Page 32 of Worth the Wait

I swallowed hard, trying my best not to come off like a jerk. “My dog’s outside in the truck. I’ll be right back.”

She batted her eyelashes, or maybe there was something in her eye. I honestly couldn’t have cared less.

I turned around, reached for my phone, and instantly called Addi.

“Patrick.” She sounded out of breath.

“Hey, Addi. So, listen, your dad’s going to be okay,” I said first and foremost. I wanted to ease her worry.

“What happened?” she interrupted, and I knew she must have been dying for the details.

“He was on the roof, taking down the Christmas decorations. He fell and broke his foot. He’s getting a cast right now.”

“He was on the roof?” she shouted through the line.

“You know how stubborn he is,” I said.

Talking to Addi had always been easy, and this was starting to feel just like old times.

“He always over-decorated.”

“Because you loved it.”

“I did love it,” she repeated, and I ached to hold her in my arms, where she belonged.

“Don’t worry. I’m going to yell at him as soon as I see him.” I laughed.

“That would be helpful.” She laughed, too, and the sound made my chest literally fucking ache. “I’ll be home tomorrow.”

I thought I might start choking. Addi was coming home. To Sugar Mountain. After almost four years.

“You’re coming home?” I asked around my surprise, even though I shouldn’t have been at all.

Her dad had broken his foot; of course she’d come home and see him.

Hell, I should have broken my foot years ago.

“I’m bringing Sarina too.”

There was a long pause before either one of us spoke again.

But when it was me who talked first, I couldn’t believe what I asked. “Do you want me to pick you guys up from the airport?”

I smacked myself in the face after the offer. Having Addi back in my truck would be pure torture, but not asking would have felt wrong. I’d loved her for so long, and I didn’t know how to stop.

“Thank you, but we’re flying in, and then we’ll just take a cab,” she said, her voice soft and shaky.

Confliction ran through me at her words. I almost started arguing, insisting that she let me be the one to drive her. The large airport was over two hours away by car, but Sugar Mountain had a small landing strip that you could fly into, and it sounded like that’s what they were doing. The road between the bigger airport and Sugar Mountain could close at any time during the winter.

“How’s the weather?” Addi asked, interrupting my internal battle and reading my thoughts.

“There’s about a foot of snow on the ground, but it’s not supposed to storm in the next few days,” I said, sounding like a damn weatherman.

“We should be okay then,” she breathed out. “Thanks again, Patrick.”

“You’re welcome. I’m going to head inside and grab your dad. I hope you and Sarina have a nice visit.”

What a stupid thing to say.

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