“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.”
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.