26. Brent

CHAPTER 26

brENT

I'd had enough for one day by the time we'd left my parent's house. John had stood by me the whole time. We took Winston for a long walk around the neighborhood when people started to drop by. My mother ignored me most of the time, and every time Uncle Pete or Aunt Jean engaged us in conversation, my mother found some way to derail it.

She hadn't looked twice at Winston all day, and if I hadn't fed him, who knows when he would have eaten. So when we left for the night, I informed her he wouldn't be staying the night.

"I'm taking Winston with me. You have enough to worry about," I said, not taking no for an answer.

"That's fine," she said. "Thank you for coming."

Did she think I wasn't staying for the funeral?

"John and I will be back in the morning." I leaned down to kiss her cheek. "Try to get some sleep, Mom."

She nodded and watched me as I picked up his food and leash. I knew she had something on her mind as she stood there brooding.

"What's on your mind?"

She released a breath and looked away. "Did you have to marry a man?"

"I'm bisexual. You've known this about me for years. It's not new information."

She clenched her jaw. "Your father would be so disappointed." Her voice cracked as she ripped away what was remaining of my self-worth.

I looked down at the leash in my hands. "Why is that exactly?"

"First your brother. Now this," she said, reaching into her pocket for a tissue to wipe her eyes.

"What about Matt?" I asked. "And what exactly is the now this that you're referring to?"

My rising volume must have caught John's attention because before I knew it, he appeared by my side. She looked up into my eyes, then over to John.

"This is none of your concern. This is between me and my son."

John slipped his arm around my waist. "I'm sorry, but your son is also my husband. And if you have something to say, it's definitely my business."

She hardened her jaw as an emotional outburst bubbled to the surface. "Okay., then you should know your husband is the reason his brother died. He was supposed to look after him. And Brent let him hide that something was wrong with him. He was going to grow up and be someone special."

John's hold on my hip tightened, and for the first time, I felt his fury and protective side completely take over his body. His voice dropped to a sinister-sounding level, taking me by surprise.

"What kind of mother are you to put that weight on a boy's shoulders? If something was missed, it was your failure to pay attention. Maybe if you hadn't been so self-absorbed in your own life you might have seen the signs. Brent is not to blame for Matt's death. If you want to blame someone, then look in the mirror. Don't you fucking dare blame him for it."

Her eyes went wide as her body began to shake.

"Brent is a highly decorated Navy SEAL with ten years of service to the United States. He put his life in harm's way more than once to protect his team and held his brothers up when a teammate was killed in action. If you want to talk about someone being special, then you sure as hell better be talking about him, because he is the best fucking man I know and have ever had the honor to serve with."

I stood and watched in awe as my husband put my mother in her place. Is that really the way he saw me?

"We won't be coming back here until you apologize to him for how badly you've treated him. He's your fucking son! And you will not treat my husband that way."

I looked up to see my Uncle Pete standing in the doorway. I'm sure he'd heard the conversation, and I was equally sure he was going to defend my mother. But he surprised me.

Pete walked up to John and put his hand on his shoulder. "You guys go ahead and take Winston. I'll take it from here."

"Uncle Pete," I said, but he didn't let me finish.

"It's okay, Brent. We'll talk later." He smiled and pulled me into a quick hug.

"Pete! You're going to let them talk to me like that? Mike never…" she cried.

"It's hard to argue with the truth," he said to my mother. "You and I are going to have a long talk after all this is over with."

John took my hand and pulled me away. I looked into his warm hazel eyes and fell a little more in love with him.

"Let's go, sweetheart. I have a nice surprise for you."

Nodding, I released the heavy weight I'd been carrying inside since my brother died and followed him to get Winston.