Page 120 of Nocere

"Um…" I glanced between their entertained faces, and my gaze fell on the infamous chef. "Stella."

"Me?" She chuckled, her palm pressed to her chest. "Why me?"

Snickers sounded around us and Sam patted my hip.

"Because you're confident and sure of yourself," I said, glancing to Sam.

"Okay, but if you weren't dating Sami, you'd say her, right?" asked Alice, pointing at Sam who laughed softly behind me. Scarlett and Vee both laughed at all of us.

"Yes." I nodded hard, leaning back to meet her gaze. "She is my former pick."

"But now you melt for her," said Stella, leaning her chin on her hand when she propped her elbow on the table. "True?"

"True." I tapped Sam's chin with my finger and she kissed the tip of it. She remained quiet and observant, though the look in her eyes screamed something at me that I couldn't quite decode. I glanced to Scarlett and Vee who gazed at the two of us like a pair of goofy dorks. It made my body heat with shyness, but when I looked back to Stella, she and Sam shared a long gaze only broken by my attention.

Alice broke the tension by spilling the contents off the top of her bruschetta down the front of her shirt. "For shit's sake."

"Allie," Vee said, laughing at her as she stood up. "Such grace."

"Shut your pie hole, Veronica." She tossed a piece of tomato at her before picking up her mess.

Stella chuckled and handed her a napkin before hopping up when the timer went off in the kitchen. She turned on her heel suddenly, and met Sam's gaze. "Sami, come help me a minute."

"Don't trust your wife?" Sam rose from her seat and smooched my cheek before heading off to the kitchen.

"Not after that fumble." Stella snickered as they disappeared into the kitchen.

"Very funny. Look out or I'm going to rescind my request for Vee and Scarlett to watch the girls tonight while we take advantage of their empty apartment," Alice called over her shoulder, and the two women in the kitchen laughed.

"You know we're going to watch them anyway," said Vee after Alice returned to her seat.

"I know, but it's fun to threaten."

"Do they sleep all night?" I asked, glancing between them.

"Oh yeah." Alice nodded, glancing down the hall. "All three of them are out-colders. Even the baby. We lucked out."

"It's because you bring them everywhere with you, including work. They're constantly playing and learning while actively engaging. Rare television, rare video games." Scarlett smiled as she thought of the girls. "It makes for a better adjusted crew."

"Only when they're sick do they fuss during the night. Luckily, their doctor lives down the hall." Alice grinned at Scarlett. "Fastest cures ever."

"Ear infections. Always ear infections." Scarlett laughed and drew her gaze from Alice to Vee. The two of them shared a knowing smile until Vee said, "That's how she formally met Finn, too. She was just about ten."

"You've all been together a long time," I said, mildly intimidated by their dedication to each other.

"Every minute has been worth it," answered Vee first, and Scarlett hugged her around the middle.

"Right back at you, baby," she said, and kissed her neck.

"It wasn't easy for me and Stella in the beginning." Alice glanced to the kitchen when the murmurs grew a little louder. "But I agree. Every minute, worth it."

The sound of a sob, or what I perceived to be one, echoed in the kitchen. Alice turned around to gaze around the corner before looking to me. I made to stand, but she caught me around the middle and urged me away.

"Shh," she whispered, guiding me toward the living room. Vee and Scarlett followed, in a gesture that told me they offered Stella and Sam privacy.

My heart pounded in my chest, and Alice held onto my elbow as we made it to the living room. I looked back at the kitchen, but Alice drew my attention to her the moment the worry for Sam and anxiety struck my chest. I held my breath, fighting the uprising of tears.

"Listen," Alice said, glancing to Vee and Scarlett who sat on the sofa together and turned on the television. "If you go charging in there, Sami will get angry."

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