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Reign

5 Years after Pick Me

“You’re so beautiful, darlin’.”

Devin towered over me, and even though his husky voice stirred something deep within my stomach, I stubbornly kept my eyes shut. These hotel sheets were just too soft and silky. Besides, it had been far too long since I’d had this much room to stretch out.

He leaned in and pressed a gentle kiss onto my cheek; one I was determined to ignore to try to get just another two minutes of sleep.

“I’ve never seen anyone prettier,”

he whispered, brushing his lips gently against my other cheek before he nestled his nose into the curve of my neck. His breath tickled across my skin, and I couldn’t hide my smile, though I hoped my husband hadn’t noticed it.

“If your face is the last thing I ever see, I'll die the luckiest man on earth,”

he whispered earnestly, nipping at my neck while kissing his way up. When he got to my lips and pressed his against mine, my eyes were teetering on the edge of opening.

Stay strong, Reign. You never get this kind of time alone.

As his lips left mine, my body betrayed me and chased after his touch. It was ridiculous. He’d kissed me countless times over the years, yet I couldn’t get enough. I doubted I ever would.

As my head fell back onto the bed, I tilted away from him, pretending to be asleep but almost certain he knew the truth.

“What’s a man got to say to get you to open your eyes?”

he growled playfully, and I snorted before rolling onto my side and burrowing deeper into the pillows, stifling a giggle as my husband’s hands went straight to my ass.

Typical.

“Oh, I see how it is. Seven years of marriage, five children and countless orgasms, but now all I get is the cold shoulder,”

he teased, nipping at my neck. I swatted him away gently, still unwilling to give him the attention he probably deserved for all the work he puts in for us.

I squealed when his hands squeezed my ass, getting a little too close to a certain area. “Are you kidding me?”

I groaned. “This is the first time we’ve had the bed to ourselves in forever, and you think I’m giving up sleep that easily?”

I protested, whacking the pillow to nestle into it.

He chuckled softly before wrapping his arm around my waist, and when I didn’t immediately snuggle into him, he gripped my hips and pulled me back, grinding his morning wood against me. “Tell me your orgasms are lackluster without telling me they’re lackluster, why don’t you?”

I laughed softly and shimmied my hips against his erection, making him grip my pajamas a little tighter. Then I turned in his embrace and opened my eyes.

“Ah, there you are. My beautiful wife,”

he murmured, his deep, mossy green eyes gazing warmly into mine.

Though faint lines now framed them, he was still every bit as handsome as the day I met him in that random bar near Covey U.

Never in a million years did I think a random hook up would end up being one of the best days of my life, but here I am, still so in love, I could hardly think straight.

“Oh, please. You know you’re the best thing that’s ever happened to me.”

I pressed a quick kiss to his lips, then nestled into his chest, listening to his heartbeat. Even before we officially started dating, this was my safe space. There was just something about being able to hear his breathing and his arms around me made me feel whole and protected. “When was the last time we were able to be alone like this?”

“I believe it was the last time I got you pregnant,”

he joked as he brushed a strand of my hair out of my eyes and placed a gentle kiss on my forehead.

“Ah, yes. Now I remember why we stopped,”

I teased. “After two multiple pregnancies, I can’t risk your super sperm impregnating me again.”

He laughed out loud, a hearty chuckle that warmed my soul. “You make it sound like it’s the worst thing in the world, darlin’.”

“Is that your way of saying you’d be perfectly okay with getting me pregnant again? What if I end up having quadruplets this time?”

He shrugged, his eyes filled with affection and mischief. “Because I would be. I’ve always wanted a big family, and I think we’ve only just gotten started.”

He pushed me onto my back and pressed soft kisses down my neck, sending a tingle down my spine and straight to my core.

I wrapped my fingers around his biceps and let him have his way for a minute. “D, I really don’t think my body could take any more.”

Devin swiped his tongue across my skin, making me gasp. “The only way we’ll truly know is if we test it out.”

His hand was making its way to my pajama shorts. “I’m happy to conduct a physical if you’d like?”

“Are you ever not horny?”

I groaned, pushing him away.

“For you? Never.”

As if on cue, the handle to the adjoining guest room door began to turn. I quickly looked at the baby monitor on the bedside table and saw all five of our kids were awake.

I blew out a breath and found my husband’s hand. “Are you ready for this?”

