The Power of Love

by Serena Akeroyd

  “The IED?”

  “Yeah,” he whispered. “It was a kid, Gia. A baby. He should have been playing with toys, not strapped up with a bomb.”

  She absorbed that. “Lexi’s age?”

  “Close to it. I…I can’t stop seeing the picture in my head.”

  GIA LOOKED AT the wounded warrior on the bed and untangled their fingers so she could rest her hand on his belly. She wanted to hug him, to embrace away his pain, but it didn’t work like that. He was hurting, mentally, and she couldn’t kiss away his boo-boo like Lexi had suggested. She wished she could. Wished it was as simple as that, but it never was.

  How could she take a memory like that away from him? It would be with him until the day he died, and there wasn’t a damn thing she could do to make it better for him.

  That was the power and the weakness of love. It made someone want to move mountains for the person they cared for, but it was like a knife to the gut when there was nothing that could be done.

  “I’m sorry, baby,” Gia said on a sigh, pressing her lips to his arm. The cool cotton of his shirtsleeve was crispy against her lips. “God, it’s weird not seeing you in your BDUs.” Soldiers didn’t live in their uniform, but hell, she was sure Josh and Luke had spent nineteen hours a day in them anyway.

  He grunted. “Imagine how weird it is for me. I actually had a problem making a decision between this or a black shirt.”

  She chuckled despite herself. “Trying to make yourself look nice for me?”

  “Yeah,” he admitted roughly. “Stupid, right? I look like shit. A blue shirt isn’t going to pretty me up. Not with these bruises.”

  She sniffed. “Well, I appreciate it. Look at this skirt, it’s for you.”

  Luke raised his head to peer down at her attire. “Oh!”

  “Yeah! And you didn’t frigging notice,” she teased. “You think I wear skirts this short around the house?”

  With a shake of his head, he complained, “A skirt that short and I don’t think my cock has anything but the strength to twitch.”

  She rubbed his arm. “You’re injured, baby. They…well, they downplayed your injuries. It was a shock to see you so rough. If I’d known, I’d have arranged for”—she blew out a breath, knowing she was inviting an explosive retort—”a wheelchair or something.”

  “I don’t need a wheelchair,” he protested.

  “Bullshit. Of course you do.”

  “I won’t use it.”

  “Don’t be a brat. You can’t walk. Not far if our trek down the hall is anything to go by. Unless you want to camp out in this room for the rest of your recuperation, you’ll need some help.”

  “I’d prefer crutches.”

  She snorted, then sat up and carefully ran her pointer finger over his chest, seeking bulges the shirt hid. “I thought so.” When she cocked a brow, he glared at her. “You have bandages there, Luke. How the hell do you think you’ll support yourself on crutches?”

  “I’ll get the arm support ones. Not the underarm ones.”

  “Big baby.”

  “I think I’m entitled,” he snapped.

  “You’re right, you are. But I’ll only let you get away with it for so long. You’re home, and relatively in one piece. That’s something to celebrate.”

  “I’m not in the party mood.”

  She made to reply, but the sound of the gravel rippling on the drive had her jerking to attention. Climbing off the bed with as much care as she was able, she headed to the window and looked out onto the yard. “It’s Josh.”

  “Ah he’s built up the courage to see one of the main men from the Spanish Inquisition.”

  She frowned at him. “Don’t say that! You don’t know what he’s been doing.”

  “I know he wasn’t at the airport to meet me. We made a pact, Gia, right before I left, that he’d be there. I didn’t want Lexi or you to see me when I got back, not right away, in case I looked…well, like this. But he was supposed to meet me. Why did he chicken out if he can’t stand the thought of me anymore?”

  “Hear him out, Luke. For God’s sake, he’s been like a man possessed these last few weeks.”

  Luke tilted his head, staring up at the wall rather than at her concerned features.

  Blowing out a breath, she headed for the door and opened it. Peering out into the hall, she waited for the front door to crack, then called out, “We’re in the spare room.”

