The doorbell rang at that moment.

Logan went to answer and came back with five boxes of pizza. They were put on the table and the lids were flipped open. Steam rose from each of them. Paper plates, napkins, and plastic silverware were already on the table and he gestured to the table. "Dig in, guys."

Nate called out, "We've got beer, some soda…I think, and other drinks in the bar outside."

The guys went first. After they trailed outside to grab a drink, the three girls followed with our own plates full of food. Everyone had taken a seat around the tables as Nate turned into the bartender. He made sure everyone had a beverage. Logan hopped around to make sure none of them ran empty.

It was easy.

I hadn't expected it to be easy, but stories were shared. The guys joked and no one was ready to bite someone's head off. The guys congregated around the bar with easygoing grins. Even when Becky sat beside me, I was glad that she was there. She'd been a good friend at a time when I needed her. I hoped she would still be a friend, maybe not the one I thought she had been, but one nonetheless. Lily surprised me the most. She had a crude sense of humor with one-liners delivered at the perfect time. The rest of the Manny's staff joined us two hours later. Anne settled next to Lily and cackled together as Heather shook her head with a small grin on her face.

When Mason folded me into bed later, I grinned up at him and whispered how much the party meant to me.

He slid in beside me and pulled me close to him. He tucked his head behind me and took a deep breath. His hand flattened under my breast and he held me there, tight to him. Then he whispered back to me, his lips a soft caress against my neck, "We just love you. All of us."

"Everything will be fine," I murmured, sleepily. "You. Me. Logan. Even Nate. All of us. And Heather."

His body trembled behind me and his arms pulled me even closer to him. "Everything will be fine."

"You promise?" I smiled as I felt him kiss my neck.

"I promise."

"Even the families?"

"Even the families." His arms bulged around me and he rocked me back and forth. "Go to sleep, Samantha. We have school tomorrow."

"I love you, Mason."

He pressed another kiss to my neck, then to my shoulder blade. "I love you too. Now go to sleep."

"..o..kay…" And I did.

THE END