KEIFER POV
I scratched the back of my head, my mind racing at a hundred miles per hour. What did I just do?
I had literally just walked into a billionaire's mansion and walked out with his daughter. I loved her with all my heart—more than I ever thought possible—but the reality was starting to sink in. How was I supposed to take care of her when I could barely keep my own head above water?
"Don't sit there thinking about how to feed me, Keifer," Jay said, as if she could read my mind.
"How are we even going to survive?" I asked her, finally unlocking the door to my beat-up car. We climbed in, the interior smelling like old gym bags and cheap air freshener—a far cry from the leather and expensive perfume of her house.
She settled into the passenger seat, looking remarkably calm for someone who had just been disowned. "Easy. We work," Jay said simply. "Part-time jobs after school. Just like you do, I'll find a job too."
"No, that's not necessary. Don't work," I said immediately.
Part of it was pride—I wanted to be the one to provide for her. But the bigger part was reality; I didn't want to see her struggle. Jay grew up with people doing everything for her. I didn't learn how to do chores or survive on my own until my mom died and I had no other choice. Watching a girl who probably doesn't know how to use a dishwasher try to work a double shift at a diner? It was going to be a lot of work.
"Okay, look," I said, gripping the steering wheel as I started the engine. "We have to finish high school—which we only have one month left of—and then we have to get into good colleges so we can get better jobs."
She didn't respond, she just sat there smiling at me like I was the hero of some movie.
"What?" I asked, finally pulling out of the neighborhood and headed toward my cramped apartment.
"Nothing," she said, her eyes bright. "I just liked it when you used the word 'we'."
I felt the tension in my chest loosen just a bit. I reached over, pulling her toward me briefly to kiss her forehead. "Get used to it, baby," I said.
Her head whipped around, and she looked out the window to hide her face, but I could see the glow of her blush even in the dim light of the dashboard. I laughed, feeling a sudden surge of confidence.
"What?" Jay asked, her voice muffled.
"Nothing," I teased, merging into traffic. "I just love the fact that you're turning red, and it's entirely because of me."
"Anyway, why did you even come to the house in the first place?" Jay asked, breaking the silence.
"After the mistake I made yesterday, I felt like trash. I came over to apologize, but since you were ignoring me at school, I had to see you in person. Then... well, you know the rest," I explained.
"Not my house," Jay corrected me firmly.
I looked at her, confused. "What?"
"It's not my house. I'm not a Mariano anymore. I'm a Watson," she said.
"Not yet, you aren't," I reminded her softly.
"Then let's go to the church," she said, looking me straight in the eye.
"Why?" I asked, my heart skipping a beat.
"We're getting married."
I pulled into my apartment complex and slammed on the brakes, the car jerking to a halt as I tried to process what she'd just said. "WAIT, WHAT?"
"We are getting married," she repeated, her voice steady.
"Jay Jay, stop. This isn't some game," I said, looking at her like she'd lost her mind.
"I know it's not a game, Keifer. I'm serious."
"You're out of your mind," I muttered, though my chest was tightening with a mix of fear and adrenaline.
"Keifer, I am serious," she insisted.
"Wait here," I told her. I jumped out of the car and ran up to my apartment. I went straight for the small wooden box hidden in my drawer and pulled out my grandparents' ring—the Watson family ring that had been passed down for generations. It was simple, but it was everything.
I also grabbed her phone; I'd picked it up from the basketball court after she'd stormed off, too angry to realize she'd dropped it.
I ran back to the car and climbed in.
"Can we go to church now?" she asked.
I didn't say anything at first. I just opened my hand and showed her the ring. When she looked at it and smiled—that soft, certain smile—I realized she wasn't joking. This was real.
I drove to the church as she asked. On the way, she was a blur of energy, calling her aunt and her friends to tell them the news. By the time we pulled into the gravel lot, they were already there waiting for us.
"Jay, sweety, have you really thought about this?" a woman asked as soon as we stepped out of the car.
