sparring at the gym. And last was the move-in day photo Declan took of Gabby and Theo.
“Well,” Gabby prodded as she cut a glance at him. “Hey, are you crying?”
“Something in my eye.” Declan cleared his throat. “They look great, babe.” He exhaled a shaky breath, but she didn’t notice the hitch in his breathing as she continued chattering and shuffling through other pictures, holding one out and then another for his perusal. He nodded like a robot, his heart and mind completely hijacked by the single thought that he’d found her.
The girl he’d left behind had finally broken free from the chains of the past and had come home.
Epilogue
3 months later
Her gown was a simple ivory sheathe with elegant lines. No tiara or veil would sit on her head. Her inner girly-girl always wanted big curls and cascading tresses, but she never figured out how to do it herself or had the patience to learn. A wedding seemed to be a perfect enough reason for a hairstylist-to-the-stars to do it.
Her wedding.
Gabby stared at her reflection in the gilded oval mirror adorning the wall of the Beverly Hills mansion she’d inherited from Peter. A couple of weeks ago, she and Theo opened the contents of the safety deposit box her father mentioned in his will. They both suspected what was in that box and had been correct.
The original copy of Theo’s DNA report that Peter ran after his divorce. Along with it was a list of people he knew were involved in the baby swap. The doctor Ortega had murdered and, of course, Claudette. He also had details of his run-ins with Ortega which she already knew from going through the crime lord’s properties. With Raul Ortega gone, the control of the criminal enterprise had shifted in LA, but she would worry about that after she returned to work in a few weeks.
For now, getting married to the love of her life was her priority.
The door opened again, and Nadia walked in. As maid-of-honor, she did the last-minute run-around duties for Gabby. Following her were Emma and Kelso.
Her partner was walking her down the aisle.
“They’re ready for you,” Nadia said.
“How do I look?” she asked.
The stunned expression on Kelso’s face was certainly reassuring. Her fingers were freezing, palms clammy; she needed all the encouragement she could get. She hadn’t been this nervous since her first patrol duty out of the academy.
“Excuse me while I pick my jaw up off the floor,” Kelso said slowly, an appraising gaze inspecting her from head to toe. “Damn, Woodward, you clean up good.”
“Thanks!” She gave a nervous smile.
“You’re the most gorgeous bride I’ve ever seen,” Nadia gushed, and Emma echoed her sentiment. The girls had seen her earlier and they’d been endlessly complimentary.
“You missed your damned calling, partner,” Kelso continued. “If you weren’t such a kickass detective, I’d say Hollywood is missing out.”
“Don’t give her ideas,” Nadia admonished.
The door opened again, and the wedding planner stuck her head in. “The entourage is forming. We need to go.”
“Give me a minute,” Gabby replied and turned to Kelso. “Thanks for doing this.”
Despite reconciling her feelings for Peter, she would never forget the man who’d stood in as her father and mentor.
Her partner knew what she meant. “The captain would have wanted to be here.”
“I miss him,” she whispered as a bittersweet ache settled on her chest.
“Hey! No crying or you’ll ruin your make-up, delay the wedding, and Declan will kill us,” Nadia warned even as her own eyes filled. “Judging from my encounter with him a few minutes ago, he’s ready for this to be over.”
Poor Declan. The press was camped out at the gates, and since he rode with Theo who loved grandstanding for the fans, they did a mini photo op at the entrance.
“He just wants to be married to you,” Kelso said softly, offering his arm. “Ready, partner?”
She linked her arm to his. “Ready.”
A celebrity outdoor wedding in Los Angeles was a no-no unless you wanted the whole ceremony to be drowned out by helicopter noise, or the chairs and arrangements to be tumbled by the rotor wash, not to mention guests with permanently scrunched up faces—not ideal for photographs.
Thankfully, Gabby’s Beverly Hills mansion had a ballroom, albeit a tiny one. It could accommodate two-hundred fifty guests, which was tiny by Hollywood standards. But Gabby and Theo were Hollywood royalty after all. After the revelation three months ago, the public was riveted on the story of their little family—book, movie, and series proposals