The back door opened and Nick walked out with a tray full of brats and burgers. He handed them to Ty and then grabbed a beer, tossing me one as he walked over.

That was one awesome thing about Cincinnati. They had great fucking beer.

"Congratulations, Jeremy," he told me, slapping me on the shoulder. "Vicky and I are so proud of you. I know your parents are, too. I know a lot of parents—my mom included—thought I was crazy for allowing Sierra’s boyfriend to move into our home, but I want you to know I consider you a son. I always have. I wouldn’t have let just any man stay under my roof," he joked, giving me another slap on the back.

My nose burned, but it wasn’t from the tears that weren’t currently welling in my eyes. Nope. No way. I cleared my throat. I was Jeremy Banks. Ultimate male and all of that macho crap. I didn’t cry. I wouldn’t cry.

"Thanks, Nick," I choked out, coughing to mask it but failing.

He wrinkled his eyebrows.

"Hey, listen. Speaking of that—can we talk?"

He stopped mid-swig and set his beer down. Folding his arms across his chest, he studied me but didn't say a word. I glanced over at Ty, who was watching us intently. I had half a mind to flip him off, because I was making this easier on him. I’d go through the hard part, and then he’d swoop in and beg for Lexi’s hand. So, yeah, my middle finger was primed and ready, but somehow, I resisted.

Just as I was about to open up my mouth, the back door opened yet again, my dad coming through this time.

“Hey, Jay, you’re just in time. Jeremy has something he wants to talk to me about,” Nick said to my dad. It was apparent he knew what I was going to do. Not that it made it any easier.

Dad’s eyes widened as he looked from Nick to me and then back to Nick. He held his beer out as a gesture for me to continue. “Well, by all means, don’t let me interrupt.”

Suddenly, I was the center of everyone’s attention. Instead of just Nick, I had three pairs of eyes about to witness one of the most important moments of my life.

Freaking awesome.

“Well, you see… There isn’t a thing I wouldn’t do for Sierra. I love her. I’d go to the ends of the Earth for that girl. Hell, Ohio’s just about as close.” I chuckled nervously, but not a peep was heard from those three. Some peanut gallery they were. I cleared my throat. “You see…now that I’m done with school and getting my own place and all… I just… I think… I mean…”

God, I was stammering like an idiot. Sierra and I’d been inseparable for thirteen years. This shouldn’t have been that hard.

"Spit it out, Jeremy. I’ve got burgers to flip," Nick finally said, his voice cool.

I couldn’t read him. Oh fuck. We might have been outside, but it was like all the air had been sucked out of the vicinity. What if he said no?

Oh fuck. He wouldn’t, would he?

I inhaled a deep breath then released it more slowly. It was now or never. And never was unacceptable.

"Sir…with your blessing, I'd like to marry your daughter. No—scratch that. I'd love to marry her. I want to marry her. I have to marry her.” I took a deep breath before pulling out the dramatics. “If I don't marry that girl within the next year, my life would be over. So…what do you say?" I asked, breathless and hopeful. “Ready for me to be your son? Like you’ve always seen me?” I wasn’t sure if throwing his own words back in his face was a good idea, but I figured it was worth a try.

The back deck was silent for a moment, and as the seconds ticked away, they felt like the longest of my life. Ty and my dad both watched Nick carefully, as did I. I couldn’t tear my eyes away from him.

Finally, he slapped me on the shoulder and gave me a wide smile. "Seriously? Do you even have to ask? As if I could even stop you if I tried."

Waves of relief surged and crashed down on me. I could finally release the breath I’d been holding. As much as I wanted to break out into the Carlton in celebration, I maintained my composure. Barely.

"Still. I’d like your blessing. You and your wife have done so much for me, and it would mean a lot to me."

"I appreciate that, Jeremy. Of course you have your blessing. We couldn't ask for a better man to marry our daughter."

A throat cleared from across the back deck. "Umm…about that, sir…"

Ty had set the grilling spatula down and taken a step forward. With a ring box in his hand, he gave Nick a bashful grin.

"Seriously, man? This is my parade. Take your rain elsewhere," I told Ty, laughing so he'd know I was kidding.

Nick raked his hand through his hair and groaned. "You too? A double whammy? Did you two plan this ambush?"

I held my hands up. “No. No way. This was supposed to be my night, my time to shine. He’s just horning in on it now that I’ve softened you up.”

My dad let out a curse, which Nick echoed.

Ty nodded. "I know it seems fast and I'm edging into Jeremy's time, but I love Lexi with everything in me, and I want to spend the rest of my life with her."

Nick eyed him. "You love her?"

"With all of my heart."

"You'll be good to her?"

"For as long as I live."

“Yeah, or I’ll kick his ass,” I chimed in, causing Nick’s lips to twitch.

“And I’d let him,” Ty confirmed.

Nick eyed him warily then brought out the big guns. "Do you solemnly swear to never wear a Steelers jersey in my home or in my presence?"

Without hesitation, Ty raised a fist and hollered the Bengals war cry. "Who Dey!"

Damn, the guy must’ve been in love to go that far. He was a hard-core Steelers fan. Watching him and Lexi fight during games was one of the best parts of football season.

“I can’t believe I just did that.”

Nick laughed and shook his head. "Then you have my blessing as well. Now, someone get me a drink. My two little girls are getting married."

Ty and I high-fived, but then Nick brought the rain.

"Then again, they both still have to say yes."

With that last parting shot, he walked back inside. Dad grinned at me and gave me a thumbs-up.

I pointed my finger at Ty and warned him. "I get to propose first. Got it?"

Ty gave me a challenging grin.

Game on.

"I can't believe he's moving out." Mom was getting all weepy as she stirred the baked beans. Her other hand was dabbing a tissue at the corner of her eye.

Stifling my laughter, I patted her on the shoulder then gave her a quick squeeze. "Mom, he's only moving a few streets over. It's hardly the end of the world. You’ll still see him all the time. Probably more than you want to. Like he’ll be able to stay away from your home cooking."

Even though I was trying to be reassuring, part of me totally got what she was saying—not that I'd admit it out loud. Jeremy'd been living in my parents’ basement for the past three years, and now that he had a good job, he'd rented his own home. My parents had insisted he could stay until he’d built up his savings, but he’d declined, spouting off something about how he was a man and he needed to be independent.

Personally, I thought there was more to it, and I’d had to stop myself from checking his sock drawers for a ring box. Not that we’d talked about marriage or anything any time soon, but I was kind of hoping it was around the corner, sooner rather than later.

Before she could respond, however, the back door slid open and I looked up to see my dad stalking inside, an unreadable expression on his face. He went straight to the liquor cabinet and poured a healthy amount of scotch into a glass, tossing it back and quickly refilling it. I’d seen that happen before. It usually wasn’t good news.