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Something he decided he didn’t like.
And he was going to let her know that. Getting up, he walked out of the bedroom to the kitchen. There, he found her wearing his T-shirt, standing at the kitchen stove.
She was flipping pancakes and humming to herself.
She looked happy.
Fuck. This image would be burned into his brain for eternity. His woman, standing in his kitchen and wearing his T-shirt with her hair up on her head, humming with happiness.
“Baby, what are you doing?”
She let out a small cry.
Fuck. It worried him that she didn’t notice what was going on around her.
“How did you sneak up on me?” she asked, her hand pressed to her chest.
“I wasn’t trying to be quiet.”
She let out a breath. “I was just in the zone.”
“I like that you’re in the zone. That you feel safe enough to go into the zone.” He moved over to her, wrapping himself around her back. “But I don’t like waking up to an empty bed.”
“Oh. I wanted to make you breakfast in bed. But now you’re not in bed.”
Breakfast in bed?
He couldn’t remember anyone ever making him breakfast in bed.
“That’s sweet of you, darlin’.” He turned her, cupping her cheek. “But I’d rather you woke me up first, okay?”
“All right. I just wanted to do something nice for you. You do so much for me.”
He kissed her lightly. “I like doing things for you. Some things more than others.”
“Like back massages?” she asked, her eyes dancing.
He laughed. “Yeah, darlin’. Like back massages. Now, you going to flip those pancakes before they burn?”
“Eek!”
The Malones were crazy. Loud and boisterous. Smiling and laughing and joking. They spoke over each other. They didn’t really have table manners.
And they treated their women like Queens.
“You get used to it after a while.”
She glanced to her right, where Clem smiled at her. She didn’t know the other woman that well, but what she did know, she liked.
She also knew Clem was almost as crazy as the Malones, so she fit right in.
Also . . . Clem had come to dinner with a lamb. Apparently, it was one of the neighbors lambs who’d been rejected by its mama. So Clem was its new mama.
That’s what she’d said, anyway.
See? Crazy.
“You do?”
“Yep. The best idea is to just relax and have fun. Go with it. These Malone men, they all get what they want in the end. Don’t fight it.”
“Right. Good advice.”
“And if you feel like you want to throttle them, just have a Baileys. It always calms me down.”
There was a baaing noise, and she glanced over in shock to find the lamb standing at the large window in the dining room.
“Quiet, Lamb Chop,” Clem called out. “Mama’s eating.”
“Lamb Chop?” Hannah asked in a strangled voice.
“That’s his name.”
“Jesus, he’s noisy,” Butch said. “Does he ever shut up?”
“When he’s eating or when he’s close to Clem,” Jaret said. “He managed to get into the house yesterday. I woke up to a lamb staring right at me.”
“He just likes you.” Clem patted Jaret’s shoulder.
“He looks at me like he’s working out how to murder me and take my place.”
“Hmm, I can see that,” Clem replied with a nod.
“West, will you put me down!”
“No.”
Hannah glanced over at the doorway to find West carrying a hugely pregnant Flick.
Hannah stood. “Oh no, is she all right? What happened? Do I need to call Jenna?”
Was she in labor? Had she fallen and hurt herself? What was going on?
“I’m fine,” Flick said with disgruntlement as West set her down on a chair that Maddox had hastily pulled back. He and Beau had sandwiched their boys in between them. They were old enough to sit up in high chairs now. So cute. And the noise and chaos didn’t seem to bother them at all.
“West just won’t let me walk anywhere. Anywhere! It was bad enough when it was just the stairs. Now, it’s everywhere! I’m pregnant, not injured.”
“I don’t want you to fall,” West said gruffly. “You could hurt yourself.”
Damn.
“That’s so sweet,” Hannah said.
Everyone turned to stare at her. Oops. Should she not have said anything?
“Well, heck,” Flick said. “I guess it is. I still think you’re going to put your back out, though.”
Every man in the room frowned at her.
“You’re not heavy. Stop talking like that,” West told her. “You’re carrying our baby.”
“Yep, and if it’s anything like West, that baby is going to have a bowling ball for a head,” Beau said cheerfully.
Flick gaped at him. “Why would you say that? I’ve got to give birth to this baby!”
West scowled and stepped toward Beau, who jumped up and grabbed one of his baby boys. “Don’t kill me! You can’t kill me while I’m carrying your nephew.”
“Oh my God!”
Hannah turned to see Scarlett standing with a plate of bread rolls, which she set on the table. “Beau Malone! What have I told you about using your sons as a human shield!”
