3 Years Later
--:Jay Jay's POV:--
The soft afternoon sunlight filtered through the sheer curtains of the master bedroom, casting a warm, golden glow across the room. It felt completely surreal how quiet the house could get during these rare, fleeting moments. Just three years ago, I thought my hands were entirely full with one tiny, chaotic bundle of joy. Now, looking around, my heart felt so full it could burst.
Three years had flown by like minutes. Kaden was no longer the tiny infant who wrapped his fingers around his father's thumb; he was a walking, talking, energetic three-year-old fireball who inherited every bit of his father's dramatic flair. And just one week ago, our universe expanded once again.
I looked down at the tiny miracle resting against my chest. Baby Kiva. She was just a week old, a delicate little doll with a tuft of dark hair and the softest, tiniest sighs.
"You are so beautiful, my little princess," I whispered, gently tracing the shell of her tiny ear with the tip of my finger. Kiva let out a small, breathless yawn, her tiny lips puckering as she blinked up at me with sleepy, dark eyes. "You're already turning this entire house upside down, do you know that? Your papa is completely wrapped around your little finger, and your big brother, who is literally 3 years old, acts like he's your personal bodyguard."
Right on cue, the bedroom door crept open with a soft click. A little round face poked through the gap, wide, sparkling eyes scanning the room before landing on me and the baby.
"Mumma?" Kaden whispered loudly, taking careful, tiptoeing steps into the room. He was holding a brightly colored plastic toy dinosaur in one hand and a plush blanket in the other.
"Come here, my big boy," I said softly, beckoning him over.
Kaden's face lit up as he scrambled up onto the edge of the bed, being surprisingly mindful of his tiny sister. He dropped his dinosaur, crawled over on his knees, and leaned his chin right on my thigh to get a closer look at Kiva.
"Is Kiva awake?" he whispered, his eyes wide with absolute fascination.
"She is. Do you want to say hi to her?"
Kaden nodded eagerly. He carefully reached out his hand, his chubby three-year-old fingers looking massive compared to Kiva's tiny form. With incredible gentleness, he tapped her soft cheek. "Hi, Kiva! I'm Kaden. I'm your big brother."
As if she recognized his voice, Kiva stirred slightly, her little hand flailing until her tiny fingers brushed against Kaden's. Kaden gasped, a massive, bright smile breaking across his face.
"Mumma, look! She's holding my hand! She loves me!" he cheered in a hushed, excited whisper. "Don't worry, Kiva. When you grow up, I will share my dinosaurs with you. And I will protect you from the monsters! And from Papa when he gets too loud."
I couldn't help but chuckle, pressing a soft kiss to Kaden's messy hair. "You're already the best big brother in the world, Kaden."
"Of course he is. He gets his charm from me."
A deep, smooth voice echoed from the doorway. I looked up to see Keifer leaning against the frame, his arms crossed over his chest, a soft, incredibly tender smile playing on his lips. My heart did that familiar little flutter it always did whenever he looked at our family like we were his entire world.
Keifer walked over, the mattress dipping significantly as he sat down right beside us. He immediately pulled Kaden into his lap, giving him a quick kiss on the cheek that made the toddler giggle, before leaning forward to look at our newborn daughter.
The moment Keifer's eyes fell on Kiva, his entire demeanor melted. The fierce, untouchable man turned into absolute mush.
"How's my little queen doing?" Keifer murmured, his voice dropping into a gentle, cooing tone that he only ever used for her. He reached out, his large, calloused hand gently cradled her tiny head. Kiva let out a soft squeak, her little face turning toward his touch. "Look at you. You look exactly like your beautiful mamma. You're going to break so many hearts when you grow up, and I'm already preparing the security detail."
Hearing him call her his *little queen* sent a sudden, unexpected pang straight to my chest. My lower lip puckered just a fraction, and a silly, irrational wave of sadness washed over me.
*His queen.*
First *I* was his queen. He used to call me that all the time, and now, just like that, I had been demoted by a tiny human who didn't even have teeth yet.
I looked down at my lap, suddenly feeling incredibly pouty. "Oh. So she's your queen now?" I muttered, my voice dropping into a quiet, miffed murmur. "I see how it is. First it was me, and now I've already been replaced."
Keifer paused, blinking in surprise before a slow, deeply amused grin spread across his face. He looked from Kiva to my highly offended expression, his eyes dancing with pure delight.
"Are you... reading this right, Mrs. Chaos?" he teased, his voice dripping with playful arrogance. "Are you seriously getting jealous of a one-week-old baby? Our *own* daughter?"
"I am not jealous! And you are saying like you were not the one getting jealous when Kaden was born!" I shot back quickly, looking away as my cheeks flushed. "I'm just stating facts. You have a new queen now."
