One year and a bit later...

Viola lifted her eyes from her book and looked outside. A large lorry parked in front of the cottage, and the driver's door opened. A massive man jumped out of the cabin, and Viola snorted and shook her head. The bloke wasn't even that attractive, but the pregnancy hormones raging in her blood tended to paint all males in the most flattering colours in her libidinous imagination these days.

"Is that the new furniture?" Ulla, Viola's most recently acquired sister-in-law asked, and Viola hummed confirming, still watching the driver.

He'd come up to the back door of the lorry and jerked the handle opening it.

"Should we let Oliver and Rhys know?" Ulla asked, sipping her coffee.

She and Oliver had stopped by in the morning to help with the nursery renovations.

"They know," Viola dismissed, "because–"

"Because the Holyoakes always know everything, right," Ulla said with a laugh. "Are you sure you don't want me to make you a decaf?" she asked Viola with sincere sympathy in the voice. Ulla was Swedish and drank almost as much coffee as Viola used to.

"No, thank you, decaf just makes me sad, reminding me of everything I'm missing in life," Viola proclaimed dramatically and pressed her hand to her forehead.

Ulla gave her a skeptical look, and they both snickered.

"I think the only thing you're missing these days is dancing tango with all those crazy leg lifts, although knowing you, you probably still can, even with all this–" She gestured around Viola's stomach.

"Luggage?" Viola joked. "I don't get much sleep with all of them kicking me from inside, but other than that it's OK."

She was being coy to be honest. It was Rhys' - fortunately equal to hers - drive that was keeping her from sleeping. He seemed to find her much rounder shape quite to his taste. Viola had no complaints, she simply compensated for all these eventful nights with cosy naps and late mornings these days.

Viola saw Oliver and Rhys step outside. They shook the driver's hand - and Viola amended her previous opinion. The man wasn't large or attractive in any way. Viola tilted her head and threw Rhys an appreciative look. His dark jeans sat low on his hips, and she could see the outlines of his strong torso and arms in the soft jumper he wore.

"I bet it's the way you look at him that has gotten you in your current 'predicament'," Ulla said.

Viola threw her a sardonic glance, and Ulla saluted her with her mug.

"It's the hormonal therapy that has gotten me in this particular predicament," Viola said and rubbed her stomach. There was a sharp angle sticking out on one side, and she wondered if it was an elbow or a knee. "Well, it multiplied my problem, so to say," she added with a chuckle. "But yes, it's all because of the hair and the beard."

"Oh yeah, the hair and the beard," Ulla drew out, ogling 'her' Holyoake.

Oliver climbed into the lorry and handed a box to Rhys, who put it on his shoulder and beckoned Oliver with his left hand, probably asking for another one.

"And the shoulders," Ulla said, craning her neck, watching Oliver pass another large box to his cousin.

"And the arms," Viola added - and then jolted and hissed.

"What's wrong?" Ulla asked, rushing to her.

"Nothing at all," Viola said and exhaled through her rounded lips. "They just– get excited if I get excited. The same bloodstream, remember?"

"Oh, creepy," Ulla blurted out, staring at Viola's middle, and then she shied away in embarrassment. "Oh I mean, weird. I mean, brilliant."

Viola laughed and shook her head. "You don't have to censor your words around me." She gave her sister-in-law a soft smile. "I might be a Holyoake, but I'm not that crazy about children as the rest of them. I think I'm unfazed by all the pregnancy creepiness because I'm a doctor. Otherwise, I don't think I'd be that calm about three alien-looking creatures floating inside of me."

Ulla cringed, but then schooled her face into a civil expression.

"They all are bonkers about children, aren't they?" she drew out and threw a look outside.

The front door banged, and Viola heard Rhys stomp inside and lower the boxes.

"The cots are here," he shouted. "I'll go get the tables."

"He's lost his plot, I think," Viola said to Ulla, widening her eyes. "John told him you need as many changing tables as you have babies, and Rhys believed him, although I personally think that it was just John's revenge for losing his status as the most prolific Holyoake."

Ulla giggled and peeked outside.

"Oli's carrying a rocking chair," she said. "Are you getting three of those as well?"

"I hope not," Viola said with a shrug. "After all, I only have one backside."

"You're so untroubled by all this!" Ulla exclaimed and sat on a bar stool across from Viola. "I mean, I'd be bricking it with just one baby, and you're having three!"

"People have triplets all the time," Viola said and lifted The Premature Baby Book to show Ulla. "It's typical to have more than one if you go through hormonal therapy and then conceive naturally."

"Oh shit, are they going to be premature too?" The girl's eyes grew twice the size in horror.

"Most likely," Viola answered, just as unruffled as before. "There isn't much space in me for all of them, and they are already large. Serves me right for shagging a massive bearman with–"

"Who's shagging who?" Rhys' voice came from behind her, and both women jumped up.

"Bloody ninja," Ulla grumbled, and Viola snorted and slowly turned on her chair to face her husband.

"What are we gossiping about?" he asked, came up to her, and kissed her temple.