  Luke hissed. He half shot off the bed, then blanched and groaned when his injuries made themselves known. She bit back a retort and stopped herself from hustling to help him. He’d made it known he didn’t want to be coddled, so that was what she’d do.

  “Why the hell did you tell him I was in here?” he bit off around a gasp. His breathing came in short puffs that made her ache for him.

  “Umm, let me see…because he’s your husband?” Shaking her head, she snapped, “Don’t be a baby, Luke. That man loves you. Have faith in that. I had faith in you, and look, you didn’t disappoint me, and I didn’t disappoint you.”

  His jaw firmed and he raised an arm, using his wrist to hide his eyes.

  Josh’s footsteps pounded down the hall. The pacing told her he was excited, and she could understand that. He was destined for dissatisfaction, like Gia had been, but still, it was wonderful to have Luke home. His presence, here, was worth more than a winning lotto ticket.

  When their gazes clashed as he turned the corner, she flared her eyes in warning. He frowned and whispered, “Bad?”

  Worse, she mouthed.

  He grimaced but nodded. As he swept past her, he ducked his head to kiss her lips. It was a kiss and run, but she didn’t mind. It was the affirmation he needed, and she was willing to give it to him.

  “Lucas,” he murmured, sighing his name, but Luke didn’t move. Not by an inch. It didn’t stop him. Instead, he moved closer to the bed and took a seat on the edge. He reached over, grabbed Luke’s hand, and when Luke tried to pull away, he kept a firm grip. “Less of that,” he remarked easily, as though it were Lexi and she was trying to avoid taking cough medicine.

  Luke’s arm flew down to hit the mattress. He hissed as the move obviously rattled his aching bones. “Less of what?”

  “Less of being a brat.”

  For a second, Gia thought Luke was about to implode. His face turned bright red and his mouth worked, but no words popped out. It seemed to take a moment before he demanded, “Where the fuck were you this morning? Why didn’t you collect me at the airport? You promised me you’d be there.”

  Josh studied him for a second, then pursed his lips. “I wasn’t ashamed to be there to pick you up if that’s what you were thinking. And I can see that’s exactly where your mind was. Well, who’s the one with less faith? I’ve been working my ass off trying to clear your goddamn name.

  “Today, unfortunately, was the first time Jarvis could see me, and while it pissed me off that I couldn’t be there to meet you, I figured this was bigger than both of us. We had to bite the bullet, and I’d have to see you here.” Josh glowered down at him. “You think that didn’t suck for me? I’ve heard all the fucking details, Luke. Read your accident report, your medical records. I’ve seen more than you can imagine, and I needed to see you more than you needed to see me, that’s for fucking sure. If I could have been there, I would. Don’t you dare underestimate me or presume to know what’s going on in my head.”

  “Why did you need to see Jarvis?” Gia quickly inserted before Luke could spout off, and she pressed her hand to his shoulder in an effort to calm him down.

  “I have proof Colonel Harrison has been up to bad business over there. Not only hearsay but honest-to-God factual evidence. I needed to show it to Jarvis. He can pull some strings, make sure Luke’s appeal hearing goes the way the facts lean so we can clear his name.”

  She studied him a second, eyes narrowing as she watched his gaze flicker over to Luke. When she whacked him on the arm, he turned to look at her and cocked a brow. “You couldn’t have told
me that earlier? You fucking bastard,” she snapped. “You’ve been letting me think all kinds of shit, and all along, you had the solution! I’ve been worrying my fucking ass off about this mess. You didn’t think I needed to hear it?”

  “It’s confidential, Gia.”

  “Screw confidential. This is Luke! Dammit, Josh!” She slashed her hands through the air. “I’ve been so scared. So fucking scared, and you knew this all along. You could have taken it away with little to no effort.”

  With the fingers not gripping Luke’s, he rubbed the back of his neck. “I did what I had to do, Gia. You know how this works.”

  Oh yeah, she knew. She fucking knew all right, and later on, Gia would make him pay. Damn his hide for keeping something like this from her.

