JAY JAY POV
The sterile smell of the doctor's office usually made me nervous, but with Keifer standing right behind me, his hand resting firmly on my shoulder, I felt like I was inside a human fortress. He didn't sit down. He stood, eyes tracking the doctor's every move, his posture stiff and alert as if the stethoscope were a concealed weapon.
"Welcome, Mrs. Watson," the doctor said, offering a warm, professional smile that didn't seem to relax Keifer even slightly. "Ready to get through your first prenatal appointment? Since it's your first visit, we have a few things to cover. We will check your urine for infection and confirm the pregnancy officially. We'll also record your blood pressure, weight, and height, and then review your family and medical history to discuss any known genetic conditions."
I felt a slight shiver at the mention of "family history." My mind flashed back to that man on the balcony—the cold, familiar eyes that looked so much like a darker version of the man standing behind me. I wondered if Keifer was thinking the same thing.
"Okay, we're ready," I answered for the both of us, trying to sound braver than I felt.
"Excellent," the doctor nodded, clicking her pen. "Let's start with the basics. Any history of heart disease, twins, or specific genetic disorders on either side? Mr. Watson?"
I felt Keifer's hand tighten on my shoulder, his fingers digging in just enough for me to feel his sudden tension before he forced himself to relax. When he finally spoke, his voice was smooth and polished, completely stripped of the cold authority he'd used on the guards earlier.
"Umm, nothing unusual from my side," Keifer answered, though his voice wavered for the briefest second. "Although... my mom did have cancer. That's the only major concern."
For a fleeting moment, the "CEO" mask slipped. His eyes went distant, clouded with a raw, quiet sadness that always pierced my heart. I knew how much he worshipped his mother's memory—she was the only light in the dark history he shared with his father. Mentioning her in this sterile room, while we were talking about the life we were creating, clearly hit him hard.
I reached up, covering his hand on my shoulder with mine and squeezing tightly. I wanted to pull him back from whatever dark place he'd drifted to.
He blinked, his focus returning to me, and he offered a small, tight smile that didn't quite reach his eyes. He squeezed my hand back, a silent thank you.
"I see," the doctor said, noting it down with a sympathetic nod. "We'll keep a close eye on your screenings, then. It's good to be thorough. Now, let's get to the part you've been waiting for."
The doctor moved the transducer over my stomach, and the rhythmic thump-thump-thump of the heartbeat filled the quiet room. It was fast, like a tiny galloping horse.
Keifer froze. His eyes locked onto the screen, and I felt his entire body go still. The sadness from a moment ago was washed away by a look of pure, unadulterated awe. He looked like he was seeing a miracle happen in real-time.
"Is that...?" he started, his voice cracking.
"That's your baby's heart, Mr. Watson," the doctor smiled.
Keifer leaned down, his face inches from mine, his breath hitching. He looked at the screen, then back at me, his eyes shimmering with a layer of moisture he'd never admit to.
He pressed a lingering, fervent kiss to my temple. "You hear that, Jay Jay?" he whispered, his voice thick with emotion. "That's ours. We made that."
I nodded, tears finally spilling over.
There was just the sound of that heartbeat, linking us together in a way that no secret or enemy could ever break.
But even as he held my hand, I felt his thumb tracing the heartbeat's rhythm against my skin, and I knew—I just knew—that this sound had just made him ten times more dangerous. He wasn't just protecting a wife anymore; he was protecting a legacy. And God help anyone who tried to stop that heart from beating.
After the heavy silence of the clinic and that heart-stopping moment of hearing our baby's heartbeat, the Manila heat felt a little less suffocating. Keifer was still on high alert—his eyes scanning every person passing by our tinted windows—but he eventually gave in to my craving.
We ended up at this cute, brightly lit ice cream parlor he'd practically scouted like a tactical mission before letting me step out of the SUV.
I was happily lost in my own world, attacking a double scoop of cookie dough ice cream. It was the only thing that made the nausea stay away, and honestly? It tasted like heaven. I was digging in, savoring every chunk of chocolate chip dough, completely oblivious to anything else.
