JAY JAY POV
5 MONTHS LATER
Five months.
Four more and I finally get to see my baby.
"Jay, I really don't understand why you want to eat this right now," Keifer said, staring at the mango dipped in Nutella like it personally offended him.
I pointed at my stomach.
"Baby wants it."
Then I took a bite.
"Oh my god… mmm," I said without thinking.
Keifer looked at me, eyebrows raised, then chuckled and shook his head.
"You moan better for food than for me," he said.
I almost spit the mango out — but I refused to waste it.
I forced myself to swallow, my entire face burning.
"Asshole," I said, smacking his arm lightly. "Don't say stuff like that when I'm eating."
Keifer grinned, absolutely loving the fact that I was red as a tomato.
Then, just as I was about to smack Keifer again for being annoying,
I felt it.
A tiny thump inside my stomach.
"Ah—" I gasped, grabbing my belly.
Keifer's whole face changed. "What happened?" he asked, rushing to me like I'd screamed.
I didn't answer.
I just grabbed his hands and placed them on my bump.
And right on cue — like the baby knew exactly what it was doing —
another kick.
Keifer froze.
Then his eyes went wide, glassy, almost tearful.
"Jay…" he whispered.
He kneeled in front of me, both hands on my stomach, and kissed the spot gently.
His voice cracked just a little.
"Our baby…"
Before I could even breathe, the kids came running in.
"Mama, what happened?" Kevin asked, panicked.
"Come here," I said, motioning them over.
They rushed to me, and I took their little hands and placed them on my bump.
And the baby kicked again — harder this time, like it wanted to say hi to everyone.
Keira gasped. "Mama! The baby kicked!"
Kade's eyes went huge. "Papa! The baby is saying hello!"
Kevin looked like he'd just seen magic. "Mama… the baby is real."
Keifer laughed softly, still kneeling, still holding my stomach like it was the most precious thing in the world.
Kade opened his mouth.
"I bet the baby's first word will be Papa," he declared proudly.
Kevin gasped. "No way! It's gonna be Mama. Obviously."
Keira crossed her arms. "You two are dumb. The baby's first word will be Keira."
All three of them turned to each other like they were about to start a WWE match.
"It's gonna be Mama!" Kevin insisted.
"No, Papa!" Kade argued.
"No, KEIRA!" Keira yelled, pointing at herself like she was the main character.
Keifer was still kneeling on the floor, one hand on my stomach, laughing so hard he nearly fell over.
"Guys," he said between laughs, "the baby hasn't even been born yet."
"That's why we have to teach it early!" Kade said, already leaning toward my stomach. "Baby, say Papa."
Kevin shoved him lightly. "Stop confusing the baby! Baby, say Mama."
Keira pushed both boys aside and put her face right up to my bump.
"Baby, say Keira. It's the prettiest."
I covered my face with my hands. "Oh my god…"
Keifer wrapped an arm around my waist, still laughing.
"This kid isn't even born yet and already has three coaches."
"Four," I corrected, looking at him.
He smirked. "Baby better say Papa first."
I elbowed him. "Dream on."
The entire day the baby kept kicking — not nonstop, but enough to make me feel like my stomach was hosting a tiny boxing match. I finally sat on the bed, exhausted.
The kids came in and immediately noticed my face.
"Mama, what happened?" Kevin asked, touching my cheek gently.
"Nothing, baby. Just tired," I said, kissing his knuckles.
Then Keifer walked into the room. The second he saw me, his expression softened.
"Jay," he said quietly, coming over and lying down beside me, his head near my stomach like it was the most natural place in the world. "You okay?"
I nodded.
He didn't buy it.
"Sure na? The baby kept kicking you the entire day," he said, brushing his fingers over my bump.
"I'm fine, Keifer," I said, leaning back.
He shifted closer, resting his hand on my stomach like he was trying to calm both me and the baby at the same time.
"You say that," he murmured, "but you look like you ran a marathon."
I rolled my eyes, but I couldn't help smiling a little.
Because even when he's annoying… he's still the one who notices everything.
He kissed my stomach softly, like he was telling the baby to behave.
KEIFER POV
The moment Jay said, "I'm fine, Keifer," I knew she wasn't.
Her voice had that sharp edge — the one that meant back up before you die.
But I'm an idiot, so of course I didn't back up.
"Jay… are you sure? You look—"
"KEIFER, I SAID I'M FINE."
The room went silent.