  Sometimes, it was like being in a relationship with America rather than a man.

  She could cope; hell, for the most part, she liked her life. But at times like these, it was as though she was communicating with a textbook. If she pressed the matter, he’d start spouting legalese. It wasn’t the first time he’d done it, and it wouldn’t be the last. Whether he did it to confuse or bore her, Gia had never managed to figure out. Either way, it worked. She rarely asked questions now. She’d learned that particular lesson, even if it did suck.

  “If she doesn’t know the score, I do,” Luke grumbled, breaking into her angry thoughts. He leaned up onto his elbows, gasping as he did. “I appealed the discharge; you didn’t have to get involved.”

  Josh snorted. “You seriously thought that was ever going to happen? Hell, do you know me at all?”

  “I know you, too fucking well.”

  “Yeah, well, not enough to realize I have faith in you, that I trust you implicitly, dammit.”

  Luke looked down at the sheets.

  “Adult of you, Luke.” Josh sneered. “I’m busy clearing your name so you snub me when you get home. Thanks.”

  Luke stayed silent, and when the silence reaped more tension, Gia whispered, “Don’t do this, Luke. We both love you, and we both believe in you.”

  He shook his head. “Just…leave me alone. I’m tired. I need to sleep.”

  A broken sound escaped her, one that made Josh’s head jerk around to stare at her. The sight of her had his head whipping back once more, his intention clear—to glare at Luke, to rail at him for hurting her.

  Wasn’t it strange how he could hurt her but Luke couldn’t?

  Quickly, she grabbed his shoulder and halted him in his tracks. Shaking her head to stop the angry words from falling, she slid her hand down his arm, then bridged their fingers together. “Come on. He’s hurting, Josh. Let’s give him some space.”

  He was rigid, his tension bleeding onto her, but he complied. After he stood up, he joined her and as a pair, they left the room. Luke didn’t speak another word, and they maintained the quiet too.

  This was the first morning of Luke’s return, and already it was like another man was in the house.

  This was going to be hard.

  She realized how lucky she’d been before. He’d come back, and the worst thing to hit him was an aversion to fireworks come Independence Day, and nightmares if he had a particularly stressful day.

  This…she could only hope she was strong enough for all three of them. She had no choice—Luke was hers, but how did you heal a man who let you spend three hours outside his bedroom before he called you in?

  Patience.

  She needed lots of patience. And coffee. Tons more of that.

  When they made it into the kitchen, and though she was pissed at him, Gia automatically went to the fridge and grabbed the milk.

  Josh had little routines, things that he had to do or he couldn’t rest. When she’d first moved in here, the intention to be the guys’ surrogate, she’d picked up on them, and slowly but surely, had started to do them for him.

  It made for a happier home life.

  Not because Josh was an ogre, but because the littlest things could blow him out, and with all the pressure of his job, it had been her pleasure to help ease him of any unnecessary strain.

  Anything from making sure the keys that hung on the back of the door stayed in alphabetical order depending on which doors they opened, to always having coffee percolating ready for him to drink when he arrived home. They were small chores in the grand scheme of things, but they allowed Josh to settle, to relax. One thing she’d come to learn was there was no shame in trying to please the people you loved. And Gia didn’t care what any feminist had to say on the matter.

  She measured out his milk, added the coffee from the pot, and stirred in a tablespoon of honey. He’d headed straight for the patio doors to look over the yard and the city in the distance. She could see the tension in his shoulders and ached for him. Christ, she ached for herself.

  Mug in hand, with her free pinkies, she stroked his back and then passed him his drink. He accepted it with a low, “Thank you, baby.” When she didn’t reply but remained close, he whispered, “I’m sorry. I had to do some things that weren’t exactly legal to come by the evidence. I had to keep it under wraps. From you too.”

  “I wouldn’t have told anyone.”

  He turned to glare at her. “Of course, you wouldn’t. Dammit, Gia, I don’t think you have loose lips. I was frightened you’d talk me out of it, and I couldn’t let you do that. I have to clear his name; I’m not letting him dedicate all those years to his fucking country only for it to shit on him at the end.”

