Restoration Hearts

by Kiera Jayne

  “They could never forget you, Per.” Flynn stroked her hair, then bent down to press a kiss to her neck. “Did you have a good time down there?”

  Her eyes danced with happiness as she smiled up at him. “I did.”

  Vaughn trudged up the stairs, completely shirtless, and collapsed onto the couch beside Flynn. He rested his head against Flynn’s shoulder and Flynn draped his arms around the ex-soldier.

  “Did she wear you out, mate?”

  “We wore out each other,” Vaughn replied as he absently stroked Flynn’s tatted arms.

  Vaughn jiggled his toe when the blue and white Italian Greyhound jumped up and sniffed him, causing the dainty dog to bounce away. Vaughn glanced at Perie. “Are you going to introduce me to these mutts?”

  Perie pointed to each one in turn. “Rocket, Ziggy, and Jojo.”

  Vaughn leaned forward and Rocket bounded away again.

  “Rocket, come here,” Perie scolded.

  Rocket crept over to her. She gripped his collar and scooped him into her arms, holding him tight so Vaughn could stroke his head. Rocket couldn’t stay still for long. He eventually became so squirmy, Perie had no choice but to let him go. But Ziggy and JoJo couldn’t wait for the attention.

  “How come you didn’t bring them to Granite Ridge?” Vaughn asked.

  “I didn’t want them to get in the way of construction,” Perie answered.

  “The dog sitter is going to miss them, that’s for sure,” Flynn said.

  Vaughn lay back in Flynn’s arms again and Ziggy jumped up onto his chest.

  “Zig, where are your manners?” Perie exclaimed.

  “It’s okay,” Vaughn muttered, patting the white fur beneath the small dog’s neck.

  Perie moved to the other side of Flynn on the lounge and flicked the television on, making sure to keep it low. Rocket and JoJo joined them. Rocket curled up in Perie’s lap and JoJo made himself comfy against the side of her leg.

  Flynn looked from Perie across to Vaughn. “Well, this is nice, isn’t it?”

  Perie fell against him. “I think so.”

  “These little guys complete the picture, don’t they?” Vaughn said.

  Flynn raised his eyebrow at Vaughn. “Did you just call Ziggy a guy? She’ll be so offended.”

  “Ziggy’s a girl?” Vaughn lifted her up to inspect her private parts. “So she is. Sorry, miss.”

  Ziggy didn’t seem to mind one bit. In fact, she seemed to smile at him as she melted into the head rub Vaughn gave her.

  Before long, the entire group was sprawled out and asleep to the sound of the evening news bulletin.

  PERIE TURNED AROUND IN her seat as Flynn pulled the Amarok into a parking space at their local supermarket. It was Saturday morning—the most insane shopping day of the week. Which meant people, lots of them. Which meant that her concern for Vaughn was through the roof. “Oh shit, Vaughn. It’s really busy. Maybe you should’ve stayed at home.”

  “Perie, I’ll be fine,” Vaughn replied.

  Flynn put the vehicle into park. “If you want to stay in the car, mate, you’re more than welcome.”

  “Not you, too. Jeez, give me some credit.”

  Flynn frowned. “You’re the one who said you can’t handle crowds.”

  “Well, I’m going to have to try, aren’t I?”

  “We don’t want to push you,” Perie told him.

  With a growl of frustration, Vaughn shoved open his door and stepped out of the vehicle. He paused as a woman zipped past him with her shopping trolley. He took a deep, calming breath. He felt Perie’s hand slip into his and he knew everything would be okay.

  Together, the three of them made their way into the shopping centre. There were people everywhere—people laughing, talking, shouting, dashing here and there. There were children crying, the sounds of cash registers and music overhead. It was a mad crush of people and Vaughn’s pace faltered.

  “Vaughn. This way.” Perie dropped her hand from his and turned towards a fruit and deli shop.

  Vaughn watched in a daze as Flynn and Perie perused the shelves, oblivious to everything going on around them. It must’ve been nice not to have any worries. To not wonder when someone in this crowd was going to pull out a weapon and mow them down with bullets. To not worry about shelling and your friends dying.

  But, of course, they didn’t.

