Page 95 of Worth the Chase

“Of course. First door on the left,” I said, and that earned me a concerned look.

“You sure know your way around Matthew’s house.”

“Well, I did sell it to him,” I fired back, and that shut him up.

The second he walked away, I ran back to the couch and grabbed my phone to text Matthew.

My brother is here! A little warning would have been nice.

I didn’t know he’d come so fast. I’ll be there in five.

I didn’t respond because there was no point. Matthew would be here soon enough, and we could finally tell my brother about us. I wasn’t sure why I was so nervous. I rarely saw Leo as it was, but something about the situation made me feel like I was a teenager all over again. No matter how much time passed, I would always be the little sister.

Part of me felt like I might get into trouble somehow. Or maybe I was just worried that Leo would be disappointed in me for never getting over my feelings for Matthew and giving in when it was the one thing that he’d always warned me not to do.

But we weren’t kids anymore. And Matthewlovedme. This wasn’t a one-way crush. This was the real deal.

Leo reappeared in the kitchen and interrupted my internal thoughts. He looked so much older than the last time I’d seen him. His facial hair was unruly and clearly unshaven, and there were bags under his eyes.

“Want to tell me why Matthew texted me last night and told me to get the hell home?”

“Not really,” I said with a laugh. Thankfully, I heard the gate open and the sound of Matthew’s loud-ass truck rumble to astop, followed by the sound of other cars. “Sounds like he’s here. You can ask him yourself,” I said before I started pacing.

“What the hell is going on, Bella?” Leo pinned me with a confused stare right as all three of the O’Grady brothers walked in. And then he smiled bigger than he had when he first saw me. “Damn. I’m just seeing everyone this morning.” Leo walked toward the group, his arms extended.

“Hey, Leo,” Patrick said before giving him a hug. “Did you see Addi?”

Leo nodded his head. “I did. She looks great. And, Thomas, your wife is gorgeous.” He shook Thomas’s hand.

They had known each other, but with the age difference, they’d never been close.

“She is gorgeous. And I knocked her up, so don’t get any ideas,” Thomas warned.

I could tell that Leo didn’t know whether to laugh or wince. He did neither, and thankfully, Matthew saved him from any further awkwardness.

“Brother,” Matthew said as they embraced, “it’s been too long.”

“It really has,” Leo agreed.

“I missed you.” Matthew grinned. “Glad you’re here.”

“Well, you didn’t really give me much of a choice.” Leo glanced back at me. “And I still have no idea what’s going on.”

Matthew shot me a look. “She didn’t tell you?”

“He just got here. The girls just left,” I complained, but I really didn’t want to keep talking about what had happened last night. I didn’t want to keep repeating the same story over and over again. It was exhausting.

Patrick spun around. “All right, well, we’re going to start unloading.” He thumbed toward the door, and Thomas followed him outside.

“I should probably help them,” Matthew said.

I wasn’t sure what to say to my brother when Patrick reappeared with his arms full of my things.

“You have a lot of clothes, Bella. I assume they’re going in the bedroom?”

My face felt hot. I knew that my cheeks must have been bright red.

“The bedroom? What the hell is going on?” Leo fumed. He was no longer happy to see anyone.

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