He gave me a tight nod before adjusting his pajama pants.

When the door creaked open, our oldest, Delaney, poked her head through the door. Her braided dark hair was the first thing I saw.

“Mom? Dad?”

Her voice said softly, as if not to wake us. “Can we come in?”

“Of course,”

I answered, and she smiled brightly before running back into the room.

Devin and I shared a look before scooting apart. We knew the routine now. It was why we requested a room with a California King.

Without warning, our brood stormed into the room and launched onto the bed. I wrapped my arms around the chaos, kissing the tops of Delaney, Georgia and Cole’s heads while Devin did the same to Jace and Kyle. The sheets were all over the place, we all barely fit, but our hearts were full of love and being together as a family was just the way we liked it.

“Mom, Kyle left his flashlight on all night, and I could barely sleep,”

Georgia mumbled, nestling against my side.

“Uh, oh. No one wants a cranky Georgia-bear,”

Devin said as he shuffled his way out of the bed to pull on a t-shirt.

“I don’t like the dark,”

Kyle muttered, the non-identical one of the triplets who bared a striking resemblance to my father, said. Every time I looked at him, my heart warmed because he reminded me of a past I never wanted to forget.

Since Devin moved out of the bed, Kyle climbed over his siblings and pushed Cole out of the way so he could curl up into my side instead. Cole didn’t care. The boys were used to sharing, they had to be when we were in such a large family.

“It’s okay, sweetie,”

I whispered, brushing the sandy hair from his deep eyes. “Only one more day here, and then we’re going to spend the night at Autumn’s house with Uncle Adam and Aunt Hayden.”

The mere mention of their friend made the entire bed shake with excitement. When Autumn was born, she became an honorary twin in Georgia and Delaney’s eyes. They loved each other like family, which was fitting since that was how we saw the Hartley’s.

I glanced over at Devin who looked to be silently cursing out the hotel’s coffee machine with every harsh jab of the buttons.

“What time is it?” I asked.

He checked his phone. “Seven fifteen.”

My eyes widened. “Are you serious? Why didn’t you say anything? Your mom and sister will be here to pick up the kids any minute!”

He just shrugged, still pressing buttons with no success. Technology had never really been his strong suit even though we met on a dating app. “Figured we deserved a sleep-in on such an important day.”

“You’re kidding, right?! That’s exactly why we don’t have time to waste!”

I wrangled the kids out of bed and rushed into the adjoining room where their clothes were already laid out. “Come on, everyone. We need to get ready otherwise you’re going to breakfast naked!”

I called over my shoulder.

Devin strolled in a moment later, notably coffee-less as he got to work on the boys while I got the girls ready. When we were finally done, we stepped back and took them in.

“There. I think they look great,”

I said, tilting my head to rest on Devin’s shoulder. Each of the kids wore a red and white Crossbill jersey with our last name printed across the back. The perfect fans for our favorite person.

“They look perfect, as always,”

Devin said, his voice soft as he wrapped his arm around me and pulled me close. I took it as an invitation to draw him into a hug. “I don’t know what we’d do without you, darlin’. Thank you for all the work you do with the kids.”

Knock. Knock. Knock.

“Guys?”

Chloe’s voice came through the door. “Are you up? You haven’t answered your phones, and I don’t want to just waltz in.”

Devin rolled his eyes and headed over to open the door. “Chloe,”

he said flatly as his sister gave us a wide, beaming smile. “Do you really think we sleep in anymore?”

“I don’t know. I haven’t had the joy of kids yet,”

she said, opening her arms and crouching to prepare for the inevitable onslaught of children coming her way. Sure enough, they run into her, nearly knocking her over as she laughed hysterically. She wasn’t being sarcastic when she talked about the joy of kids. She loved ours and I knew once she met the right guy, she’d make a great mom.

Chloe kissed the forehead of each child, and her eyes widened as she said, “Okay, who’s ready to find Nana at the breakfast bar?”

The kids squealed and took off like a stampede, their voices overlapping as they rattled off their breakfast orders: pancakes, hash browns, waffles, eggs, everything. Our kids were a hungry bunch, and I was almost certain they’d eat the entire buffet if allowed. At least the rest of the hotel was full of Devin’s team and their family, so they wouldn’t disturb the other guests.

“We’ll keep them busy for a couple of hours. Give you both some time to actually wake up,”

she said before chasing after them.

