JAY-JAY POV
After the bubble chaos, I properly showered Keth, scrubbing the last of the foam from his hair and rinsing his dinosaur until it squeaked clean.
"Finally," I muttered, wrapping him in a towel. "No more Bubble Dragon."
Keth grinned, flashing his little teeth. "Bubble Dragon never dies!"
Keifer appeared behind me, still damp, his hair sticking up in ridiculous directions. He smirked. "You're never living this down."
"Neither are you," I shot back, cheeks heating.
I took Keth into his room.
Of course Keifer followed.
I chose his clothes myself because it was chilly outside, and I knew Keth wouldn't dress for the weather if I let him.
Left to his own devices, he'd probably pick shorts and a t‑shirt just to prove he was "fast."
"Here," I said, holding out a warm hoodie and jeans. "This will keep you comfortable."
Keth pouted. "But Mama, I wanted the cool shirt!"
"You'll thank me when you're not freezing," I replied, tugging the hoodie over his head.
Keifer chuckled from the doorway, arms crossed. "She's right, buddy. You'd be shivering before we even got to the rides."
Keth sighed dramatically, then looked at himself in the mirror. "Fine. But I still look fast."
From the hallway, Mayo shouted, "Fast? You'll be the first one to get cold!"
Ci‑N added, "Statistically, Mama's right. You'd regret it in ten minutes."
Keth stuck his tongue out at them, then turned back to me with a grin. "Mama always wins."
After dressing up Keth,
I slipped into my room to get ready.
My clothes were still damp from the bubble chaos, so I headed straight for the shower.
The hot water washed away the foam and the laughter clinging to me, but it couldn't rinse out the memory.
Thinking about today made me smile.
And then the kiss.
Unexpected.
Messy.
Soap‑tasting.
But real.
I pressed my forehead against the cool tile, cheeks warming at the thought.
It wasn't supposed to happen not with everyone watching but somehow it felt right
By the time I stepped out, towel wrapped around me, I froze.
Keifer was inside my room. Shirtless. Dripping water onto my floor like he owned the place.
My eyes narrowed instantly. "What the fuck are you doing here?" I asked, clutching the towel tighter.
He smirked, completely unfazed. "Relax. I came to shower. Our son turned the bathroom into a war zone, remember?"
I glared. "That doesn't explain why you're in my room."
"Correction," he said smoothly, leaning against the dresser like it was his throne. "My wife's room."
My cheeks burned. "Excuse me?"
He shrugged, casual as ever. "You heard me. Wife's room. Which makes it mine too."
He said it while coming closer, each step deliberate, water still dripping from his hair.
"Keifer," I warned, clutching my towel tighter.
He tilted his head, smirk tugging at his lips. "You cursed."
"So?" I shot back, raising a brow.
"You forgot our rule," he said, voice low, almost teasing.
I frowned. "What rule are you talking about?"
"Profanity," he replied smoothly, like it was obvious.
I blinked, then scoffed. "Keifer, that was four years ago."
He stepped closer, grin widening. "And rules don't expire."
He was so close — face to face close. My heart raced, and before I could stop myself, I closed my eyes.
But… nothing. No warmth, no kiss, no contact.
Confused, I opened my eyes.
Keifer was smirking, his face inches from mine, eyes gleaming with mischief. "You thought I was going to kiss you, didn't you?" he teased, voice low.
My cheeks burned instantly. "What—no! I—"
He leaned back just enough to make me flustered, still dripping water onto my floor. "Relax, Jay. I will kiss you after earning your forgiveness," he said, voice low and smug.
"You kissed me in the bathroom," I shot back, narrowing my eyes.
His grin widened. "Correction — you kissed me. I just fulfilled your wish."
My cheeks burned instantly. "Keifer—"
He stepped closer, closing the space again, his eyes gleaming with mischief. "Don't deny it. You closed your eyes first."
I froze, heart racing. "That doesn't mean—"
He leaned in so close I could feel the warmth of his breath against my ear. "Let me go shower or else we will be late," he whispered.
My heart skipped, the words simple but the closeness making them feel heavier than they should.
I tightened my grip on the towel, forcing myself to glare instead of melt. "You could've just said that from the hallway," I muttered.
Keifer smirked, pulling back just enough to meet my eyes. "Where's the fun in that?"
He went inside the bathroom after that, shutting the door behind him.
