TWO
“Tell me this is a joke?” Matt groaned. He ran his hand through his hair, tugging at the strands. Frustration ate at his stomach.
“Matthew Payne! Quit being so dramatic.” Kayla giggled. “This isn’t a joke.”
Why did all women think that just because they were happily married he needed to be in the same situation? Kayla was such a sweetheart. He hated to be rude to her, but Ryan’s wife was getting way too involved in this setting up all Ryan’s friends’ project.
“Kayla…” He didn’t know how to explain to her that he didn’t want to date. There was a reason he didn’t date. His issues went beyond normal PTSD.
“Oh, shush.” She pouted, her eyes sparkling with laughter. “I happen to know this woman is very nice.”
He snorted. Yeah, they were all nice. Until they got to talking to him, that is. Then it was “oh you poor thing” or “they have surgery for that.” Like that’s what he wanted to hear on a date. Those kinds of comments were what kept his ass out of the dating zone.
“Matt, she’s not gonna let it go.” Ryan grimaced as he took a seat next to his wife. He stretched the leg with the prosthetic out in front of him. “You may as well say yes.”
Kayla moved a hand to his knee, massaging Ryan’s leg without even realizing it. Her impish smile grew wide. “Come on, Matthew. Don’t be such a baby.”
A cool afternoon breeze swept over the backyard. Two years ago, Ryan and Kayla had been set up on a blind date; the last date either had gone on. That one night had turned into a strong long-term relationship that led to marriage a few months back.
“Hey, I’m not a baby.” Well, not quite. Though his mother and sisters loved calling him spoiled. He knew he wasn’t. He was just tired. There was no blaming him either. He was tired of everyone feeling sorry for him. All the fucking time. Like he wasn’t the same person from before—before his life had turned to shit.
“What do you say, pretty boy?” Ryan used the nickname he’d been given years ago when he’d joined the special ops team.
Pretty boy. There lay his problem. His stomach tightened. If only he could erase that name out of his existence. Maybe then he’d stop feeling so goddamned insecure. He watched the other couple. They were so in tune with each other. So real. If, and that was a very big if, he were going to start a relationship with a woman, that’s what he wanted.
Kayla knew exactly how to deal with his friend and former team member. She hadn’t cared that he was missing a limb. Knew that the real man inside was whole. But Matt didn’t seem to be able to find women like that. Most of them were so stuck on his face and how “pretty” he was. Once they realized what he’d been through in Afghanistan, they couldn’t seem to find what to say. Which in turn led him into the shit-this-is-uncomfortable zone.
“I don’t do blind dates, Kayla.” He sipped the iced tea, listening to the sounds of the waves crashing over rocks. Kayla’s parents had gifted her with a house on the other side of their private island retreat as a wedding gift. A few of their friends had already visited the island, but this was Matt’s first time.
“I didn’t either.” Ryan chuckled. “I won’t lie to you. I’m damn glad I allowed Cal to talk me into it. But don’t tell him that.”
“Listen, guys. You’re probably one of the few successful blind dates in history.” Regular dates spelled disaster for him. He couldn’t imagine how a blind one would turn out. “I mean, how often does one find someone who isn’t all kinds of strange on a blind date?” He leaned back on the wicker sofa and glanced up at the clear sky, sighing. Not a single cloud marred the blue expanse above. It was like looking at a painting. He inhaled the sweet scents of wild flowers and salty breeze.
“Oh. My. God,” Kayla squeaked.
He glanced down from the sky at her. She had folded her arms over her chest. Uh-oh. “What?”
“You have turned into a cat.”
“Say what?” He shot up in his seat.
“I said,” she repeated slowly, meeting his gaze with a raised brow. “That you are a cat. And here I was telling my friend that you were this big badass that went to war and can probably kill people with a stern look.”
He grinned. “I am badass.”
She made a face. “All I see sitting there whining is a pussy.”
Ryan choked on his laughter. “Honey, take it easy on him. He’s not as strong as me.”
Matt’s pride dictated he stand up for himself. Argue that he was stronger than most. Demanded for them to acknowledge his internal strength. He’d suffered through months of rehab and surgeries, and he hadn’t sunk into drinking himself to death. Though he’d been tempted. He’d prevailed. Fought out of the slump and knew how to keep out of that dark spot on most days. But he couldn’t. Because while he liked to believe he was strong physically, he doubted the truth of that statement when it came to being out in society.
“Look, you two. I’m not falling for your little good cop, bad cop routine.”
Kayla pouted. “Fine. I guess I’ll just butt out.”
“Thank you.” He sighed and leaned his head back.
“You can continue to live all alone. Not like I care.”
Oh, brother. He wasn’t off the hook.
“It’s not like I was going to hook you up with some weird old woman with a billion cats.”
He frowned, wondering where that had come from. “You weren’t?”
A deep shade of red covered her pretty tanned face. “No. Jessie only has one cat. And she’s young.”
Yeah. She wasn’t gonna give up any time soon. “Not happening.”
“Let it go, love.” Ryan kissed her temple. He hugged her into his side, stroking his hand up and down her arm.
She shifted. Their gazes locked. The couple stared at each other for a moment. A slow smile spread over her lips. “Okay.”
Thank. You. Ryan. She’d probably bring it up again, but he at least had a few hours free of blind-date talk.
“Dinner tonight will be on the patio.” She grinned, back to her happy newly-wed state. “Ryan and I are going to visit my parents for a bit. They might be joining us for dinner. You don’t mind, do you?”
“No.” But it meant he’d need to dress up instead of showing up in a pair of shorts and T-shirt. “I keep telling you I can entertain myself. Just tell me what time you want me ready.”
“Hmm. I’d say some time around six. We should be back by then.”
Great. That meant he could hit the waves with nobody around to see him. To see his body. What a relief. For once he’d be able to do something without worrying about people’s reactions to how he looked without his shirt on.