When the door shut, the sudden quiet felt jarring. I exhaled slowly, rubbing at my temples.

“I love them more than life itself,”

I murmured, “but wow. I forgot what silence sounds like.”

Devin let out a low chuckle, dragging a hand over the back of his neck. “Won’t last long. The cameras will be here soon. Then the team bus. Then the—”

“Super Bowl,”

I finished, my gaze locking with his.

He nodded, the weight of it all started to finally settle between us. The Super Bowl. The pinnacle of Devin’s career. This was everything he worked for and it might not happen again. His eyes were dark in concentration and I imagined his head was already in the game, running plays, flipping through strategy like a mental playbook. He was locked in, which meant I needed to get moving before I got pulled into his pre-game zone.

“Alright, D,”

I said, stretching my arms overhead. “I need to shower before the day really kicks off.”

Devin’s eyes followed the motion, slow and deliberate. “Shower, huh?”

I sighed, already knowing where this was headed. “Alone, Devin.”

He pressed a hand to his chest, mock-offended. “What? I was just going to offer to help you relax.”

“That’s exactly the problem.”

He grinned, shameless. “Fine. But if you take too long, I’m sending in a search party.”

“Yeah, yeah,”

I muttered, grabbing my stuff and heading into the oversized en-suite bathroom.

The door clicked behind me, and I paused for a moment, leaning against it. Inhaling deeply.

The nerves weren’t just his; I felt them too.

Today was huge.

For Devin. For our family. For everything we’d built together.

After turning the shower on, I closed my eyes and tilted my chin up as the hot water cascaded over me. My muscles slowly unclenched, the steam loosening every tight knot the morning rush had left behind. For a moment, it was just me and the steady, soothing water.

When I heard the soft creak of the bathroom door, my eyes fluttered open, and through the fogged-up glass, I caught the outline of my husband’s body moving closer. “If you think you’re stepping in here to try out your super sperm again, you better think twice,”

I warned with a teasing lilt in my voice.

His low laugh cut through the sound of the water. “Super sperm,”

he repeated, amused. “You’ve got to stop calling it that, darlin’. I like it way too much.”

I didn’t turn around, but I heard the quiet rustle of his clothes hitting the floor, followed by the soft slide of the glass door. A brief chill swept over me, then vanished, replaced by the solid warmth of his body pressing close behind mine.

His arms slipped around my waist, his lips finding that spot on my shoulder he always claimed, and I leaned into him instinctively.

“Are you ready for this?”

I asked, brushing my cheek along the curve of his bicep.

His fingers trailed lightly over my stomach, dipping lower, making my breath hitch. “Always,”

he murmured. “Even if we lose today, it doesn’t matter. I’ve already won in life.”

“Ever the charmer,” I teased.

“It’s not charm if it’s the truth. I won the minute you responded to my message on that stupid app. I went from being your one Knight stand to the lucky bastard you’re building your happy ever after with.”

His voice was a low, steady hum as it vibrated against my skin, sending spikes of pleasure to my core. I hated how easy it was for him to turn me on.

Raising my hand to his neck, I arched into his touch, enjoying the feel of his hands on my breasts as he toyed with my nipples. Resting my head on his shoulder, I rolled my hips just enough to feel his erection pressed firmly against the small of my back.

“What time do you need to check in with the team?”

I asked, enjoying this way too much.

He nipped and licked my neck before whispering in my ear. “You let me worry about that, darlin’.”

His hands were still pulling and pinching at my nipples, playing with them in the way he knew I liked. “You know I’ve always loved your body,”

he started. “Before kids, you had the tiniest pink nipples I’d ever seen, and I couldn’t get enough of them on my tongue.” His mouth traced a path up to my ear, and I arched harder into his hands, enjoying the sensation as the pleasure trickled to my core. “I used to think they were the best thing I’d ever seen.”

I groaned and pulled on his hair a little. “Stop. I know they aren’t the same now, you don’t have to remind me.”

Suffice it to say, two-multi-child pregnancies hadn’t been kind to my body, and I felt it. The stretch marks, the wide hips, the saggy breasts. My body had changed considerably, and I was still trying to adjust to it.

“You didn’t let me finish, darlin’,”

Devin whispered in my ear before he squeezed my breasts and turned me around to face him. “Your nipples?”

