Bye-Bye Jerk, Hello Mr. Right by Rosie Steppe

Chapter 148

Chapter 148

I checked my calendar-Matthew's birthday was in three days.

Bringing up something heavy on his birthday? Yeah, no. I didn't want to mess up his big day, so I figured I'd visit him early, drop off a gift, and get it over with. That way, I wouldn't have to deal with it on his actual birthday. But before I could even get started, Wayne showed up.

I hadn't seen him since we left the amusement park, and honestly, I almost didn't recognize him.

"Did I turn into a coal miner or something? You don't even know who I am?" Wayne joked, throwing in some classic self-deprecation to break the ice.

Seeing him like this brought back memories of Hayden, and I couldn't help but smile. "If your mom saw you right now, she'd totally freak."

"Nah, she actually said I look more manly now," Wayne replied, clearly trying to keep things light.

I bit back a laugh. "You do have that whole rugged, manly vibe going on."

Wayne rubbed his face, grinning. "Glad you noticed."

Despite his attempts to keep things chill, I still felt a bit awkward, not really sure how to keep the conversation going.

visit Matthew, I decided to switch gears. "So, how are your mom and

but they miss you," Wayne said, and that hit

every day after work. They practically saw me more than my own family. But ever since I moved out, I hadn't been back

before adding, "I also need to talk to your dad about

begging to know what was up. I wasn't about to keep anything from him, so I just laid it out. "Jace has been coming after the company I joined, doing everything he

already told my dad about it. And

-it."

when I didn't say anything, he added, "I'm here today because my dad sent me to convince you. Rea...

look on his face, I couldn't help but smile. "So, if you don't complete your mission today, is your dad gonna give you a

year with the Johnston family. Matthew had sent Wayne on some errand, and when he didn't get it right,

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Chapter 148

+25 BONUS

the first time I'd seen Matthew lose it like that, and he did

me watching, I could see the embarrassment written all over his face, a slight blush creeping

should've looked away, to give him a little

I wondered if he

I started to deny it, but Wayne cut me