We fell asleep in each other's arms again, for the first time in over a week, and it felt so good. I didn't have any nightmares, which was a welcome surprise. For the first night in over a week, I slept like a baby, and so did Alex. She didn't cry out in the middle of the night and she didn't start sobbing. She didn't scream or thrash around. She slept straight through the night, and I was glad of it.

I woke up in the morning to find blonde hair splayed out on my stomach and clear blue eyes staring up at me, twinkling in amusement. I smiled and kissed her forehead. "'Morning, Alex. How long have you been up for?"

She shrugged and leaned in for a good morning kiss. "Not long. Ten minutes, maybe." She grinned. "You're beautiful when you sleep."

I laughed. "Flattery gets you everywhere."

"Mm," she agreed, kissing me again. "True, true."

"I'll make you some pancakes," I offered.

"You'll make us some pancakes," she corrected me, then smiled shyly. "That sounds good."

I grinned and lifted her into my arms as if she weighed no more than a baby. Honestly, she wasn't very heavy, and she pounded lightly on my back for a moment before smiling again and leaning her head against my shoulder, relaxing in my arms. I carried her downstairs to the family room and set her gently on the couch. "Relax," I told her. "Watch TV or read a book or something. I'll take care of breakfast."

She grabbed her book from the coffee table and started to read. I watched her for a moment before planting a soft kiss on the crown of her head and starting breakfast, strawberry pancakes and strawberry smoothies, both of which were Alex's favorite. I arranged the table and set out the food, then went back into the family room where Alex was lying on the couch, reading her book.

I sat down beside her and ran a hand through her hair. "Hey, princess. Breakfast's ready."

"Brunch," she said without looking up.

I laughed. "Okay, brunch. You coming?"

She put in her bookmark and closed her book, taking off her glasses and setting them on the coffee table. "Yeah."

I took her hand and led her into the kitchen. "Voila."

She smiled when she saw what I'd made and planted a soft kiss on my lips. "Thanks, Liv," she said quietly.

"No problem, princess," I said dismissively, sitting down and pouring some maple syrup onto my pancakes.

She sat down too and started to cut her pancakes into tiny squares. I watched in amusement. It was just something Alex always did, cutting her food into bite-sized, perfect squares. They couldn't be circles or rectangles or ovals; they had to be perfect squares. That was just Alex.

"I would have done that for you," I told her.

She laughed. "They wouldn't have been perfect then."

I pretended to be offended. "Hey!"

"No offense," Alex said quickly. "You just lack my perfectionistic tendencies."

I gave her hand a playful squeeze. "None taken."

She started to slowly eat her pancakes, taking each piece individually, chewing, swallowing, wiping her mouth primly with her napkin, then starting over again.

I laughed, but she shook her head. "I'm savoring the taste," she explained. "They're good." She smiled sweetly, then added, "Thank you."

I leaned over to kiss her again. "I love you, baby."

"I love you, too, Liv," she said softly, then deepened the kiss.

I wrapped my arms around her. Suddenly, I just couldn't stop touching her, because I loved her so much and I was so glad that she was back, really back, and I needed to assure myself that she was really here. I buried my face in smooth blonde tresses and inhaled the intoxicating scent of Alex.

She turned her head and smiled in amusement. "What are you doing?"

I rested my cheek against her shoulder. "Mm, nothing."

She patted my head. "Can I go back to eating now?"

I laughed and sat up. She went back to her pancakes and I went back to mine.

"Thank you for breakfast," she said when she was done, but I could tell she wasn't just being polite; she meant it.

"You're welcome, baby," I replied, squeezing her hand. "I'll clean up. You relax."

"No, it's okay. You made breakfast. I'll help."

We cleared the table and wiped down the counter in comfortable silence. There were never awkward silences between us; they always said just as much as our words, and not in a bad way.

The sun was shining brightly over the water when we finished, so we went upstairs to change into our swimsuits again. We went outside and sprawled out on our beach towels, tanning – or, in Alex's case, burning. I undid the back of my bikini so I wouldn't have tan lines (and maybe because I wanted to get a reaction out of Alex). She didn't give me one, just a disapproving look before going back to her book.

I flopped onto my stomach and started to gently run my fingers through Alex's soft blonde tresses. She barely looked up, which was . . . annoying. I was feeling deprived, so I said, "Alex."

She ignored me.

"Alex."

Again, she ignored me.

"Alex!"

She looked up and rolled her eyes. "I'm trying to read. Let me read."

"Mm." I leaned forward to press a soft kiss to her lips, then pulled away before she can deepen it.

I thought I was teasing her, but I guess I wasn't, because she didn't seem to mind, just went back to her book.

I grinned to myself and lifted her into my arms again, to which she screeched, "Put me down!"

I had her attention now, and my smile got even wider as I leaned down to cover her face with gentle kisses.

She pushed me away and pouted. "I was trying to read."

"Was being the operative word," I told Alex, carrying her toward the lake.

She flopped back against me and sighed in resignation as I waded out to waist level and set her gently in the water. "Why do you do that?"

I shrugged. "I was feeling deprived."

"No, you were feeling attention-seeking," she corrected me. "Jealous?"

I nodded sheepishly.

She laughed. "You're competing with my book!"

"Which one of us wins?"

She leaned in for another kiss. "Oh, no contest." She kissed me again, then pulled away, grinning like a cat. "The book."

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