"Yes, Aunt Hazel, I have," Jay replied with more certainty than I'd ever heard from her. She turned to me, gesturing toward the couple. "Keifer, this is Aunt Hazel and her husband, Uncle Henry. And guys, this is Keifer."
Uncle Henry stepped forward, eyeing me up and down before breaking into a grin. "So, you're the lucky guy she's always talking about."
"Yes, sir," I said, feeling a bit out of place in my hoodie, but standing tall anyway.
"Nah, no 'sir' here. Just Uncle Henry," he said, giving me a solid pat on the shoulder.
I was about to respond when the screech of tires echoed through the lot. A car pulled up and three familiar faces piled out.
"JAY JAY, tell me I'm dreaming!" Mia yelled, sprinting toward us. She practically tackled Jay in a hug. "Are you actually doing this?"
Dave stepped up next to me, looking between us and the church doors in disbelief. "He actually agreed?"
Jay just nodded, her eyes glowing.
Ben walked around the car, looking at me as if I'd grown a second head. "Did she drug you, man? Did you lose a bet?"
I shook my head, a small smile finally tugging at my lips. "No. I just finally realized she's the only thing that makes sense."
"Good. I'm glad you finally saw it. But listen to me—don't you dare hurt my niece," Aunt Hazel warned, her eyes softening despite the stern words.
I nodded solemnly. "I won't, ma'am. I promise."
"Let's go. I already called ahead and booked the chapel," Uncle Henry said, ushering us toward the small, stone building.
We stepped inside, the smell of old wood and beeswax filling the air. It was quiet and intimate, miles away from the cold marble of the Mariano mansion. The pastor was already waiting near the altar, adjusting his glasses as he watched our chaotic group file in.
"Wow, a young couple," the pastor said, looking between me in my hoodie and Jay in her pajama pants. He gave us a kind, knowing smile. "You two are marrying tonight?"
Jay didn't hesitate for a second. She reached out and grabbed my hand, her fingers interlacing with mine. "Yes," she said, her voice clear and ringing through the quiet chapel.
I looked down at her, then back at the pastor, and nodded. "Yes, we are."
"In that case," the pastor said, gesturing for us to step forward. "Let's not keep the future waiting."
Mia, Dave, and Ben scrambled into the front pews, Mia already dabbing at her eyes with a tissue. Aunt Hazel and Uncle Henry stood to the side, acting as our witnesses.
As we stood before the altar, the weight of the moment finally hit me. This wasn't a project, wasn't a game of basketball, and it definitely wasn't an accident. I reached into my pocket and felt the cool gold of the Watson family ring.
I was about to make her a part of the only thing I had left to give: my name
The ceremony was short, but every word felt like it carried the weight of a mountain. I didn't have a choreographed speech or a fancy script. When it was time for the vows, I just looked at Jay and held her hands. They were shaking, but so were mine.
"I don't have a mansion to give you," I said, my voice surfacing from somewhere deep in my chest. "And I don't have a perfect life. But I know your favorite sport, I know what can hurt you, and I know that I never want to spend a day without you. I'm choosing you, every day, from here on out."
Jay's eyes were brimming with tears. "I've spent my whole life being told who I am by people who didn't even care to look at me. You saw me, Keifer. You saw me when I was annoying, when I was stubborn, and when I was lost. I don't need the money. I just need you."
The pastor nodded and looked at me. "The rings, please."
I reached into my pocket and pulled out the small velvet box. Inside were two matching bands—the Watson rings. They were gold, worn slightly smooth from the decades they had spent on my grandparents' fingers, but they shone under the dim chapel lights. They were the only things of real value I owned, a legacy of a marriage that actually lasted.
I took Jay's hand. Her skin was cool, but her grip was firm. I slid the smaller band onto her finger. It looked right there—not like a piece of jewelry meant to show off wealth, but like it finally belonged.
"With this ring, I marry you," I said, my voice sounding more certain than I felt about anything else in the world.
