Page 71 of Knot Shattered
The boys were arguing again.
Technically, it had started as a debate about who would win a bare-knuckle brawl. Still, it quickly spiraled into Romano insisting he could hack a vending machine with his mind, and Jace loudly challenging Voss to carry the entire patio furniture set, single-handedly. Voss responded by throwing a pillow at Jace’s face, and Kingston watched it all from his corner chair with the resigned amusement of a king observing his court of fools.
I leaned in the doorway of the Rosetti pack's living room, arms folded loosely over my stomach, hiding a wicked grin behind the gentle press of my lips. Morning sunlight spilled through the wide, ornate windows, catching in the crystal chandelier and scattering soft prisms around the room.
Jace lounged shamelessly on the long sectional, shirtless, his feet propped casually in Voss’s lap as if he had a death wish. Voss was feigning indifference, but the dangerous narrowing of his eyes suggested violence was imminent if Jace’s toes wiggled one more time. Romano paced the floor, barefoot, wearing worn jeans and an old band t-shirt, hands waving dramatically as he explained—in painful detail—the physics behind something he called “rage lifting.” Kingston had tossed his dark suit jacket aside, sleeves rolled up to his elbows, looking immaculate even as he massaged his temples as if trying to hold back the chaos with sheer willpower.
Gods, I adored them. Every loud, ridiculous, unhinged piece of them.
Which made what I was about to do so much sweeter.
I took a slow breath, stepped further into the room, and smiled, soft and innocent. “Hey.”
Four sets of eyes snapped to me instantly. I had their full attention now.
I let the moment hang for a heartbeat longer before casually dropping the bombshell I’d been waiting all day to share.
“I’m pregnant.”
A stunned silence dropped over the room like I’d just pulled the pin from a grenade.
Then I turned on my heel and ran.
“WHAT?!” Jace’s voice hit a pitch I’d never heard from him before—half shock, half delight, all hysteria. “Did she say PREGNANT?”
A crash sounded behind me, followed immediately by Romano’s frantic shout. “She said what?! Go after her!”
Kingston’s deep voice sliced through their panic, fierce and commanding. “Why is she running? Fallon, goddammit—!”
“Is she scared?!” Voss barked, tearing after me like a heat-seeking missile.
“I’m not scared,” I called back over my shoulder, racing up the staircase two steps at a time, giggling wildly as adrenaline coursed through me. “I just want to see who gets here first!”
The sound of bodies scrambling to their feet and stumbling over furniture echoed up the staircase as I burst into laughter, nearly tripping over my own feet as I rounded the upstairs hallway. My pulse thundered in my chest, joy fizzing in my veins like champagne.
Kingston caught me first because, of course, he did—swift, controlled, and always effortlessly in charge. His strong arms looped around my waist mid-run, spinning me neatly and pressing my front to his chest. His heartbeat thundered wildly against my chest, his breath warm against my ear.
“Pregnant,” he repeated roughly, disbelief and wonder battling in his voice. “You said pregnant, Fallon?”
“Still saying it,” I teased, tilting my head back, grinning wildly at him. “Surprise?”
He cursed softly, the words a desperate prayer and ecstatic praise in equal measure, kissing my neck like I was something priceless he had just rediscovered.
Voss and Romano burst into the hall next, followed by Jace, who launched himself into us with zero regard for anyone’s safety. Romano hovered anxiously, his dark eyes wide and stunned, hands raised like he didn’t quite trust himself not to crush me.
“You’re serious?” he breathed, a rare vulnerability breaking through his usual tech-savvy bravado.
I reached out, took Romano’s trembling hand, and gently guided it to rest against my belly. “Very serious.”
Voss sank to his knees, like his legs simply refused to hold him anymore, his arms wrapping around my waist in a fiercely protective embrace. He pressed a kiss reverently to my belly, his voice shaking with intensity. “We’re going to be parents.”
“No,” I corrected lightly, stroking my fingers through his dark hair. “I’m going to be a parent. You four lunatics are going to provide constant entertainment and chaos.”
Jace’s laughter was unhinged, bright, and ecstatic. “Fuck, Fallon. You magnificent woman. How am I supposed to survive two of you?”
Kingston’s laugh was quieter, deeper, as he brushed his lips against my temple. “You’ve given us everything.”
I pulled back just enough to see their faces clearly, all four of them clustered protectively around me—my pack, my family,each of them wearing a stunned, tender, fiercely protective expression.
