Page 107 of Only and Forever

“Frankie!” Willa snorts.

“What?” Frankie shrugs, holding my eyes. “It’s true. This is what they do, love people who’ve got baggage and hang-ups. The Bergmans are different. We’re different from them, no judgment, just a fact. They don’t see love like we do, with conditions and clauses, end dates and disappointments, and it’s a mindfuck at first. We get it. You’re not alone. If you ever think you are, we’re here.”

Willa and Rooney nod, smiling encouragingly at me.

I glance between the three of them. “That’s very nice of you, but... Viggo and I, it’s not... well, it’s not exactly...” My voice dies off.

They stare at me, confusion painting their faces.

I bite my lip. “I mean, Iwantit to be.”

Willa’s grins deepens. Rooney’s smile turns wider. Frankie’s mouth tips up at the corner. “But...?” she offers.

“Ba!” Lucia yells.

I offer the baby my finger, which she clasps tightly, her wide green eyes locked on me. I look at her, because it’s easiest to confess this to a tiny person with no judgment, no expectations. Just curiosity and innocence. “But... I haven’t quite worked up the courage to tell him how I feel. I even had a grand gesture planned, before our flight, but then I realized it was all wrong.”

Frankie frowns. “How so?”

I tell them about Ashbury, my plan for us to stop by Donnie’s on our way to the airport, how I panicked on the ride there and made up a fib when we got to the airport about forgetting about my errand.

It was the wrong timing. That was something you doafterdeclaring your feelings for someone, not before. It felt too dangerouslyclose to doing what my parents would—throw money at an issue rather than talk about it, buy affection with gifts. I want Viggo to have his car, his happiness with it, but I don’t want him to think I’ve done that for him with some expectation of his feelings tied to it.

Willa sighs dreamily. “That’s so romantic.”

I blink at the word, my heart pounding. “Really?”

“Definitely.” Rooney wipes beneath her eyes. “Damn hormones. I’m a watering can.”

Frankie smiles knowingly at her sister-in-law, then glances my way. “I think you made the right call. Take it easy on yourself. It’s nerve-wracking, but you’ll figure out the right way and time to tell him.”

“Lula?” Viggo calls.

“Shit!” Willa hisses as she spins and ducks into the bathroom, shutting the door behind her. Rooney squeaks, rushing after Frankie with the baby. They melt into the shadows, exiting through a door down the hall I didn’t even know existed.

I spin around just as Viggo steps from the kitchen into the hallway, a towel on his shoulder, plaid flannel sleeves rolled up to his elbows. “There you are.”

He’s so beautiful. Soft, tender smile. Suntanned skin. Those tiny creases at the corners of his ice-blue eyes. His beard looks extra full tonight, which would normally frustrate me, but I’m attached to the familiarity of it now. I think he looks handsome, but I still want to tug it flat and see his jaw, his mouth, kiss every inch of it.

A nervous smile tugs at my mouth. “Here I am.”

He glances past me. “See you found the family photos.”

“I did.” Turning, I peer at them again, my gaze drifting to even more pictures that I haven’t had the chance to look at closely, that I might not even get the time to revisit.

We’re not here long—this evening for the rehearsal dinner; tomorrow, Sunday, for the wedding; then a flight back on Monday,so the store isn’t closed too long and the sweet couple from romance book club, Arturo and Lee, don’t have to spend too many days dog- and cat-sitting for us.

Us.

I’ve hoped so many things today. That we’d be anuswhen we came back to the store, flicking on its lights, taking down the sign on the glass that Viggo made, saying,Closed this weekend for the best reason—a wedding!That when I walked through that back door to the house, it would be to a home, my home with him. That down the road, I’d have all the time in the world here at this A-frame, to poke around its corners, look at old photos, browse its bookshelves, learn its secrets and memories.

That hope holds steady as I stare up at Viggo, as I clasp his hand. He smiles down at me, eyes searching mine. “The bride-to-be is looking for you.” He glances over his shoulder and calls my sister. “Found her!”

Charlie rounds the corner, smiling wide, buzzing with energy, like a kid awaiting Christmas. “We’re off to bed!” she says. Gigi waves from the landing. I blow her a kiss.

“Sleep well,” I tell my sister, squeezing her tight.

“I’ll be lucky if I sleep at all,” she says. “But I’ll crash eventually. You sleep well, too, Tallulah.”

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