by Gabrielle G
“Good surprise?” he asks.
“Yes, but how?”
“The Canadian prime minister is a big fan of ours. That was rather easy.” He chuckles. “Lars wants to live there too, and Art doesn’t mind. My therapist referred me to someone so I can seek treatment for emergencies. I mean, I’ll still need to be in LA a lot, but I can stay with you. Just if we could do winters in LA, that would be nice, because the boys and I are not missing the cold winter of the East Coast. Next stop, engagement, love.”
“Is that your way of proposing?” I ask, throwing my arms around his neck. I bring my lips to his and kiss him deeply, cheered on by our friends.
“Believe me, the day I propose, you’ll know.”
Epilogue - Dan
“The Darling Devils Move to Montreal for Dan’s Girlfriend.”
“Dan Darling Proposes during Epic Concert surrounded by Friends & Celebrities in Los Angeles.”
“Paul Hoffman, Hottest Country Singer, Dating a Friend of Anna Darling.”
“Inside The Private Wedding of Dan Darling & Anna Spencer.”
“Lars Trouble Finally in Love.”
“Art Sweet, Last Bachelor Standing, for how long?”
“The Place Stars Love: Have a Drink at THE place the Darling Devils hang out in NYC.”
“Luke Gritt, The Tattoo Artist of the Darlings.”
“Fighting Infertility and Mental Disorder, How the Darlings Survived.”
Over the years, Anna and I fought more times than I can count. We separated twice but never filed for divorce. We took breaks but always reconciled. Living with me wasn’t ever easy on her, and living with her was a pain in the ass, but we made it work. Living happily ever after is difficult for any couple; it has always been harder for us. I kept my promise and stayed on my meds, even when I wanted to give up on life.
We were together for thirty-five years before cancer took her away from me. Once we hit fifty-five, Art, Lars, and I decided we were done touring, and we concentrated on our families. Well, I focused on theirs, because Anna and I didn’t have children. Once I retired, she was okay with retiring as well, and we traveled a lot and raised money for different charities.
I can say I had a happy life with the love of my life. I never gave up on her, and more importantly, she never gave up on me. The only reason I’ve never given up on life or on my meds was I owed it to her to continue living, to honor our love. Suffering from mental illness doesn’t mean you’re not made for love; it just means you have to work harder to make it work.
That was the difference between Blossom and Anna. Anna believed she could make it work. She took a leap of faith when she climbed on that plane, but she never regretted it. How could she? I was fucking Dan Darling, after all.
As I write these lines, there isn’t much left of the Dan I was. To have peace and anonymity, I use the name Wes Moore now. Anna called me that, and to fuck with Lars and Art, she called them by their full names as well. That’s who Anna was. The fire to my love, the energy of my life, the peace to my mental illness. Living without her is hard, but harder is the worry I see on Lars and Art’s faces. We’re back at square one.
They want to tour again, release a last album, anything to keep me busy. We’ll see. Anna wanted me to find someone else. Fuck if I can. I kept all my promises to Anna, but I won’t keep this one. She was my Instalove. I’ll never find another one of those.
I learned that love is as easy as meeting a woman in a bar, whoever you are and whatever your battle. We’re all here to love, and if a selfish manic depressive, emotionally on-edge mess like me could find the love of his life, you certainly can too. Keep believing.
THE END.
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Merci, etc.
I wrote and rewrote this book so many times, and even when I finally wrote THE END, I hated it. I let it sit for more than one month feeling I didn’t want to publish it.
My friend Jen called me a lot of names because I wasn’t giving her the end to read, and I promised her I would but not at the time. I hated it so much... Then I met Riley. She pushed me to open the file and after a night of chatting, I did the next day. I laughed, I swooned and fell in love with Dan and Anna again.
I think this story was hard to write because I wanted to do justice to the bipolar disorder and not to fall in a cliché. I really hope I didn’t. I researched so much on it. I wanted something different, I couldn’t write just another rock star story but the stress of doing right by it was huge. I touched addiction. I wrote about depression. I believe everybody can be loved. (If Julie could find love in my first book, anyone could, right?)
But the story doesn’t end there. I sent the file to Riley, Sam and Caitlin for beta reading, as well as Tracy. And the feedback they sent me was overwhelming. Dan is not your typical hero and I truly hope you understood the struggle mental health can be.
It was fun to write a story before Always & Only. Writing Julie younger, sure of herself, stronger than she is in Always, was a treat—even if she’s still an ass. Dex as well.
I’m now working on the other books in the series. Lars will come in August 2020 and Art in May 2021. I have lots of stories to give you in between. The Gritt family is waiting for you. And you won’t be disappointed by this bunch.
One last thing: Green is the awareness color for the Bipolar Disorder. That’s why the cover is green. Thank you Kari. You nailed what I wanted when the concept was a blur.
As usual I want to thank a lot of people.
Tracy, Riley, Sam, and Caitlin of course for loving Dan when I didn’t.
My Twist Team, you girls are my book family, your support is amazing.
Shaun for all the work you do for my books to be discovered and for dealing with my craziness.
J. Saman, S.S. Richards, Autumn Archer and Bella Emy for reading Darling before anyone else.
My HB, the kiddos and my family and friends for being there, always.
Cleo and O for giving the Darlings the logo they deserved and for all the advice.
Riley to save my ass after other people let me down.
And finally, Jen… What the fuck would I do without you? You reassured me in every step of the way. Not that you don’t with every book, but this one, you nailed every piece of advice. This book is for you. You’re the best.
Also by Gabrielle G.
ANGELS AND SUNSHINE SERIES
(LA Stories)
Always & Only (Hollywood romance)
Never & Forever (Enemies to lovers)
Often & Suddenly (M/M)
THE GRITT FAMILY STORIES
Love Me Anyways - A second chance love story coming early 2020
Alane avoided Springs Falls for twenty-seven years, not wanting to run into her high school sweetheart, Aaron, who broke her heart by leaving her behind when he decided to go to culinary school. But when she has to return to Springs Falls, Alane knows she’ll have to speak to Aaron and his wife—because she’ll be the teacher of their kids.
What she doesn’t know is that Aaron is divorced now, and he never forgot the girl with the star-shaped birthmark. Can secrets be kept and love found again? Will they finally sleep together? Can who they are now absolve who they were then? Or is it all too late to forget and forgive?
Love One Another - A brother’s best friend story like no other - 2020
Love in Pieces - A single mom, a town Casanova and a little girl dreaming of a daddy. - 2020 or 2021
DARLING DEVILS
Trouble - A best friends to lovers story filled with angst and heartbreak. May 2020
Sweet -2020
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About the Author
Once upon a time, I wanted to write books...
Once upon a time, I loved reading contemporary romance...
Once upon a time, I thought, why not me?
It's coming as fast as your first crush...
It will be full of love, and I hope laughter...
It's a new life so bear with me...
Who am I?
A question I haven't found the answer to yet...
I don't like coffee, I have a fluffy cat and a computer, that's all you need to know, right? Do you need more details about me?
I have a great heart but a dirty mouth.
I looooove my birthday, and I still celebrate my half-birthdays.
I have a dry, sarcastic, dirty sense of humor.
I'm a mom, and mostly I like it. (see above)
My cat hates me. (Not a joke)
My mother tongue isn't English, but I speak it very well with a slight French accent.
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