I grabbed my clothes quickly and slipped into Keth's room to change — luckily, there was nobody in the hallway this time.
I exhaled, relieved.
Pulling on my jeans and jacket, I caught my reflection in Keth's mirror. My hair was still damp, cheeks flushed from both the shower and… well, Keifer.
The memory of him leaning close, whispering in my ear, calling this "his wife's room" — it made my stomach twist in ways I didn't want to admit.
I shook my head, forcing a smile. Today was supposed to be about Keth. About rides, cotton candy, laughter. Not about Keifer making my heart race.
I zipped my jacket, squared my shoulders, and stepped out of the room. Time for the amusement park. Time for chaos.
+++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++
Keifer POV
After the bubble chaos, I found Jay fussing over Keth. She scrubbed him clean, towel wrapped around his shoulders, scolding him gently when he tried to wriggle away. Then she picked his clothes — jacket zipped, shoes tied — because she knew he'd never dress for the weather on his own.
Watching her zip his jacket, I couldn't help but smile.
The girl who wore mismatched socks, who laughed too loud, who cursed at me like it was second nature… she raised my son for four years alone.
Four years. Without me. And somehow, she made it look easy.
Keth grinned up at her, proud of his "Bubble Dragon" victory, and Jay just shook her head, muttering about chaos and cotton candy.
I stood there, dripping water onto the floor, realizing something I hadn't let myself think before. She wasn't just surviving. She was building. She gave him warmth, routine, laughter. She gave him everything I should've been there to give.
And now, standing in that hallway, I felt the weight of it. The guilt. The pride. The ache of knowing she did it all without me.
Jay glanced up, catching me staring, and raised a brow. "What?"
I smirked, trying to cover the heaviness in my chest. "Nothing."
She rolled her eyes, tugging Keth's sleeve straight. "Go shower, Keifer. We're going to be late."
But even as I turned away, I couldn't shake the thought.
The girl with mismatched socks raised my son.
And I'll spend the rest of my life trying to earn back what she gave him.
I sat on the edge of her bed, shirt tossed aside, hair still damp from the bubble war. The bathroom door creaked open, steam curling out into the room.
And then Jay stepped out. Towel wrapped around her, cheeks flushed from the shower, eyes widening the second she saw me sitting there — shirtless.
She froze. "What the fuck are you doing here?" she demanded, clutching the towel tighter.
I leaned back on my hands, smirk tugging at my lips. "Relax. My shirt was soaked. I had to take it off."
Her glare could've burned through steel. "In my room?"
I tilted my head, enjoying the way her voice cracked just slightly. "Correction — my wife's room. Which makes it mine too."
Her cheeks went red instantly. She cursed under her breath, and I couldn't help but chuckle.
"You cursed again," I teased. "That's twice now. You're breaking our rule."
She narrowed her eyes. "Keifer, that was four years ago."
I shrugged, standing up, closing the space between us until we were face to face. "Rules don't expire."
Her breath hitched. She closed her eyes for a second, like she was bracing herself.
I leaned in, close enough that she could feel the warmth of my breath. "Relax, Jay. I'll kiss you… but only after you forgive me."
Her eyes snapped open, cheeks burning. "You kissed me in the bathroom."
I grinned. "Correction — you kissed me. I just fulfilled your wish."
I went inside the bathroom, shutting the door behind me.
The hot water hit my skin, washing away the foam and the laughter clinging to me from the bubble war. For a few minutes, it was quiet, it was just me, the water, and the memory of Jay's flushed cheeks when I leaned too close.
By the time I stepped back out, towel slung over my shoulders, she was already gone.
Her room was empty. No towel on the floor, no mismatched socks tossed in the corner, no Jay glaring at me for dripping water everywhere.
I sighed, pulling on clean clothes. Shirt, jacket, shoes. Routine. But my mind wasn't on the outfit.
It was on her.
She slipped away before I could say anything. Before I could push again, tease her, or maybe — just maybe — admit what I wanted.
I caught my reflection in her mirror, hair still damp, jaw tight. The truth was simple: Jay had raised Keth alone for four years. She didn't need me barging into her space, shirtless, smirking, acting like I owned it.
But I wanted to be there anyway. Not just for Keth. For her.
I zipped my jacket, squared my shoulders, and stepped out of the room. Time for the amusement park. Time for chaos.