  Anything could happen at any moment and they weren’t prepared. Flynn and Perie would never be prepared. It was Vaughn’s job to protect them and their innocence. How could one man protect the people he loved in a massive crowd like this?

  And then suddenly, they had vanished. Vaughn scanned the store and came up trumps. How could two people move so quickly?

  A loud sound came from beside him and he jumped out of his skin. He frowned at the man who was simply throwing an empty soft drink can into the rubbish bin. It was just a can. Nothing to worry about.

  Vaughn turned his focus back to the fruit shop. Still nothing. He stalked forward, rushing into the store in search of his boyfriend and girlfriend. They weren’t there. It was claustrophobic inside there. Didn’t people understand personal bubbles? Why did nothing else matter to them except their purchases?

  “Excuse me,” he said numerous times as he tried to move out of people’s way. Eventually, he had to barge through them like a tank through a compound’s barrier to get out.

  Vaughn was starting to lose his focus. Everything began to blur and he became short of breath. He knew what was coming. He needed a quiet place before he lost control. Vaughn broke into a jog and almost ran into various people, some of whom abused him. He didn’t know where he was or where he was going. Finally, he found an alcove near a fire escape. He threw himself against the cold wall and squeezed his eyes closed. The sounds of the mall combined in his head with the memory of war sounds. Vaughn pushed the heels of his hands against his ears in an effort to drown them out, but it didn’t work.

  Nothing worked.

  Vaughn slid down the wall. He brought his knees to his chest and buried his face into them and wrapped his arms over his head as he began to shake.

  ***

  “Flynn, where is he?”

  Perie’s tremulous voice met Flynn’s ears and he wished he had an answer for her. But Vaughn was nowhere to be seen. They were so concerned with buying fruit that they lost track of him when Flynn had promised himself to keep a close eye on the ex-soldier.

  “We have to split up. It’s not the biggest shopping centre. He has to be here somewhere, right?” Perie lifted her shoulders.

  “What if he went out?” Flynn asked.

  Perie’s eyes widened. “Oh God.”

  “Hey. Perie, focus, babe.” Flynn pulled her close for a few moments and pinned her with a firm gaze. “Breathe and focus. We’ll find him. Splitting up is a good idea.”

  “Okay. I’ll go this way.” Perie pointed to the left.

  “Righto.”

  She and Flynn broke away from each other. Flynn went from shop to shop in search for his and Perie’s man. He asked clerks and random shoppers if they had seen a man that fit Vaughn’s description with no luck. He was running out of options.

  Flynn scrubbed his hand through his blonde hair. “Where the fuck are ya, Vaughn?”

  After thinking about his options for a few moments, Flynn turned down the hallway that led to centre management. That was where he found him. All six-foot of muscular man curled into a fetal position next to a fire door. The way Vaughn was rocking unsettled Flynn in a way he could barely explain. To see this usually stoic rock of a guy reduced to a bundle of nerves didn’t sit right.

  What the fuck had Afghanistan done to Vaughn?

  Flynn crouched beside him and rested his hand on Vaughn’s shoulder. Vaughn launched into fight mode, breaking Flynn’s grip on him and wrapping a hand around Flynn’s throat.

  “What the fuck? Vaughn!” Flynn gasped.

  Recognition flashed in Vaughn’s eyes and he released Flynn as quickly as he had
grabbed him.

  “Oh, jeez. Fuck, Flynn, I’m sorry. What the fuck did I do?” Vaughn blubbered as a tear trickled down his cheek.

  Flynn cupped Vaughn’s face and brushed away the tear. “It’s alright.”

  “Oh, fuck. I tried to keep it together. I want to be okay, Flynn.”

  “I know.” Flynn kissed Vaughn’s forehead and pulled the other man into his arms.

  Vaughn burrowed into Flynn’s embrace. “I just want the pain to stop. I want to be with you and Perie.”

  “We’re not going anywhere, babe,” Flynn whispered.

  ***

  Perie rendezvoused with the guys outside the entrance to the shopping centre. Relief flooded her when she saw Vaughn leaning against a cement garden, head hung in sadness. She raced over and threw her arms around him. Vaughn eased into her embrace quickly. He held Perie tightly and buried his face into the crook of her neck. They held each other for a long time and Perie felt like she never wanted to let Vaughn go. Eventually, Flynn joined in on the hug, too.

