Page 86 of Love Is Brewing

It was the first he was introducing a woman to his mother and didn’t realize he’d be this nervous over it.

Maybe because it meant too much and he was terrified his mother might not like Phoebe.

He shouldn’t have had that worry though.

He opened the front door and his mother came marching up to him. “How dare you have a girlfriend and not tell me about it?!”

“Who told you?” he asked. “Talia?”

His mother’s jaw dropped. “Talia knows? Who else knows? I’m going to kick your sister’s butt.”

He grimaced. “How did you find out?”

“Foster,” his mother said. “I think he slipped. I was talking to Charlotte and he didn’t know. I heard him in the background talking to you. He asked about Phoebe. A pretty name. I had to all but twist his ear and that isn’t easy from five hundred miles away.”

“Jerk caved,” he said.

His mother whacked his arm. “I want to meet her. I’ve got to imagine you are doing something with her today.”

“Hello,” Phoebe said from behind him. “Elias worried I was going to sneak out the back door, but since he met my family last weekend it’s the least I can do.”

His mother swatted him a second time, but he jumped out of the way. “Thanks for throwing me under the bus,” he said.

“Elias Michael. I can’t believe you met Phoebe’s parents who live in Charlotte, two hours away and you can’t have me meet her and I’m less than an hour away.”

Which meant his mother got some facts.

“Who told you where Phoebe is from?”

“I looked her up,” his mother said proudly. “But you’re so much lovelier in person. And a saint to put up with a son who is breaking his mother’s heart.”

“Come on, Mom,” he said, wincing. “Now I’m going to be in the doghouse more.”

He turned and looked at Phoebe and she was laughing. “Thank you. No reason for Elias to be in the doghouse. My mother wanted to meet him too, and since he had to go to Charlotte for work, I decided to go with him. It wasn’t anything planned out too far in advance.”

“I appreciate you are trying to save my son.”

She smirked. “I’m not so sure he needs saving.”

“Right now he might,” his mother said. “Where are your manners, Elias? Are you going to ask me in?”

“Mom,” he said, throwing his hands up. “You don’t need an invitation into anyone’s house. Do you want me to spill the tea, as you call it? I didn’t give Phoebe much of a warning of what you’re like, but I can do that?”

“No, no,” his mother said, taking her jacket off and hanging it up. “But I would love a cup of coffee.”

“I’ll get it,” Phoebe said.

“Good,” he said. “Then you can find out more about my mother. I think it’s only fair since she’s going to grill you.”

Phoebe turned to walk into the kitchen and his mother pulled him aside and lowered her voice. “Don’t you dare tell your girlfriend how I interfered with your siblings’ relationships. I only did that after I knew them or they’d been dating longer. You don’t want to ruin a good thing too early, do you?”

She had him there.

“Fine,” he said. “But behave. And don’t make me out to sound like such a wuss.”

His mother leaned up and kissed him on the cheek. “I just love picking on you. You’ve got more patience than the rest of my kids.”

“As I’ve been told before,” he said. “But I’ve never had a woman that you’ve been introduced to either.”

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