“You ready, daughter-in-law?” he asked when I stepped out.
The word stopped me.Daughter.It had been a while since anyone called me that.
“I don’t have anyone to walk me down the aisle,” I said quietly.
He smiled, extending his arm. “You do now. If you’ll have me.”
I took his arm, feeling the weight of family I’d never had before. As we walked toward the beach, I could hear the string quartet playing Etta James’s “At Last.”
The setup was even more beautiful than I’d glimpsed earlier. Every detail was perfect—from the white runner scattered with rose petals to the archway draped in flowing fabric that framed the sunset. Our guests were small but perfect: Rebecca and Yaslynn in the front row, Karyn beside them, Monica and Eric, Taiwan and Alicyn, and a few other faces I didn’t recognize, but who were smiling at this beautiful, important moment.
And then I saw him.
Lesley stood at the altar in a black tuxedo that fit him as if it were made for his body. His hair was perfectly lined, gold chain catching the candlelight, and when our eyes met, his face broke into the most beautiful smile I’d ever seen.
This man had listened to my pain and turned it into joy. Had taken my throwaway comment about having no one and made sure I had everyone who mattered. Had given me the fairy tale I’d stopped believing in.
As Legend placed my hand in Lesley’s, I knew this wasn’t just a wedding. This was the beginning of everything I’d never had before.
A real family. A real home. A genuine love that would last beyond any contract or arrangement.
“You look perfect,” Lesley whispered, his voice thick with emotion.
“So do you,” I whispered back.
And as the officiant began to speak, the sun painted the sky in shades of gold and pink, I realized that sometimes the best surprises were the ones that gave you everything you didn’t know you needed.
The next morning
The sound pulled me out of sleep, and my hand was already under the pillow before I was fully conscious. Vehicles. Doors. Voices outside the villa at an hour that made the hair on my neck stand up. Something was up.
I was up and moving. Gun from under the pillow, safety off, shorts pulled on in the same motion. My mind was already running through it — we were in Turks, small island, limited exit points, my father next door, Coco in the bed behind me.
“Lesley—”
“Stay in the room.” My voice came out low. “Lock the door behind me. Don’t open it for anybody but me.”
She was already sitting up, reading the energy, and she didn’t argue. The lock clicked behind me as I moved through the villa toward the front entrance, back against the wall, clearing the space the way I’d been taught before I was old enough to drive.
I got to the front window and looked out. It was the local authorities. Two of them, hats in hand, the particular posture of men delivering news rather than making arrests. My father was already in his doorway in his robe.
I exhaled and tucked the gun into my waistband at my back and opened the door.
We reached the entrance at the same time.
“Sir, Grimson, do you have a moment?”
“Yeah, should we go in?”
“No sir, there’s been an incident.”
We looked at each other before the taller officer spoke quietly, respectfully. There had been an incident. A woman matching Karyn's description had been found at the base of the cliff walk north of the resort.
The path was known to be unstable after dark. Staff had reported a bottle of wine missing from the neighboring villa’s terrace. They were very sorry. These things happened sometimes when guests wandered in the night.
I listened to every word and watched my father receive it.
Legend Grimson stood with his shoulders pulled back and his jaw set, the picture of a man absorbing the heaviest news you could get on vacation. His eyes went distant. But he quickly took off for the villa. I followed behind him as he went on the hunt for her.