Like… silent.
All three of them slowly — slowly — turned their heads toward me like I had summoned a demon.
Kevin whispered, "Papa… run."
Kade grabbed his sister's wrist. "Retreat. Retreat NOW."
Keira nodded like a commander. "Operation Save Ourselves."
And they all backed out of the room like cartoon characters —
one step at a time,
The second they crossed the doorway, they SPRINTED down the hall.
I heard Kade yell, "MAMA IS MAD, EVERYBODY HIDE!"
I stood there, staring at the empty doorway, then at Jay.
She had her hands over her face, shoulders tense, breathing uneven.
My chest tightened.
I sat beside her slowly, careful not to crowd her.
"Jay," I said softly, "you don't have to hold everything in."
She didn't look at me.
"I'm tired, Keifer," she whispered. "I'm tired and overwhelmed and the baby won't stop kicking and I feel like I'm failing."
I reached for her hand, gently.
"You're not failing," I said. "You're carrying our baby. You're doing everything. You're allowed to snap. You're allowed to be tired. You're allowed to feel all of this."
She finally leaned into me, her forehead resting against my shoulder.
I wrapped my arms around her, holding her carefully.
Outside the door, I heard Kevin whisper, "Is Papa dead?"
Kade whispered back, "If he talks again, yes."
Keira added, "We pray for him."
I sighed.
"Your children think you killed me," I murmured into Jay's hair.
She let out a tiny laugh — tired, but real.
And that was enough.
After a while, Jay finally fell asleep — the deep kind of sleep she only gets when she's completely drained.
I brushed a strand of hair off her face and looked down at her bump.
I couldn't help it.
I slid down the bed and rested my hands gently on her stomach.
"Hey," I whispered, rubbing small circles. "Hey baby… I know it's hard in there, but don't give your mom a hard time. She's doing everything she can for both of us."
I pressed a soft kiss to her bump.
And right then — like the baby was listening —
a tiny, soft kick.
My heart melted.
"And try to give your mom tiny kicks, okay? Not full-on soccer ball kicks," I whispered.
Another tiny kick.
I laughed quietly. "I wonder what you're gonna be… let's play a game, shall we?"
A tiny kick again — like the baby was saying yes.
Jay didn't feel it. She was knocked out cold.
I smiled so wide my cheeks hurt.
"Okay," I whispered, placing my hand on her bump. "If you're a boy, give me two kicks."
Silence.
Nothing.
Not even a twitch.
"Alright then… if you're a girl, give me three kicks."
And right on cue —
one
two
three
tiny, soft kicks.
My eyes stung.
I almost cried.
"YES!" I yelled before my brain could stop me.
Jay shot up like she'd been electrocuted.
"What—what—WHAT happened? Who died?" she asked, hair everywhere.
"Sorry," I said quickly.
"Asshole, why did you yell?" she snapped, rubbing her eyes.
"Jay… we're having a girl."
She blinked at me. "How do you know?"
"Because the baby told me," I said proudly.
Her eyes widened. "MARK KEIFER WATSON, HAVE YOU GONE CRAZY?"
Shit.
"You yelled to tell me that the baby — our unborn child — told you it will be a girl?" she asked, voice rising.
"Promise, baby," I said, hands up. "I was talking to our baby, then we played a game. Two kicks means boy, three kicks means girl."
Honestly?
Fair.
I probably had.
She lay back down, still glaring at me like she was deciding whether to strangle me or go back to sleep.
After a few seconds, she sighed. "What if it's not a girl? Then what?"
"It is a girl," I said confidently.
"Asshole, if you don't sleep right now, I will kick you out," Jay snapped, eyes half‑closed but voice full of threat.
I nodded so fast my neck cracked.
"Yes, ma'am."
She turned over and pulled the blanket up, already drifting back to sleep.
I sat there quietly, staring at her bump like it was a sacred object.
Damn.
I really shouldn't have told the baby to stop kicking Jay.
Now the baby was kicking ME instead.
I placed my hand gently on her stomach again.
"Baby," I whispered, "please don't get me in trouble. Your mom is already mad at me."
A tiny kick.
I sighed. "Great. You're on her side."
Another kick.
I rubbed my face. "I'm surrounded."
Jay mumbled in her sleep, "Shut up, Keifer."
I froze.
Then slowly lay down beside her, wrapping an arm around her waist like a man accepting his fate.
Yeah.
I definitely shouldn't have opened my mouth.