Suddenly, I heard a sound that made me pause mid-bite.
Keifer was laughing.
Not that polite, "CEO" chuckle he used in meetings, but a genuine, deep-throated laugh that crinkled the corners of his eyes and made my heart skip a beat.
"What?" I asked, my spoon hovering near my mouth as I looked at him, confused.
He didn't answer. He just laughed harder, leaning back in the colorful plastic chair that looked way too small for his expensive suit and broad shoulders. He looked so relaxed for the first time in days, his habitual scowl completely replaced by amusement.
"Keifer, what is it? Is there something on my face?" I asked, starting to feel a bit self-conscious. I reached up to wipe my cheek, wondering if I had a smudge of vanilla there.
"Jay Jay," he managed to say through his chuckles, his eyes shimmering with a warmth that made me melt faster than the ice cream. "You... you have no idea. You look like a little kid who just discovered sugar for the first time."
"Hey! I'm eating for two, okay? The baby wanted cookie dough!" I defended myself, pouting slightly.
He reached across the small table, his thumb gently catching a stray dollop of cream right on the tip of my nose. He didn't pull away immediately; his gaze lingered on me, his laughter softening into something much more intimate, much more him.
"You have ice cream on your nose, on your chin... I think there's even some in your hair," he murmured, his voice dropping into that low, husky tone that always made my toes curl. "How can someone be so messy and so beautiful at the same time? It's not fair, Jay."
I felt my face heat up, and this time it wasn't because of the Philippine sun. "I'm pregnant, Keifer. Messy comes with the territory."
"Then you're the cutest 'territory' I've ever seen," he countered, finally leaning back but keeping his hand over mine on the table.
For a split second, I saw his eyes flick toward the glass window, checking the reflection of the street behind us, but he immediately turned back to me, squeezing my hand. He was trying so hard to give me this moment of normalcy—to let me be just a woman eating ice cream with her husband instead of a target in a gilded cage.
"Finish your ice cream, baby," he said softly, his smile finally reaching his eyes. "We'll get you cleaned up before we go. I don't want the guards thinking I can't even handle one messy eater."
I stuck my tongue out at him and took another huge bite, making him laugh all over again. In that moment, with the sticky sweetness of the cookie dough on my tongue and Keifer's laughter filling the air, I almost forgot that we were being followed. Almost.
I sat back in the plush leather seat, the cold AC of the SUV humming in the background as Manila's traffic crawled by. I looked at Keifer—he was back to staring at his phone, his thumb tapping the screen in that rhythmic, anxious way he did when he was calculating ten different security threats at once.
"Keifer, let's go to the park," I said suddenly, turning toward him with a hopeful grin.
He didn't even look up. "Not today, Jay Jay. It's too open. We're heading back to the villa where it's secure."
"I want to go to the park," I repeated, my voice firmer this time. "And I don't want any bodyguards there. Understood? Just us."
That got his attention. He snapped his head toward me, his eyes wide with disbelief. "Jay," he said, his voice dropping into that warning tone. "After last night? You want me to take you to a public space with zero backup? That's not happening. It's a security nightmare."
I knew I had to pull out the big guns. I slid closer to him, wrapping my arms around his bicep and resting my chin on his shoulder. I looked up at him with the biggest, most pathetic puppy-dog eyes I could muster.
"Keifer... please, please, please, hubby?" I whispered, dragging out the last word until I saw his jaw tick.
He groaned, closing his eyes as if he were in physical pain. I knew I had him. He could stare down a boardroom of angry investors or a rival CEO without flickering an eyelid, but he couldn't handle me calling him "hubby" when I wanted something.
"Fine," he bit out, though his hand immediately went to his temple. He signaled the driver. "Head to the park. Tell the detail to peel off and return to the villa. I'll handle local surveillance myself."
The bodyguards looked hesitant, but one look from Keifer had them nodding and pulling their cars away at the next intersection.
