I wake up in the morning to the smell of bacon.

Yep, I’m home.

I feel like I’ve been thinking about how much this feels like home ever since I got here, except it hasn’t quite been there. It hasn’t quite felt perfect until this very morning, because something was missing.

And no, it wasn’t bacon cooking.

It’s the man I know is sleeping on the couch down in the basement rec room.

Silas, of course.

Yes, I’m twenty-six years old. Yes, I’m a grown adult woman capable of having mature, adult relationships. Yes I’m married, for crying out loud. But my dad letting Silas Hart share a bed with me under his roof?

Not in a million years.

Some things never do change.

I swing my legs out of bed and stretch, glancing at the phone still lying on the pillow next to where I slept and feeling my face get red. He might have been on the couch downstairs, but that didn’t stop a very steamy string of texts followed by a hushed, gasping phone conversation to take place anyways.

I pull on my old softball t-shirt and a pair of loose pajama pants, ducking my face in front of a mirror and doing…something with my hair before I open my bedroom door and head downstairs. The smell of bacon, pancakes, and sweet, sweet coffee hits my nostrils, getting stronger with every step.

The hallway door to the basement cracks open as I get to the bottom of the stairs, and I stop and grin at the sleepy, bleary-eyed man still pulling a shirt on that steps out into the light.

“Hey sleeping beauty.”

He jumps at the sound of my voice before he turns and grins at me.

“Hey yourself, gorgeous.”

He glances behind him at the sound of voices down the hall in the kitchen before he pulls me against him, kissing my lips.

I wink at him. “You look tired. Did you sleep well?”

Silas’s eyes flash at mine as he pulls me against him again. “Someone kept me up, actually.”

“Oh?” I smile innocently.

“You know,” he murmurs. “This someone has developed quite a dirty little mouth since the last time I had phone calls like that with her.”

I blush scarlet at the memory of the night before.

“And I can’t wait to learn more about it,” he growls, his hand sliding up my side and brushing against my breast.

“Breakfast!”

The sound of my mother’s voice calling from the kitchen has us jumping apart. We both catch it and roll our eyes, realizing we’re still acting like this is some sort of illicit teen romance instead of the two married adults we actually are.

We turn towards the kitchen, but I stop short, frowning at what’s sitting in the foyer by the front door.

“Who’s are those?”

Two suitcases - one jet black and silver and very important looking and the other a very expensive Prada bag lie next to each other in the middle of the floor by the door.

I turn to see Silas looking as puzzled as I am.

“No idea?” He grins. “Maybe it’s for us? Think they’re trying to tell us something?”

I laugh. “Yeah, right. Irene would have us live here if we’d go for it.”

“Would that still entail me spending every fucking night on that shitty sofa downstairs?”

I nod. “Most certainly.”

Silas laughs before taking my hand. “C’mon, let’s go get some coffee.”

The sound of laughter and boisterous conversation gets louder and louder until we step into the kitchen and-

And my jaw drops.

“Kyle?!” I scream as my youngest brother looks up from his pancakes and jumps up from his chair.

“Slimy! You’re up!”

I shriek as I jump into his arms before looking over his shoulder and noticing a gorgeous, elegantly dressed girl who I’ve definitely seen in tabloid magazines.

“Oh!”

I pull away from Kyle and cringe at the goofy pajama outfit I’m wearing while I meet my brother’s girlfriend Vivian Ames - an actual socialite - for the first time.

“Uh, hi, I-”

“Dude, relax,” Kyle throws an arm over my shoulder as he grins at his girlfriend. “She’s a huge fan. She buys like every skin cream you market.”

Vivian’s faces goes red and she rolls her eyes at my brother before giving me a sheepish look.

“It’s true, I sort of stalk you on Instagram. And oh my God, I love your new yoga line!”

I turn to my brother. “Oh, I like her-”

I stop suddenly as I realize Kyle is ignoring me, staring and grinning at the kitchen doorway instead.

“Well hell,” he says evenly. “Silas freaking Hart, back for breakfast at the Hammond house.”

There’s only a second of hesitation before he suddenly grins and grabs Silas into a big bear hug.

“Guess I should say welcome to the family, huh brother?”

Apparently, Kyle’s been filled in.

Silas steps away, a huge grin on his face as he stares at Kyle in disbelief. “What the hell are you doing here?”

My dad coughs.

“Heck, sorry,” Silas nods at my dad.

Kyle shrugs, clapping him on the shoulder. “Look I’m sorry man, I got Rowan’s call like two weeks ago man. I’ve just been so busy. Work’s been taking all my time.”

“Tell me about it.” Vivian sighs dramatically, bringing a laugh to the whole kitchen.

“Hey, some of us have to work,” Kyle frowns.

Rowan snorts. “Kyle, you’re literally a millionaire. Cry me a damn river, buddy.”

Kyle grins sheepishly, but Silas looks at him curiously.

“Phone call?”

“About the company? Your company idea?”

Huh?

Kyle nods eagerly. “Dude, I’m in.”

Silas’s jaw drops. “You’re in? Just like that? I haven’t even had a chance to tell you anything about it.”

Kyle shrugs. “Eh, Rowan filled me in on the basics. I mean, I want to hash out some details with you, but I think we could kill it with this thing. Besides, I’m done grinding it with the Bureau, man. Apparently I’m not cut out for a regular desk job.”

Silas is still shaking his head, a look of disbelief on his face. “Tell me you’re not messing with me, Kyle.”

Our younger brother laughs. “I’m completely serious, man. I’m in for the whole thing. Let’s do it!”

I shake my head as I step forward. “Hang on, hang on. You’re in for what exactly?” I raise a brow at Silas. “What company?”

Kyle snorts. “She doesn’t know?”

“No, I don’t.”

He grins back at my husband. “Always with the secrets, this one.” He turns back to me. “A securities firm - private, corporate, the works.”

I turn back to stare at Silas. “Are you serious?”

He grins as he shrugs. “I didn’t want to tell you until it was more than just an idea.” He glances at Kyle. “It’s, uh, it’s gonna take some serious startup cash. You know that, right?”

Rowan groans over the rim of his coffee. “Dude, he’s a millionaire. Why does everyone keep forgetting that?” he says with a wink.

“A securities firm.” I cock my head, grinning as Silas moves towards me and puts an arm around my waist.

“A thief and a hacker, what could possibly go wrong,” Sierra says with a laugh from the breakfast table.

“Well these pancakes could get even colder, for one thing, and I am not cooking more.” Mom arches a stern brow as she comes up behind Silas and I, ushering us towards the table.

My siblings scoot over as Silas and my dad pull two more chairs in from the dining room. Mom brings over another stack of pancakes and a pot of coffee as we all sit and start to dig in.

It’s crowded, and loud, and everyone’s talking over each other, and by the end of it, someone’s spilled coffee in their own lap, and there’s sticky syrup all over the place.

But everyone’s smiling.

Silas says something that gets the whole table cracking up before he slides an arm over my shoulders, leaning down to kiss the top of my head.

We’re all together, sitting here sharing a moment and a meal.

One big happy family.

And it’s perfect.