  “I’m sorry we lost you,” Perie mumbled against Vaughn’s skin.

  “You didn’t lose me, I lost you two. I was trying to keep an eye on you both.”

  Flynn frowned at Vaughn. “What do you mean?”

  “You don’t realize the potential risks in a place like this,” Vaughn told them.

  Perie sent him a questioning look. “What risks?”

  Vaughn stopped himself before he could say anything more. “Never mind.”

  “Risks at the shopping centre? It’s just a shopping centre,” Flynn pressed.

  “Not for me. I can’t switch off. All I see in there are potential life-threatening hazards. It’s a high concentration of people, lots of noise, and chaos. It’s the perfect place for something to happen. But it was too much for me to keep a handle on.” Vaughn rubbed his eyes.

  “This was too much too soon,” Perie said. “We shouldn’t have brought you here.”

  “It was my choice to come, Perie-Berry. I wanted to push myself for you two,” Vaughn told her.

  Flynn huffed. “You don’t need to push yourself.”

  “I wanted to.”

  Flynn pecked Vaughn’s mouth and gazed at him with a quirk of a smile. “Don’t do it again. You have nothing to prove.”

  “Alright. Steady she goes,” Vaughn agreed.

  “Exactly,” Perie piped up.

  “I’ll call you two a taxi home and I’ll finish up the shopping.” Flynn pulled his smartphone out of his pocket and dialled a number.

  Flynn watched Vaughn closely as he pressed the device to his ear. The man looked broken. Flynn hadn’t realized how much before coming back to Brisbane. Perhaps this truly wasn’t the best place for Vaughn. Flynn realized he had to stop being so blasé about other people’s feelings. Not everyone was as comfortable in their skin as he was. He felt like a jerk for not heeding Vaughn’s concerns.

  ***

  “I think it’s about time you opened up to us, mate.”

  Vaughn lifted his gaze up to Flynn’s. Finished with packing away the groceries, the other man turned his focus onto him. Vaughn felt like he was under a microscope.

  “What do you want to know?”

  “What happened to you over in Afghanistan?” Flynn asked.

  “He lost his foot and his best friend,” Perie informed Flynn.

  “It was a lot more than that, Perie. The things I’ve seen and done . . .. I can’t tell you and I wouldn’t want to,” Vaughn said.

  “You can tell us anything,” Perie insisted.

  “No, Perie-Berry. Most of its top secret. What I can say is my PTSD is such that it’s made me hyper-aware. I need to be in control of a situation at all times, I need for there to be no potential threats. I know it’s only a shopping centre to you two, but to me, that place was a potential death trap. So many things could go wrong so quickly there. In a situation like that, I can’t switch off like a normal person. I’d like to be able to, but I can’t.”

  “You need help, mate,” Flynn said.

  “Gee, thanks,” Vaughn grumped.

  “I don’t mean that as an insult.” Flynn moved around the breakfast bar and slipped in front of Vaughn. He propped a foot on the footrest of Vaughn’s stool, between Vaughn’s legs. “You can’t just hide away up in the bush. You legitimately need professional help. Surely we can get in contact with the army for recommendations for some therapists?”

  “I’d like to help you find out,” Perie said.

  “We both would,” Flynn agreed.

  Vaughn took Perie and Flynn’s hands in his own. “I welcome your help. I want to be better. I want the pain to go away.”

  PERIE NOTICED VAUGHN FIDGETING the entire time they were seated in the waiting room of the therapist the Defence Force had helped them find. He flipped through a couple of magazines, leaned forward in his seat, then leaned back in his seat. Crossed his legs, uncrossed his legs. Twisted his fingers together until finally, Perie slipped her hand into his in an effort to settle him. “It’s okay.”

  Vaughn visibly relaxed from her touch. He brushed the back of her hand with the knuckles of his free hand. “Thanks, baby.”

  “I’m sorry you’re anxious about this, but it’s going to help you.”

  “I think it will, too.” Vaughn willed himself to sound positive.

  “Vaughn Forester?”

  Vaughn drew in his breath and held it.

  “You’ll be right.” Flynn patted Vaughn’s leg. “Knock ‘em dead, mate. Remember to be open.”