  She wanted to smile at his version of an apology, so instead she buried her face in his back, hiding from the man down the hall, the man in front of her, and the goddamn armed forces.

  Being married to a soldier was being married to the job. It was like ruling your day wasn’t enough; it had to rule every aspect of your life too.

  She swore the level of pressure in his world was the reason Josh had OCD in the first place. Control was his watchword, and without it, things started to crumble. If that happened, and it had only done so once in all the time she’d been with him, he didn’t flounder. He got angry. And like Bruce Banner, she didn’t like him when he was angry.

  When she nuzzled her forehead into his back, he murmured, “It will be okay. I’ll make it okay.”

  “What if it isn’t?” she replied. “What if he isn’t?” Because now, after seeing him, it was more than about the case and his discharge; Luke was different. He wasn’t okay, and no amount of promises would turn back the clock to give them the man who they’d last seen after their short honeymoon together.

  “He will be. He just got back. It’s always a culture shock. You don’t know what it’s like out there, honey. It’s like being flung back a thousand years, only the machines and equipment are reminders that your life is constantly in danger. It’s too incongruous. It’s always hard to acclimate. Add to it this bullshit with his CO, and being dismissed? It’s no wonder he’s sour.”

  “But with us?” She shook her head. “I didn’t think today would be like this. Maybe it was naive of me, but I thought he’d be glad to be home.”

  At her words, he turned around fully this time. Cupping the back of her head, he pressed her face into his chest, then rubbed his chin over the crown. “He is, but he needs to acclimate to real life again. You need to be patient with him.”

  She nodded, knowing he was right. “I will. I promise.”

  “It takes time, and we have all of that and more. Don’t we?”

  Hearing the smile in his voice, she whispered, “I want him to be okay. What do his medical records say? I can’t believe I wasn’t there for him when all this stuff was going down. Why didn’t they let us be with him in the hospital?”

  “When he was transferred out of the field hospital, love, he was placed in one in Italy. Plus, all that time, he was in custody. It wasn’t like we could visit.

  “But on the whole, he’s okay. There was some damage to the nerves in his lower body. He’ll have some issues getting back onto his feet, but with rehab, he’ll rega
in full motility.”

  The formality of his phrasing told her he’d remembered those words verbatim from the report. She processed them but stayed quiet.

  “Talk to me, Gia.” He pressed another kiss to her crown.

  “About what?”

  “What’s going through your head?”

  She sighed. “Not a lot.”

  “What do you mean?”

  “Exactly what I say.” She shrugged. “I want him here, that’s all I need. I’m glad he’s in one piece. At least for the most part. Healthy suits me. Happy would be cool, but I can handle him being a grouch. He deserves to be pissed off.”

  He chuckled. “I like the way you see the world, babe.”

  Looking up at him, she smirked. “I see the world in technicolor.”

  “Good job, seeing you’re in a relationship with two husbands.”

  “Oh, I fly the rainbow flag all the time.” His grin prodded her lips into twitching. “It doesn’t matter. None of this bullshit does. All we need is to get him back on track. That’s what counts.”

  He nodded. “How the hell did you get so wise for someone so young?”

  “I have two sugar daddies. I get my wisdom from them.”

  “Oh yeah because you’re so dumb.” He narrowed his eyes. “How often does the world underestimate you because of your years?”

  She leaned back to look up at him, and the strange cast to his features made her reach up and cup his jaw. He was perturbed on her behalf, and while that was sweet, she didn’t want him to waste energy being concerned about her when there was no need. She had her place in the world; she’d found it the day she’d met these two. “Don’t worry about it. Means I can hide in the shadows.”

  Considering she was a writer, a fact he was entirely unaware of, that she could hide in the shadows at all was a great advantage. Hell, half her characters were based on people she knew in real life, people she watched, listened to, learned from.

  He shook his head. “You’re wasted in this house.”

  That made her frown. “The hell I am.”