Devyn pulled away from Spencer, then, as sensing Lucky standing behind her, turned her head and gave him a small smile.
Spencer took a step back and shoved his hands in his pockets. He nodded once at Lucky, then turned to walk away.
Lucky immediately wrapped an arm around Devyn’s waist and pulled her against him. “Are you all right?” he asked.
She nodded. “Yes. He sent me a text and said he was out here. He asked if I would come see him for a minute.”
“And?” Lucky asked when she didn’t continue.
Devyn turned in his embrace and looped her arms around his neck. “He’s doing really well,” she told him. “He feels awful about everything that happened…and I believe him when he says that he’s changed. He just wanted to congratulate me.”
Lucky knew he and Spencer would never be friends, but Devyn loved her brother and wanted to repair their relationship. He would respect her decision.
“That’s good, Dev.”
“It is,” she agreed.
“I got your drink,” he told her, ready to change the subject. Thinking about Spencer on today of all days wasn’t high on his list of things he wanted to do.
“Yeah?”
“Uh-huh. But you know, I have a better idea.”
“What’s that?”
“We could go up to our room and order a bottle of champagne from room service.”
Devyn laughed and shook her head, but he could see the desire in her eyes.
“We can’t,” she said. “We still need to cut the cake. And do the first dance. My parents would be so upset if they didn’t get pictures of all that.”
Lucky sighed dramatically, then grinned. He knew she was going to say that, but she couldn’t blame him for trying.
She went up on her tiptoes and kissed him. “I love you, husband.”
“And I love you, wife,” he returned.
As they entered the lobby of the hotel to head back to the reception, Lucky turned to look in the direction Spencer had gone.
Devyn’s brother was standing outside, his gaze locked on his sister. When their gazes met, Spencer dipped his chin respectfully.
Lucky returned the gesture and watched as Spencer disappeared around the corner.
“Thank you for not freaking out,” Devyn said softly.
Lucky leaned down and kissed her temple. “He fucked up. Huge. But he loves you, and I can’t blame him for wanting to see you on your wedding day.”
“And that’s one of the million and one reasons why I love you so much,” Devyn said with tears in her eyes.
“Come on. Let’s get you back in there before your parents freak out,” Lucky said.
“I wasn’t gone that long,” Devyn protested.
The second they stepped inside the ballroom, Devyn’s mom rushed up to them and exclaimed, “There you are! The photographer is getting the cake set up for pictures!”
Lucky looked down at his wife and raised an eyebrow.
She burst out laughing. “Okay, you were right.”
Lucky kissed her once more. “Go on. I’ll be right there.”
Devyn nodded and walked toward the table with their wedding cake, accompanied by her mom. There was another table nearby with Grover and Sierra’s cake. It felt right sharing this moment with his teammate. Lucky might not have chosen a huge reception, but it was a small price to pay to see the happiness in Devyn’s eyes.
Life wasn’t all sunshine and roses, but moments like this, spent with loved ones, somehow made the bad stuff fade. Lucky couldn’t wait to experience every second of his life with Devyn. This was just the beginning.
Two Years Later
“Never again!” Riley seethed between clenched teeth.
“Okay,” Oz soothed.
As another contraction overcame her, Riley growled. She honest-to-God growled. “I mean it, Porter. I can’t do this againnnnnn!”
The last word was more of a wail than an actual word.
To be honest, Oz hated this. Not her having his baby—that he freaking loved. But he hated seeing her in pain. Millions of babies were born every year, but seeing Riley struggle to bring their child into the world was torture.
He couldn’t deny that he loved kids though. He loved everything about them. The chaos in their house. The sleepless nights. The warm baby snuggles. But he knew having three babies in about as many years was overwhelming for Riley. Not to mention, throwing Logan and Bria into the mix. They were all good kids, but still, four was a lot. Five was going to be even harder.
“Okay, no more kids,” he reassured his wife.
“Are you just saying that because I’m in the middle of labor and you know I’ll seriously hurt you if you even talk about knocking me up again?” she raged.
Oz knew better than to laugh. “No. We should’ve waited before having our third so soon.”
“Too late now,” she groaned.
It was. And Oz couldn’t wait to meet to meet his son. Riley had given him Amalia, then Brittney. Now it was Charlie’s turn.
The discussion about whether or not to have any more kids was cut short when the doctor arrived and told Riley the “good part” was about to happen.
Three hours later, Riley held their son in her arms. She was sweaty, exhausted, but Oz still thought she was the most beautiful woman he’d ever seen. Even more so because she’d just given him another child.
Oz forgot their chat about future children because he was too busy introducing his other kids to their new brother. Then he was celebrating with his Delta Force team. Then it was time to give Gillian and Trigger last-minute instructions on what to let Amalia watch before she went to bed, how much to feed Brittney for dinner, about what time Logan needed to be at baseball practice the next day, and how Bria’s friend’s mother would drive her home after dance practice.
His life was hectic, and Oz didn’t have a second to relax, but he wouldn’t have it any other way. He planned to spend the night in the hospital with Riley and Charlie. The Army forced him to be away more than he liked, so he wasn’t going to waste a single night, even though Riley was in the hospital.
It was now dark outside, and he was sitting right next to her bed as they watched TV.
“Porter?”
“Yeah, Ri?”
“I was serious. I can’t do this again. Three is enough for this body.”
“And I said I agreed,” Oz reminded her.
“But that doesn’t necessarily mean I don’t want more children…”
Oz turned to give her his full attention.
“I love our kids. Our life is insane, but I never thought I could be this happy. I like the chaos, even if it drives me crazy sometimes. I’m not saying now, and probably not even for a few years, but I wouldn’t mind looking into fostering, with the option to possibly adopt.”
Oz’s heart swelled in his chest. Fuck, he loved this woman.
“Say something,” she urged, looking concerned.
Standing up, Oz perched on the edge of her bed. He gently lay down on his side and took his wife into his arms as carefully as he could. The last thing he wanted was to cause her any pain. He snuggled her close and sighed. “I’d love that.”
Neither said anything else. They had a lot of time to figure things out. Their son’s birth day wasn’t the time to plan when to bring more people into their already crazy lives, but he was still thrilled at the idea. Nothing was as satisfying to Oz as when his kids turned to him for advice, for help, for protection. It was heady to be needed, to be the one to help guide them, and he couldn’t imagine his life without at least one child in it.