We arrived at the park, the lush greenery a sharp contrast to the concrete jungle of the city. We walked hand-in-hand, the humid breeze rustling the leaves of the old Narra trees. It felt strangely quiet without the heavy presence of the men in suits following five paces behind.
"Remember this park?" I asked him, leaning my head against his arm as we walked.
Keifer slowed his pace, his eyes softening as he surveyed the familiar winding paths and the stone fountain in the center. A small, bittersweet smile tugged at the corner of his mouth.
"Yeah," he breathed, his grip on my hand tightening. "Our last place before we went to Aurelia This was where we said our goodbyes before everything changed."
I felt a pang in my chest. Back then, we were just two people caught in the middle of a storm, not knowing if we'd ever find our way back to each other. Now, here we were, years later, carrying a life we created together.
"It feels different now, doesn't it?" I murmured.
Keifer stopped and turned me to face me. He reached up, cupping my face with both hands, his thumbs stroking my cheekbones
"It feels better," he whispered. "Because this time, I'm not letting you go. Not to anyone who thinks they can take you from me."
After our walk, the tension in Keifer's shoulders finally seemed to ease—just a little—as we pulled back into the reinforced gates of the villa. The moment the SUV stopped, he was out the door, scanning the perimeter with that sharp, hawk-like intensity before helping me out.
I was exhausted. Between the appointment, the emotional rollercoaster of hearing the heartbeat, and the afternoon sun, all I wanted was to shed the "Mrs. Watson" look and just be Jay.
I headed straight for our bedroom, leaving Keifer in the hallway talking in hushed, urgent tones to Uncle Henry. I didn't need to hear the details; I knew he was probably re-gridding the entire property.
Inside the cool, dim sanctuary of our room, I kicked off my shoes and let out a long sigh. I bypassed my own closet entirely. My clothes were too tight, too structured, too... everything. Instead, I walked over to Keifer's side of the walk-in closet.
I pulled out one of his oversized, charcoal-gray hoodies and a pair of his softest cotton lounge shorts. I stripped off my dress and slipped his clothes on. The hoodie was huge on me, the hem reaching my mid-thighs and the sleeves burying my hands, but it smelled exactly like him—sandalwood, expensive cologne, and that underlying scent that was just Keifer.
It felt like a giant hug.
I walked out to the bedroom and flopped onto the middle of our massive bed, burying my face in the pillows. I felt a little bit like a kid playing dress-up, but in this house, surrounded by guards and secrets, wearing his clothes was the only thing that made me feel truly safe.
The door opened quietly a few minutes later. I didn't even lift my head, knowing his footsteps by heart.
"Jay?"
I heard him pause. I could practically feel his gaze on me. I peeked out from under the pillow and saw him standing there, his tie loosened and his jacket thrown over his arm. He was staring at me, a slow, smoldering look taking over his face.
"Are those my clothes?" he asked, a hint of a smirk playing on his lips as he walked toward the bed.
"They're more comfortable," I mumbled into the mattress, though I couldn't help but grin. "Plus, they smell like you."
Keifer sat on the edge of the bed, reaching out to brush a stray lock of hair away from my face. His hand was warm against my skin. "You look ridiculous in that hoodie, Jay Jay. It's twice your size."
"Do I look ugly?" I teased, looking up at him with a pout.
He let out a low, husky laugh, leaning down until his nose brushed against mine. "You look like the most beautiful thing I've ever owned. And you know I'm a very possessive man, right?"
"I might have noticed," I whispered.
He leaned in, kissing me softly, his hand sliding under the oversized hoodie to rest against the small of my back. "Stay right there. I'm going to go finish up with Henry, and then I'm coming back to join you. Don't you dare change into anything else."
"Wouldn't dream of it, hubby," I said, watching him walk back toward the door.
As he left, I rolled over and looked at the ceiling. For the first time all day, the knot in my stomach was gone. I didn't know what tomorrow would bring or who was watching from the shadows, but as long as I was wrapped in his scent and his world, I knew I could handle it.