Page 56 of Trusting a Warrior

Later that evening, Lani rang the doorbell, her nervousness hitting fever pitch.

Inside the house, a laughing voice called, “I’ll get it, Shane,” and then the door swung open.

For the space of a few heartbeats, she and Devon appraised each other.

Lani tugged up the strap of her knit floral sundress, aware of how it clung to her sixteen-week baby bump and hips. In contrast, Devon wore a white V-necked T-shirt and some faded denim shorts, both of which emphasized her golden tan and lithe athleticism.

Her brown hair fell in silky waves about her shoulders, her eyes holding nothing but friendliness. “Hey. I’m so glad you could make it.”

Lani gave a tremulous smile. “I’m sorry I had to cancel lunch before. It was just—”

Too much. It was just...too much.

Devon moved back to let her step inside. “No explanation needed,” she said softly. “I’m happy you’re here now.”

Despite the nondescript appearance of the small house from the curb, the interior was warm and inviting, and looked recently renovated. “This is nice,” Lani said tentatively. “So, uh, Rhys doesn’t live here?”

“Nah. He still has his same apartment, so I pretty much split my time between both places. Let me introduce you to one of my roommates.”

Roommates? Lani’s curiosity intensified as Devon led the way to the kitchen, where a tall blond man stood at the island chopping a cucumber. “Lani, this is Shane Hovland. Shane, this is Lani, um...”

“Abuel.” Lani came to her rescue. “Hey, Shane. Nice to meet you.” Her voice trailed off as a sense of déjà vu crept over her, and Shane’s stunning blue eyes widened in recognition at exactly the same time.

“Hey, I know you,” they exclaimed in unison.

Out of the corner of her eye, Lani could see Devon’s mouth drop open. “You two know each other?” she demanded. “What? How?”

“My engagement party. Shane’s the dude who—”

“—fought with the cops.” Shane’s voice was rueful. “That’s what I’m always gonna be known as, I guess...‘The Dude Who Fought with Cops.’”

They snickered together as Devon huffed a disgruntled sigh. “That’s right. Man, I think everyone in the world was there that night but me. I missed all the fun.”

“Fun, no,” Shane said drily, fingering his eyebrow, which had been split open by an off-duty cop’s lucky punch. “Memorable, definitely.”

“I thought the guy you came with was gonna tear the place apart when you got hit,” Lani commented. “He, um, wasn’t happy.”

With a chuckle, Shane went back to his chopping. “Matt won’t admit it, but he’s pretty protective of me.” He glanced at her. “If you didn’t already know, he’s my boyfriend.”

Before Lani could react, Devon elbowed him with a loud, “Ahem. What is he?”

Shane blushed. “My fiancé,” he mumbled. “As of this past weekend.”

“You’re engaged? Whoa, congratulations! And no, I didn’t know, but looking back, I should have. He couldn’t take his eyes off you.”

And shit, who could blame him? Despite a livid scar on his forehead that skirted the edge of his hairline, Shane Hovland had to be one of the most beautiful men she’d ever seen. His cheekbones could cut glass, his lips shapely and full, and those dimples...

“He took me totally by surprise when he proposed, because he’s been telling me he doesn’t feel the need to get married, you know, since it’s such ‘heteronormative bullshit,’” Shane said, complete with air quotes. “Typical Matt.”

“What changed his mind?” Lani accepted the glass of iced tea that Devon handed her with a grateful smile.

“The fact I might be getting off active duty.” Shane pointed to the scar. “Need the bennies.”

With a grunt Devon reached out and whacked him on the arm. “And because he’s so in love with you he can’t see straight. The benefits just gave him an excuse.”

Shane shot them both a killer grin. “Hey, whatever gets him to the altar, I’m all for it.”

“He’s making a big show of grumbling about it, but I bet he bawls like a baby when he actually says his vows.” Devon glanced at Lani, a wicked light in her eye. “Five bucks says he cries.”