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Shine had already gotten over the nervousness of the guys finding out he was dating someone. Now he just had to trust they would behave when they met Rowan. Apple was the one guy he was worried about, but Apple had behaved when he met Rowan on their walk.

He was on the way to pick up Thario then Rowan when his phone rang. It wasn't the regular ring, either. It was the one that meant his week or month would be spent somewhere other than the USA.

“Shine here.”

“This is Lieutenant Engler. We’re not sending you out today, but I wanted to let you know to be free tomorrow afternoon for a meeting.”

“Thank you, sir. I’ll be ready.”

The call ended, and he breathed a sigh of relief as he pulled up out front of Thario’s house, glad to see Frog already running down to his car. Thario’s dog was hilarious. The dog had accepted that Thario had good friends and remembered who they were. He got out of his car and greeted Frog, glad the dog was happy to see him. Frog always made his day better.

“I swear my dog loves you almost as much as he loves me,” Thario called out.

Shine stood. “I think he likes me more.”

Thario rolled his eyes as he made his way out to the car. “Maybe.”

“Want me to grab your chair?”

Thario shrugged. “Probably should. I think I can last all day, but…”

“I’ll grab it and put it in the trunk.”

Thario handed him the keys, and he ran up to the front of the house, seeing that Frog had followed him inside. The dog took good care of Thario. He hoped this pup had years left him because if he didn’t, Thario would be crushed.

"Okay, Frog, let's go. I've got the chair."

Frog followed him back to the car, going to stand beside Thario. “We’re picking up Rowan before we head to the park.”

Thario’s eyebrows raised. “So I get to meet your girl?”

Shine chuckled. “Yeah, you get to meet her.”

"Cool. We'll sit in the back, and you can chauffeur us around."

Shine rolled his eyes. “Sure, I’ll chauffeur your ass.”

"Oh, nice. I'm glad you care about my ass."

He shook his head, knowing Thario had a lot of snarky comebacks. “Just get in.”

It didn't take long to get to Rowan's place. He realized his hands were a little sweaty as he ran up to her door to get her. He'd told her that he had to pick up Thario, but he hadn't told her about Frog. He guessed Thario had opened his door, and Frog had come up to meet Rowan. She yelped as Frog bounded toward her, his big toothy grin looking a little demented.

All Shine had to do was raise his eyebrows at the dog, and he sat. "This is Frog. He's Thario's dog."

“Oh. Hello, Frog.”

Shine swore Frog said hello, but it could have just been him whining. Frog’s tail wagged fast as he stood and moved toward the car. He jumped around like he was excited.

“He likes you.”

“You think?”

"Oh yeah. He thinks you're nice. Come on, I want you to meet Thario."

Shine was surprised Thario was out of the car. He shook Rowan’s hand, his smile wide.

“Shine didn’t tell me how beautiful you were.”

Heat filled Shine, and he wanted to warn Thario to behave, but he didn't need to. Instead of kissing her hand or trying for a hug like he would have in the past, Thario dropped her hand quickly. He thought for sure he would have to tell Thario to back off. At least he would have a few years ago, but his buddy was behaving. Thario had changed, and he had to keep that in mind.

“How long have you two known each other?” Rowan asked as they got into the car.

“I think we met four years ago or so,” Thario said.

“Sounds about right.”

Rowan glanced over the seat at Thario. “Are you one of the SEALs?”

“Ah, so he hasn’t told you everything about me,” Thario chuckled.

“What? It’s not my story to tell,” Shine said.

“I lost my legs in an explosion. I’m retired. Some of the guys are nice enough to allow me to keep hanging out.”

“Oh, I had no idea. I’m sorry. ”

“Don’t worry about it. I’ve come to terms with the facts. I get to have Frog now, which is great.” The dog made a noise, and he could hear Thario murmuring something to the dog as he scratched his head.

“Your dog is smart,” Rowan said.

"He sure is. When I first got him, I wasn't sure. But he's pulled me out of depression, and I'm doing better. I swear some of the guys only come around to see Frog, but he knows."

“What do you mean by that?” Rowan asked.

“Frog knows when people really like me. He likes Shine, but there are some guys who stop by, and I can tell they aren’t really sincere. Frog barely lifts his head for them. But Frog goes wild over seeing Shine and a few of the other guys.”

“That’s sweet.”

Thario chuckled. “Shine is a good man.”

Rowan didn't say anything, but her hand slipped over the console and into his lap. She squeezed his knee, and warmth spread. No question, he was making the right decision inviting her to meet his buddies. They would get along because Rowan really was a good person. Pleasure slid through him. More than luck had been at play when he'd run into her again, and this time, he wouldn't let her go.