Page 54 of Girl Lost (The King Legacy #1)

Six Months Later

The woman in the mirror was a stranger. Gone were the sharp edges and guarded eyes of a CIA operative. In their place, someone softer gazed back. Someone open. Someone who’d found her way home.

Luna’s fingers traced the intricate lace of her wedding dress. The delicate fabric caught on calluses earned from years of fieldwork, a reminder of the life she’d left behind. Stryker’s beach house, once foreign territory, now felt like a sanctuary. A place of new beginnings.

“Mom?” Summer’s voice, still new and wonderful, pulled her from her reverie. “We’re all done.”

She turned. Her daughters stood before her, a vision that made her heart swell. Summer’s auburn waves cascaded over an emerald dress that brought out flecks of gold in her green eyes. Trinity, resplendent in soft lavender, had swept her dark hair into an elegant updo.

“You both look beautiful,” she said.

Trinity guided her to the full-length mirror. “Come on, you have to see yourself.”

Her breath caught. The simple white dress hugged her curves before flowing out gently. Her dark curls, with their hints of au burn, were swept up, a few tendrils framing her face. She looked ... happy. Truly, radiantly happy.

“You’re gorgeous,” Summer breathed, her eyes shining.

She blinked rapidly, willing herself not to cry.

Trinity dabbed at the corner of her own eye. “If you ruin that makeup, we’ll have to start all over.”

“We’d better get going.” Summer glanced at her watch. “Dad’s waiting, and I think he might spontaneously combust if he has to wait much longer.”

As the girls hurried out, she allowed herself a moment of reflection. Not even a year ago, she’d returned to Millie Beach searching for one daughter. Now, through some miracle, she had two. The prodigal daughter, returned to the fold. And not just returned but restored twofold.

She’d been frozen for so long, guilt and fear an impenetrable barrier around her heart. Now, as she stood here on the brink of a new life, that ice had melted away. In its place, a warmth she’d almost forgotten she could feel.

She swiped at her eyes, careful not to smudge her mascara. No more tears. It was time to move forward.

She scooped up her bouquet of soft-pink tulips and made her way outside. The warm sand shocked her bare feet, grounding her in the moment.

White chairs lined a path in the sand, leading to a simple arch draped in flowing fabric. Pink tulips, matching her bouquet, adorned the arch and chairs. The late afternoon sun bathed everything in a warm, golden light, as if nature itself was celebrating with them.

And there, at the end of the aisle, stood Corbin.

Her heart thundered as she began her walk. The sand shifted beneath her feet with each step. Waves lapped gently at the shore, their rhythm steady and soothing. A cellist played rich, resonant tones that blended with the natural symphony around them.

With each step, she felt the weight of her past falling away. The deception, the covers, the constant fear and doubt. None of it mattered anymore.

Here, now, she was simply Luna. A woman in love, walking toward her future.

Corbin’s eyes never left her face as she approached. The love and awe she saw there made her knees weak. How had God blessed her with so much? To not only find her way back to him but to build this beautiful family together?

Their vows were simple, honest. Promises to love, support, and cherish. To face whatever came their way as partners, equals. When they kissed, Luna poured every ounce of love and gratitude into it.

“I now pronounce you Mr. and Mrs. King,” the officiant announced.

A thrill ran through her at her new name. A name chosen, not assigned. A name that represented family, love, belonging.

The reception, held under a white tent on the beach, was everything she had never allowed herself to dream of. Soft lights twinkled overhead, casting a warm glow over the gathering. The cellist continued to play, his music a gentle backdrop to the joyous conversations around them.

Corbin leaned in close. “How are you feeling, Mrs. King?”

She savored the words, the newness of them. “Happy,” she replied. “Impossibly, wonderfully happy.”

Yet, even in this moment of joy, there was a twinge of sadness. She glanced at the empty chair they’d left for Stryker. “I just wish he could be here.”

Corbin squeezed her hand. “We’ll celebrate again when he wakes up. You know how stubborn he is. He won’t stay down for long.”

She nodded, clinging to that hope. Stryker had survived so much. Surely he could survive this too.

The cellist took a break, and Trinity and Summer commandeered the music system, identical mischievous grins on their faces.

Trinity grabbed the microphone. “Time for the father-daughter dance!”

