Free The Power of Love by Serena Akeroyd

weakly.
    “Oh,” he replied, like that said it all. Maybe it did. This was Lexi after all. She zipped through books like ordinary kids zipped through the channels on TV. “Well, that sounds like my kind of book, Lexi.”
    She beamed at him. “Can we start after breakfast?”
    “Sure, poppet. Why don’t you go and grab it? We can read in my room.”
    Lexi half hopped from her seat, then remembered her manners. “May I be excused, please?”
    “Good save, kiddo,” Gia teased. “And yes, you may.”
    Lexi scampered off with her parents’ attention fully on her.
    “It’s a little old for her, isn’t it?” Luke asked as he bit into the muffin he’d loaded.
    “Probably.” Gia jerked a shoulder. “What can I do? She’s reading like it’s going out of fashion. At least the first couple of books are relatively tame. If she’s reading it to you, then it will take her longer. Try to make a big deal out of the illustrations, eke it out.”
    “Sure,” he commented. “It can be our book we read together before bed or whatever.”
    “That would be great.” Gia bit her lip. “How are you doing this morning?”
    Her nonchalant request was met with a sigh. “How do you think I am?”
    “You look like hell. When was the last time you shaved?” Josh retorted before Gia could make a peep.
    Luke glared at him. “Since when were you my keeper? I don’t have to keep to military regulations anymore. I’m thinking about growing it out.”
    There was a rebellious tone to his voice, one that told her he wasn’t exactly serious but it didn’t stop her from squeaking, “You want a beard?”
    “Why not?” he snapped. “It’s my choice now, isn’t it? I don’t have to follow any rules save for the ones I make myself.”
    Josh pursed his lips. “You don’t have the face for a beard. It will make you look like a tramp.”
    The unexpected comment had Gia’s eyes widening. Then, and she couldn’t help it, laughter burst free. It was unfortunate timing. The sip of orange juice she’d just taken tried to explode from her nose, but she grabbed her napkin and held it to her face as she chuckled at the truth in Josh’s words. “You would, Luke, you would,” she babbled, dabbing at her face and grinning as she did.
    Josh had folded the paper and his arms and was smirking, proud that he’d made her laugh. He wasn’t entirely known for his humor—his serious nature was one of the reasons she loved him dearly—so whenever he got her going, there was always an air of achievement about him. “See,” he told Luke. “I’m not the only one who thinks that.”
    Their lover huffed. “Well, I’m still going to try.”
    “It looks like a bird’s nest the wind tore from the tree,” Josh commented. “And it’s what? A few days’ old? Get it shaved, for God’s sake.”
    Luke took a bite of his muffin, a bite that was definitely aggressive. “I’ll see how I feel in the morning.”
    Josh shrugged. “You want either of us to kiss you ever again, you’ll shave the damn thing off today .”
    Before he could reply, and Gia could tell Luke was dying to make a comeback, Lexi skipped into the room, large book in hand. She returned to her seat and with the air of Shylock coveting his gold, reverently placed it beside her on the tablecloth. All three of them looked on in amusement at her behavior. The kid was destined to be a librarian; either that, or follow in Gia’s steps as a writer.
    Gia had been obsessed with reading as a kid too, so she kind of understood Lexi’s voracious appetite, but her little girl was a far faster reader than she had been. Thank God for libraries…otherwise she’d have spent half their food budget on buying Lexi books!
    “Eat your granola, Lexi. After you’ve read to Papa, I have some errands, and I want you to come with me.” Josh ruffled the paper he was reading, flicking the corner down so he could look at her over it.
    Lexi’s eyes widened, and she pointed at herself. “You want