JAY JAY POV
After we were done, we walked into the mall together.
I looped my hand around his arm, and he immediately straightened like he was proud to be carrying me around.
"So what are you thinking of buying?" I asked him.
"Kevin and Kade like cars and Legos," Keifer said, counting on his fingers. "And Keira likes Legos, cars, dolls, doll houses, and—"
"She likes a lot of things," I sighed.
"Yeah, just like you," he teased.
I shot him a look. "Idiot, I don't like many things."
He smirked. "You like me."
I blinked. "That's debatable."
He clutched his chest dramatically. "Wow. After everything we just did in the car—"
"KEIFER."
I smacked his arm, face heating up.
He laughed, leaning down to kiss the top of my head like he couldn't help himself.
"Relax, wifey. I'm just saying… you like me enough."
I rolled my eyes, but my hand tightened around his arm anyway.
"Focus. We're here for the kids."
"Right," he said, nodding seriously. "So… toy store first?"
"Toy store first."
He grinned and intertwined our fingers, practically dragging me inside like an overgrown child who'd just been released into paradise.
The moment we stepped in, Keifer went feral.
He grabbed Legos.
Then more Legos.
Then cars.
Then more cars.
Then even MORE cars.
"Keifer, you already bought 20 cars and 20 Lego sets," I said, trying to pry a giant box out of his hands.
He hugged it to his chest like I was stealing his newborn.
"So what? I'm trying to make up for the three birthdays I missed," he said, tossing the box into the cart anyway.
"Keifer—"
"Nope," he said, already reaching for another one. "Therapy through capitalism. Let me cope."
I groaned.
The cart looked like a small toy factory exploded inside it.
"Now for Keira," he said, suddenly determined, and marched straight toward the girls' section.
I followed him, already exhausted.
Keifer was in full chaos mode —
Grabbing dolls, dollhouses, and about five different squishmallows
Honestly?
I was absolutely planning to steal at least two of those squishmallows later.
I wandered off to the Snorlax section.
And there it was.
A big, blue, ridiculously huggable Snorlax.
I picked it up immediately — it was almost my size, soft, and perfect.
"Keifer, I want this one," I said, holding it up like a trophy.
He turned around, saw me hugging the giant Snorlax, and his entire face softened.
Like melted.
"Jay…" he said, walking over, "you look like you were born to hold that thing."
I rolled my eyes. "Just put it in the cart."
He didn't put it in the cart.
He took it from my arms, looked at it, then looked at me, then—
"Jay," he said seriously, "I'm buying you two."
"What? No—"
"Two," he repeated, already grabbing another one. "One for the bed and one for when you ignore me."
"I don't ignore you."
He raised an eyebrow. "You ignored me for five years."
I rolled my eyes.
He kissed me like that was supposed to fix the argument.
"Are you done?" I asked, crossing my arms.
"Almost!" Keifer said, already reaching for another Lego set.
"Almost? Keifer, you're gonna buy the whole store."
"Good idea," he said, pulling out his phone. "It's better to buy a toy factory so the kids can have toys whenever they want."
"MARK KEIFER WATSON!"
My voice echoed through the entire toy store.
Everyone turned to stare at us.
I forced a smile. "Sorry."
Then I turned back to him, lowering my voice but not my anger.
"Keifer, don't you dare."
"Do what, wifey?" he asked, blinking like an innocent golden retriever.
"Keifer," I said in a warning tone. "You know exactly what I'm talking about."
He scratched the back of his neck.
"…I already bought a factory."
I stared at him.
He stared at me.
I raised my hand to smack him.
He flinched. "Jay—Jay, wait—"
"You're spoiling the kids too much!" I said, trying not to yell again.
He held up both hands. "I'm making up for lost time!"
Before I could say anything, he kissed me again.
Why is he kissing me every time I'm about to yell at him?
"Then let's put these away," I said, pointing at the overflowing cart.
"No," Keifer said, already pushing it toward the cashier like a man on a mission.
"Keifer, you already bought a factory," I reminded him, following behind like a tired babysitter.
"Still not enough. Nothing is enough for our beautiful children," Keifer said proudly as he started checking out.
The cashier stared at the mountain of toys.
"Sir, that is a lot. Are you planning a party?"
"No, Kuya, it's for our kids," Keifer said casually.
The cashier blinked. "That is a lot for one kid."
"It's three kids," Keifer corrected. "Two boys and one girl."
The cashier nodded slowly, eyes widening.
"Ohhh… that makes more sense."
I smiled politely at the cashier, even though inside I was dying of secondhand embarrassment.
After we checked out, reality hit us:
There were so many bags it looked like we robbed the entire toy section.
Keifer carried basically all of them — both arms full, bags hanging off his wrists, elbows, probably his soul too.
He looked like a walking department store.
Meanwhile, I carried two bags.
Because apparently, according to him, that's my limit.
"Let's put these away in the car," Keifer said, adjusting the mountain of bags. "Then we can shop for decorations and our clothes."
I nodded and reached for a few bags. "Let me carry some. You look like you're about to die."
"Nope. Queen, you're already carrying two," he said, stepping back so I couldn't grab anything.
I chuckled. "Idiot."
He tilted his head, smirking. "Maybe this idiot deserves a kiss."
I rolled my eyes but couldn't help smiling.
So I leaned in and gave him a quick peck.
He grinned like I'd just handed him the keys to the universe.
"That's it?" he asked, leaning closer.
"Keifer," I warned.
He immediately straightened, bags rustling. "Right. Car. Decorations. Clothes. Got it."
We put all the bags in the car — or rather, Keifer put all the bags in the car — and then headed back inside the mall.
"They all like blue, right?" Keifer asked.
"Except for Kevin. He likes orange," I said.
"Just like me," Keifer said proudly.
I rolled my eyes, but I looped my hand around his arm again.
He relaxed instantly, like that one small touch grounded him.
"It used to scare me," I admitted quietly, "because Kevin was so much like you."
Keifer glanced at me, surprised but listening.
"Yeah… that's something else," he said softly. "He's mature for his age."
I nodded.
"Kade and Keira used to ask when we could meet Dad," I said.
Keifer stopped walking for a second.
Just a second — but enough for me to feel the shift.
He looked at me, eyes searching.
"But Kevin didn't even let me talk about it," I continued. "He took care of it. Maybe he saw how sad I was… but I know, deep down, he wanted to meet you."
Keifer's jaw tightened, but not in anger — in guilt.
He swallowed hard.
"Jay…" he said, voice low, "I should've been there. For all of that. For them. For you."
I squeezed his arm.
"You're here now," I said. "And they want you here."
His eyes softened
"Kevin…" he whispered, almost to himself. "He really protected you, didn't he?"
"He tried," I said. "But he also missed you. He just didn't know how to say it."
Keifer nodded slowly, like he was absorbing every word, every regret, every second he lost.
Keifer looked determined not to repeat it.
We finished grabbing everything we needed from the decoration shop and headed toward the exit.
I wasn't really looking where I was going — too busy checking the list on my phone — so when I bumped into someone, I stumbled hard.
I would've hit the floor if Keifer hadn't grabbed me around the waist, pulling me upright in one smooth motion.
"Are you okay?" he asked, eyes scanning me like I'd just survived a natural disaster.
I nodded, steadying myself.
Then I looked up at the person I bumped into.
Yuri.