Even without a single confession, everyone noticed it.
The stolen glances. The lingering touches. The little smiles that lasted just a beat too long.
Keifer tried to act like it didn't matter.
Jay pretended not to notice.
But in the Watson mansion, it was impossible to hide.
Keigan bounced into the living room, holding a half-finished drawing. "Jay! Look! I made this for you!"
Jay crouched down, eyes lighting up. "Keigan, this is amazing! Did you draw me as a superhero?"
"Of course!" Keigan puffed up proudly. "You need to be strong like you are with Keifer!"
Jay laughed, ruffling his hair. "I'll take that as a compliment… I think."
Keiren peeked from behind the sofa, holding a toy car. "Jay, I made a race track for you! You have to try it!"
Jay's eyes sparkled as she joined him on the floor, carefully moving the tiny car along the track. "This is genius, Keiren! You're giving Keigan a run for his money."
From the doorway, Keifer leaned against the frame, arms crossed.
He tried not to smile.
He tried not to feel that warmth twisting in his chest every time Jay laughed with his brothers.
He failed.
Later, Jay and Serina sat on the veranda, sipping tea as the sun dipped low.
"Mama," Jay said softly, tilting her cup, "you always know how to make this place feel… alive. Comfortable. Like it's really home."
Serina smiled, squeezing her hand. "You're making it warmer too, Jay. The boys adore you. And Keifer… well, you've already gotten under his skin more than he'd like to admit."
Jay laughed quietly, brushing a strand of hair from her face. "He's impossible sometimes. But I… like it."
Serina reached over, giving her hand a gentle squeeze. "I can see that. You make this home happier than it's ever been."
Inside, Jasfer watched his daughter from the hallway, leaning slightly against the wall.
The way she laughed with Keigan and Keiren.
The way she teased Keifer just enough to make him squirm.
The way she belonged here, as if this home had been waiting for her all along.
Jasfer's chest tightened. Seeing her reclaim what she'd missed growing up—it was everything he'd hoped for.
Keizer, noticing Jasfer's quiet gaze, stepped up and gave him a gentle hug.
"She's happy," Keizer said softly. "You're seeing her find what she needed all along. And you'll be here to watch it every day."
Jasfer nodded, holding the hug a little longer. "Yeah… she really is happy."
Evening settled over the mansion.
The boys had fallen asleep, exhausted from a day full of games and laughter.
Jay sat on the sofa beside Keifer, a warm blanket draped over both of them.
They didn't speak of feelings.
They didn't need to.
Everyone already knew.
The mansion, grand and bright, had never felt more alive.
And in the quiet, unspoken space between them, Keifer and Jay shared a small, perfect peace—teasing, laughing, living in the chaos that somehow felt like home.