Page 4 of Saving Mr. Norcross
Brynn grinned at Haven and Rhys. “It won’t be Saxon. It’ll be Easton and Harlow.” She paused. “With dog pics.”
Vander’s oldest brother, Easton, and his wife had agreed to dog sit.
“Oh, they’re taking care of Shadow?” Haven asked.
Brynn nodded.
Shadow was a growing Belgian Malinois pup she and Vander had rescued from an illegal dog-fighting ring. Hell, two years ago, if someone had told him that he’d be married, have a dog, and a baby on the way, he would have thought they’d lost their mind.
Brynn elbowed Vander. “Someone here needs constant reassurance that his dog, one that he hadn’t wanted, is okay without him.”
Haven laughed and Rhys grinned.
Vander just glared at them.
“Let’s see the photos.” Haven leaned forward.
Vander held out his phone. His phone’s wallpaper was an image of Brynn and Shadow at the dog park. He pulled up the new images that Easton had sent.
Shadow was front and center, tongue lolling, looking like he was smiling. He had a black face and ears, while his strong, solid body was tan. Another photo showed him zooming through the dog park. In the final one, he was snuggled up with Easton’s wife, Harlow, on a couch.
“See, he’s fine,” Brynn said.
“I knew he’d be fine,” Vander grumbled. He rose. “I think I need a refill.”
“Top me up, too,” Rhys said.
The conversation ebbed and flowed as Vander and Rhys finished their drinks.
“We’d better head back to our villa.” Rhys pulled Haven to her feet and into his arms.
She nodded. “Yes, we need to get a good night’s sleep. We have more exploring to do tomorrow.”
Rhys lowered his head and nibbled her ear. “Oh, I’m not planning on letting you sleep, angel.”
She blushed prettily.
Brynn grinned at the pair.
“I’m going to see an old military buddy tomorrow,” Vander said. “Justin Clarke. Remember him, Rhys?”
“I do.” He slung an arm across Haven’s shoulders. “We crossed paths but didn’t serve together. Good guy.”
Justin and Vander had been in Ghost Ops together. The secret government program that pulled together the toughest, hardest, most skilled soldiers in the military into a single team. A team that did the toughest, hardest missions. Vander had been the team’s commander.
“After he retired, Justin married an Italian woman, and lives here. Want to come with me?”
Rhys tilted his head. “Sounds good. I’d like to see him.”
“That means we have a girls’ day.” Haven looked at Brynn. “Shopping?”
Brynn grinned. “There’s room for a few more pairs of shoes in my suitcase.”
The women hugged.
“Night.” Rhys slapped Vander on the shoulder, then led Haven outside. It was a short walk back to their villa and the path was lit by lights.
Vander headed to the bar and poured another drink. The edgy feeling he hadn’t been able to shake lately was riding him. He didn’t like it.
