She thought of Dee last night—Had that only been last night?—asking whether she’d be okay, if Will didn’t come around. If Will didn’t want anything serious.

Now, though, after the day she’d had, after the things he’d done—that question felt ridiculous, insignificant.

Of course he would come around.

Of course he knew this was serious.

“I wouldn’t be anywhere else,” he said.

“Let me get down there and see this food you brought me. Check in with Marian and Emily.”

Will nodded and loosened his grip, untangling their fingers and moving to tuck his hands into his pockets.

Before he could hide them both away, she caught his hand again, relinking their fingers and setting her other hand back onto her suitcase, rolling it to her side. She looked up at him, a question in her eyes, and his eyes softened, his hand tightening around hers again in answer. There, she thought, a weight lifting. There, that’s settled. He kept hold of her as he shifted, gently moving her other hand off her suitcase and rolling it toward himself instead.

“I’m not going to have Marian and Emily see you carrying your own bag,” he said sheepishly, and she felt her eyes well again, relief and happiness mixed in with all her worry and nerves.

If Marian and Emily were surprised to see Will and Nora walk into the family waiting room hand in hand, neither of them showed it; in fact, if anyone was surprised, it was Nora herself. Months ago, when Nonna had been here, Emily had visited once, pale and shaken, stressed enough that Nora had reassured her repeatedly that it was okay for her to stay home. Now she sat beside Marian, a circle of needlepoint in her lap, her expression not quite calm but not nearly as tense and scared as Nora would have expected. Nora let go of Will’s hand to cross the room to them, greeting them each with a hug and an apology.

“You’ve got no reason to be sorry,” said Marian. “How would you be able to predict when Jonah doesn’t pick up after himself!”

Nora smiled, because that was really just like Marian. For however long it took Jonah to heal, she’d be giving him a lecture every single day.

“I wish I would have been here, though.”

Emily patted Nora’s arm. “He knew you were coming. We told him before they took him to surgery.”

“Anyway, I don’t see what help you would’ve been!” said Marian. “You know who helped is that young man across the hall.”

Nora furrowed her brow, and Will cleared his throat. She looked over to where he stood, his hands back in his pockets. “My tenant. He’s a fourth-year medical student.”

“Right,” Nora said, remembering now. “I forgot.”