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

Two days later, Heath finished fixing Mrs. Yates’s leaky roof. Grandpa had a crush on the woman, and said he’d climb the ladder

and do it himself if Heath couldn’t fix it.

So Heath had fixed Mrs. Yates’s roof. He now had three splinters, a bruised shoulder, and a sore back, but the job was done.

And the truth was, after all those years in a courtroom, where sometimes the bad guys won and the good guys lost, where often

there was no closure... he loved physical labor. Loved working with his hands. Loved being outside and accomplishing something

tangible.

He shifted in the hammock in his grandpa’s backyard, drinking a beer, watching a few puffy clouds cross the sky.

Mrs. Yates’s roof was just the latest in a long line of renovation jobs he’d taken on since coming back to Sunrise Cove.

In fact, he was just as busy now as he had been as a lawyer.

He couldn’t even remember the last time he’d had thirty minutes to himself to think, or had enjoyed even a moment of peace.

Or stayed at his own place up in Hidden Hills.

When his grandpa had gotten sick, it’d immediately been all hands on deck.

That had been almost two years ago now. His grandpa was better—unless his bad attitude counted—but he still couldn’t live on his own.

Nor could he handle all the stairs at Heath’s—

A movement on his left caught his eye, and he had just enough time to yell, “Mayhem, no—”

Too late.

The dog took a flying leap, landing with his full weight on Heath’s stomach, but smart enough to flatten himself out so they

didn’t tip.

Still, all the air whooshed from Heath’s lungs. “ Ouch . You need to go on a diet.”

Mayhem licked his chin, blowing his hot doggy breath in Heath’s face before laying his big, heavy head on Heath’s chest, those

chocolate-brown eyes filled with so much love it almost hurt to look at him. “That’s cheating, looking at me like that.”

“He looks at you like that because you’re the best thing that ever happened to him.” Cole stepped out of the kitchen and onto

the back porch. “He remembers who pulled him out of that shelter the day he was to be euthanized and gave him to Grandpa as

an emotional support dog.”

“That was forever ago in doggy years.”

Mayhem licked Heath’s ear, and Cole smiled. “He’s never forgotten.” He gave Heath a loaded look. “None of us have forgotten.”

Heath sighed. Not going there. “Don’t you have something to do?”

“Of course.” Cole grinned. “My wife.”

“You work twenty-four seven, and you have a toddler who thinks he’s a wild wolf cub. You don’t have time to do your wife.”

“I make the time. How do you think I’ve got one kid with another on the way?” Cole grinned when Heath made a face. “What, you’ve got something against healthy relationships? Oh, wait...”

“Smart-ass.” Heath looked around his grandpa’s large yard, which was in full summer garden mode with all of his and Ashley’s

hard work coming to fruition. On both sides of the fence, using both of their yards, they had strawberries, broccoli, snap

peas, lettuce, cherry tomatoes, and more. It’d been backbreaking work, but somehow also one of the most rewarding things he’d

ever done, growing something as real as food with his hands instead of a court memo or brief.

Cole took in the garden and shook his head, marveling. “I don’t know how you did it, but you managed to take a piece-of-shit,

overgrown yard and turn it into something remarkable. The peace and quiet alone is amazing.”

“Peace and quiet? Are you kidding me? You’ve met Grandpa, right?”

“Hey, Misty and I offered to take him in.”

“Right,” Heath said on a laugh. “Matty was a newborn, and your wife was going through postpartum. A stubborn old man who refuses

to wear pants and watches football at maximum volume would have been a huge help. He also gripes about everything I cook and

throws things at me when he gets mad—which is a lot, by the way.”

“At least he couldn’t hit a barn standing right in front of one.”

Heath snorted. “There’s that.”

“My point,” Cole said, softer now, all signs of kidding gone, “is that I owe you.”

“No, you don’t.”

“Misty says I do, and since that’s not the hill I want to die on, I’m siding with my wife.”

“Fine. I need a favor. I’ve got a basketball game tonight.”

“Is that old men’s rec league?”

“Ha ha. I need you to watch Mayhem and Grandpa.”

“Sure.” Cole pulled a doggy biscuit from his pocket. Mayhem stood up—on Heath’s chest.

“No—” Too late. Mayhem took a flying leap off the hammock. Heath gripped the side ropes to no avail. For several heartbeats

he held on through the wild swinging, and then...

He lay face-first in the dirt with Mayhem helpfully licking his ear. He slid the dog a look. “Your name should’ve been Menace.”

This earned him another slobbery kiss.

