“How are you?” she asked, moving to stand in front of him.
“I'm good. How are you?” he asked in a cautious voice.
“Good. I mean, you know, awful,” she managed a laugh. “It's been pretty awful. But he's alive, and that's what matters. He knows who we are and who he is, thank god, so I'm happy.”
“Good, I'm glad.”
“Do you want to go see him?” she asked.
“I have,” he told her, nodding his head. “I usually wait till you and your mother are gone.”
“I had no idea,” she said, honestly surprised.
“I didn't want to interrupt anything. This is about your family. I knew you'd want to be alone with them,” he told her.
She held it together for about a second longer, then she fell against him. She wrapped her arms around his torso, hugging him tightly while she squeezed her eyes shut tight. Didn't matter, though, the tears got out anyway.
“You're his family, too,” she whispered. His arms came around her and he hugged her back.
“No, I'm not. I'm a Stone.”
“Wulfric, he cares about you as much as he cares about me. He would want to know you were there at the hospital. He'd be glad to know you're here now. I'm glad you're here,” she told him.
“I was worried,” he whispered, smoothing his hand over her hair. “We didn't part on the best of terms, and I didn't want to upset you in any way. But I had to come. After I got off the phone with Vieve, I flew from L.A. straight to Monterey and then drove here.”
“You probably got here before me.”
“I did. Since I'm not family, though, they wouldn't tell me anything at the hospital. Wouldn't even let me into see your mother. So I came back here and waited. Vieve started passing along information so I started making calls about your house. I hope you don't mind,” he said in a low voice. “I wanted everything to be perfect for whenever he came home. I didn't want you or your mother to have to worry about anything.”
“I don't mind. Thank you. Thank you so much.”
“And you really won't have to worry, ever. He's going to get the best physical therapy I can find, the best doctors. I don't care if I have to fly him to Sweden or Thailand or South Korea. I don't care if he can't ever come home – I'll build you a new house next door to the hospital,” he said in a fast voice. She laughed a little and pulled back to wipe at her nose.
“I don't think we'll need that, but thank you. You don't have to do any of that,” she told him.
“I do, Katya.”
“Why?”
“Because, I ...” his voice trailed off, and she noticed he wasn't looking at her. His head was turned, he was staring out a window, looking at his own home.
“Because you're family,” she finished for him.
He was silent for a long second, frowning hard. Then he visibly swallowed and nodded.
“Your father has been a very good man to me,” he said, his voice barely above a whisper. “I owe him a lot. I can only hope to repay some of it.”
They held onto each other for a while longer. She pressed her cheek back to his chest and closed her eyes, listening to his heartbeat for a while. So strong. First he'd carried his family on his shoulders, now he was offering to carry hers. Offering? Hell, he already was – he'd had their home practically remodeled in a matter of days.
I almost feel bad. Just what he doesn't need, more stress in his life. More responsibilities. More people to take care of.
But like he'd said, this wasn't about him, and it wasn't about them – her father needed the help, so she couldn't turn it down. They would need all the help they could get, and as long as he was willing to give it, she would have to take it.
“I'm sorry I wasn't there,” he finally broke the silence.
“Excuse me?”
“San Francisco. I should've been there. I should've driven you home, been at the hospital the whole time,” he said softly.
“Wulf, you couldn't have possibly known.”
“I know, but still ...”
They didn't get to discuss it anymore, though, because Tori walked through the front door. Wulf stepped back and Katya dropped her arms. Her roommate chattered as she moved through the house, dropping the food and beer onto the breakfast bar. Then she turned and noticed Wulf for the first time.
“Oh, it's you,” she said, in typical Tori manner.
“It's me,” Wulf agreed, nodding. She put her hands on her hips and walked right up to him.
“Did she tell you?” she asked, nodding her head at Katya.
“Tell me what?”
“About our engagement.”
“Whose engaged?”
“You and I,” Tori said, gesturing between them. “We're getting married.”
“Oh. Glad to know. Have we set a date?” he asked, and Katya laughed at them both.
“You just tell me when.”
“Okay, well, I hope the proposal was romantic.”
“Baby cakes, you outfitting this house for papa Tocci was the proposal. I hope you're ready for me, I'm way freakier than this chick,” she teased, winking at Katya before turning back to the kitchen.
“Some how, I doubt that.”
Tori laughed, but he'd said the comment while looking at Katya. She smiled back at him. It was so different seeing him without all the bullshit between them. Nothing like a near loss-of-immediate-family to put things into perspective.
“Well,” he sighed. “I should be going. I just wanted to check on you.”
“No. No, stay,” she insisted, grabbing his hand as he walked by.
“I shouldn't. My mother's also upset, and the girls are coming home tonight. I think I should be there when they get in,” he explained, squeezing her fingers.
“God, I feel awful, I should've gone over to see her,” she said.
“No, you've been where you're needed. She understands. Have a good night, relax, take it easy,” he instructed, opening the front door.
“Will do.”
“And Tocci,” he stopped before he could step off the porch. “If you need anything, you can call me. You know that, right?”
“Of course.”
He gave a curt nod, then he was heading off towards the house next door. His mother's home. His home.
“Soooo … does this mean you're going to marry him?” Tori asked. When Katya turned around, she found the other girl licking orange sauce off a chopstick.
“I don't think so,” Katya replied.
“Pity.”
“Why?”
“Because you're going to be so bummed when you hear about all the crazy sex he and I are going to have.”
*
It was another week before Katya's mother came home. By then, their extended family had started to trickle in – Katya's mother's sister, from Connecticut, and her family. Her aunt and uncle from Massachusetts, and her father's uncle.