I sipped from the straw. The fruity sweet beverage tasted crisp and fresh. It was the perfect beach drink.
Flint leaned back in the sand on his elbows. His unbuttoned shirt spread open. Sand dotted his pectorals which were deeply tanned and incredibly sexy in the tropical sun. He caught me watching him. “Like what you see?”
I grinned. “You know it.”
Just before Greg flew us to the island, I got my period. It was a bittersweet ending to all that had unfolded. Flint and I had both felt relieved that a pregnancy never happened. As much as we loved each other and planned to stay together for the rest of our lives, neither of us was ready to start a family. We were too young. We had too much we wanted to do. There was time for that in the future, but for right now, we both wanted many childless years to come.
He took the drink out of my hand and placed it on the small table at my side before crushing me beneath him. I spread my legs, allowing him better access.
The private beach and villa we’d rented sat on a small island in the Caribbean. We were only three days into our month long vacation, just the two of us. Finally, we were taking the trip we’d been talking about for weeks.
When he pulled back, I was breathless. “How long have we waited for this?”
“Too long,” he growled.
“I can’t believe I said only a month. I should have said a year.”
He chuckled and then in a lightning fast move he was walking back to the villa with me in his arms. He carried me from the beach up the walkway to the huge king sized bed. Fresh sea air whipped through the interior. The glass wall of accordion style windows, that made up one wall in the villa, was entirely open. Salty, fresh ocean air whipped through the bedroom. It felt like the room was outside.
Flint splayed me across the bed before landing on top of me. I laughed when the mattress made us both bounce. His eyes darkened. Reaching a finger up, he pushed hair out of my face.
“I’ve waited for so long to have you like this.”
I thought of the months and years we’d dreamed of being normal, of not having to hide, of having a life of our own, of traveling. Now, we were finally living it.
His deep voice rumbled. “I love you. More than life itself.” His dark gaze filled with emotion.
My heart clenched. I tenderly ran a finger along his cheek. His eyes darkened even more. Heat filled my core. “I’ll love you forever,” I breathed. The bracelet he’d given me on my eighteenth birthday slid down my arm when I wrapped my hand around his neck.
“It’s funny.” He moved down to kiss the side of my neck.
“What’s funny?” I could barely concentrate. His tongue did amazing things.
“In a way, I feel like we’ve been given a new life. That this is the life we were always meant to have. Free, together, our family safe.”
I nodded as he pushed up. I tried to pull him closer, but he stayed on his forearms. Deep emotion blazed in his irises. “It’s like we’ve been reborn. Like we’ve got a chance to start anew.”
I shimmied out of my top and pulled him onto my naked breasts. “And there’s only one person I want to start that new life with.”
EPILOGUE
One Year Later
I handed another string of Christmas lights to Luke. He stood on top of a small ladder. The tree we’d picked out that morning was almost ten feet tall. All twelve of us had set out just after breakfast, in search of the perfect tree. It only took an hour of tramping through the snow around our Canadian property to find it.
“Don’t you think those are enough?” Jet looked at the array of lights that wrapped around the tree. There were so many, they practically blinded me.
“I saw a tree on a movie once. It was almost completely covered in lights.” Luke scratched his head. “Isn’t that how they’re supposed to be?”
“It can be however you want it.” Jacinda kneeled beside him, plucking glass ornaments from where they were carefully wrapped in tissue paper. They were all new. She’d bought them at Tiffany’s when she’d been on a trip to New York the week prior. During the past three months, Jacinda had visited the Big Apple on a monthly basis.
“There are no rules on how to do this?” Luke untwisted another string of lights.
“Nope.” Jacinda held up an ornament. “You can make the tree however you want it.”
“I fink we should string some popcorn together.” Edgar sat cross legged on the floor. “That’s what people do sometimes, in’it?”
Jet snickered. “If you’re five years old maybe.”
Amber glared at Jet. “I think that’s a great idea. Let’s go pop some.”
Amber and Edgar trailed off to the kitchen.
It was amazingly peaceful being back at our home in the Canadian Rockies. It wasn’t where we normally lived, but we all agreed it was where we wanted to spend our first true Christmas together as a family of twelve.
The sounds and scents of popping corn soon filled the room. Susannah moved from the couch to kneel beside Jacinda. “That one’s pretty.” She pointed to the ornament in the shape of a snowflake.
“Do you want to hang it?” Jacinda smoothed a strand of long, blond hair behind her ear and smiled.