Jay picked up the slightly larger band, her eyes searching mine. She slid it onto my finger, her touch lingering on my skin. "With this ring, I marry you, Keifer."
"By the power vested in me," the pastor smiled, "I now pronounce you husband and wife. You may kiss your bride."
I didn't hesitate. I pulled her in, and the kiss was a promise—not an accident, not a mistake, but a choice we both made.
"YES! GO OFF, WATSONS!" Mia screamed from the pews, breaking the silence. Ben and Dave were cheering, and I saw Uncle Henry give a thumbs up while Aunt Hazel wiped her eyes.
We walked out of the church hand-in-hand. The cool night air hit us, reminding me that reality was waiting just outside those doors.
"So," I said, leaning against the car door, looking at my new wife in her hoodie and duck pajamas. "You're officially Jasper Jean Watson. No going back now."
Jay looked down at the gold band on her finger and then up at me, a mischievous glint in her eyes. "Who said I wanted to go back? Now, come on, husband. Take me to your apartment. I want to see where we're starting our life."
I laughed, opening the door for her. "It's small, Jay. Really small."
"Perfect," she said, sliding in. "Less space for us to be apart."
After saying our goodbyes to Aunt Hazel, Uncle Henry, and the guys, we finally made it back to my apartment. The silence of the small space felt different now—it wasn't just my bachelor pad anymore; it was our home.
I pushed the door open, and we barely made it two steps before the exhaustion and the adrenaline finally crashed over us. I collapsed onto the bed, letting out a long breath, and Jay followed right after, landing softly on top of me.
For a moment, we just stayed like that, listening to each other breathe.
"Does it feel rushed to you?" I asked quietly, looking up at her. The reality of the last three hours was a whirlwind: disowned, engaged to a stranger, and then married to me in a chapel, all in one night.
Jay looked down at me, her eyes soft and certain. "Yes," she whispered. "But it's the best 'rushed' I've ever felt in my life."
I reached up and took her hand, tracing the gold Watson ring on her finger. "I mean it, Jay. When we're older, when we've built our future and actually have some money, I'm going to marry you again. A real wedding. Somewhere beautiful. I'm going to give you the world."
She smiled, leaning down to press a soft kiss to my lips. "I already have my world right here. But let's go to sleep, okay? It's late and we have school in the morning."
She started to roll off to the side, but I wasn't ready to let her go. I caught her waist and moved with a sudden burst of energy, flipping us over until I was hovering over her.
Jay let out a small gasp, her eyes widening as she looked up at me, her hair splayed out against my pillow.
"What?" she breathed, her heart racing against mine.
"Don't you want to do what couples do on their first night as a married couple?" I asked, my voice dropping an octave as I looked at her.
The heat in the room seemed to rise instantly. Jay's cheeks turned that beautiful shade of red I loved so much, but she didn't look away. Instead, she reached up, her fingers sliding into the hair at the nape of my neck, pulling me closer.
"I thought you'd never ask, Mr. Watson," she whispered.
I looked at her, the gravity of our new life together shifting into focus. "Mrs. Watson," I murmured, brushing my nose playfully against hers, "what if you get pregnant? We're still just kids ourselves."
She let out a soft breathe, her eyes reflecting the dim light of the room. "Then I guess we'll just have to work even harder to finish college and build that future you promised," she said, her voice steady. "We'll handle it together. Like we handle everything."
"Yeah," I whispered, feeling a surge of protectiveness over the life we were just beginning. "I guess we will."
I shifted, settling under the blankets and pulling her close against my side. I wrapped my arms securely around her waist, tucking her head under my chin. The small apartment felt a lot warmer than it usually did. For the first time in my life, I wasn't just surviving for myself.
"Goodnight, Jay," I said, kissing the top of her head.
"Goodnight, Keifer," she mumbled into my chest, her breath slowing as she finally gave in to exhaustion.
As I closed my eyes, I knew tomorrow would be a battle—dealing with the school rumors, the pressure of my father-in-law's threats, and the reality of being broke. But as long as I had her in my arms, I knew I had already won.