A Hero's Pride by April Angel, Milly Taiden Page A

Frogs.
    “Well, I know this is a good start. And if nothing comes of
it, I hope you’ll consider seeing one of the men your father and I have been
trying to get you to meet.” Her mother sounded hopeful. Time to burst that
bubble.
    “I don’t think so Mom. We’ve discussed this before, and I’m
not changing my mind.”
     
    She’d gone ahead with the extreme blind date idea because
she was a divorced woman. She’d had the worst luck choosing her own men since
then. None of the frogs, and there had been plenty of them, had been worth her
time. The truth was that she’d promised herself that for her next birthday, the
big 3-0, she’d start things off on a clean slate. And what better way to wipe
the slate clean than to have the first date of her new age with a nice, hunky
man someone else had chosen for her?
    “You’re not getting any younger, Kaylani Gabriella!” Ah
shit. Her mom had used her full name. Things were about to get ugly. Her mother’s
sharp intake of breath was followed by her usual rant. “Let me tell you that by
the time I was your age, I had already married your father, had you and your
brother, and was the CEO of my own company. I have tried so hard to help you meet
the right men…”
    Kayla let her mother speak, completely ignoring what she
said. Instead she looked around the campsite. She’d miss the girls and the other
counselors. She’d been volunteering at the camp for a few years, and the day
the girls left always got to her.
    “Mom… Moooom.” She grinned. Her mother wouldn’t appreciate
being interrupted in the middle of her you-need-to-get-yourself-a-man speech.
“I need to check on the girls. We’ll talk when I’m home. I love you,” she added,
hoping it would soothe her mother.
    The hitch from the other end of the line made her smile. Her
mom always went sappy when Kayla told her she loved her. “I love you too, my
bebe. That is why I want to see you happy.” Her mom’s voice turned soft. “Good
luck with the blind date, and remember that no matter what happens, we are here
for you.”
    Kayla shut off the phone. She’d had shitty luck when it came
to men, but her parents were great. Sure they were a little snobby, but nobody
was perfect.
     
    * * *
     
    Ryan Mitchell sat on his bed with a huff. He was sweaty and tired,
and he needed a shower. His prosthetic had been the only thing on his mind,
until now. For the past few days all he could think of was the blind date
coming up tomorrow. He stripped off his clothes and glanced down at his
prosthetic leg in the mirror.
    Insecurity, something he’d never felt before he was injured,
filled him. Social functions had turned into gruesome exercises of pity. So
he’d stopped interacting with most people. And now his brothers had ganged up
on him. Even the army counselor had told him he needed to do something to move
on. Ever since he’d come home with a missing leg, he’d lost all interest in
dating. It had taken some serious nagging to get him to relent and allow a friend
of Cal’s to hook him up.
    A knock on his door sounded just as he was reaching for a
towel. “Come in.”
    His brother, Calvin, gave him the once over. “You all right,
bro?”
    Cal sat on Ryan’s bed as if nothing were wrong, but Ryan
knew his brother wanted to make sure he was ok after all the exercise they’d
done playing basketball. Ryan was still trying to get used to the new leg, and
this was the first time he’d played hoops with the guys since getting it.
    “I’m fine.” He clenched his jaw, hoping the pain would
diminish once he soaked in hot water. At least that’s what the physical
therapist had told him. He’d rather sew his lips shut than admit to being in
pain and end up in a hospital with his mother hovering over him again.
    Cal grabbed a green, squishy stress-relief ball from the
bedside table, threw it up in the air, and caught it. Then he did it again,
settling back into Ryan’s pillows. Why Ryan decided to live next door to