Page 114 of Only and Forever

Bounding up the stairs, I bang the door open. Rooney shrieks in surprise, just a few feet down the hallway, leaping aside.

“Rooney!” Axel yells from downstairs.

“I’m fine!” she calls. “Viggo just surprised me.”

Axel’s flying up the stairs, shoving past the brothers like a bull in a china shop who transforms into calm control, wrapping her in his arms. “You sure?” he whispers.

Rooney smiles into his shoulder, nodding. “I’m sure.”

He exhales heavily. Rooney wraps her arms low around his back and squeezes as she tells us, “Axel’s been a little on edge lately.”

“I have good reason,” he mutters into her hair.

She glances up at him, cupping his face. “I’m pregnant, Ax, not sick.”

All our mouths fall open. Rooney glances our way slowly, eyes wide. “Oh boy. I said the quiet part out loud.”

Axel ignores us, smiling softly down at her. “Better go find Elin and tell her. If she hears the boys knew before her, she’ll never let you live it down.”

Rooney nods, a nervous smile lifting her mouth. “Let’s go.” She clasps his hand, tugging Axel with her.

“Wait.” I lift my hands, halting them. The panic subsiding, my brain’s clearer, piecing together this morning. When I came downstairs, Rooney wasn’t there. She must have been in the bathroom, if she’s anything like Freya, dealing with plenty of morning nausea that plagued her pregnancies. “Rooney, haveyouseen Tallulah this morning?”

Rooney smiles. “Yeah! Charlie woke up stressed about not having something blue for the wedding. You know, ‘something old, something new, something borrowed, something—’ ”

“Blue, right.”

“I told her about the blue lupine field just past the house, figured she could add a few sprigs of it to the bouquet, maybe tuck it into Charlie’s hair. I was going to offer to head there myself, but then I realized I was about to upchuck my breakfast, and before I could ask her if one of the rest of us could go, she took off.”

“Thank you!” I rush past her, down the hall. I’m about to dash out the door when Oliver yells my name.

I spin around, exasperated. “What, Oliver?”

I’m hit in the face with a soft, worn plaid shirt and a pair oflightweight chinos. I blink down at them, realization dawning as I take in my appearance. White undershirt. And blue... boxers. I glance up, blushing. “I coulda sworn I’d put on shorts. You could have said something!” I tell everyone.

Frankie shrugs. “We’ve all survived your Speedo shows at the beach. Nothing fazes us now.”

Laughter echoes around the room.

I tug on the pants, buttoning them, then rip off my undershirt, tugging on my plaid flannel. It’ll get warm later on, but it’s still cool in the mornings, and I don’t mind the idea of looking half-decent when I run into Tallulah, when I tell her what I can’t hold inside me one more minute.

“Thanks, Ollie,” I call, yanking open the door.

“Shoes!” Mom yells.

I freeze, then glance over my shoulder at Mom, who walks toward me, smiling, my chukka boots in her hands. “You always loved to run barefoot, Viggo, I know. But I think you’re going to want shoes for this.”

“Thanks, Mom.” I smile as she gives me a kiss on the cheek, then take them from her, dropping the boots to the floor and stepping into them, before I turn toward the door.

“One more thing.”

I glance up at Dad, a grin lifting the corner of his mouth. He gestures with his finger, an upward motion. “Left the shed door open.”

His code phrase has me instantly peering down at my fly. I blush as I drag up my zipper.

“Nowyou’re ready,” he says, patting my cheek gently. “Be brave, Viggo. We’re right here behind you.”

I clasp his hand and squeeze, turn toward the open door.

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