JAY JAY POV
Everything had been so perfect just a second ago. The room had been filled with the warmth of family, but they had all stepped out to the lounge to give us a moment. Keifer had just walked out to get the food, leaving me alone with my miracle.
I was looking down at Kevin, giggling tiredly at the way his little eyebrows twitched, when a cold, clinical voice sliced through the silence.
"He already has my son's face."
My blood turned to ice. I pulled Kevin instinctively closer to my chest, my protective instincts flaring so hard it made my surgical stitches throb. "Who is it?" I snapped, my heart hammering against my ribs.
A man stepped out from the shadows near the corner of the room. He was dressed in a suit that looked expensive enough to buy a small country, and his posture was stiff, regal, and terrifyingly familiar.
"I'm your father-in-law. Do you know me?"
When I looked at him, I felt a wave of nausea. He looked like an older, colder version of the "Shadow" I saw a few months ago. The resemblance to Keifer was there, but the eyes were different—devoid of the light and love I saw in my husband.
"GET OUT!" I yelled, my voice shaking with rage. "How did you get in here? Keifer said the floor was locked down!"
"Your entire family is on the first floor, distracted by the celebration," he said smoothly, his eyes scanning the room with a terrifying lack of emotion. "I'm Keizar. Nice to meet you, daughter-in-law."
My hand snaked out toward the side of the hospital bed. I found the emergency call button and pressed it—hard—cycling it over and over again without taking my eyes off him. I needed the nurses. I needed Keifer.
Keizar took a slow step toward the bed, reaching out a hand as if he expected me to just hand over the most precious thing in my life.
"Let me hold my grandson," Keizar said. It wasn't a request; it was a demand.
"No!" I hissed, pulling the blanket tighter around Kevin. The baby started to fuss, sensing my distress. "Don't you dare come near him. Keifer told me about you. You aren't a grandfather. You're a monster."
Keizar's eyes thinned. "I am a Watson. And that boy is the future of my legacy. You are merely the vessel, Jay Jay. Now, give him to me before this becomes unpleasant."
"Over my dead body," I spat, clutching Kevin so tight he let out a small, sharp cry.
The door burst open with a force that rattled the frames.
"GET YOUR HANDS AWAY FROM MY WIFE!"
Keifer stood in the doorway, the container of waffles shattered on the floor at his feet. I had never seen him look like this—not even during the worst of our fights. He looked like a god of war, his eyes glowing with a lethal, silver fire that promised a slow death to anyone in his way.
"Hello, Keifer," Keizar said, not even flinching. "I was just meeting the heir."
"Victor!" Keifer roared, and within a split second, Victor and three other security guards swarmed the room, their weapons drawn but lowered.
Keifer was at my side in a heartbeat, shielding the bed with his entire body. He didn't even look at his father; his hand was on my head, checking me for injuries. "Jay, are you okay? Did he touch you? Did he touch the baby?"
"I'm okay," I sobbed, the adrenaline finally crashing. "But he wanted to take Kevin, Keifer... he wanted to hold him."
Keifer turned back to his father, and the air in the room became heavy, suffocating. "You have exactly five seconds to leave this hospital, or I will forget that we share the same blood," Keifer said, his voice a low, terrifying growl. "If I ever see you near my family again, Keizar, I won't just bar you from the estates. I will erase you."
"Keifer, I just want to see my grandson. Is that such a bad thing?" Keizar asked, his voice calm and steady, devoid of the coldness I expected. He looked at the baby with a flicker of something that almost looked like regret.
"Get out," Keifer said, his voice dropping into a low, protective growl. He stepped firmly between the bed and his father, his hand resting on the edge of my mattress.
"Why? I have the right to see the next generation," Keizar shot back, though he stayed exactly where he was.
"Generation my foot! Get the fuck out," Keifer snapped, his jaw tight. "I already told you the day mom died I wanted nothing to do with you. You made your choices back then, Keizar. I don't want you anywhere near my family. Not today, not ever."
Keizar looked at Keifer for a long silence, then shifted his gaze to me and the small bundle in my arms. He didn't move forward or try to argue. Instead, he let out a short, weary sigh and straightened his coat.
"Your mother always said you were the most stubborn of the lot," Keizar murmured, his voice softening just a fraction. He took a step back toward the door, his hands raised slightly in a gesture of peace. "I won't cause a scene, Keifer. And I won't come back. I just... I wanted to see if he looked like her."
He looked at me one last time, a brief nod of acknowledgment. "Take care of him, Jay Jay. He's a Watson, but hopefully, he'll have more of that love you give him"
Without another word, and without waiting for Victor to force him, Keizar turned and walked out of the room. The heavy tension that had filled the air seemed to evaporate with him, leaving the room feeling light again.
Keifer didn't move until the door clicked shut. He let out a long, shaky breath, the fire in his eyes fading into relief. He turned back to me, instantly sitting on the edge of the bed and pulling both me and Kevin into his arms.
"He's gone, baby," Keifer whispered, kissing my temple. "And he's staying gone. He knows where he stands now."
I leaned into him, feeling my heart rate finally slow down. "He really left just like that?"
"He knows when he's not wanted," Keifer said, his hand stroking Kevin's tiny head. "He's got his pride, but he saw that I won't budge. We're safe, Jay. It's just us now. I promise."
I looked down at Kevin, who had finally drifted back into a peaceful sleep, unaware of the drama that had just unfolded. Seeing Keizar leave so quietly made me realize that Keifer really had won—he had built a family that his father couldn't touch or break.
"Good," I whispered, closing my eyes and resting my head on Keifer's shoulder. "Now... can I finally have those waffles?"
