She wrapped her arms around my neck. “I’m sorry! I didn’t mean to.”
Pushing her back to look at her, I let out my breath. “For a crazy moment I thought you heard my brother laugh and…”
Her eyes went wide. “No! Oh my gosh, Liam. I did hear him laugh, that’s how I know he was here, but that isn’t the laugh. I didn’t mean to scare you.”
I let out a long breath.
“Do you want to introduce me to him?” Mallory asked.
Something inside of me was saying no. “Not yet. Don’t worry about cleaning this up.”
She waved me off. “I’ve got this, go back out and talk to your brother.”
I took a few steps back and watched as Mallory picked up the glass pieces and put them in the small garbage can in the bathroom.
“Let me at least get something to clean this up with. I’ll be right back.”
Turning to Piper, I said, “Stay with her, girl.”
As I walked back out into the kitchen, Chad was sitting at the island looking at his phone, frowning.
“Everything okay?” he asked when he heard me walk in.
“Yeah, broken plate is all.”
He nodded. “You’re really not going to introduce me to her?”
I glanced back at him. “Like you introduced me to Krista? I had to meet her by getting an invite to your wedding—from her and not you.”
Chad rubbed at the back of his neck. “Listen, Liam, I know we’ve had our differences, I get it, but I’m going to be having a kid of my own. I don’t want to mess this up, and maybe I just used the excuse of the baby names to come over today…but I would like to try and fix this between us.”
After reaching under the cabinet for cleaner and a rag, I sighed. “A truce?”
He laughed. “Hell, I don’t even remember what we were fighting over.”
I held out my hands. “The ranch, Chad. The ranch.”
Rolling his eyes, “Yes, I was pissed at first, but I’m over it.”
“Okay,” I said with a nod. “I’m willing to give it a shot if you are.”
He smiled. “I am. And once I get back from Chicago, I think we should spend some time together.”
Freezing, I asked, “You’re going to Chicago?”
“Yeah, I have to go there a lot for work. Why?”
A chill ran over my body as I stared at my brother. “When was the last time you were in Chicago?”
He thought about it. “I don’t know, maybe a month ago.”
This time it was me who dropped what I was holding.
CHAPTER NINETEEN
Mallory
I knew I shouldn’t have been listening in on Liam and Chad’s conversation, but I couldn’t help it. It sounded like Chad was wanting to reconnect. Smiling, I went to softly shut the door when I heard Chad say he was leaving to go to Chicago.
