Bad Boy (An Indecent Proposal) - J.C. Reed Page 0,76

It’s not something you can discuss.” He stared at the piece of paper with a deep frown, his thoughts miles away.

Or maybe that was what I wanted to believe.

“So what do you think?” I asked. “Could it be Kade? He’s the same age and he looks like my mom and my grandfather. If you could convince him to get the test done, then—”

“I already got it.”

“What?” My heart lurched. “When?”

I had waited weeks for an answer, and he managed to get the results within twenty-four hours?

He took a deep breath and let it out slowly. “Today. This morning. The results came back a few hours later.” He downed his glass before his gaze met mine again.

My body began to tremble with anticipation. My mind was barely able to form the words, and yet I couldn’t stand the tension. I had to know.

“What did the test say?”

The silence that followed became unbearable. The seconds that ticked by felt like an eternity.

“He’s your brother, Laurie,” Chase said slowly.

A gasp escaped my mouth, and I closed my eyes. “Oh, my God.”

Kade wasn’t just the man who had come up with the plan of deceiving me; he was also my brother.

“Are you sure?” I asked.

“I’m positive. There’s barely any doubt.” He opened his briefcase and handed me the results. “I wouldn’t have thought it, but you’re right. Based on the genetic profile you share the same mother.”

“What did he say?” I stared at the results, then at Chase.

He shook his head. “Kade doesn’t know yet.”

I frowned. “How did you get him tested?”

Chase’s lips twitched, and for a moment his perfect face reminded me of the seemingly carefree guy from our first meeting. God, he was so beautiful it took my breath away.

“My doctor friend, you know, the one I mentioned, called him to tell him he might have caught a sexually transmitted disease. Kade being the manwhore he is, bought it, so he stopped by the clinic straight away.”

I didn’t know whether to laugh or be shocked.

Another silence.

“Why didn’t you tell him the truth?” I asked.

Chase hesitated. “Look, I’m not trying to sway your decision. It’s your call whether you want to tell him or not, but if you ask me, I don’t think telling him is a good idea.” His fingers clutched at the papers, almost crumbling them. The movement made me nervous. “I’ve known him most of my life. Kaiden has a lot of anger issues, particularly toward his adoption. In my opinion, he’s not ready to face the truth.”

“What makes you say that?” I asked

“His anger issues are out of control,” he said quietly. “He’s a sex addict.”

“Oh.” I swallowed, embarrassed. “The manwhore part wasn’t a joke.”

“When Kade turned eighteen, he was offered the opportunity to find out who his real parents were. He decided against it. Instead, he became obsessed with our parents’ death.” Chase winced, hesitating again as he considered his words carefully. “You need to understand. They had died a few weeks earlier. He loved them. We fought. I stupidly called him a bastard and almost lost him. He actually asked me never to bring up the adoption again.”

“Then why did you help me find out?”

“I want you to know the truth, and to be honest, I wanted to know, too.” He looked up, his gaze intense. “So, do you want me to tell him? If you do, it’s best he hears it from me.”

I let the thought sink in for a moment, then shook my head. “Is it wrong that I don’t really want to?”

His fingers curled around mine. “No, it’s not wrong. You’re afraid.”

I nodded. “It’s all happened so suddenly. To be honest, the idea that I might have a brother shocked me.” I searched his gaze and found warmth and understanding in it. “My biological father’s alive. I have other siblings, too. I don’t even know if I’ll ever be ready to meet him.”

“Because of what your mom wrote.”

I nodded. Waves of anger wafted over me. “He never tried to contact me. He didn’t give a shit about her. What kind of man leaves a pregnant woman behind?”

“Someone who’s not ready.”

Maybe. I took a sharp breath. “And yet he has his own family now. His life moves on even though he knows that I exist. All he ever had to do was write me a few lines. Maybe even call. He chose not to.” Tears began to cloud my vision. But it wasn’t sadness that threatened to choke me. It was anger addressed at a