“That’s not true.”
“You know what I mean.”
I did, and I couldn’t have asked for a better opening. “You’ve known him for a long time. He told me you were best friends with his sister. Annika.”
Freya froze for a moment, then inclined her head. “He talked about Anni?”
“A little. Yes. I’m sorry for your loss.”
“I—how much did he say?” Freya furrowed her brow and resumed twirling her straw at an animated clip. “God, this is more serious than I thought.”
I stilled her hand and held it. “Hey, it’s okay. I don’t want to upset you. Forget it. I shouldn’t have?—”
“No, no. I don’t mind. It was a sad time. That’s all.” She pulled away and hooked a strand of hair behind her ear. “I don’t think I’d be here right now if it weren’t for Viggo. And I don’t mean in Vermont. Losing Anni was tragic. It was like the whole worldwent dark, and no one knew why. A bad dream and none of us could wake up.”
“I’m sorry,” I repeated.
Freya used a napkin to dab at the corner of her eyes. “I ran away. I couldn’t take it anymore. So much sadness. I made some poor choices and no, I didn’t put them on my application, and I hope you’ll forgive me for that, but I promise you I’ve been very healthy for a long time and?—”
“I know, Freya. I trust you. Moreover, Viggo trusts you, and he’s a tough judge.” I smiled kindly. “But he’s a fair one.”
“Well, I did tell you that he’s the best person I know. Viggo’s like a stone fortress—once you’re inside, you’re in for good.” She made a funny face. “Not in a creepy way.”
I chuckled. “I know.”
“And he cares for you. He tries to be cool, but…men are so obvious.”
“Are we?”
“God, yes.” Freya rolled her eyes, leaning in to sip her tea. “You’re in good hands. He’ll always look out for you and the baby. I’m so glad that you have each other to?—”
I held a hand up. “Whoa. Hang on. I think you have the wrong idea. It’s not like that with us. Viggo and I are just friends.”
“Oh, I know.”
Her reply came a little too quickly, as if she were humoring me. I should have let it go, but I felt the need to set the record straight.
“I’m serious, Freya. You’re not wrong. We’ve had a chance to get to know each other and I think Viggo is an amazing guy, but the baby comes first. That’s nonnegotiable, and it’s something we’ve both been clear about from the beginning.”
She considered me with a penetrating gaze, then set her hands on her belly with wide eyes. “The baby is moving! Come feel this!”
If she was hoping for a diversion, this was the best one possible.
I scrambled to her side so fast, the chair upended and crashed to the floor with a bang. Heads swiveled in our direction, but I didn’t have the bandwidth to be embarrassed. I splayed my palm on Freya’s swollen stomach and held my breath.
And there it was…the smallest nudge. A sign of life.
My eyes welled as Freya set a hand over mine and smiled.
All I could think was that Viggo should have been there, too.
CHAPTER 27
DEXTER
Idrove home in a daze, humming along to the Spotify deejay’s playlist and daydreaming about what life might be like this time next year. There’d be a little person in the back seat. He or she would be almost a year old, probably crawling everywhere, getting into everything. I thought of Viggo’s comment months ago about babyproofing the house and knew he’d help me with it if I asked. As Freya had said, Viggo looked out for the people he cared about.
I wondered where we’d be next year. Friends who met for pancakes with an apple-cheeked baby between us. A different version yet the same idea as what I had with Reg now. I should have been thrilled at the notion of seamlessly navigating into another platonic arrangement—no muss, no fuss—but my stomach roiled, and my palms felt sweaty on the steering wheel.
