Changing Course (Wrecked and Ruined #1)(65)

I've never brought anyone home before, so to my mom this is a really big deal. I need to get to her though and make sure she understands that Brett and I are not all that serious yet, before she starts asking him about kids and picking out china patterns. That is a conversation that would be much easier without Eric adding his stupid two cents.

When we get to the front door I don't bother knocking and just head inside,

"Mom?"

"In here, JJ." I hear my mom call from the kitchen. I peak around the corner to see her holding a huge turkey in the sink, stuffing it with spices. "Little help here?"

"Holy crap, mom! That turkey is huge."

"I know we need to hurry and get this thing in the oven or it won’t be ready until Christmas." I leave Brett standing by the counter and rush over to help before my mom drops the giant bird on the kitchen floor.

"Why did you buy one this big?" I grunt trying to pull the slippery turkey into the roasting pan.

"I heard your man was a big one, so I figured I needed a big turkey to feed him," she says, washing her hands and wiping them dry on her old school apron.

I roll my eyes and glance over my shoulder to see Brett chuckling to himself.

"Mom, this is Brett Sharp. Brett this is my mom, Rachel Clay."

"Ms. Clay," Brett steps forward offering a hand, but I know my mom, and a handshake isn't going to cut it.

"Brett, please call me Rachel, and get that hand out of my way. I'm a hugger." She reaches up on her tip toes and slings an arm around his neck.

This time it's me laughing as Brett's eyes go wide in surprise. I might be shy, but that was one of the few things I didn't get from my mother. She has no problem speaking her mind, and hugging anything that happens to walk past her.

"Now, I've heard a few things about you from Eric. Most of them are not so great. So tell me about yourself. Prove to me what my arrogant son said was all wrong."

"Mom!" I scream embarrassed. This is worse than when I thought Eric would be here. She didn't beat around the bush at all.

"Did you just call me arrogant?" I hear Eric walk into the kitchen. Fantastic!

Brett wastes no time closing the distance between us and sliding a possessive arm around my hips.

"I like it," my mom whispers smiling approvingly at Brett's protective gesture. "Oh Eric, everyone here knows you're arrogant, including you. So, give up the surprised act, and get over here and show your old mom some love." Never taking his eyes off Brett he walks over to my mom, giving her the same kiss on the top of the head that he has since he was twelve and grew taller than her.

"Go ahead Brett, tell us about yourself," she asks, curling an arm around Eric’s hips.

"Well, I'm thirty-two. My family lives here in town. I have two older sisters, three nieces, two nephews. I make a living as a detective and spend my free time either with your daughter, or watching football...and if I'm lucky, both."

"I think you forgot to include the little part about you being married, and not to Jesse." Eric drops the bomb.

I feel the temperature drop in the room as the ice rolls off Brett. Beside a single flinch in his hand against my waist at the initial blow, he doesn't move a muscle.

"What the hell, Eric!" I scream across the room. I'm going to have to knee him again for pulling this crap.

"Language, Jesse." My mom scolds.

"What is wrong with you?" I ignore her and Brett remains frozen at my side.

"Sorry JJ, I know this must be a shock for you. I had a buddy do a little background research on the good Detective Sharp," my brother says, smiling with pride. "He finally got back to me last night. Brett has been married since 2002. Where's Mrs. Sharp today? You should have brought her with you. We could have had one big party." I have no idea how Brett is controlling himself, because my brother is acting like a grade-A jerk right now.

"You are an idiot, Eric. Yes, I know he's-" Brett interrupts me before I have the chance to finish.

"I'll handle this, gorgeous," he says calmly, taking a single step forward. "I appreciate what you were trying to do. I like that you are man enough to look out for your little sister, however, this show is a class-less low. If you have something to say to me, be a man and speak with me in private. There is no reason to make an ignorant snide comment, upsetting you mother and sister on Thanksgiving Day. You are doing nothing but stirring up drama, and I assure you Jess and I have enough of that in our life without you pulling bullshit like this.

“Eric, if your buddy," he says the word with an overstated sarcasm, "had done more research you would have learned that I have been living separately from my wife for over four years. I'm not hiding anything from your sister. Jesse has had the unfortunate experience of meeting Sarah in person. It wasn't pleasant, and it's not something we like to discuss. However, you have made this little accusation in front of your mother, and I do respect her enough to give her a full explanation. For the record, I don't respect you or give a damn what you think about me, or my relationship with Jesse. But then again, you probably figured that out last week when I had you cuffed, laying on a dirty bar floor." He pauses long enough to aim one last murderous glare at Eric before turning to face my mom.

“Ms. Clay, please excuse my language. As you can imagine this is not my favorite topic to discuss. Sarah has issues as the result of a car accident she was involved in years ago. She left me shortly after the accident. It's been a difficult road for everyone involved. She isn't stable and requires a good bit of care. We are still legally married for a myriad of reasons. One being that she still uses my health insurance to help cover her medical bills. I know this is not the ideal situation for a man to be in when dating your daughter, but I assure you while there may be a legal document still binding me to Sarah, I am not a married man," he leans down kissing me on the top of my head, reading my tight body at how uncomfortable this conversation is for me.