Page 23 of Tethered Hearts

Matt

“You can’t keep doing this, Matt.” Aunt Helen glanced across the car as they sat in the parking lot at the dog park for the fourth day in a row. “Would you like me to call her?”

“No.” Matt clenched his fist on his thigh. He wasn’t a child needing his aunt to advocate for him. He was a grown man who should know better but couldn’t seem to get his act together. All he had to do was pick up the phone, but he couldn’t bring himself to do it.

He’d been wallowing in regret ever since Brie left him sitting on the deck at Aunt Helen’s house. She’d been brave enough to open up to him, to share her story, and he’d reverted to his usual blockade of silence. He was an A-grade moron. And now he wanted to, no,neededto, apologise. He could have easily called her but didn’t want to be a bumbling idiot. Instead, Aunt Helen had been bringing him to the dog park every afternoon under the guise of taking Winston for an outing. She’d drop him off. Winston would enjoy his forty-five minutes of freedom, running around and meeting his new friends, while Matt would sit on the same bench seat he and Brie sat on their first and only time here, scanning the parking lot in the hopes that she would turn up. He didn’t even know how often she visited the park. Or when. He was living in foolish hope that she’d miraculously appear.

“Shall I pick you up at the same time, then?”

“Yeah, sure.” Matt opened the door and looped Winston’s lead over his hand before setting the crutches on the ground.

“Unless I hear otherwise, I’ll see you later.” Aunt Helen patted his shoulder. “Now, go. Enjoy the fresh air. I’ll be praying.”

He grunted as he closed the door. Aunt Helen was always praying. Did it work? He didn’t know. Given that he was starting to get a little more agile on his crutches, perhaps. Or maybe it was just the natural progression of his healing that allowed him to use his limbs a little better each day.

Once inside the gate, he released Winston and walked across to the bench seat. He couldn’t help but smile as the white ball of fur ran off, sniffing the ground before running over to greet his new friends. Life was simple for a dog. Food, fresh air and exercise were all they needed. Easily pleased, they had none of the complications that came with being human.

The afternoon sun warmed his skin and sweat trickled down the back of his legs, dampening his sweatpants. One day he would have the courage to wear shorts outside of the house, but today wasn’t that day. He needed all the courage he could muster to face Brie and not have to worry about strangers ogling his legs.

His gaze constantly drifted to the parking lot, scanning for signs of her car. His breath hitched at the sound of every engine, but disappointment settled in his chest as each minute passed and her familiar blue car was nowhere to be seen. He was an idiot for doing this. Waiting like some lovesick fool in the hope that she’d turn up. Sure, Winston was getting some fresh air and exercise, and he didn’t mind sitting in the sun watching the world go by. But it was the motive behind why he was there that made him feel foolish. He couldn’t continue to waste Aunt Helen’s time every afternoon. Friday would be his last day living in hope. If Brie didn’t come by then, he’d gather up the courage to call her and apologise.

Shrill yapping alerted him to the fence line where Winston was barking at something on the other side.

“Winston!” he called, grabbing his crutches and pushing to his feet. Great. The last thing he needed was for Winston to make a nuisance of himself and for someone to complain.

“Winston.” He hobbled his way across the park, only managing a few steps before a familiar brown dog bounded across the grass.

“Rocky!”

His head whipped around at the sound of the familiar voice, and he jabbed a crutch into the ground so he wouldn’t stumble. She was here! Disappointment gave way to giddy anticipation and then doubt. Would she even want to talk to him? Would she accept his apology?

“Brie. Hi.” He shuffled over to join her where the two dogs were getting reacquainted. His slow pace gave him a chance to admire her while she crouched down to pat the dogs. Her hair was tucked beneath a baseball cap, and she wore a simple white t-shirt and black shorts. Despite her casual attire, she was the prettiest thing he’d seen. Graceful. Elegant. And her inner beauty radiated like the sun on a summer’s day.

“Oh, hey, Matt.” She smiled, sending his heart soaring. That was a good start, right? Surely she wouldn’t have bestowed that smile upon him if she was annoyed with him. The smile that could make any strong-willed man weak in the knees. The smile that did strange things to his chest and made him forget how to string two words together.

“I thought I recognised Winston. Rocky certainly did. I had no chance of catching him once I let him off the lead. Looks like our two have made friends for life.”

Friends for life. He liked the sound of that. Could they be friends for life? Or more? Matt cleared his throat and punted away a clump of dirt with his crutch. What was he doing thinking such things? Had time in the sun affected his thoughts as well?

“Shall we go and sit down?” Brie asked, gesturing toward the bench.

Like an eager puppy, Matt nodded and followed Brie toward their seat.Theirs.If he wasn’t careful, he’d soon be choosing a song that would remind him of the woman walking ahead and labelling it theirs. Good grief. He was getting carried away. But no matter how much he tried, he couldn’t keep his thoughts away from this woman. It was a cruel torment, though. She lived in a different world to him. One where her faith in God took precedence. One where the wounds from her past no longer weighed her down. One where joy was as natural as breathing. Although he’d witnessed his aunt’s faith, he’d never had that connection with God that she seemed to have. He’d never needed to find the strength or put his trust in someone other than himself.Until now.

“I want to apologise for the other day,” Matt said, lowering to the seat while keeping one eye on the two dogs chasing each other around the park.

Brie waved his comment away before her hand fell back to her lap. “Thank you, but there’s no need to.”

“Yes, there is. You were my guest, and I was rude to you.”

“Helen’s.” Brie’s gaze latched onto his, a smirk on her lips.

He took a moment’s pause before nodding. His aunt had shown great delight that Brie had accepted her invitation for coffee, and had even been more pleased that she’d stayed after she had to go to the hospital. He’d ignored his aunt’s gushing about what a beautiful young woman Brie was, and that she should visit more often. Even though he agreed, he hadn’t wanted to give Aunt Helen any encouragement in case she took it upon herself to play matchmaker. “Ah, yes. Nonetheless, I apologise for my rudeness. I have a habit of shutting people out when I’m trying to work through some stuff.”

“Really?” Brie’s eyes danced with amusement as she turned toward him. “I never would have guessed.”

Matt chuckled, running a hand over his jaw. Her level of sarcasm and ability to poke fun at him, all in good nature, set him at ease. He enjoyed a good banter and hadn’t realised it was something he’d missed when he’d closed himself off from everyone in his life. When he’d slammed the door on his past life to wallow in his bleak circumstances. As each minute passed, his apprehension slipped away, and he settled back into the seat, basking in the surroundings. Fresh air, sunshine, and a gorgeous woman by his side were all good remedies for his weary soul.

His phone vibrated on the seat between them, disrupting the comfortable silence.