Another person appeared in the doorway, and there was no mistaking who he was.
Even if I hadn’t seen him at the rink, I would know he was Tolliver's father.
The man looked taller up close with the same dark hair, strong jaw, and shelf-like shoulders as his son. The onlydifference was his eyes. They were a light brown, and when he looked at his wife, they shined like amber.
"What's up?" he said, wrapping an arm around her waist, before turning to study me. "And who is this?"
"This," Tolliver's mom said, "is Freya."
His eyes shot to mine and that smile got even bigger. "Really?"
She nodded.
"What an amazing, unexpected surprise." He held out a hand, and I took it. "I'm Alex, Tolliver's dad. Coach Stone over at the rink. Welcome to our home, Freya. We've heard a lot about you."
"You have?" I squeaked.
"Oh yeah, he talks about you constantly."
Mrs. Stone smacked her husband in the stomach. "Alex."
"Sorry," he said, and that smile was bright, bright, bright.
So much like Tolliver's, it almost hurt to look at him.
"I'm Evelyn," she said, "Tolliver's mom, and we are so happy to meet you, Freya. I'm not sure if you know this, but Tolliver likes violin because of you."
Mr. Stone gave her a droll look. "Too far, E."
"Ignore my husband. He can be?—"
"Embarrassing," Elle finished, sidling up next to her parents in the door. "No offense, Dad. You know, I love you."
"None taken," he said.
"What are you guys doing?"
"Nothing," her mom said innocently. "Just saying hi to Freya."
Elle's eyes moved to me. "Were they being embarrassing?"
"No, of course not," I said. "Your parents are awesome."
"She's being overly nice. It's a clear sign something happened."
Hudson came over then, spotted me, and smiled. "He's going to be so happy you're here, Freya."
"Really?" I said with a nervous laugh, suddenly rethinking my whole purpose. "I don't want to make him feel worse."
As the Stones ushered me past the threshold, I was mentally debating whether to stay or go.
"I can just drop this off if you think it would be better."
Hudson shook his head. "Trust me. He wants to see you. The guy's been a mess the past few days."
"Yeah," Elle said, "but fair warning, you might end up sick. It's gone through the whole family. Tolliver was the last to get it."
"And I was first," Eli said proudly, appearing beside the stairs. He grinned at me. "Hey, Freya."
