Page 57 of Trusting a Warrior

Lani flashed back to that night at the bar. She smirked, doubting that dude would cry even if his feet were held to a blazing fire. “Ten says he doesn’t.”

“Ha. Done.”

They bumped knuckles and then Devon gave the “sucker” cough into her fist, all to Shane’s enormous amusement.

Lani glanced at his scar. “Do you mind if I ask what happened?”

She listened in horror as he told her about an RPG exploding over the gun turret he was in.

“I don’t remember anything about that day at all,” he said. “Woke up at Landstuhl with my head bandaged and everyone telling me how lucky I am. The piece of metal that sliced across my forehead could’ve taken my eyes out, or lodged in my brain. Instead it just cracked my skull and peeled me open like an orange.” He grinned. “Thank God for good plastic surgeons.”

After dumping the diced cucumbers into an enormous bowl of salad, Shane led the way to the back patio, where there was a small table set for two. With a flourish, he put the bowl down next to what looked like a soup tureen.

“Chicken and dumplings, and salad. Enjoy, ladies, I’m off to the gym.”

He disappeared back inside the house, and Lani couldn’t help but watch him go. “Wow.”

She snapped her gaze guiltily to Devon, whose eyes twinkled at her. “I know, right? He’s gorgeous, and also one of the nicest people you’ll ever meet.” She sighed. “I love him to death, which is why I’m staying with him right now. He’s still recovering, and Matt doesn’t want him to be alone.”

“What’s Matt like?” Lani asked.

“Focused, intense. A SEAL down to his soul. He and Shane complement each other beautifully.” Devon laughed. “You’ll see it when we’re all together someday.”

At Devon’s invitation, Lani dished herself up a bowl of the piping hot chicken and dumplings. She waited while Devon did the same, then blurted, “How did you and Rhys meet?” She hadn’t meant the question to come out quite so abruptly, but the open friendliness in Devon’s eyes didn’t waver.

“Actually,” she said, “I met him in Afghanistan about five years ago, during my very first op as a member of the Cultural Support Team.” Her lips curved. “He was so kind to me that night, helped show me the ropes. When the mission was over, he went back to his original squadron, and I—” She shrugged, a haunted look flickering over her face. “Anyway, one day, I walked into my new platoon here in Coronado, and there he was. We just—”

Fell in love.

A pang went through Lani, but it was manageable. She nodded. “What’s next for you both?”

When Devon put her spoon down, her hand trembled a bit, and that slight hint of vulnerability loosened some of the knots in Lani’s chest. She was nervous, too.

“Well...” Taking a deep breath, Devon leaned forward and propped her elbows on the table. “I’ve already separated from the Army, so I’ll be starting on my Master’s in Social Work in a few weeks. My goal is to work with veteran survivors of trauma, with an emphasis on sexual assault.”

“And Rhys?”

Devon’s eyes widened just as a pair of big, warm hands settled on Lani’s shoulders from behind. With a squeak, she tilted her head back and gazed right up into Rhys’s smiling face. “Oh, my God,” she exclaimed. “What’re you doing here?”

Devon seemed just as surprised as she was. “Thought you’d be halfway to Florida by now, babe.”

“Nah, departure got pushed back to tomorrow.” Rhys squeezed Lani’s shoulders once. “Thought I’d come say hi.” He sounded a little tentative, as if unsure of his welcome, and Lani reached up to pat his hand.

“Well, I’m glad you did. Why don’t you join us?”

The expression of relief that spread over his face made her heart ache, and as he snagged a chair from the stack next to the wall, she thought, “Devon was right. He needs to see for himself that I’m okay.”

After all, he’d gone down into that basement to protect her. The instinct to watch over her was deeply rooted, and anchored in place by their shared trauma. Devon had intuited that need and worked out a way to satisfy it—by offering her friendship to Lani, no matter the risks that entailed for her own personal happiness.

Oh, how she loves you, Peanut Butter. Way more selflessly than I ever could.

She waited until Rhys was settled next to Devon, his arm slung casually along the back of her chair, before asking, “Okay. What’s next for you?”

“Eighteen more months in the Air Force,” he said. “Then PA school, hopefully followed by a job in emergency medicine.” He grinned at Devon. “A house with a white picket fence, two-point-five dogs.”

“Uh-uh. One dog.”

“Aww, honey, we can’t have an only dog. It wouldn’t be fair to him or her.”