Frieda rolled her lips inward, but her face turned a bright red and the smile behind her eyes was pure mischief. “She might have had an inside track with your only employee.”

Of course, she’d been the one to smuggle out the goods. Frieda was nothing if not a busybody—not that Cassie had any complaints.

The older woman with dark cherry-colored hair and enviable curves who’d walked in with her crew sauntered toward Cassie. When she spoke, her words were thick with a Scottish accent. “Well, then. Now that we got all that out in the open, I’m Sylvie,” she said, wrapping her arms around Cassie with the same familiarity Evette had. “Welcome to the family, lass.”

Wow.

Just. Freaking. Wow.

Not just a big night.

A phenomenal one.

The stuff of dreams and happily ever afters. Her man by her side. Loads of happy, unpretentious, kind and giving people around her. A blooming career she hadn’t seen coming.

And she hadn’t even taken her camera out of her bag yet.

“Well.” Axel’s big booming voice came from the hallway at the back of the room and carried the same accent as Sylvie’s only much, much lighter. “I see no one’s scared off the new girl yet. Always a miracle.”

“Um,” Gia said. “Pretty sure it’s the guys who usually scare us off and the women who find a way to sweet-talk us back on your behalf.”

“Mmm-hmm,” Natalie echoed.

Sylvie released Cassie and aimed a superior look at her son. “Ye see? The women know the truth of it.”

Lizzy, who’d walked in beside Axel and still had her hand in his, shook her head. “You’re diggin’ a hole, Handsome.”

Axel didn’t seem to care. There was too much laughter in his eyes and the presence of a man who had it all and then some. He winked at Cassie and asked, “So, you’ve met the clan, yeah?”

Cassie nodded, the most she could muster considering how much she’d taken in over such a short time.

“Well, all right then.” He clapped his hands together, rubbed them like someone had just wheeled in a cartful of beer or Scotch, then wrapped his arm around Lizzy’s back. “Let’s get this show on the road. Everyone get their seats, and we’ll get Cassie set up.”

Everyone stood, making their way toward the door and the hallway beyond.

Roman patted her shoulder, dipped his head to her ear and murmured, “Good luck,” before following the crowd.

Sergei nodded in a show of encouragement and guided Emerson and Evette behind Roman, but Evette winked and wiggled her fingers in farewell over one shoulder.

In less than a minute it was just Cassie, Frieda, Kir, Axel and Lizzie remaining, but it was Kir who was closest. Her rock. Her champion. Her man.

He pulled her in close and cupped one side of her face? “Are you ready?”

She was more than ready. She was happy. Living a dream and loving every second of it. All because of the man holding her. “Absolutely. Let’s do this.”