Her heart swelled as she watched Corbin dance with both girls, his face alight with joy. He twirled them, laughed with them, treasuring each moment. This was what they’d fought for, what they’d risked everything to protect.

Tori and Harlee joined her at the table, and Luna marveled at how far they’d all come. From scared, angry teenagers to this—a family forged through love and shared experiences.

Tori gestured to the celebration around them. “Did you ever imagine you’d end up here?”

She shook her head. “Never. But I wouldn’t change it for anything.”

They chatted about the ongoing investigations, the loose ends they were still tying up. But tonight wasn’t about work. Tonight was about new beginnings and second chances.

The yacht cut through the turquoise waters between Miami and Dry Tortugas National Park, a private sanctuary where the Gulf of Mexico met the Caribbean.

For their honeymoon, Corbin had chartered the luxury yacht, Ohana Rising , complete with a personal chef and crew.

A floating refuge where they could disappear from the world, from everything that had chased them.

As night fell, they stood on the deck, watching the sun sink into the sea. Corbin’s arms wrapped around her, solid and sure. An anchor after years of drifting. Her body melded into his, feeling the steady rhythm of his heartbeat against her back.

“I still can’t quite believe how much our lives have changed,” Corbin said. “Do you ever regret leaving the CIA?”

Regret?

Summer’s laughter drifted through her mind. Trinity’s bright smile. Their makeshift family they’d stitched together from the shattered pieces of their past.

She shook her head. “Not for a second. This is what’s real.

Us. Our family. It’s what I’ve been searching for all along, I just didn’t know it.

” She turned, facing him. “I’m looking forward to this new normal.

Together. And I’ll keep helping out at the gym as long as Stryker’s in the hospital.

Recruiting assets and turning them to the good side will still be my job.

Just with better hours and a lot less danger,” she added with a smile.

They ate dinner on the deck and talked about Summer in college and Trinity not far behind, both proud and a little wistful.

A seagull carved lazy arcs across the amber-streaked sky. “I’m glad they’re going together,” Luna said. “And that Trinity’s heart is stronger than ever. She can finally live the life she deserves.”

Corbin was quiet for a moment, thoughtful. “You know, I’ve been thinking about how lonely it might be without them. What do you think about extending our family? Doing it right this time. The pregnancy, the diapers, the late-night feedings—all of it.”

Luna’s world tilted. Another child? An opportunity to experience all the moments they’d missed with Summer and with each other. She looked into Corbin’s eyes and knew her answer.

“Whatever comes next,” she said, “I’m all in. As long as we’re together.”

“Always,” Corbin promised, and she knew it was true.

Whatever challenges lay ahead, they would face them side by side.

They kissed as the last light bled from the sky like watercolor. This wasn’t an ending, it was a beginning written in grace and love. In possibility.

The start of their greatest adventure yet.

And for the first time in her life, Luna was ready to surrender to the journey.

Three Weeks Later

Corbin’s knuckles whitened as he gripped the steering wheel, the leather creaking under the pressure. The car idled in the parking lot, its gentle rumble much like the turmoil churning inside him. He’d been sitting here for fifteen minutes, willing himself to move, to take that first step.

The imposing structure loomed before him.

A fortress of concrete and steel that seemed to suck the very warmth from the air.

Corbin’s eyes traced the razor wire atop the fences, glinting wickedly in the harsh Florida sun.

This place was designed to keep people in, but right now, it felt like it was keeping him out.

He glanced at his watch. If he didn’t move soon, he’d be too late. The thought almost made him laugh. Late for what? A family reunion?

With a deep breath that did little to calm his racing heart, Corbin killed the engine.

The sudden silence felt oppressive, broken only by the faint jangle of keys as he pocketed them.

He could still drive away. Pretend this whole thing had never happened.

Go back to Luna, to the daughters he was just getting to know.

But he couldn’t. Not really. Because as much as he hated to admit it, the man waiting inside held answers. Answers they desperately needed.

Corbin stepped out of the car. Straightened his tie. His badge felt heavy in his breast pocket. A reminder of everything he’d worked for.

The walk to the entrance seemed to stretch for miles, and each step brought a fresh wave of memories.

His father’s rages. The smell of whiskey on his breath.

The sound of his mother’s muffled sobs. Corbin’s stomach churned, threatening to expel the meager breakfast he’d managed to choke down that morning.