Keifer let out a soft laugh, the last of his stress disappearing. "I'll get you a fresh batch, Queen. The first ones didn't survive the entrance."
++++++++++++FEW DAYS LATER +++++++++++++
JAY JAY POV
I smiled, watching as Kevin lay on the changing table, his tiny chest rising and falling in perfect rhythm. Now that we were home and the hospital lights were replaced by the warm, soft glow of our nursery, his features were becoming so much clearer.
"Keifer, who in our family has hazel eyes?" I asked, leaning over the crib as I adjusted the soft linen of his onesie.
Keifer walked into the room, looking more relaxed than I'd seen him in months. He had traded his tailored suits for a soft sweater, looking every bit the doting father. He came up behind me, wrapping his arms around my waist and resting his chin on my shoulder.
He thought for a minute, squinting as he looked closely at Kevin's face. "I don't recall anyone on the Mariano side with that shade... but I know my mom had hazel eyes. They were her most striking feature."
"That explains how our son has hazel eyes," I said with a soft laugh, gently tapping Kevin's tiny button nose.
Kevin blinked, those beautiful, swirling depths of gold and green focusing on me for a fleeting second before he let out a little coo.
"He has her eyes, and my chin, but he definitely has your stubborn pout," Keifer teased, nipping gently at my earlobe. "He's a perfect mix, Jay Jay."
"He's perfect," I whispered, turning in his arms to face him. "I still can't believe we're finally home. No doctors, no security scares, just... us."
I laughed softly as Keifer let out a frustrated but amused groan, his lips inches from mine before the sudden, sharp wail filled the nursery.
"Great timing, Kevin," Keifer muttered, though his eyes were full of love as he stepped back to let me reach for the crib. "The kid has a sixth sense for when I'm about to get any attention."
I carefully lifted Kevin, cradling his small, warm body against my chest. He was squirming, his little face flushed a light pink as he let out another indignant cry.
"What happened?" I asked him softly, rocking him back and forth. "What's the matter, my little hazel-eyed boy?"
I checked his diaper—dry. I touched his forehead—cool. He wasn't rooting for food, either. He just seemed... annoyed.
"I think he's just like his father," I said, looking over at Keifer while Kevin grabbed a handful of my hair. "He realized he wasn't the center of attention for exactly five seconds and decided to lodge a formal complaint."
Keifer walked over, reaching out to let Kevin wrap his tiny fingers around his thumb. The crying stopped almost instantly, replaced by a series of shuddering little breaths as Kevin stared up at Keifer with those big, swirling hazel eyes.
"Oh, so that's how it is?" Keifer whispered to him, a smirk playing on his lips. "You just wanted to make sure I knew who really owns this room, huh?"
Kevin let out a tiny, soft hiccup and settled against me, looking perfectly satisfied with himself.
"He's definitely our son" Keifer sighed, leaning in to kiss my forehead and then Kevin's. "The waffles didn't work on him, but apparently, just ruining my moment does the trick."
"Don't worry, Big Keifer," I teased, adjusting Kevin in my arms. "You're still my favorite. Most of the time."
"I'll hold you to that," he murmured, keeping his hand on Kevin's back as we stood there together in the quiet of the morning.
The house was quiet, the only sound being the soft hum of the air conditioning and the distant city lights twinkling through the floor-to-ceiling windows. I had just finished a long, hot shower—the first one where I actually felt like a human being again—and wrapped myself in a plush robe.
I walked into the living room, expecting to find Keifer asleep on the sofa, but instead, I stopped in my tracks.
The room was bathed in the warm, amber glow of a single lamp. Keifer was sitting on the edge of the leather armchair, but he wasn't leaning back. He was holding Kevin—our barely two-week-old baby—out in front of him with both hands, staring at him with an expression of pure, terrified concentration.
He was holding him like he was a piece of priceless, explosive crystal.
"Keifer?" I whispered, trying to suppress a giggle. "What are you doing?"
Keifer didn't move his head, his eyes locked on Kevin's tiny, sleepy face. "Jay Jay, good, you're here. He made a noise. A specific noise. Like a... soft whistle? Is that a whistle? Is he broken?"
"He's not broken, Keifer," I said, walking over and resting a hand on his shoulder. "He's just breathing. Newborns make weird sounds."
"It sounded tactical," Keifer muttered, slowly bringing the baby back to his chest and cradling him with a sigh of relief. "I thought he was signaling for backup. Or maybe he's judging my interior design choices."
I laughed softly, sitting on the arm of the chair. "He's two weeks old. The only thing he's judging is how long it takes for his next meal to arrive."
Keifer looked down at Kevin, his thumb tracing the baby's tiny jawline. The powerful, intimidating CEO was nowhere to be found; he just looked like a man completely overawed by the tiny life he helped create.
"He's so small, Jay," Keifer whispered, his voice losing its playful edge and becoming thick with emotion. "I keep looking at him and thinking... How did we get this lucky? After everything?"
I reached down and tucked the edge of Kevin's blanket tighter. "Because we earned him, Keifer. We fought for this."
Keifer leaned his head against my side, watching Kevin's chest rise and fall. "I could sit here for the rest of my life just watching him breathe. I don't even care about the board meetings or the merger in Dubai. This is the only empire I care about now."
"Don't let Victor hear you say that," I teased, "or he'll start bringing the paperwork here."
"He already tried," Keifer grumbled, "I told him if he woke the baby, I'd demote him to Andi's personal bodyguard for a month."
I winced. "That's a cruel and unusual punishment."
"Exactly." Keifer looked up at me, his eyes reflecting the soft lamp light. "Let's go to sleep, you must be tired."