Keifer laughed—a low, rich sound that vibrated through the mattress. He quickly shifted Kaden to one side and leaned over, wrapping a strong arm around my waist to pull me firmly against his side. He tucked his chin onto my shoulder, his lips brushing against my ear.
"Listen to me, sweetheart," he whispered, his tone softening into that fierce, absolute devotion that always made my heart skip a beat. "She might be my little princess, but you are the one who rules this entire kingdom. You were my first queen, my current queen, and you will be my *only* queen forever. No one—not even this little doll—could ever take your place. Got it?"
My pout instantly melted, replaced by a warm, giddy rush. I tried to stay annoyed, but looking into his sincere, loving eyes made it completely impossible.
"Fine," I murmured, leaning my head against his shoulder. "You better remember that."
"Always, love," he smiled, pressing a sweet kiss to my cheek.
"Papa, Kiva said she wants to play dinosaurs!" Kaden announced, breaking our little moment by lifting his plastic T-Rex right in front of Keifer's face.
"Is that so?" Keifer laughed, effortlessly scooping Kaden up into his arms and standing up from the bed. "Well, if the princess commands it, we must prepare the dinosaur kingdom in the playroom. Come on, big guy, let's give Mumma and Kiva some quiet time to rest."
"Yay! Dinosaur kingdom!" Kaden cheered as Keifer carried him out, making loud, tiny roaring noises that slowly faded all the way down the hallway.
By the time evening rolled around, the chaotic energy of the house finally settled. Getting a hyperactive three-year-old to sleep after an intense afternoon of building dinosaur kingdoms was no easy feat, but Keifer had somehow managed it. Kiva, after being fed and burped, was now sound asleep in her bassinet right next to our bed, looking like a literal angel.
The room was quiet, lit only by the soft, warm glow of the bedside lamp. I exhaustedly collapsed back against the stack of pillows, letting out a long, tired sigh. My body felt heavy, but my mind was peacefully drifting.
Suddenly, a pair of strong, familiar arms wrapped around my waist from behind. Keifer pulled me back against his bare chest, tucking his chin right into the crook of my neck. He breathed in deeply, his large hands smoothing over my waist in slow, soothing circles that instantly made all my lingering tension melt away.
"Both of them are finally asleep," he murmured, his deep voice a low, rumbling vibration against my skin. "We survived another day, Mrs. Chaos."
"Barely," I breathed, turning around in his embrace so I could face him. I rested my hands against his chest, looking up into those data-filled, mesmerizing eyes that still held the exact same power over me as they did years ago. "Kaden has so much energy, Keifer. I don't know how you kept up with him today."
"Hey, I'm a man of many talents," he replied, a familiar, mischievous glint instantly entering his eyes. He leaned down, catching my lower lip in a soft, slow kiss that tasted like pure comfort and home. When he pulled away, his smirk widened, completely full of his usual, effortless arrogance.
He brassily brushed a stray lock of hair behind my ear, his thumb lingering on my jawline as his gaze locked onto mine. "By the way, sweetheart, from talent I remembered... do you happen to remember a conversation we had a long, long time ago? Before all of this?"
I blinked, looking at him with instant suspicion. "Which conversation? We've had a lot of them, Keifer."
"Oh, you know the one," he chuckled, a deeply wicked and shameless grin spreading across his handsome face. He leaned closer, his hot breath brushing against my ear as he whispered, "Remember when I told you that our very first baby would be a boy? And see? Our first baby *is* a boy. I told you I would handle it perfectly with our positions—"
My face instantly exploded into a bright, burning crimson. The memory flashed vividly in my mind, and my jaw practically dropped at how effortlessly shameless he could be while our newborn daughter was sleeping literally two feet away from us!
"Keiferrr!!!" I gasped, hitting his chest with a soft fist, my voice a frantic, embarrassed whisper. "Stopp being shameless! OMG!!😭😭"
Keifer let out a low, breathless laugh, catching my hand easily and trapping it against his chest, right over his rapidly beating heart. He pulled me even closer, completely unbothered by my burning cheeks, his eyes entirely warm and filled with an ocean of love.
"What? I'm just stating facts, love," he murmured playfully, before his tone shifted into something incredibly soft, full of a devotion that always left me breathless. He looked over at the bassinet, then back at me. "But seriously... look at what we made, Jay. A boy and a girl. Our little kingdom."
My embarrassment melted away, replaced by a profound wave of happiness. I leaned my head against his chest, listening to the steady, calming beat of his heart. Outside our room, the world kept moving, but inside these four walls, surrounded by the quiet breathing of our children and the steady warmth of the man who loved me fiercely, I had everything I could ever ask for.
Our chaotic, beautiful, perfect forever.
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