JAY JAY POV
After the whole Yuri situation, we finally got home, and the kids were already there waiting.
"Mama!" they shouted the second they saw me.
"My babies," I said, pulling all three of them into a hug. "I missed you guys so much."
"Us too," they said, squeezing me tighter.
"What about me?" Keifer asked after a full minute of being ignored.
He actually pouted — like full lower‑lip‑out, dramatic and adorable.
Kade turned to him seriously. "Papa, Mama has a baby in her tummy, so we have to take care of Mama."
Keifer burst out laughing.
"That's my job," he said. "Your job is to make sure you don't make Mama work for two years."
Kevin frowned. "But I thought babies come after nine months."
"They do," Keifer said, crouching down to their level, "but the recovery takes time."
"I don't think I need two years to recover," I said, raising an eyebrow at him.
"No," Keifer said, standing and wrapping an arm around me, "but I want to make sure you're perfectly fine. So you have to be careful for the next nine months."
He kissed my forehead gently, like it was the most natural thing in the world.
And the kids all nodded like they had just been given a mission from God.
Then Keira — my curious, fearless, too‑smart‑for-her-own-good Keira — tilted her head.
Oh no.
Oh no no no.
Even though she looks exactly like Keifer, her thinking style is mine, which is exactly why I was terrified of whatever question was loading in her brain.
Dear God, please let it be something simple.
"Mama? Papa?" she called out.
"Yes?" I answered, already bracing myself.
"How did the baby get into your tummy?"
I smiled at her.
Of course she asked that question.
Why didn't I see this coming?
Jay‑Jay, you idiot, THINK before you speak.
Keifer choked on air.
The other two nodded to that question
Keira blinked up at me like she had just asked what 2+2 was.
I cleared my throat. "Well… sweetheart… babies get in Mama's tummy when two grown‑ups love each other and decide they want a baby."
Keira nodded slowly, processing. "So like… teamwork?"
Keifer burst out laughing.
"Yes," I said quickly. "Exactly. Teamwork."
Keira seemed satisfied. Thank God.
But then I saw it.
Kade's face.
That little squint.
That tiny frown.
The thinking face.
Oh no.
Oh no no no.
He raised his hand like he was in school.
"Mama?"
"Yes, baby?" I said, already regretting my life choices.
"So…" he began slowly, "if you and Papa did teamwork… did we hear it
KEIFER choked so hard he had to grab the counter.
I blinked. "Hear… what?"
"The teamwork," Kade said seriously. "Because your room is next to ours. And sometimes you and Papa are loud."
KEIFER died.
He turned around, hand over his mouth, shoulders shaking because he was laughing so hard he couldn't breathe.
I wanted the earth to swallow me whole.
"Kade," I said, trying not to scream, "that was Papa snoring."
"No it wasn't," Kade said confidently. "Papa snores like a dinosaur. This was different."
KEIFER WAS WHEEZING.
I glared at him. "Do not laugh."
He nodded, still laughing.
I turned back to the kids. "Okay. Enough baby questions. Who wants snacks?"
"ME!" all three shouted, instantly forgetting the trauma they just caused.
Keifer leaned close, whispering in my ear with that smug little smirk he knows drives me insane.
"I don't mind making another one and calling it teamwork," he murmured.
"Keifer," I warned, giving him the look.
He just shrugged, completely unbothered. "What? Ci‑n said it himself — I'm too strong. We'll always end up with a baby."
I stared at him. "That is not what he meant."
Keifer grinned wider. "Pretty sure it is."
"Keifer," I repeated, because apparently saying his name was the only thing stopping him from saying something even worse.
He held up his hands in fake innocence. "I'm just saying… teamwork seems to work really well for us."
I elbowed him lightly. "Stop talking."
He laughed, leaning down to kiss my cheek. "Never."
After all the dinner chaos, I finally crawled into bed and knocked out almost instantly.
About thirty minutes later, I felt the mattress dip and warm arms slide around my waist.
"The kids are asleep," Keifer murmured, pressing a soft kiss to my temple.
"Wait— what? I totally forgot about putting them to sleep," I said, half sitting up.
"It's okay," he whispered, pulling me back into him. "They're out. I told them Mama was tired."
I relaxed against him, letting the silence settle between us. For a few minutes, neither of us said anything. It was just his breathing, steady and warm against my neck.
Then I turned slightly. "Keifer?"
"Hmm?" he answered, already sounding half-asleep.
"I'm scared," I whispered.
His arms tightened around me instantly. "Why? I'm here."
"It's just…" I swallowed. "You heard what Ci‑n said. That it was almost impossible for me to get pregnant again. But I did. And now I keep thinking— what if something happens to the baby?"
Keifer's eyes opened immediately. He shifted so he could see my face.
"Hey," he said softly, brushing his thumb over my cheek. "Nothing is going to happen to you or the baby. Nothing."
He kissed my forehead, slow and gentle, then moved down and pressed a kiss to my stomach.
"I'm here," he whispered against my skin. "I'm not letting anything happen to either of you."
I nodded, letting his words settle into my chest.
"So stop worrying and start smiling more," Keifer murmured. "I'd hate for our future baby to come out with a grumpy face."
I turned to him. "Why would the baby have a grumpy face?"
"Because the baby's mother isn't smiling," he said, like it was the most obvious thing in the world.
I rolled my eyes. "Just make sure the baby doesn't get your attitude."
"My attitude is perfectly fine," Keifer said, offended in the most dramatic way possible.
"No, it's not. You're full of ego. And stubbornness," I shot back, already getting irritated.
He lifted his head from my shoulder. "Take it back, Jay‑Jay."
"No. It's facts. Face it."
Keifer stared at me like I had personally insulted his ancestors.
"You're really not taking it back?"
"Nope."
"JAY‑JAY," Keifer said dramatically, "I'm not full of ego."
"KEIFER," I shot back, "trust me — you and Kevin both have it."
He opened his mouth to argue, but I lifted a hand.
"Say one more thing and you're sleeping on the couch tonight."
Keifer froze.
His eyes widened just a little, and then he slowly, silently lowered himself back onto the pillow like a man who had just seen his entire future flash before his eyes.
I smirked.
That's what I thought.
I scooted closer, wrapping my arms around him. He immediately pulled me in, holding me tight like he hadn't just been two seconds away from getting kicked out of the room.
Within moments, his breathing evened out, warm and steady against my neck.
I smiled into his chest and we fell asleep like that — tangled up, peaceful, and safe.