His eyes swept over me, wide with awe as his smile stretched. “They’re even better now.”

I wanted to believe him, but sometimes, the small voice in the back of my mind made me think he was just saying it because he had to. He was my husband, after all and that’s what husbands did, but then he leaned in closer, brushing his mouth against my collarbone.

“Fuck, you have no idea how amazing they are now,”

he said. “Did you know that every morning when you wake up, I have to force myself not to look at your nipples? They poke through your shirt now, taunting me with their mere presence. I get hard every single time I look at you, and it’s inconvenient, to say the least.”

He dropped to his knees, so his face was level with my chest, and without hesitation, captured one of my nipples between his teeth. He tugged with just enough pressure to make me gasp, then soothed the sting with a slow, deliberate lick. His hand slid up to cup my other breast, his fingers pinching and twisting the already-sensitive peak until I whimpered at the sharp mix of pain and pleasure shooting straight between my legs.

Then he sucked hard. Sharp, hungry and possessive, his tongue swirled around the bud before he released it with a wet pop that made my thighs clench. My breath hitched as he alternated between soft licks and sharp nips, and my body melted into him, silently begging for more.

I always wanted more from him.

He brought both breasts together and buried his face between them with a groan. “Perfect,”

he whispered into my skin. “Every single piece of you,”

he continued, “is made for me and I want to spend the morning studying you.”

I tilted my head, half-teasing. “The morning of the Super Bowl might not be the best time to start that.”

Before I could fully process, his hands slid lower, his fingers slipping between my thighs with the kind of ease that only came from years of knowing every inch of someone. His touch was slow and deliberate as his fingers teased me like he had the entire morning to make me beg.

“Well, damn,”

he muttered. “You’re already dripping for me, and I’ve barely touched you.”

My breath hitch as his thumb brushed over my clit, just enough to make me twitch.

When I lost my footing, he caught me and kissed the dip of my stomach, taking his time around my stretch marks as though he was worshipping them. He looked up and me with hungry eyes, and I was thankful my hand was on the tiled walls because my knees were weak.

“You know how crazy it makes me seeing you like this, don’t you? All wet and pretty, knowing you’re all mine?”

His palm smoothed down my leg before he hooked it over his shoulder to open me up to him. When he knew I was steady, he kissed his way up my inner thigh. I closed my eyes, easing back until I felt the tiles behind me and by the time his mouth reached my center, I was already shaking.

“Oh, fu—”

I couldn’t finish because his tongue started stroking my clit.

“Just relax,”

he muttered as his tongue flicked against me before he flattened his tongue and dragged it through my folds. Then he sucked my clit into his mouth, making me cry out as I scrabbled for balance and buried one of my hands through his hair.

“That’s it,”

he growled. “Grind that pretty pussy in my face.”

“Devin,”

I gasped, barely able to form a sentence.

He chuckled as his tongue worked in slow, deliberate strokes, alternating between soft and insistent, keeping me right on the edge.

“I love hearing you moan my name like that. Are you going to come for me?”

I whimpered and my thighs tightened around his head as he sucked my clit into his mouth again, his fingers moving in the same rhythm.

My body was vibrating, and I was on the edge, holding it back, needing to stay on the precipice of an orgasm a little longer.

“I wanna feel it,”

he rasped. “Want to taste every last drop when you fall apart for me. Do you hear me? I want you to come on my fucking tongue.”

That was it. I shattered. It was loud and desperate, because I wasn’t thinking about whether the door was locked or if we’d get interrupted by anyone. The only thing that mattered was my husband on his knees for me.

My body spasmed as the orgasm tore through my body, but he didn’t stop. There was no letting up from Devin. He just kept licking and sucking and fucking me with his fingers until I was wrung out and shaking.

When he finally slowed and started to kiss me softly, I could barely stand.

By the time I could form a coherent thought, Devin was already rising to his feet, his lips slick with the evidence of what he’d just done to me. He dragged his tongue slowly across them like he was savoring it, and the look in his eyes nearly undid me all over again.

Water beat steadily against our skin, steam swirling around us as he reached past me to grab the body wash. I didn’t even try to stop him. I couldn’t. My limbs were jelly; my brain was still floating somewhere in the haze of what he’d just done to me.

He lathered the soap in his hands, then started running them over my body in slow, thorough and possessive strokes. I loved the way he could make me feel like the most beautiful woman in the world without trying.

