Page 2 of Remember Me

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.

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