"We will always celebrate you, Sami," said Stella once everything calmed down and people returned to their spots around the living room. "Always."
Sam nodded, her gaze affixed on Stella as I hugged her.
"You can thank your little fairy over there for this. She wanted you to have a birthday party that was just for you." Stella took Sam's hand and she squeezed it in return.
"She's very sneaky," she croaked as she gazed up at me.
I laughed and kissed her forehead. "It wasn't too hard considering you wouldn't have expected it anyway."
"True." She grinned and sat up straighter after I dried her tears. "Thank you. Both of you."
"For what?" asked Stella, though her smile never faded.
"Being my friend, urging me to settle down here. Supporting me."
"You deserve friends and happiness, Sami. Just like the rest of us. The fact you found Rosie in the mix of it, well, we'll just call that fate." Stella grinned as the two of them embraced. "Now. We have one more surprise. Don't we, Rosie?"
"Just one more little thing." I swung my legs off Sam's lap. "We figured we'd bring another mermaid into the pod. The second one though, she's a little unsure."
Sam laughed as her brow furrowed. "What are you talking about?"
I pointed to the sliding door that led to Ainsley's backyard and Alice entered with Marita and Anita on her heels. Marita's grin preceded her, and she only had eyes for Sam when she entered. Sam's breath gave a hiccup as she stood to greet her friend with an embrace that nearly lifted her from the floor.
Stella wagged her brows at me and held her hand palm up. I snickered and slapped her a high-five while we watched Sam's abundance of happiness. Anita gave me a little wave with her finger and I repeated the gesture. It wasn't as awkward as I expected to not have her as my doctor anymore. Instead, sharing life as a fellow human wasn't all that bad at all.
Marita cupped Sam's face in her palms, and she said something to her that made Sam nod her response. They glanced at me and Sam held her hand to me. I stood to join them and took her hand.
"Hi." I grinned at Marita who leaned down to kiss my cheek.
"We surprised her. She's speechless." Marita chuckled and continued to dote on Sam. "Love the necklace, Rosie. Looks like someone made you their own." Her smile melted to a grin, before she reached back to snag Anita around the middle, bringing her into the huddle. She bit her bottom lip in a coy gesture that I didn't expect.
"Long before this beautiful gift, I was already hers." I met Sam's gaze and she brushed her thumb over my bottom lip.
"Oh, I know. Trust me." Marita laughed and wagged her brows at Sam. "I remember the texts I got after you two met."
"You'll have to tell me about it sometime," I said, laughing at Sam's reaction.
"Oh no she won't." Sam grabbed me into a rough embrace. "Those are secret."
"How about right now?" Marita ignored her and sauntered over to the sofa where Stella and Alice watched us with matching grins. "While we indulge in some cake, alcohol, and good company."
"She's going to win, you know," offered Anita as she joined Marita.
"I think so, too." I laughed as I pulled Sam over to join them.
To say I never expected to feel comfortable surrounded by so many people wasn't quite a strong enough way to describe the transition my life took over the last several months. Throwing a party and making new friends though, that would've seemed like an inconsiderable possibility. Sam brought more to my life than just a relationship. She introduced companionship, healing, and connection in a way that brought happiness to my darkest places. We had both been through a lot, all of us had, and together, as Jordan said, we would swim together as a pod bound by the water that kept us floating. Some of us, however, wore ribbons of silk around our wrists that held us just where we needed to be; remembering that pain sometimes delivered us to pleasure, and we deserved a life without harm.