When he pulled back, his voice was low and full of heat. “See?”

he said, mouth brushing mine. “Told you I had time to make you feel good.”

I laughed, breathlessly. “Yeah, yeah. Rub it in.”

“Oh, I plan to,”

he murmured, palm cupping my ass. “But first, we need to get dried off, dressed, and out that door before I say fuck the Super Bowl and take you against the bathroom tiles.”

I tugged at the fabric of the jersey, glaring at the mirror, unsure how to feel. It was custom made to fit me, so I should like it... right? Then why did I feel like the way it stopped mid-thigh only emphasized the point where my stretch marks started?

Devin let out a low grumble from the bed while he rolled his socks on. His gaze trailed over the back of the jersey where ‘Walker’ was embroidered. “I love this,”

he said. “Whoever thought custom fitting my jersey to make a dress for my wife deserves a raise.”

He bit his bottom lip as he stood and made his way toward me.

His hands wrapped around my waist, and he kissed my temple. “Well, you’ll be thanking Bella McCallister, then.”

The mention of her last name made him freeze. “Bella? As in the wife of Drew McCallister? The enemy?”

I rolled my eyes before looking at my playfully disgruntled husband in the mirror. “He wasn’t the enemy last month when we had him and his family over for dinner. The girls really looked up to Ari.”

Devin’s hands slipped up under the hem of my dress, lifting it to the point that you could see my stretch marks and underwear. I thought I’d feel a little self-conscious by the move, but it seemed okay when my husband looked at me like he couldn’t get enough.

“They did, but today he’s the enemy, and you wearing his wife’s creations almost feels like a betrayal, or a bad omen,” he joked.

“Oh, please.”

I bumped him with my butt and moved away from the mirror, heading toward the dresser to put my jewelry on. “Bella McCallister makes jersey dresses for everyone. It’s her job. She’s not out here trying to sabotage you with fashion. She’s trying to build a business.”

He shook his head and pointed to me. “Fine, but win or lose, promise me you’ll wear it tonight when we get back?”

“We’ll see. You might be exhausted by then, old man.”

I followed him to the bed and sat on his lap, enjoying his company for just a second.

Clearing my throat, I slid my hands up his chest, pressing lightly. “So... are you looking forward to seeing everyone tonight?”

Devin snorted, pulling back just enough to look at me. “The only person I’m likely to see is Tanner since he’ll be on the field with me. Everyone else will be in the box with you.”

I blew out a slow breath at the reminder as his fingers grazed over the smooth fabric of my dress.

His eyes sharpened, reading me too easily. “You nervous?”

I nodded, chewing my lip. “A little. We’re seven years out of college, all on different tracks and I come with an entourage now. It’s never just me anymore. It’s the kids, your mom, your sister, anyone to help with the chaos that follows me.”

Devin’s gaze softened as his fingers brushed the side of my neck. “That’s the beauty of a true friendship. It isn’t about fitting into a single chapter of someone’s life, it’s about walking with them through every season. Watching someone grow, change, and still choosing to be friends. That’s a privilege few friendships are given.”

A smile tugged at my lips as I thought about it. “Yeah, I guess you’re right. We didn’t even know Aster and Tanner in college, and now we hang out with them daily. They’re so good with the kids too. Especially Cole.”

I was full-blown smiling now. “He can’t stop talking about Aster like she’s his girlfriend.”

Devin snorted. “Well, Tanner better watch his back. Cole’s gonna be twenty-one before he ever works up the nerve to propose.”

I slapped my husband playfully on the chest. “Stop it. You know they’re it for each other. They don’t need rings to prove it.”

Devin nodded, his lips twitching like he knew something I didn’t. “We’ll see.”

Then his expression shifted, his eyes deepening. “You know what else I’m looking forward to?”

I raised a brow, waiting for his response as his fingers tightened on my waist and he smiled. “Seeing this dress on the floor after I’ve won the Super Bowl.”

I rolled my eyes but laughed, shaking my head. “You really don’t let up, do you?”

He leaned in, brushing his lips against my temple. “Not when it comes to you, darlin’. Never have. Never will”

And just like that, some of the tension eased from my shoulders, because no matter how big today was, how overwhelming everything felt, in the end, I had this.

Him and the wonderful world we’d built together.