Viola squinted in pleasure. He smelled nice - which was, obviously, enhanced by her pregnant inflated libido - and she leaned into him, enjoying the warmth of his body.

"Where do you want the second rocking chair?" Oliver's voice rang in the hall, and Ulla burst into hysterical snickering.

"What?" Rhys asked with a small frown, and Viola patted his upper arm. "That's what I came here for," he asked grumpily. "Where do you want it all? I'm not done with the floor in the baby room yet."

"You can just leave it all in the hall," Viola answered and turned back to the island counter.

"You sure?" he asked. "It's a big mess."

"It's a big mess because you bought three of everything," Viola said. "And I'm OK with it all being in the hall. I'm mentally preparing to never have an organised house again."

"I didn't buy three of everything. Just two," he said.

"Why would she need two rocking chairs?" Ulla exclaimed.

"She doesn't. One's for me," Rhys said, kissed Viola's hair again, and left.

"OK, that was sweet," Ulla said and gave Viola an encouraging look. "C'mon, say it's not sweet! He's planning to rock the babies and change their soiled bottoms, which is what the second changer is for, I assume."

"He better have," Viola said, back to reading her book. "I'm not dealing with this horde of Holyoakes on my own."

***

In the evening, after the younger Holyoakes left, and she took a long luxurious bath, she found Rhys sitting on the floor of the drawing room, parts of some furniture, tools, and instructions scattered around him.

"It's a bit early, you know," she said softly. "You still have a few months."

"Your book said it could happen as early as at 30 weeks." He pointed behind him with a screwdriver at the island where she'd left her Premature Baby. "I want everything to be ready."

Viola threw her husband a loving look. She didn't want to tell him that their preemies would have to stay in the hospital for quite a while if they were that early. She carefully sat down on the floor near him and pressed her cheek to his shoulder blade.

"You're sweet," she said. "Thank you for reading the books."

"Like you said, the net's full of rubbish info," he said with a shrug.

Viola looked at the photo on the box.

"That's not the changing table we chose," she said.

"It's a dresser changer combo," he said and threw her an uncertain look. "I thought I'd assemble it and show it to you. I can return them of course, but I thought it made sense, and–"

"It makes sense," Viola reassured him and patted his back. "I love them. And the colour is soothing. It'll go with the mint green walls very well."

He nodded and went back to screwing a mysterious plank into another mysterious plank. Viola yawned and snuggled into his side tighter.

"You should go to bed," he said.

"I like it here," she said and closed her eyes.

He chuckled warmly. They sat in silence for a few minutes, and then he carefully supported her shoulder and moved away.

He clicked some parts into some parts, and Viola stared at an odd tripod looking structure.

"Here," he said proudly.

"It's lovely, dear," Viola said, her voice shaking with laughter. "But what is it?"

"It's a rocking stand for a Moses basket," he said. "Will told me it's the only thing that kept Teddy quiet when he was little. And I reckon we'll need all the help we can find, seeing there will be three of them."

Viola glanced at said Moses basket, currently piled up onto their sofa with several other baby items. It was most charming, woven and stylish, with little sheep embroidered on the linen.

"It only looks old-fashioned," he said. "I checked. It follows all the recent safety regulations."

"It's... perfect," Viola said and gave him a warm smile. "Only one, I see?" she teased.

"Well, I reckon, we'll try it, and if anything we can get two more," he said. "The shop does express delivery."

Viola rose, holding on to the armchair near her, and rubbed her lower back.

"I am going to bed," she said. "Are you coming?"

"I thought I'd assemble a couple more pieces. And maybe, I can work on the floor some more, and–"

"No, darling, you're going to bed," she said, softly pried the screwdriver out of his hand, and pulled him towards the staircase. "C'mon, you're nesting, and it drives you bonkers. There's still plenty of time, and the doctor said they were perfectly comfortable right now, and the chances they would come before the cesarean were extremely low. So, right now, you're coming to bed with me, we're watching Spirited Away for three minutes, and then we'll both fall asleep because we're exhausted."

As if to confirm her words, he gave out a long loud yawn - and nodded.

"I had to stop by the Town Hall after work," he said and rubbed his eyes with his free hand. "I needed Oakby to sign the permit for the rides for the Harvest Festival."

"Oh, I just realised," Viola said, "I won't be able to have any elderberry liqueur this year. Well, at least I'll compensate with Mrs. Small's pumpkin scones."

They walked into the bedroom, and while she was changing, he pushed the mirror screen aside and turned on Netflix.

"How about The Cat Returns instead?" he asked.

"No, it makes them too excited," Viola said, climbing under one of their many, many duvets. "Last time they were playing football there for an hour afterwards."

"Don't be daft, Vi," he murmured, stretching on the bed, and pressing his cheek to her stomach. "They aren't playing football. They're practising rowing."

Viola snorted and pushed her fingers into his mane and started running them through his soft, heavy curls. He as much as purred, tucked a pillow under his head, and they started watching.

***