KEIFER POV
The moment the baby was in the clear, the adrenaline that had been keeping Jay Jay upright seemed to vanish in an instant. Her grip on my hand slackened, her eyes fluttered shut, and her head fell back against the pillow.
"Jay? Jay Jay!" My heart stopped. I reached for her, my chest tightening with a cold, paralyzing fear that I'd never felt in any boardroom or back-alley confrontation.
The nurses moved in quickly. One of them gently took our son—who was still protesting his new environment with a healthy set of lungs—and handed him to me. I took him instinctively, cradling the tiny, warm weight against my chest, but my eyes never left my wife's pale face.
"What happened to her? Why did she stop talking?" I demanded, my voice sounding like gravel. I looked at the doctor, "Check her. Now."
The doctor checked her vitals, his expression calm, which was the only thing keeping me from losing my mind. "She's just exhausted, Mr. Watson," he explained, looking up at me with a reassuring smile. "Giving birth is like running a double marathon. Her body simply shut down to recover. She's fine, she's just sleeping."
I let out a breath I didn't know I was holding, my knees nearly giving out. I adjusted my hold on the baby—my son—and sat in the chair right next to her bed. My son was tiny, his skin a soft pink, and his eyes were squeezed shut, but he had Jay's nose and, unfortunately for him, my stubborn chin.
"You really put your mom through it, didn't you, little man?" I whispered, my voice trembling.
I looked down at the tiny human in my arms, his small fingers still curled tightly around my thumb. The room was quiet for only a heartbeat before the door swung open and the circus arrived.
Aries burst in first, looking like he'd sprinted from the parking lot, with Ella right behind him. Aunt Hazel, Uncle Henry, and Mia followed, their faces a mix of anxiety and excitement.
"Where is my sister?" Aries demanded immediately, his voice echoing off the sterile walls.
"Shh!!" the nurse hissed, pointing toward the bed where Jay Jay was finally getting some much-needed rest.
Aries stiffened, instantly lowering his volume, but his eyes were frantic as he checked her breathing. Once he saw she was just sleeping, he turned his attention to me. Mia stepped up beside my chair, her eyes wide as she peered into the soft blue blanket.
"Is it him?" she whispered, her voice full of wonder.
I simply nodded, a tired but proud smile tugging at my lips. "It's him."
Aries leaned over, squinting at the baby's face. He stayed silent for a long moment, studying the tiny features, before he let out a heavy sigh and crossed his arms.
"He looks exactly like you, Keifer. Sadly," Aries said, shaking his head.
I looked up at him, my brow furrowing in a mock-glare. "Why 'sadly'?" I asked. "I happen to be a very good-looking man, in case you haven't noticed."
Aries scoffed, though I could see the relief shining in his eyes. "That's exactly the problem. One Keifer Watson is already a handful for this family. Now we have a mini version? The arrogance in this house is going to double. He's probably already planning a hostile takeover of his nursery."
"He's a Watson," I replied, looking back down at my son. "He doesn't plan takeovers; he just executes them."
"He has Jay's nose," Aunt Hazel whispered, leaning in to kiss my cheek before cooing at the baby. "But that chin... oh, Henry, look. He's definitely got that Watson stubbornness."
"God help us all," Uncle Henry chuckled, clapping a hand on my shoulder. "Congratulations, Keifer. You've finally met your match."
I looked over at Jay Jay, who shifted slightly in her sleep but didn't wake. I thought about the waffles, the hospital race, the screaming, and the way she looked at me when they first put the baby on her chest.
"I met my match a long time ago," I murmured, my voice thick. "This little guy is just the victory lap."
"Can I hold him?" Mia asked, her hands already reaching out.
I leaned back, pulling the bundle closer to my chest, my arms tightening instinctively. My son had been in the world for less than an hour; there was no way I was handing him over to this rowdy bunch yet.
"No," I said, my voice flat and final.
Mia's face dropped into a deep frown. "Keifer, don't be like that! Don't keep your son all to yourself. We've been waiting in that hallway for hours!"
"No means no," I repeated. I felt like a dragon guarding his gold. He was tiny, he was fragile, and he smelled like us. I wasn't ready to share.
"Keifer, come on, let us hold him," Ella pleaded, stepping forward with her hands out. "Just for a second? I promise I won't drop him."
"N.O," I spelled it out for her
"You're being ridiculous!" Aries hissed, though he kept his voice low for Jay Jay's sake. "He's my nephew. I have a biological right to hold him."
"You have the right to stand three feet away and admire him," I countered. "He just got here. He's tired. I'm tired. And frankly, I don't trust any of you not to wake him up with your loud voices."
"He's literally a Watson-Mariano," Aries pointed out, gesturing to the baby. "He was born into a loud voice. Give him here."
I shifted my chair further away from them, shielding the baby with my shoulder. "Try to take him, Aries, and see what happens. I've already told Victor to lock down the floor. I can have you escorted out of your own sister's room."
"You wouldn't," Mia gasped.
"In a heartbeat," I replied calmly.
I didn't even have time to enjoy my victory over the adults before a small tug on my pant leg drew my attention. I looked down to see Andi, his little face scrunched up in serious concentration as he peered over the edge of the chair.
"Tito, where is Jay?" the little brat asked, completely ignoring the fact that his aunt was out cold on the bed.
I felt a vein in my temple throb. "First of all, you little menace, it's Tita Jay to you. Show some respect to my wife."
Andi didn't look intimidated at all. He stuck his tongue out at me, his eyes sparking with that stubborn energy. "No. Because I'm gonna marry her when I grow up!"
