Page 131 of Blissful Devotion

“Yeah, sorry, I think I’m just a little overanxious with the roads and flying with Nico for the first time,” I tell him and watch his face soften. It honestly shouldn’t be possible for him to look so adorable with his whole bad-boy, biker, tattoos-everywhere persona, but somehow he does.

One second I’m standing there, the next I’m in his arms, and I can’t help but melt into him. Everything about him is settling: his scent, the way it feels to be in his arms, the rumble of his voice in his chest as he speaks.

“No need to worry, love, look.” He turns, and I see Nico is passed out in Nathan’s arms. Addison is asleep on the couch too, her head on Vince’s lap, where he’d been reading to her.

I sag in his arms, letting my head drop against his shoulder.

“Looks like Mommy needs a nap too.” I look over Des’s shoulder to see Alex standing in the doorway, and as much as I’d like to argue, I can’t bring myself to actually do it.

I’m exhausted.

“Have fun with the kids,” Des whisper-shouts over his shoulder as he turns and heads toward Alex and the room.

“Actual sleep, Desmond.”

I don’t need to look to see Des roll his eyes as goosebumps break out on my arms. Nathan’s “dad voice” always gets me.

Desmond follows Alex into the room, kicking the door closed behind him. I turn to watch Alex climb into bed, only to see movement behind him.

It takes me a second to understand what I’m looking at; my brain not really grasping it.

“Ruby?” Her head pops up at the sound of her name, then she cocks her head at me, as if uncertain why I called her. “I didn’t know you could just have dogs out on a plane. I thought they had to stay in crates.”

“She would if this were a commercial plane, but it’s not. We crate her for take-off and landing, but other than that she’s free to move around. She just isn’t a fan of it, so she spends most of her time hidden away in here.” Alex pats her head affectionately as he talks about her.

She really is a great dog, despite looking like she would eat you.

Desmond keeps me in his arms as he crawls into the bed, and I can’t help but chuckle at him. It would have been so much easier if he had simply put me down, but he’s so stubborn.

With his arms still wrapped around me, he turns me so my back is to his chest, then nuzzles into my neck, pressing a few soft kisses to my sensitive skin and making me melt.

“Sleep, beautiful.” I manage to wrestle my lids open to find Alex watching me intently, a smirk on his lips that tells me he knows exactly what Des’s kisses are doing.

Alex leans in, pressing a kiss to my forehead with a huff of laughter that’s deep and sexy and not at all helping me want to go to sleep.

Ugh, these damn attractive men.

Despite being sandwiched between the two of them, I do in fact fall asleep. I’m not sure when it happened, but one second we were a mess of tangled limbs, and the next Addison is bursting through the door, making Ruby jump up and step on Desmond.

Ruby doesn’t even glance back as Desmond curls up in a ball, groaning in pain, too busy soaking up all the attention from one of her two favorite tiny humans.

“That might be one of the best ways I’ve ever woken up,” Alex says with a chuckle, pulling me ‌closer to his chest so that I feel it.

Desmond doesn’t answer, instead flipping him off, and something tells me Ruby did more than simply step on his leg.

“We're almost there. Daddy sent me to wake you up so we can land.”

Addison grabs hold of Ruby’s collar and tugs her toward the large dog cage I hadn’t noticed in the corner of the room.

Alex scoops me up, standing on the bed and stepping over Desmond before he drops to the floor without missing a beat.

“Come on, lazy ass,” he shouts back at Desmond, laughing.

I see Desmond glare at him as he pushes himself upright before we leave the room, heading back to the cabin with the others.

Nico is in Vince’s arms now, and as all eyes turn our way, we’re met with smiles. Nico reaches for me, and I melt. Alex sets me down without me asking, and I’m across the plane in seconds, picking up my baby and devouring his tiny smile and giggles.

I half expect their parents to be waiting, but when we land, I find the airport doesn’t even look familiar.