  Vaughn chuckled wryly. “Yeah, righto. See you two in an hour.” He got to his feet and trudged into a consultation room ahead of a lady therapist dressed in a dark pantsuit.

  Perie reached for Flynn, who shifted to Vaughn’s spot and wrapped her up in his comforting embrace. Perie hoped this would help Vaughn, but she knew it wasn’t the only thing that would. She and Flynn needed to take stock of what they truly wanted in their life—their careers or Vaughn? They couldn’t have both, not in the way they were used to.

  She wasn’t sure about Flynn, but she sure as hell wasn’t going to give Vaughn up a second time around. He had to come first.

  “WHAT ARE WE GETTING dressed up for, Perie?” Flynn grumbled as he fussed with the tie he was trying to put around his neck. “Are we going somewhere fancy or something?”

  “We sure are!” Perie called from her walk-in wardrobe.

  “I hope wherever we’re going isn’t too crowded!” Flynn replied.

  “Will you quit it?” Vaughn demanded as he came to the doorway between the bedroom and the en-suite. “I’m getting therapy now. I’m going to be alright.”

  A few weeks had passed since Vaughn had started seeing his therapist and he was already making progress. Still, a long road lay ahead of him.

  Flynn finally fixed his tie and glanced incredulously at JoJo, who was laying on Perie’s bed watching all the goings-on with avid interest. “Looks like I’m getting in trouble for being a concerned boyfriend, JoJo.”

  The pup cocked his head to one side. Rocket wasn’t concerned by anything, choosing to sleep on the pillows instead, and Ziggy was probably somewhere getting up to some kind of mischief.

  “You’re damn lucky you look so hot in that suit, Flynn,” Vaughn scoffed.

  “I’ll take that backhanded compliment in stride,” Flynn quipped.

  Perie’s giggle emanated from the wardrobe.

  Flynn turned towards the walk-in wardrobe. “Are you coming out of there, hotness?”

  “That depends. Are you two ready?”

  Flynn glanced at Vaughn, who was looking fucking delectable in his tux.

  “We sure are, beautiful,” Vaughn assured her.

  “Okay.” Perie tiptoed into the bedroom dressed in a short black dress with a lace neckline. The bracelet Vaughn had given her for Christmas was around her left wrist, and rose gold and opal drop earrings hung from her earlobes.

  Flynn buried his hands in his pockets. “I think �
�beautiful’ might be an understatement. Holy shit, Per.”

  Perie blushed under their scrutiny. “This is okay, then?”

  Vaughn strode across the room and pulled her into a kiss.

  Well, then. That was one way to tell her what her what he thought.

  The tiny sigh that escaped Perie shot straight to the area below Flynn’s belt. Shit. They couldn’t be starting things yet if they wanted to get to wherever they were going.

  Vaughn slowly ended the kiss, but kept Perie close, his fingers gently massaging the back of her neck as he gazed down at her. “You’re the most incredible woman I’ve ever known, Perie Miller.”

  Perie ran her fingers through his hair and along his bearded jaw. With a whisper, she said, “I love you.” She turned her loving gaze towards Flynn as Vaughn nuzzled her. “I love you, too, Flynn.”

  Flynn went to them and placed a kiss on her forehead and Vaughn’s neck.

  Vaughn lifted his face to them both. “I suppose we’d better be going.”

  Flynn nodded. “Take us to this restaurant of yours, Per.”

  “Funny you should say that . . .” Perie said.

  Flynn knew that mischievous look of hers. His eyes sparked with suspicion. “What are you up to?”

  She simply flashed him a cheeky smile, took their hands in her own and led them to the courtyard where she had set up a small, round table for three, the area lit only by candles and strings of tiny fairy lights. A bottle of Riesling sat chilling in a bucket off to the side.

  “When did you do all this?” Flynn exclaimed in quiet awe.

  “I didn’t. I asked my chef friend to come in and help me.”

  The guys turned their attention to the kitchen, obviously looking for said chef.

  “She’s gone now. She snuck in while we were getting ready,” Perie said with a laugh. “But she was nice enough to prepare everything for me.” She poured the three of them a glass of wine each, then fetched a platter of starters. “Hungry?”