Page 100 of Blissful Devotion

“Oh, look.” Oliver walks to the counter, grabbing a piece of paper I hadn’t noticed. “Nate took Addison out for a late lunch. Vince took them.”

The thought makes me happy; they need time together too. Addison was an only child for years and still needs her own time with us sometimes, the same way Nico will eventually too.

“So I guess that leaves Alex and Des with Nico.”

We stand for a moment, listening, before I look at the clock on the stove.

“Naptime, maybe?” It’s a little past three, so it’s definitely possible.

“Only one way to find out.” Oliver drops the note back on the counter, then reaches for my hand, pulling me out of the kitchen and up the stairs to the second floor. The house is just as quiet up here, and as we reach the nursery door, it becomes clear why.

Alex is lying in the play yard, head on a giant stuffed bear, Nico’s head on his chest, both out cold.

It’s adorable. My cheeks ache from the smile that pulls at my lips, and my ovaries scream for another one.

A few more for sure.

I’m pulled from my silent conversation with my uterus as Oli taps my arm and points at the rocking chair where I’d missed Des, also passed out, though he doesn’t seem nearly as comfortable.

We stand, looking at them for a few seconds more before Oli laces his fingers with mine and leads me down the hall.

“We might as well grab a shower if we have the time,” I tell him, and he chuckles, pressing a kiss to my lips before taking over and leading us toward his room instead of mine.

He won’t get any complaints from me; I don’t care where we shower. Even with him cleaning me up at the shop and my own wipe-down before we left, the shower sounds great, and if he’s going to join me…

Well, I’m not sure this day could get better.

Oliver is surprisingly gentle for a man who just hours ago fucked me silly against the changing room mirror. He washes my hair, washes my body, and then conditions my hair, his hands never leaving me as if he can’t.

I love it, love the feel of his skin on mine, the way I can feel his eyes as if they're a physical caress.

More than that, I love him.

He freezes, his hand in my hair, and I realize a moment too late that I spoke those words aloud.

“Say it again.” He spins me around, his fingers closing around my chin, forcing my head back so that I have no choice but to meet his gaze.

His eyes search mine, and I swear they look almost glassy, as if he might cry.

“I love you,” I choke out the words, emotions clogging my throat.

His lips find mine, and this kiss is different, not as rushed or hungry as earlier; instead, it’s so full of emotion that I can’t fight the tears it pulls from me.

I pull back, embarrassed, despite being in the shower.

“I’m sorry, I just…”

“Don’t apologize. I love you, Katherine, and I’ll be forever grateful that you gave me a chance—”

“Even if he was a little bitch about it at first.”

We both jump, our heads snapping to the glass wall, and Desmond, sitting on the counter cross-legged, elbows propped on his knees, face resting on his palms, a dopey smile on his face as if he’s not watching us shower.

“Weren’t you sleeping?” Oli asks with a sigh, and I chuckle at their relationship. They’re adorable, though something tells me they won’t agree.

“Who can sleep when you two are putting on a show like this?” He pats at his eyes as if he’d been crying, a shit-eating grin on his face. “It really moved me.”

“Asshole,” Oliver grumbles under his breath, rolling his eyes before he looks back down at me, all traces of his annoyance melting away.