Page 72 of Love Is Brewing

She laughed. “Boy, you’re like a Great Dane with a bone. No one is taking it away from you.”

“Nope,” he said. “I have to be this way with so many siblings. Not to mention my mother. Man, my mother is the worst.”

“Speaking of mothers,” she said. “And yes, you’re invited. Oh my God, you’re hilarious. But my mother wants to meet you.”

“My mother doesn’t even know about you yet,” he said. “But when she finds out, she’ll be here knocking on my door, uninvited, to meet you.”

The hurt over his mother not knowing had to be pushed aside.

It’d only been a month or less. No reason to feel as if he was hiding her from his family.

Yet she felt it anyway.

23

LET ME EXPLAIN

“Why did you get quiet?” he asked when they sat down to eat.

“What?” she asked. “I’m not. I’m hungry.”

“No,” he said. “You’re quiet. Something is processing in your head and I’m trying to figure it out.”

“Nothing to figure out,” she said, smiling.

It was forced. He knew. It was as obvious as the curl of her hair.

That she was now wearing. It made her more approachable.

He was smart enough to not say that.

Could be why so many people talked to her today in the grocery store.

Nah, they would have approached her regardless and he knew she wasn’t fond of it.

She’d said more than once she hated the rumors and petty small talk in the area.

“I think there is,” he said. “We’ll circle back to the events of our day. Or I should say the conversations of it. You got quiet after I said my mother didn’t know about you. Don’t take that the wrong way and let me explain.”

“Please do,” she said, leaning back in her chair.

“Bullseye,” he said. He got that on the first try. Damn, he didn’t think he could have done that.

She let out a sigh. “My poker face is normally much better.”

“I’m glad it’s not with me. I really am,” he said. “Foster and Talia know about you. Braylon and West asked about you today. They will tell Laken for sure.” No reason to say that he slipped because he wasn’t thinking straight much.

“I’d think so if you are asking me to be a guest at her wedding.”

No way he was saying that it was almost an order from West.

Not almost. It was an order...in West’s way.

He didn’t want Phoebe to get insulted over that though.

He had been thinking about it and this forced the issue without him dragging his feet wondering if he should do it or not.

The fact her mother brought it up on the same day was another one of those ironic things.

---