Page 14 of Grumpy

But his mom waved that off. “Nonsense. That’s what I’m here for. Now, your eggs are almost done”—from the smell coming from his stovetop, they were past done—“and I’ll get your coffee ready. So sit. Rest.”

He’d just woken up from sleeping ten hours. The last thing he needed was rest. “Where are my compression wraps? I can start putting them on while you finish up,” he said, trying to compromise. He had two pairs so he could rotate with cleaning, but like his regular laundry, it was something else his mom insisted on doing for him. He’d started having to lock his bathroom door so she wouldn’t come in while he was showering to get the compression sleeves and wraps he’d just removed.

Which set off a safety talk he could have gone his whole life without.

“Don’t worry about it. I can put them on you once you’re done eating.”

Grumpy stopped in the middle of his kitchen. Just because he had a quiet personality did not mean he was a pushover. He might give his mom a little more slack than he would anyone else because she was his mom, but when it came to his sanity, she pushed his buttons like no one else could.

Turning back towards the stovetop, Grumpy reached over the pan of burning eggs and flipped off the burner.

“Jesse, what⁠—”

In his mind, Grumpy rounded on her, but the reality of his movements were much slower. “Mom, I love you. I can’t thank you enough for dropping everything and coming to my aid. But it’s time for you to go. I need to get back to my life, find my new normal. And I can’t do that with you here. I can’t do that with you taking over everything.”

His mom’s expression froze in shock for a single heartbeat before she laughed like he’d just told a funny joke. “Don’t be ridiculous, Jesse. Now, go sit down. I’ll get the plates and⁠—”

“No, Mom.” He was done walking on eggshells around her. Sending her home might hurt her feelings, but in the end, it was what Grumpy needed in his life. He wasn’t kicking her out of his life, just out of his home. “Leave it. I’m going to call Keys and have him book you a car and a flight back to Maine.”

“Jesse, what nonsense is this? You can’t be serious. I’ve already broken my lease on the house I was renting.”

Now it was Grumpy’s turn to freeze. “What? Why? Where were you planning on living?”

Unfortunately, he guessed that answer before she even started speaking. “Well, here, of course. You need me.”

Grumpy’s eyebrows flew up, making his left eye socket start to weep and his skin pull tight. “You were just planning on moving in here with me without speaking to me about it first?”

“I’m your mother,” she snipped, hands on her hips. “I shouldn’t need to ask permission. If you refuse to come home, then I have no choice than to move here.”

“This is my home, Mom!” Grumpy swayed slightly. He wished his words would come out clearer. The angrier he was getting, the harder it was becoming to form them properly. Which likely contradicted his independence in his mother’s mind. He took a deep breath and talked slower. “But my home isn’t your home. I need my space, Mom. I need my life back.”

“Jesse, I don’t know what medication you’re on right now that is making you say or think these awful things, but I am not going anywhere.”

And, right on cue, there came the tears. His mom was a master at crying, and as much as Grumpy hated the idea that he hurt her feelings or made her cry, he had to stand his ground. His mom was brilliant at twisting the world to her will—and Grumpy had worked too hard in his life to put distance between them to ruin it all now.

Grumpy felt the tender skin on his back start to pull. His arm itched like he’d stuck it into a patch of poison ivy. But he held his ground, speaking softly but firmly. “Mom, do not make me kick you out of my house. Do not make me say something that both of us will regret. Just pack your things and leave. Go back to your life and I’ll go back to mine. I love you, and I truly appreciate everything you’ve done for me. But I need you to go.”

His mom grabbed a handful of tissues from the box on the counter and started dabbing at her cheeks and eyes. She sniffled. “All I have ever done is try to make your life better, but clearly, it was never good enough for you. I’ll leave if that is your wish. I won’t stay where I am not welcome or loved.”

Grumpy fought to cover up a groan. “Mom, cut that out. I never said I didn’t love you. In fact, I said the opposite, but per usual, you only hear what you want to hear.” He pulled his phone from his pocket and started texting Keys as he walked slowly from the kitchen.

“What about breakfast?” his mom called after him. “You need to eat, baby!”

“I’ll eat later,” Grumpy answered, silently considering texting a prospect to come get him. Maybe moving into an apartment at the clubhouse wouldn’t be the worst thing for his mental health right now. It wouldn’t be permanent, and he’d be more present for the club.

Maybe. Grumpy did like his silence.

Heading into his laundry room, Grumpy found his clean compression wraps and sleeves. Because his mom had been hoarding them, he’d have to undress, put them on, and then redress. Like dressing was an easy feat for him. He couldn’t even bend to tie his boots anymore and had to wear “old man slippers”, per his nieces and nephews. Nothing made him feel more ancient than a five year old telling him that people born before 1995 were “too old”. Why that year, Grumpy would never know, but he’d felt every single one of his forty-one years at that declaration.

There was a knock on his front door. His back getting stiffer by the second, Grumpy slowly made his way over to it. He could hear his mother’s wails from the guest bedroom echo through the entire house.

Grimm, the youngest of the three former Navy SEAL brothers Keys had hired, stood on Grumpy’s front porch. While Grumpy would have felt bad for anyone who came to get his mother, he was grateful it was Grimm. The man would not crack under Margery’s bucket of tears and might even be so unmoved that he put earplugs in.

“Thanks for coming and I apologize in advance.”

Grimm shrugged. “Just know the club is already tallying up the betting pool.”

Grumpy groaned, leaning against the door jam. “What were they betting on this time?”