Heath pushed himself to all fours and assessed. He was fine, but his beer was not. He nudged Mayhem away, sliding a fulminating

look to his brother, who, the ass, was bent over, hands on his knees, laughing like a buffoon. Rising to his feet, Heath dusted

himself off and then pulled something from his pocket. His brother wasn’t the only smart-ass in the family. Heath whistled

to get Mayhem’s attention, waving the doggy biscuit before chucking it at Cole, just high enough that his brother had to jump

for it. And as he came down, treat in hand, Mayhem pounced, his front paws giving Cole a junk punch.

Cole dropped to his knees, hands over his crotch.

Satisfying.

“Seriously, Heath?” Misty waddled out the back door of the house. She’d been a high school track star, but at the moment,

she was about two years pregnant. When she made it to them, hands on hips, she nudged her high school sweetheart husband.

With her foot. “First of all...”

Heath winced. “You should run,” he suggested to Cole.

“Run?”

“She said ‘first of all,’ which means she’s prepared research, data, charts, and is about to destroy you.”

Misty rolled her eyes. “Don’t make me laugh. I’m too mad.”

“Again, or still?” Cole asked.

Misty sighed. “Never mind.” She eyed the body part he was currently holding on to. “What if I want a third kid someday?”

Cole groaned and flopped to his back like a beached fish. “You said you were done after this one.” He reached up and gently

rubbed her belly. “That I ruined your figure and gave you hemorrhoids.”

“And you wonder why I don’t want kids,” Heath said, and dramatically held out his hand, palm up, like, See exhibit A .

Misty pointed at him. “And you. You can forget me making you my world-famous, best-on-the-planet chocolate chip cookies ever

again.”

“He started it.”

“Did not,” Cole said.

“You’re both children.” She turned back to the house. “Matty’s asleep on the couch. If either of you wakes him, I’ll castrate

you with a dull knife.” Then she tottered back inside.

Cole sat up with a grimace. “I’m pretty sure she was kidding. At least about the castrating.”

“And the cookies?”

“Oh, she definitely meant that.” Cole rubbed his eyes. “I’m exhausted.”

“You knew what you were getting into when you had children.”

“Did I? Did I know I’d be arguing with a two-year-old that we don’t lick people’s feet? That we don’t touch poop? That we

sleep when it’s dark?” He looked Heath over. “I’m the exhausted one, but you look like shit.”

“Thanks, man.”

“No, I mean it,” Cole said, eyes solemn. “You’re working too hard. Again.”

“There are worse things.”

Cole shook his head. “When you were doing your attorney thing, you let the job steamroll over your entire life, wrecking your

health in the process.”

“I did not.”

“You did.” His brother’s eyes were serious now. “You were having daily chest pains. You even blacked out a few times. The

doctor assured all of us you weren’t having heart attacks, but he also said that the stress was nearly as bad for you. He

not-so-lightly suggested you de-stress your life.”

“And I did.”

Cole nodded. “Some. You broke up with Talia because she wanted more from you than you could give. You quit the job that was

killing you slowly. You moved back and said you were done with all that.”

“And I am. I’m still here, aren’t I?”

“Yeah, but you didn’t exactly slow down.” Cole shook his head. “Now you’re helping me fix up my house before the baby comes,

and don’t think I don’t know that you’re also helping half of this neighborhood with their renovations—”

“Mostly just making suggestions.”

“Yeah? Is that what you call it when you build an entire in-home elevator for Mrs. Tyler? Or when you put in a wheelchair

ramp for Wes Scott’s son?”

“So I like working with my hands,” Heath said.

“And I know damn well you’ve helped some of the local businesses with various legal things.”

“Consulting here and there for people who can’t afford legal help when they need it. I won’t apologize for that. For giving back to this town and the people in it when they helped us at our lowest point.”

Cole met his gaze, eyes shadowed with the memories, most of them bad. Feeling like a dick for dredging them up in the first

place, Heath tipped his head back to look at the sky again. Watching the clouds float was better than the anxiety meds he’d

weaned himself off now that his job was no longer slowly killing him. Was there anyone on the planet who could get to him

like his brother? No. But there was also no one he trusted more. “I’m okay,” he said softly. “And I like to help. I like to

feel... valuable—”

“Heath.” Cole’s voice was quiet, pained. “How can you doubt it? Wait. Don’t answer that.” He moved closer to where Heath had

sat down on the ground to hug Mayhem. “This is Dad’s ghost again, right?”

Heath closed his eyes, leaned his head back to let the sun warm him. Mayhem gave a soft whine and nudged up as close as he

could get. “Like he doesn’t haunt you too.”

“Of course he does. He was an angry asshole drunk.” Cole paused until Heath turned his head and met his solemn gaze. “One

that you protected me from. You’re the one who bore the brunt of his violence.”