her ass and was even now in the process of dragging her on top of his body.
“Looking for trouble—” Jaxi began.
“Maaaaama.” The doorknob rattled as PJ’s voice rang against the door. “Daaaaaadeeeee.”
Absolutely adorable even as their four-year-old’s timing made Blake groan. “Invasion?” he asked Jaxi.
She pressed a quick kiss to his lips before carefully crawling off. “I’ll get him. You deal with—things.”
With a slightly wicked pat of her hand against his belly, Jaxi swung away before he could grab her, hips wiggling saucily as she headed toward the door.
Blake rolled, adjusting his hard-on to a more comfortable position that was slightly protected in case their oldest son decided to launch his way onto the mattress like he usually did.
“Yes? We didn’t order any pizza,” Jaxi said as she knelt beside the door.
Around her, PJ’s expression went utterly serious as he shook his head. “Not peeza. Cuddles.”
“Well, that’s totally different.” Jaxi scooped him up then closed the door and returned to the bed. “Look, Daddy, we have an early morning delivery of cuddles.”
“One of my favourite things,” Blake said sincerely, opening his arms.
PJ snuggled in, and Blake felt that pulse deep inside his heart again. The one that ached even as it brought a smile to his face.
Jaxi sat on the edge of the bed, her expression filled with wonder. “I love you.”
She said the words so simply, but it was clear the message was meant for him, not their son. Although she totally loved their kids to pieces, this thing between them wasn’t getting any smaller. After eight years of marriage, it seemed to simply grow, expanding to fill every single bit of room, not just in Blake’s heart, but in their home.
Even as he draped an arm around their son, he patted the mattress beside him. “Climb in. It’s cold out there.”
She smiled wryly. “I will. But I figured I’d wait to let the rest of them in first.”
“Who?”
He shouldn’t have bothered asking. He knew the answer.
“Daddy?” A chorus of little girls.
Jaxi blew him a kiss before sneaking from the room. By the time she got back with two-year-old Justin in her arms, the seven-year-old blonde-haired twins, Rebecca and Rachel, had settled on either side of six-year-old Lana.
Lana sighed contentedly. “I like sleepovers.”
“Not a sleepover when it’s Mommy and Daddy’s bed…” Becca explained seriously.
“…it’s family cuddles,” Rae finished.
“Shove over there, kids,” Jaxi said with amusement. “Make room for your brother.”
Shockingly, ten minutes later the bed was silent. The girls had curled up in a heap like puppies and fallen back asleep almost immediately. Against Blake’s chest, PJ’s blondish hair spread in a tangled mess. He’d snuck his thumb in his mouth, his little chest moving easily.
Justin was sprawled on top of Jaxi, contented baby snores rising from him.
And Blake and Jaxi were teetering on opposite edges of the mattress.
She was smiling, though. “Are you sure you don’t want a king-size bed?”
Blake kept his chuckle soft to avoid waking anyone. “We had any more room in here, we’d be able to fit a couple of the dogs and a small horse.”
She snapped a finger to her lips. “Shh. Do not suggest that, or the twins will try to sneak them in for a test run.”
“The dogs? Or the horse?”
“Both. Either. All of them,” Jaxi said, lips curling with amusement. Her gaze drifted over the family between them then back to Blake’s eyes. “You need to take an extra-long lunch break.”
He was lost for a moment before comprehension drifted in. While adult entertainment was out of the question this morning, it appeared there might be hope for later. “If you can find a bit of spare time in your day.”
Her gaze grew heated. “Ashley and I are doing baby swaps this week. And it doesn’t need to be a bit. Unless a bit means a couple of hours.”
Reaching across the mass of children between them meant risking waking one or two. Blake satisfied himself with his best attempt at a smolder. “I’ll be home by noon. We’ll see what we can cook up together.”
The delight on his woman’s face was as sweet as the family that lay between them and as heated as the plans that lay before them.
They stared at each other in silence, smiles on their faces, love pooling around them for another hour until it was time to head into the day.
The chaos of breakfast followed. Then backpacks and getting three little girls off to the school bus, all of them bundled up in their snow suits.