Page 38 of The Love Fix (The Sunrise Cove #8)

Lexi woke up confused and alone, and not in her own bed. She lay on soft sheets. Pillows from heaven.

Naked.

Her clothes, mingled with the clothes Heath had been wearing last night, were scattered on the floor.

She’d fallen asleep in Heath’s bed.

And now the sun slanted in the window, highlighting the fact that she wore nothing but some whisker burns. Then the scent

hit her.

Bacon.

Coffee.

God, she could love him for that alone, and she jumped out of bed, pulling on her clothes so fast her head spun. Following

the scent of food down the hallway, she could see, through the doorway into the kitchen, something else—something even more

delicious than bacon.

Heath, his back to her, wearing nothing but soft black sleep pants low-slung on his hips, hair mussed, standing in front of the stove.

The kitchen lighting caught on every muscle, the ef fect devastating on her self-control.

So was the knowing smile he flashed her over his shoulder as he flipped a pancake with an easy flick of his wrist.

“I’m starving,” she said, entering the kitchen. “I think we burned at least a million calories each last night—”

A delicate snort sounded, and she nearly died on the spot as she pivoted to find Cole, Misty, and Grandpa Gus sitting at the

table eating. Mayhem lay under the table, head on his paws, clearly waiting for food to fall, but he did lift his head at

the sight of her and pant a hello. Also under the table... Matty, naked, gumming a banana.

The Bowmans had multiplied.

Lexi really hoped that had happened long after Heath had woken her up somewhere around dawn. With his mouth... A sound

escaped her, like a squeak of a mouse caught in a trap.

Cole’s lips tilted up in unrepentant amusement as he studied her over the lip of his coffee cup.

Misty nudged her husband, muttering something beneath her breath about “don’t be an ass.” She looked at Lexi. “We brought

Grandpa home and forced Heath to make us breakfast because out of all of us, he’s the best cook.”

Grandpa was wearing a Cheshire cat grin. “I’m going to assume you had a good night...”

Dear God. Where was a big fat black hole when one needed it? Just as she started to whirl and walk—run—out, Heath gave her

a finger crook. His eyes were soft, his mouth too, as he smiled at her like maybe she’d hung the sun and the moon.

“Aw!” Misty elbowed Cole. “You used to look at me like that.”

“Still do, baby.”

They kissed sweetly as Lexi moved to Heath’s side. He’d reached for a second pan on a different burner, flipping the pancakes bubbling there, mashing his lips together to withhold his amusement.

At her.

She shifted to hide her hand as she pinched his muscular ass. Hard. “You could have warned me,” she whispered.

“I was being a gentleman and letting you sleep in.”

“You know, because of the million calories you burned off all night,” Cole said helpfully from the table.

Lexi groaned and dropped her forehead to Heath’s shoulder. With a low laugh, he brushed a kiss to her temple. “Don’t worry

about him. He’s not going to say another thing about it in your presence. Not if he wants to keep breathing.”

“You two are no fun at all,” Cole said around a bite of bacon, clearly not in the least worried about his future breathing.

A drop of pancake batter hit the floor, and Mayhem scrambled out from beneath the table and came running, his tongue mopping

up the spill. Then he sat and looked hopefully up at Heath, his tail thumping to remind Heath what a good, well-behaved boy

he was.

Heath snorted and tossed him a strawberry. Then he filled a plate with bacon, eggs, and pancakes, and handed it to Lexi. Then,

a warm hand at her back, he gently nudged her to the table, pulling out a chair for her. Soon as she sat, he smiled and leaned

down, giving her a sweet, smacking kiss before scooping up Cole’s still half-full plate and... offering it to Matty under

the table.

Matty cackled in glee, tossing Mayhem a bite of bacon. The dog gave a joyous bark of excitement and gobbled it up in the blink

of an eye.

“You didn’t even taste that,” Heath admonished.

“Real mature,” Cole grumbled at his brother, and, fork still in hand, turned to his wife, eyeing her food.

Misty hunched over her plate, guarding it with one hand as she shoveled in food with the other.

“I love you, Cole, to the moon and back and all,” she said around a mouthful, “but touch my plate, and I’ll stab you with the knife you were dumb enough to leave within my reach.

And then I’ll finish eating right over your dead body. ”

Cole blinked. “Did I tell you how beautiful you look today?”

She snorted. “You can relax. I wouldn’t really kill you.”

“Well, that’s good to know.”

“Because if I have to go through labor again, so do you.”

“Right.”

Misty sent Lexi an apologetic grimace. “Normally, I’m a lot nicer than this. Well, nice with a sprinkle of sorry-I-lost-my-shit.

I don’t usually threaten people with bodily harm. I’m more the type of woman who helps her husband look for his candy that

I already ate.”

Cole narrowed his eyes. “I knew it!”

Lexi laughed. “No judgment,” she told Misty, and then dug in. Stilled. Moaned . “Oh my God, this is amazing.”

Heath brought her a mug of coffee, running a hand up and down her spine. “Glad you like.”

Misty nudged Cole. “My new favorite fantasy is you serving me like that.”

Cole smiled at her with the love and affection that came from a longtime, solid relationship. “You’ve come up with better

fantasies than that.”

“You’re right. Would you like to hear my latest and wildest fantasy?”

Cole smirked. “Oh yeah.”

“Me sleeping through the night and waking up to a clean house, a fit body, no wrinkles, laundry done and put away, a full buffet breakfast with no calories, and a million bucks in my purse.”

Cole choked on a sip of his coffee. “I was thinking something easier and far more fun. Like your favorite, the pirate and

maiden, where I—”

“ Out ,” Heath said.

“But it’s just getting good,” Misty said.

“Which is why you’re leaving.”

“Why doesn’t Grandpa have to leave?” Cole asked.

“’Cuz I live here.” Grandpa leaned in and refilled Lexi’s cup, gently clicking his mug to hers with a wink.

Lexi had to laugh. He was incorrigible, and she wondered if Heath would be just like him when he got older. And then she wondered

why she wondered, since she didn’t believe in happily-ever-afters.

Even if a secret little part of her really wanted to.

Cole delayed their leaving to help Heath with the dishes while Misty tried to gather all their stuff.

“I used to be so low-maintenance. I never even carried a purse,” Misty said conversationally, picking up toys and diapers,

stuffing them back into her massive diaper bag. “These days I’m more a pack mule.”

Lexi laughed. “But you have a lovely family.”

“I do. Cole’s amazing, and Heath...” Her eyes danced. “He’s been smiling more lately. Which has something to do with you,

I’m betting. I think you’ve reminded him of things he’s forgotten.”

Something deep in Lexi’s belly quivered. “Like what?”

“That he is of value far beyond what he can do for people. He tends to forget that he’s loved.” She smiled. “You’re good for

him.”

“Oh. I’m not sure what we’re—”

Misty smiled. “I’m not trying to pry. I just wanted you to know how much it means to us to see him happy.” She paused. “And

that if you want a friend in town who you’re not related to or doesn’t have testosterone, I’m your girl.”

That simple act of Misty reaching out, offering friendship with no strings attached, seemed to brush against all the scars

in Lexi’s heart.

Then Misty surprised her further by hugging her tight before shouldering her bag, taking Matty by the hand, and heading out.

Maybe... just maybe it wasn’t a secret little part of her that wanted to believe in happily-ever-afters. Maybe it was a secret big part of her.