I pulled the baby a little closer to my chest, giving the four-year-old my most intimidating CEO glare—the one that usually makes grown men tremble. "Listen to me, you four-year-old terror. She's already married to me. It's a legal contract. It's done. And look—" I tilted the baby slightly so he could see the sleeping bundle. "I already have a son with her. You're way too late."
Andi leaned in, blinking at the baby. He looked at the tiny face, then back at me, then back at the baby. "He's small," Andi whispered, sounding unimpressed. "And he looks like you. That's bad for Jay."
"It's Tita Jay!" I hissed.
"See?" Aries whispered loudly from the corner, laughing. "Even the kids know you're a problem, Keifer."
"Go away, Aries," I snapped, then turned back to Andi. "And you, go find some stickers or something. This woman is taken. Find your own wife in twenty years."
Andi didn't budge. He crossed his small arms over his chest, standing his ground with a level of stubbornness that was terrifyingly familiar. "I'll wait," he said with the solemnity of a monk. "My teacher says true love waits."
I groaned, leaning my head back against the hospital chair, feeling the onset of a very specific kind of headache. "Aunt Hazel, please take your son before I have him barred from the Watson estates for life. He's already planning to home-wreck my marriage and he can't even tie his own shoelaces yet."
Aunt Hazel laughed, picking up the four-year-old who was technically my cousin but behaved more like a tiny rival. "Come on, Andi. Let's go find those stickers your Tito Keifer mentioned. Let Tita Jay rest."
"I'll bring her flowers when she wakes up!" Andi shouted as Hazel started carrying him toward the door. "Better ones than yours, Tito!"
"In your dreams, brat!" I called back, though I immediately lowered my voice when the baby stirred in my arms.
The room finally settled into a sort of chaotic quiet. Aries was leaning against the window, Ella was whispering to Mia about baby clothes, and I was back to my favorite occupation: staring at the two people who made my life worth living.
I felt a shift on the bed. A soft, low moan came from the pillows, and my heart hammered against my ribs.
"Jay?" I whispered, leaning forward as far as I could.
Her eyelashes fluttered, dark against her pale skin, and then those brown eyes I loved so much slowly opened. She looked disoriented for a second, squinting at the harsh hospital lights, before her gaze landed on me.
"Keifer?" her voice was a dry rasp.
"I'm here, baby. I'm right here."
Her eyes drifted down to the bundle in my arms, and a small, breathtaking smile broke across her face. "Is that... is that him?"
"It's him," I said, my voice cracking more than I'd like to admit. "Our son. And Jay Jay? He's perfect. Even if he does look a little too much like me for everyone's liking."
Jay let out a weak, shaky laugh, reaching out a trembling hand. "Bring him here. I want to hold my boy."
I stood up, moving with more care than I'd ever used in my life, and gently transferred the crowning achievement of my existence into her waiting arms. The look on her face when she looked at him... that was the moment I knew I'd truly won at life.
"He's beautiful," she whispered, a tear escaping and rolling down her cheek. "Hi, little one. I'm your mama."
I smiled at the two of them, the tightness that had been in my chest for the last nine months finally dissolving into pure, unadulterated peace. Seeing Jay Jay hold our son made every stressful meeting and every sleepless night worth it.
"Jay, what is his name?" Mia asked, her voice hushed with excitement as she and the others crept closer to the bed.
Jay Jay looked down at the tiny face, her expression so full of love it made my heart ache. "Marcus Kevin Watson," she said softly, leaning down to press a tender kiss to the baby's forehead. "My little Kevin."
Almost as if he recognized his name—or perhaps he was just reacting to the tickle of her hair—the baby's tiny face scrunched up. He let out a little sound that was somewhere between a soft sneeze and a tiny, breathless laugh.
I leaned over the two of them, watching the way Kevin's tiny nose wrinkled with that little sneeze. It was the smallest sound, yet it commanded the attention of every single person in the room.
"Bless you, little one," I said softly, my voice filled with a warmth I didn't know I was capable of.
Jay Jay chuckled, her fingers gently stroking his cheek. "He's already getting more attention than you, Keifer. How does it feel to be number two in the house?"
I pulled her closer into my side, resting my chin on her shoulder as we both stared down at Kevin. "I've never been more happy to be a runner-up," I admitted. "As long as it's him, I don't mind the demotion."
"He's so tiny," Mia whispered, finally being allowed to stand right at the edge of the bed. "Look at those eyelashes."
"Wait until he grows up," Aries chimed in, though his voice was uncharacteristically gentle. "With Keifer's ego and Jay's fire, this kid is going to be a menace to society. I love him already."
Andi tugged on the hospital sheet, trying to get a better look. "Kevin, wake up! I want to show you my dinosaur!"
"He's sleeping, Andi," Aunt Hazel scolded softly, pulling the boy back. "Let your Tita and Tito have a moment with their son."
The family slowly began to filter toward the lounge area of the suite, giving us a sliver of privacy. I looked at Jay Jay, who looked exhausted but more radiant than I had ever seen her. The fear of the morning , and the intensity of the delivery room felt like a lifetime ago.
"You did so good, Jay," I whispered, pressing a kiss to her temple. "Thank you. For everything."
She leaned her head back against my chest, her eyes never leaving Kevin. "We're a family now, Keifer. Really a family."
"The best kind," I agreed. "Now, I believe a certain person promised a container of waffles if you survived this? Victor is standing guard over them like they're the crown jewels."
Jay's eyes lit up with that familiar spark. "You remembered?"
"I wouldn't dare forget," I laughed. "I'll go get them. But only if you promise not to let Andi convince Kevin to join his 'Marry Tita Jay' club while I'm gone."
Jay Jay let out a tired, beautiful laugh. "Hurry back, Watson. We're waiting for you."