JAY-JAY POV
5 years later
It's hard to believe the triplets are six years old now.
Sometimes I look at them running through the house, their laughter echoing down the halls, and I can't help but wonder where the time went.
It feels like just yesterday they called us Mama and Papa for the very first time — their voices small, uncertain, but full of love.
And their personalities... don't get me started on that.
Kevin, the eldest, is calm and steady.
He carries himself with the same authority voice as Keifer, but when I look at him, I see myself.
Both the boys do, actually — my features stamped across their little faces, even when their mannerisms remind me of their father.
Kade, on the other hand, is ever the prankster. Funny, mischievous, always ready to stir up chaos.
But when things get out of hand, when the laughter turns into trouble, Kade suddenly shifts.
His whole face changes, his voice steadies, and he has Keifer's seriousness.
It's like watching two sides of him — the playful spark he gets from me, and the firm, grounded presence he inherits from his father.
He's a mix of both of us.
My humor, Keifer's discipline.
My chaos, Keifer's calm.
Kiara, on the other hand, looks just like Keifer. The same sharp eyes, the same smile, even the same way she tilts her head when she's thinking.
I thought she would inherit his seriousness — that calm, steady presence that makes people listen when he speaks.
But no.
She had my chaos.
My dramatic behavior.
My flair for turning even the smallest moment into a performance.
Her looks are Keifer's, but her behavior? All mine.
She stomps her foot when she doesn't get her way, throws her arms wide when she's excited, and tells stories with the kind of exaggerated detail that makes everyone laugh.
She's bold, loud, and unafraid to take center stage.
"Jay," Keifer said, snapping me out of my thoughts.
"Hmm?" I answered, still half lost in my reflections.
"What were you thinking about?" he asked, his eyes curious.
"Nothing," I said with a small smile. "Just thinking about how the kids are similar to us."
"Similar, Jay?" He chuckled. "Kiara is basically you with my face."
"Oh, please," I scoffed, rolling my eyes.
Before I could say more, Kevin's voice rang out from upstairs — sharp, loud, urgent. "MAMA!"
Keifer and I froze, exchanging a look. Kevin was not the type to yell unless it was trouble.
Without another word, we bolted up the stairs, our hearts pounding.
"What happened?" I called, my voice tight with worry as we reached the hallway.
"Ma," Kevin said, hugging me tightly, his little voice trembling.
"Kuya..." Kade said, coming up behind him, his face guilty but trying to look innocent.
Kade and Kiara appeared, their faces guilty but trying to look innocent — the kind of look that meant trouble.
"What did you two do?" I asked, narrowing my eyes.
Kiara tilted her head, her lips curling into the sweetest smile. "Ma... we might have prank Kuya with a fake snake."
I froze, staring at her. "A fake snake?"
Kade burst into laughter, unable to hold it in. "It was so funny, Mama! He screamed like this—" He threw his hands up and let out a dramatic yell, imitating Kevin.
Kevin glared at Kade, his cheeks red and his little fists clenched. "It wasn't funny! I thought it was real!"
"Enough," Keifer said firmly, his voice carrying that fatherly authority that made all three freeze. "Say sorry to your Kuya."
Kade shuffled his feet, his grin fading as guilt finally caught up with him. "Sorry, Kuya..." he mumbled, his voice small.
Kiara, ever the dramatic one, stepped forward with her sweetest innocent face. "We didn't mean to scare you, Kuya. It was just a joke."
Kevin crossed his arms, still pressed against me, his voice tight. "Don't do it again."
Keifer crouched down, his eyes sharp but gentle. "You two need to remember — pranks are fine when everyone laughs. But if someone gets scared, it's not funny anymore."
Kade nodded reluctantly, while Kiara sighed, muttering under her breath, "Okay, Papa..."
I hugged Kevin tighter, brushing his hair back. "See? They said sorry."
Kevin's glare softened, his lips twitching into the faintest smile.
"Papa," Kiara said, running into Keifer's hands.
"What, princess?" Keifer asked, scooping her up with ease.
"I want chocolate cake," she declared, her eyes sparkling with determination.
"Me too," Kevin chimed in.
"Me three!" Kade added, bouncing on his toes.
I crossed my arms, shaking my head. "No cake."
"WHY?" Kiara demanded, her voice rising in dramatic protest.
"Because you three finished the butterscotch ice cream this morning," I said firmly.
"So?" Kade asked, tilting his head with a mischievous grin.
"Too much sweet is bad," I explained, giving them my best Mama glare.
Keifer muttered under his breath, just loud enough for me to hear, "Tss... says the one who snuck off to buy ice cream when she was seventeen."
I whipped my head toward him, narrowing my eyes. "Excuse me? Did you just expose me in front of the kids?"
The triplets gasped in unison, their eyes widening.
"Mama ate ice cream secretly?!" Kiara shouted, her dramatic tone making it sound like the biggest scandal of the century.
Kevin folded his arms, smirking. "So Mama can have sweets, but we can't?"
Kade burst out laughing. "Mama's a hypocrite!"
I groaned, burying my face in my hands. "Keifer, you're supposed to be on my side!"
He chuckled, kissing Kiara's forehead. "Sorry, babe. But I think the jury has spoken."
The triplets cheered, bouncing around me, chanting, "Cake! Cake! Cake!"
"Fine," I said at last, throwing my hands up in surrender. "But we don't have any cake in the house."
"Well, we will make it together!" Kiara announced proudly, her little chin lifted like she was leading an army. She dashed downstairs, her brothers following right behind her, their footsteps like thunder on the stairs.
Me and Keifer looked at each other, already knowing what was coming.
"Ready for the mess?" Keifer asked, smirking.
"Mess or chaos?" I countered.
"Both," he said without hesitation.
I nodded, sighing, and followed them downstairs.
The kitchen was already alive with noise — bowls clattering, flour puffing into the air, and the triplets shouting over each other.
"Ma," Kiara asked, tugging at my sleeve.
"Hmm?" I replied, already bracing myself.
"Can we have a competition? Like in two groups?" she asked, her eyes sparkling with mischief.
I raised a brow. "But baby, there are five of us. It won't be even."
"It's fine," she said confidently, crossing her arms like she had already solved the problem.
Keifer chuckled from behind me. "Of course it's fine. She's already planning how to win."
Kiara grinned, pointing dramatically. "Me and Papa versus Mama and my brothers!"
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