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"Yup. It's my second best skill." Sali pretended to dust off her shoulder.

Nora smiled while she watched them, finally relaxing fully in my arms. She brushed her lips back and forth over the fabric of my shirt. I watched them while rubbing Nora's back in firm circles. She sniffled the last of her tears when the anxiety seemed to finally let her go.

Maggie seemed to read her body language pretty well and asked, "What happened?"

"Arguing. Shouting." Nora sniffled and wiped her eyes on her sleeve. "In the house, I guess."

Maggie nodded, holding her hand out to Nora. She took it, and Maggie gave her a squeeze.

"You three buttheads want me to light a fire? It's chilly in here." Sali broke the quiet as usual, shifting away from Maggie to kneel beside the hearth.

"Yeah," I said, smirking at her per usual. "Thanks."

"I can go steal the can of chocolate icing," Maggie whispered to Nora. "And only two spoons. Should I?"

Nora laughed, nodding to Maggie. "I still want brownies though."

"How about I con Harper into making the brownies while I swipe the icing?"

"Good idea." Nora's soft giggle brought the smile back to our faces and her grip on me loosened.

"Be right back." Maggie wagged her brows before hopping up, favoring her leg for the first two steps before prancing off to the kitchen.

Nora's eyes, despite their tears, shimmered with playfulness while she watched Maggie's mischievous departure. She wiped her cheeks and sat up on her own then. I stroked my thumb over her chin, and she smiled at me, her damp lashes darkening her eyes to emeralds.

"Love you," I whispered, and she nudged my forehead with hers.

"Love you, too."

Maggie scurried back into the room, wagging her brows at Nora before hopping onto the couch, contraband in hand. She waved Nora over and she broke away from me, joining Maggie to sit cross-legged in front of her. Maggie handed her a spoon, and they dug into the freshly opened icing to indulge together.

I leaned back on my hands, crossing my feet at the ankles when the woosh of heat from the fire beside me rose to a height. Sali replaced the safety screen then dropped down to sit beside me, mimicking my posture.

"You good?" she asked, then stabbed me in the thigh with the fire poker.

"Ow. Fucker. Give me that." I snatched it from her and tossed it on the carpet by the sofa where she couldn't reach it.

She doubled over with laughter and I planted my foot against her hip, then stretched out my leg. Her entire body slid away from me across the floor while she laughed the whole time. I grinned when she flopped onto her back, her stomach bouncing with hysterics.

I looked back to Nora and Maggie, each with spoons between their chocolatey lips, both laughing while they watched the two of us. Nora met my gaze, and her smile reached her eyes as we seemed to share the same sentiment of gratitude aimed toward our amusing friends.

Sharing troubling times with people around me was a new adventure, and I didn't hate it. For most of my life, I prided myself in the strength of my solitude broken only for the companionship of my peers belonging to the BDSM scene. Deeper connections rarely accompanied those couplings, or quartets, or whatever tickled my fancy. Here, however, with Sali and Maggie, and their house filled with people, both Nora and I found something neither of us had. In the short time we'd all known each other, they began to feel like true friends. Perhaps Nora felt the same. Tonight, I would let them entertain and soothe my girl, and maybe, if I felt like it, I'd lean into the comfort of knowing someone else gave a shit.