Page 22 of Protection for Rowan
“And you must be Rowan. I’m Nichole.”
She shook the woman’s hand and was greeted by Danika next.
“I’m Danika. It’s nice to meet you.”
“Hello, it’s nice to meet you both.”
“So you’re Rowan?” a man with dark hair and blue eyes asked.
She turned to him and smiled. He was big, strong-looking, and didn't seem to be smiling. He didn't look mean, but he didn't look welcoming.
“This is Griz,” Shine said. Then he went down the row, telling her the names of each of the men.
She laughed as the last one was introduced. “It will take me a while to remember all of your names.”
“That’s okay,” Squat said. “We don’t mind repeating our names. It’s a lot to keep up with.”
“Thank you.”
Apple came over. “So you both were in the plane crash. That’s amazing that you survived.”
She shrugged. “It was hard to get over. My parentscame to pick me up from the hospital and wanted me to fly home. I couldn’t get on the plane. We drove.”
“Oh man, that’s rough. How long did it take you to fly again?”
"Years. I became a psychologist because of it. Then, one of my professors challenged me to overcome my fear. I couldn't even talk about planes or flying. A small plane crashed close to campus, and I freaked out. The professor knew I needed to overcome that fear, or I'd never make it as a psychologist. He bought us plane tickets that were cheap, and we went on the flight together. It was to some small city in Idaho I would never travel to, but it did the job. He kept me calm by telling me stories and helping me learn techniques so I could fly."
Apple flashed a big smile. “Wow, that’s awesome that he did that for you.”
She nodded, remembering the man fondly. "I think it was because his daughter died from cancer the year before, and he said I reminded him of her. He wanted me to make it. He was older and didn't live long enough to see me get my doctoral degree, but he knew I was doing well in the program. I was one of the people who went to the hospital to sit with him on his last day, so I got to say goodbye. It was hard, but I'm glad I was there."
Danika reached out and squeezed her hand. “That was very sweet of him to do that for you.”
“It was. He was a great professor who cared about his students. I would have been hampered if I hadn’t taken care of the fear. It was completely valid, but still, it would have held me back.”
Apple turned to Shine. “How did you get over the fear?”
Shine shrugged. “I embraced it. I signed up for jumps. It was masochistic, and I knew it. I woke up withnightmares for a while, but I figured out how to deal with the fear.”
Rowan looked at Shine with wonder. “Very masochistic.”
“I’m better now. I’ve learned how to deal with fear and move past it.”
Thario shook his head. “Wouldn’t have gotten through BUDs without dealing with it.”
"Honestly, the crash pushed me to improve. I knew I could survive a plane crash and deal with the pain so I could survive BUDs."
Sharp put his arm around Shine’s shoulder. “I knew you were a badass. I’m glad you’re on my team.”
Rowan could see the pride in Shine’s eyes. Finding him again was amazing. She was lucky to know him. She should have looked earlier, but he may not have been ready for a relationship, and she’d been married for a while, then recovering and finding herself after the divorce.
“Are you all ready for me to start the meat?” Griz asked.
“Yeah,” Squat said with another slap to Shine’s back. “I’m hungry.”
Rowan liked the group. They were good people who seemed to get along. She didn’t want to get too deep into analyzing them, but she liked how they interacted. They seemed to have a healthy relationship with no real problems.
Danika came over and sat next to her on the bench. “How long have you been in California?”
