kids watching like they were about to witness a live-action telenovela.
"Keifer— don't you—"
Too late.
He scooped me up like I weighed nothing, one arm under my legs, the other around my back.
My phone nearly slipped from my hand.
"KEIFER!" I yelled, grabbing onto his shoulder.
Behind him, the kids gasped like this was the most romantic kidnapping they'd ever seen.
Behind him, the kids gasped like this was the most romantic kidnapping they'd ever seen.
Then Keifer — covered in flour, smug as ever — leaned in and rubbed his flour‑covered cheek against mine, like a cat marking its territory.
"Keifer, stop," I said, trying to twist away from him.
He did not stop.
If anything, he pressed his cheek harder against mine, leaving a whole trail of flour on my face.
The kids screamed.
Keira: "PAPA IS MARKING MAMA LIKE A CAT!"
Kade: "MAMA IS GONNA KILL HIM."
Kevin, whispering like a narrator: "He has chosen death."
Keifer just kept rubbing his cheek against mine, laughing under his breath like this was the best idea he'd ever had.
I smacked his shoulder lightly.
"KEIFER!"
He finally put me down — for two seconds.
Then he grabbed a whole handful of flour and dumped it on me like he was baptizing me into chaos.
"KEIFER!" I yelled again, coughing through the cloud of white powder.
But he wasn't done.
He dipped both hands into the flour bowl, lifted them like a villain about to monologue, and then—
Smeared it all over my face.
I stumbled back, eyes wide, mouth open, looking like a ghost who'd just been slapped.
And then his hands slid down to my waist, warm even through the mess, and he pressed flour onto my sides too — slow, deliberate, absolutely shameless.
Behind him, the kids screamed like they were watching a live-action drama.
Keira: "PAPA IS TRYING TO DIE."
Kade: "MAMA IS GONNA THROW HIM OUT."
Kevin, whispering like a narrator: "This is the end of Papa."
Keifer just grinned at me, flour on his eyelashes, flour on his lips, flour everywhere.
"You look cute," he said, like that would save him.
"Ma, you look like a ghost," Keira said, holding my phone and recording like she was a documentary filmmaker exposing family crimes.
I blinked.
"When did you get my phone?"
Keira pointed at the traitor behind her.
"I gave it to her," Keifer said, completely unapologetic.
I stared at him.
He stared back.
The kids stared at both of us like they were watching a boxing match.
"You—gave—her—my—phone," I repeated slowly, flour still falling off my hair like snow.
Keifer shrugged.
"She wanted to record. I support her creativity."
Keira nodded proudly.
"I'm making memories, Mama."
Kade added, "It's for evidence."
Kevin whispered, "Papa is going to jail."
Keifer glared at him.
"Whose side are you on?"
Kevin pointed at me without hesitation.
I smirked.
"What about you, Kade?" I asked.
"You, Ma," he said immediately, coming to stand beside me like a loyal little soldier.
I nodded, satisfied, then looked at the last traitor.
"Keira?"
She didn't even pretend to think about it.
"Sorry, Ma, but I'm with Papa," she said, handing my phone to Mabel like she was passing a microphone to a cameraman.
"Record this, Mabel."
Mabel nodded like this was her job.
Keira marched straight to Keifer, who opened his arms dramatically.
"See? My princess will always stay with me," Keifer said, hugging her like he'd just won a trophy.
I rolled my eyes, grabbed a handful of flour, and launched it at both of them.
It hit Keifer square in the chest and Keira right on her hair.
"HEY! Mama, you cheated! We were hugging!" Keira yelled, but she was already grabbing a fistful of flour like she was preparing for war.
Keifer gasped dramatically.
"My princess, no—"
Too late.
Keira turned to me with the most evil little grin.
"Mama… prepare yourself."
Behind her, Kade cracked his knuckles.
Kevin sighed like he was too old for this.
Mabel zoomed in with the camera.
And Keifer?
He stepped back like he knew exactly what was coming.
This kitchen was about to become a battlefield.
We were throwing flour like wild people — handfuls flying everywhere — and somehow, in the chaos, we ended up in the backyard.
Keifer was backing away from me, hands up, laughing.
"Jay, stop!"
I did not stop.
I grabbed another handful and launched it at him.
Behind us, the kids were in their own world — Keira dumping flour on Kade, Kade chasing Kevin, Kevin trying to stay clean and failing miserably.
"You're teaching the kids to lie!" I yelled, throwing even more flour at Keifer.
"Ja—" he started, stepping back—
And then his foot slipped.
There was a splash so loud it echoed.
Keifer fell straight into the pool.
And because this man has no survival instincts, he grabbed my wrist on the way down.
"KEIFER—!"
I didn't even finish the sentence before I hit the water.
Cold.
Loud.
Flour turning into paste on my clothes.
The kids screamed like they were watching an action movie.
Keira: "PAPA KILLED MAMA!"
Kade: "NOOOO!"
Kevin: "I knew this would happen."
Keifer surfaced first, hair plastered to his forehead, laughing like an idiot.
I came up right after, spluttering, flour turning into dough on my face.
He grinned at me.
"Hi."
I splashed him right in the face, and he splashed me back, and suddenly we weren't fighting anymore — we were just two idiots laughing in the pool, flour turning into sticky paste on our clothes.
Then I heard Keira's voice from the edge of the pool.
"Ma, we want to come too!"
Before I could even answer, Keifer turned around, grinning like a man with zero self-control.
"Come, princess!"
He grabbed her in carefully
Kade and Kevin looked at each other, then at me, then at Keifer.
They didn't even get a chance to decide.
Keifer reached up, grabbed both boys — one under each arm — and yanked them into the pool like he was collecting Pokémon.
Kade came up laughing.
Kevin came up betrayed.
"Papa, I wasn't ready," Kevin said, wiping water from his eyes.
Keifer just shrugged.
"You're in now."
And suddenly all four of them were splashing each other, screaming, laughing, soaking wet, flour dissolving everywhere.