Page 83 of Worth the Wait

I threw my hands up in surrender because he was tougher than all of us combined. “Please don’t hurt me.”

“No promises,” he joked…I hoped.“Let me see that ring.” He reached for his daughter’s hand and smiled at us both. “It’s beautiful. You did good.”

“She picked it out. All I did was buy it,” I said, downplaying my role in the whole thing.

We were quiet on the drive over to my dad’s farm. I hadn’t even told him that Addi was back in town, so bringing her and Jeremiah to Sunday dinner was part of a surprise that had me coming out of my skin. I knew that my brothers most likely wouldn’t have spilled the beans, thinking that Addi being here was my story to tell and all that. At least, I hoped that was the case. My old man loved her. All of us O’Gradys did. This was going to be fun.

I pulled into the drive, and the three of us walked slowly toward my dad’s door. Jasper had been in the bed of the truck, but he’d jumped out the second I put it in park, already wagging his tail, begging to be let inside.

“Holy shit, Patrick, is that you?” Thomas shouted as he looked at me, holding the door open with one hand. “I barely recognize you, brother.”

“Acting like you’ve never seen a haircut before,” I grumbled.

Everyone was going to be annoying about this.

“It’s been a while since I’ve seen your whole face. Didn’t really realize that until now.” He reached for my chin, and I smacked his hand away.

“Stop.”

The door closed hard behind us, and the sound of cheerful voices filled the air.

“Patrick, is that you? Jeremiah?” my dad’s voice boomed before it changed pitch completely. “Addison?”

“Hi, Dad,” I said, but he ignored me and walked right over to Addi like I wasn’t even there.

His arms wide, he scooped her into a hug and didn’t let go for what felt like forever. They were having a moment, but I’d had enough.

“Get off my woman, old man.”

“I was thinking about stealing her from you,” he teased, and Addison giggled, the way she always did.

“Stop being gross,” I said before reaching for my woman, but he spun her out of my grasp.

I’d just gotten her back. I was pretty sure I wouldn’t be letting her go anytime soon.

“Back for good?” my dad asked, and she grinned sweetly.

“As long as he’ll have me.” She shot me a look before finally stepping away from my dad and heading straight for my arms.

Dad and Jeremiah reached out their hands and shook.

“Nice to see you, Jeremiah.”

“Good to see you too. Thanks for having me.”

“You’re always welcome—you know that. Sorry about the foot.” He nodded toward the cast, and Jeremiah ground his teeth.

“Got a hacksaw around? Let’s cut it off,” he suggested, and my dad started laughing. “I’m not joking.”

“You will leave that cast right where it is,” Addi demanded, one hand on her hip.

My dad leaned over to Jeremiah and whispered loud enough for us to hear, “She’ll be distracted at some point. Won’t even miss us.”

They high-fived, and I realized that I needed to keep my eye on them because cutting off that cast was absolutely something they would do if they thought they could get away with it.

“Please tell me this means we never have to hear Nick Jonas ever again,” Thomas said out of nowhere, and I gave Addi a look.

Her brow furrowed, and confusion spread across her face. “I love Nick Jonas,” she said, totally clueless.

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