Susannah took it and stood. When she walked to the tree, it was hard not to notice her attire. Susannah wore skinny jeans and a red sweater made of some expensive, shimmering fabric that had holes cut strategically out of the shoulders. Bracelets jangled from her wrists. Glittery earrings adorned her ears. Susannah looked like a model straight out of a fashion magazine. The ankle high stiletto boots only added to the look.
I admired her long, black hair which hung in heavy waves to her waist. She held up the ornament. Her ivory skin practically sparkled with happiness. The days where Susannah didn’t eat, talk, or shower were long over. So were the days where she only wore baggy t-shirts and sweatpants. Now, Jacinda styled her on a regular basis.
My sister’s dream had finally come true. Since Susannah lived with Jacinda and Luke, Jacinda had found someone to style on a daily basis who just happened to be the perfect client. Susannah never batted an eye over some of the ridiculous things Jacinda picked out for her, like the sweater she currently wore. She had to be freezing with all of the holes in it.
“Where should I put it?” Susannah ran her fingers along its edge.
“Wherever you want.” Di sat at the kitchen table, sipping hot chocolate while trying to beat Raven in a game of chess. It seemed she’d met her match. Their games could last for hours, and on occasion, days. “Like Jacinda said, there are no rules.”
Di finally moved her piece which got a concentrated frown out of Raven.
“Hmm.” His orange eyes glowed with intensity.
Di smiled. “Your move, brother.”
I gave the last string of lights to Luke before joining Flint on the couch. He put his arm around me and offered me a sip of his eggnog. I took the mug and looked over my shoulder when the front door opened. A rush of cold air followed.
“We’ve got the presents!” Mica exclaimed excitedly.
She, Jasper and Father all ambled in. In thick winter jackets and rosy cheeks, they were the epitome of winter. Each carried enormous bags of shiny wrapped presents in gold, red and green. We’d all done our shopping back in Colorado before we’d flown up to Canada. However, there’d been so many presents, we’d left them on the plane and agreed to deal with them today.
“Is that all of them?” Jacinda frowned.
“Nope. There are more bags in the truck.” Mica kicked off her boots and jacket before lifting her nose. “Is that popcorn I smell?” She disappeared into the kitchen.
“Did Greg finally fly home?” I asked. Since Greg, our pilot, lived in Florida, he’d probably wanted to get going. It was a long flight. I couldn’t think of anything worse than Christmas where it was seventy degrees, but Greg shuddered every time I suggested he stay with us for the holiday. It seemed he preferred his holidays on the beach, especially when those beaches incl
uded women in bikinis. I’d also come to learn he was a notorious bachelor.
“He flew back after we collected everything.” Jasper set down the bags he was carrying before going back outside for the rest.
I eyed the present on top of the bag nearest the kitchen. It was the gift I’d bought Flint – a watch with a personalized inscription. I fingered the charm bracelet on my wrist. Love You Forever. He’d now have something to wear that also held the inscription that meant so much to us.
I leaned back against Flint’s shoulder. We had four whole weeks before Greg would return to pick us up. I couldn’t think of anywhere I’d rather be for the holidays.
“Happy?” Flint leaned down.
I nodded.
Flint’s lips brushed my neck. “In a couple of years, when we have jobs, it may be harder to have Christmas trips like this. Father may have to experience his first Christmas without us.”
My heart warmed every time I heard Flint call Conroy Father. He’d been doing it for months, but it still made my heart sing. I tugged at my black and gold University of Colorado sweatshirt. Pride filled me. I was a student now and planned to become a social worker. “We’ll find a way to be together.”
All of us had settled in Colorado and attended college. Flint, Di, Mica, the twins and I lived in Boulder. Flint and I had our own place while the twins and Mica had theirs. Father, Jacinda, Luke, Edgar, Amber and Susannah lived in Denver – Father, Amber and Edgar in one home, while Luke, Jacinda and Susannah lived in another.
Since we only lived an hour from one another, we often met up on weekends, but not always. I had other friends now too, not just my family. I pulled out my phone. A text from Grace lit it up. I smothered a laugh at the picture she sent.
It was just like we’d always imagined. We now lived normal, mundane, peaceful lives. We got up for school Monday through Friday. On the weekends, we’d often meet up to study, see concerts together, try new restaurants or just hang out and watch movies. It was so blissfully ordinary I thought sometimes I’d burst from happiness.
Flint leaned down and kissed me softly. “I can’t think of anywhere I’d rather be.”
“Me either.”
He hugged me closer. I glanced over my shoulder.
