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“Thank you. I can’t get over this dress. It’s the most beautiful thing I’ve ever worn.”

“Get used to it,” Max teases as he stands behind me, dropping his chin on my shoulder. “How are you two? Not honeymooners anymore, right?”

Ben pulls Grace into his side. “Nope. Just celebrated our first anniversary of this beautiful woman agreeing to spend her life married to a nomad.” He chuckles.

She gives him a playful pat on his chest. “Oh, my word. You open boutique hotels all over the US. That’s a little different than a drifter.”

“Cassidy!” I turn to find Lala running toward me, and my eyes fill with tears. I had no idea just how much I’d missed her until this moment.

“Lala.” I pull my smart, petite friend in for a hug. “God, I’ve missed you. How’s school going?”

“Great. I’m almost done.”

My mouth drops open, my eyes immediately seeking out Gianni. “What on earth is G going to do without you?”

She shrugs. “Don’t know. Don’t care.” Something tells me she doth protest too much. “He’s had every opportunity to consider keeping me on. It’s not like I haven’t told him about my plans.”

“Cass.” Fern pulls me in for a hug just as Candice rushes toward me, their excitement bubbling over. Even Brier is here. I catch what feels like a flicker of jealousy in her eyes. There’s no doubt she’d love to be here as a guest and not a staff member. But whatever I noticed is fleeting. It’s softened by a sincere tilt of her head. Hopefully, one day soon, she’ll have the chance to achieve her dreams, as I have.

The music dips enough for the circle to close in around us. Lala’s eyes are darting between me and Max, her intuition practically vibrating. “Okay, spill it, Cass,” she demands, reaching for my hand. “You’ve been glowing since you walked in, and it’s not your hair.”

I look at Max. He gives me a subtle, encouraging nod. His bright blue eyes are alive with pride. God, I love this man.

I lift my left hand. The diamond the size of a softball catches every single LED in the room, fracturing the light into a thousand tiny rainbows. I’d bet someone could see the glare from a mile away.

A chorus of congratulations floats around me. The feeling of having such an amazing group of friends to share our excitement is beyond anything I could’ve pictured when I started work here a year ago.

“Holy shit balls, Cass!” Candice yells. “Look at the size of that thing.”

“Oh, my eyes, my eyes!” a familiar voice shouts playfully from behind me. We turn to find Frank heading our way.

Max beams in his best friend’s direction. “Hey, how did you get in here without me?” He chuckles giving him a playful slap on the back.

“Your friends invited me. Heard it was a special occasion.” Frank winks.

My gaze bounces around the club, trying to determine the theme of this party. There are no large moons or spoons dangling in the air. No disco balls. The only common denominator seems to be opulence.

I glance back at the people standing around me when I catch a recognizable figure descending the stairs in my peripheral vision. Finding this familiar muscular firefighter here makes me tear up. And he’s not alone. Behind my brother, Holt, are Sebastian and Isabella. There’s no holding back the waterworks as they walk in our direction.

“Babe. Look!” I grab Max’s arm before I rush in their direction.

“Leave it to you to be late to your own party,” Holt rumbles, clapping Max on the shoulder.

I blink, looking around at the premium magnums of champagne being uncorked. “Wait... Holt? Bella, Sebastian? You guys did this?”

“With a little help from Gianni,” Sebastian admits, looking smug. “We figured after a year of you two playing it safe, you deserved a proper engagement party.”

“Did I hear that right? Let me see that damn ring, Wilde.”

Gianni grabs my hand, causing Frank to dramatically cover his eyes again. “Thank fuck!” Gianni bellows, throwing his hands up in the air. He turns to Lala, a look of mock exhaustion on his face. “That’s it. I’m never playing matchmaker again. It’s fucking exhausting.”

A giggle erupts from Lala as I lean into Max’s side.

“What? Gianni, you spent months reminding us we couldn’t have a relationship. You two were the ones quoting the rulebook,” I blurt, looking between Gianni and Lala.

Gianni looks from Max to me. “The moment I met you, I knew. But I had no idea how hard it’d be getting the two of you on the same page,” Gianni says, his expression softens. “The two of you couldn’t be more perfect for each other if Max had created you from AI.”

“Amen to that,” Devon Sly chimes in, raising a glass of amber liquid. He nudges Becket Ryan with his elbow. “Cheers, to the poor sods around here who keep dropping like flies for these women. It’s a goddamn epidemic.”