Father stood against the wall with a wistful, content smile. He caught me watching him. Neither of us had to say anything. Father’s look said it all. Finally, our family was exactly how he’d always dreamed it would be.
Safe. Free. Together.
I turned back around and leaned against Flint’s shoulder. “Merry Christmas,” I whispered.
He squeezed me tighter. “Merry Christmas.”
AUTHOR’S NOTE
Reborn is the final book in The Lost Children trilogy. It’s with a bittersweet heart that I write that sentence. It’s been such a whirlwind of a year as I’ve entered the publishing world and began this new career path. I’m so appreciative and grateful to each and every one of you that have read this series. Forever this trilogy will be close to my heart.
When I initially wrote Forgotten a number of years ago, I wasn’t serious about writing. In 2016, when I finally did get serious and stopped viewing it as a hobby, I realized how much work I needed to do. Entering the publishing world opened my eyes to how complicated it is. Writing is the easy part. Editing, marketing, social media, learning about the various selling platforms, etc – it’s been an incredibly eye-opening experience, but in the best way. I’ve loved becoming my own boss!
It’s also been so wonderful to hear from so many of you. Your excitement and love for this series has amazed me time and time again. If you’d like to contact me to tell me what you thought, feel free. You can reach me via social media using the below links. And nope, I don’t have an assistant – I respond to all emails personally.
Lastly, before you go, I have one small favor to ask. I’d really appreciate it if you’d leave an Amazon review on Reborn. Goodreads is great, but a review on Amazon is even better. Amazon has a ranking system for its authors, the higher you rank, the more visibility you get. And guess what helps ranking? Reviews. So if you enjoyed Reborn, please consider swiping to the end of this book and filling out Amazon’s review form. It will only take a minute or two of your time to delegate a star rating and write a sentence or two about what you thought.
I’ll end my note here. Thank you again for reading my work. I hope you loved Reborn and all of The Lost Children Trilogy as much as I loved writing it. I’m really happy that I was able to share it with you. And if you visit my website, looking for other books I’ve written, stay tuned. The first book in my next series releases early 2018. If you join my mailing list (the signup is on my website), you’ll be the first to hear about it. Until then, happy reading and take care! K- xx
Website: https://www.kristastreet.com
Bookbub: https://www.bookbub.com/profile/krista-street
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ACKNOWLEDGMENTS
There are a lot of people I need to thank. First and foremost, my husband. I wrote Reborn during National November Writing Month in 2016. That meant I needed to write high word counts every day. The only way I was able to do that was if my husband watched the kids. Without his support, this book would have never been written.
My editor, Alyssa Hall – I’ve learned so much from you. Thank you for helping shape this trilogy into something much better than anything I’d dreamed of. Your feedback has been invaluable.
As always, to my Fantastical Women writers. A special thanks to Jessi, for buddying with me for NaNoWriMo. Watching you write a book in a month helped keep me on track.
To my beta readers: Amy, Paige, Tony, and Meg. Thank you for your time and feedback. I’m thoroughly humbled at your writing expertise and talent. Each of you has taught me so much. To Sheryl, thank you for another great proofread. You’re so good and picking up small details and seeing errors that myself and others have missed.
David, thank you for your time and knowledge on helping me learn the San Francisco city and area. Your avid hiking experience was definitely needed to work out the details in this story. Thanks for answering all of my questions!
Tony W., Tony E. and Mike K. – your collective talents and experience in the publishing world have helped me beyond recognition. Thank you.
My fantastic cover artist, Deranged Doctor Design. I’ve loved watching this trilogy come to life through your incredible talent. Thank you for working with me as I did my best to communicate my characters and stories. You somehow turned this trilogy into beautiful artwork.
And of course, you. Thank you for reading the final book in this trilogy. If you’re reading this right now, it means you enjoyed Forgotten and Remembered enough to purchase the final book. I’m humbled and grateful. I hope you enjoy my next series just as much. To stay up-to-date on its release, you can visit my website and join my newsletter: www.kristastreet.com/contact – I can’t wait to share it with you!
ABOUT THE AUTHOR
Krista Street is a Minnesota native but has lived throughout the U.S. and in another country or two. She loves to travel, read, and spend time in the great outdoors. When not writing, Krista is either spending time with her family, sipping a cup of tea, or enjoying the hidden gems of beauty that Minnesota has to offer.
Reborn: A Contemporary Fantasy Romance (The Lost Children Trilogy Book 3) Page 28
