“Thank you,” she says. “From the bottom of my heart. You didn’t have to go out of your way to do this but thank you for doing so.”
She gives him a soft, sweet kiss. It’s endearing and full of gratitude and sincerity. It fucking melts him. Like butter.
“OH-KAY!” Jazzy hollers at them from behind. “Get a room!”
Ariana laughs at that and steps away from him.
Jazzy was in the back of the car…rearranging the extremely large bouquet to her satisfaction. Ariana didn’t want to fuss about it. It wasn’t a big deal to her anyway. She’d been excited that Jazzy wanted to make the trip here at all.
“Come on, Jazzy,” Ariana says, waving his daughter over. “Let’s go meet my mom.”
It should make him sad to hear that but it doesn’t. Jazzy had no grandparents in her life. He doesn’t even know who Daisy’s parents are or if they are still alive. Daisy never spoke of them. If they know of Jazzy, they never reached out to him either.
He watches his two girls chat away while Ariana dusts off the new headstone and Jazzy arranges the flowers…again. But they seem lost in conversation and he didn’t want to interrupt them. He’s more than content watching their interaction.
It’s pure. It’s genuine.
It’s true love.
He makes a mental note to discuss with Ariana again about having a specialist check her out about a reversal and if it could be done. The last time he’d brought up the subject to her, he had to stand down when she explained to him why she wasn’t ready to do that yet.
She reminded him that she’s still in recovery. It’s true. There are days where she’d go to a meeting or days when he’d have a private counselor come to the estate. It’s getting fewer and further in between but she wants to maintain a healthy plan. She didn’t think she was ready to have a child yet. Most of all, she didn’t think she was ready to hear the devastating news that she couldn’t have a child either.
So he folded. Jazzy is enough for both of them whether they decide to try or not. Ariana gets plenty of time with Rian too. They’ve all been a hands-on family with the kids. He should reconsider all the fucking nannies they have on payroll, shouldn’t he?
Nah. He wouldn’t change a thing right now.
Everything is perfect right now.
The way it’s meant to be.
The impossible has been achieved. Even with hands painted red, he got his happy ending. Everything else can be worked on as long as they stand together and now, he has someone who will work alongside him to make sure this family adheres to that motto.
Family first.
Long live the Kings!
THE END
To The Readers
First and foremost, as always…thank you for your continued support.
Adam and especially Ariana have a special place in my heart and my life. I know she didn’t develop into some badass like Stella did but Ariana is strong and resilient to have endured what she has. She’s just as badass in her own way.
Just as she was going through recovery, I too was going through a rough patch (not recovery from addiction but a struggle nonetheless) of my own. I’m still going through it and trying to keep my personal life out of her story was extremely hard at times.
I’m about to get a little personal here so bear with me.
Halfway through this book, I nearly gave up. I had a moment where the words of another broke me down. I heard the words that no author/writer/creator/artist ever wants to hear. “Get a real fucking career.” It hurt and it cut deep…and I almost quit. I stopped writing for a few days and I couldn’t even read. Reading is the one thing I love and enjoy most above writing.
I scrolled through Facebook aimlessly, that’s how unmotivated I was. Kurt Vonnegut’s quote landed in my feed and it grabbed at me. I handwrote it over and over in my notebook. The same notebook with my notes for Until Her. Reading and writing this quote, it occurred to me how powerful words (and the arts in general) are. They have the power to inspire, to make someone feel loved, and to make someone feel safe. They also have the power to cut deeply, to bully, to keep someone from their aspirations, and to make someone…quit.
My success isn’t measured by the amount of money this person or any other person thinks I do or don’t make. It isn’t measured by how many hours I’ve poured into the writing divided by what I make per download to equal my dollars per hour. My writing does what it’s meant to do. It lets me create a world with a happy ending. My characters go through all that they go through, good and bad because I’ve gone through the good and the bad and will continue to do so.
My reward, my payout? Are my readers. Readers who’ve allowed me to help them escape their troubles for a few hours. Readers who may only have a few moments of rest to spare and choose to spend it reading, laughing, crying, and going through the motions with my words. Your support is more inspiring than I can ever be to any of you and that alone makes me richer than I can express.
You may have noticed I’ve included artwork (Ariana’s artwork) in the paperback edition of Until Her and a sort of gallery of her sketches that you can view after the Acknowledgments in the ebook edition.
In support of the arts and the abundance of amazing talent in the world, I worked with a young artist by the name of Acrux (Instagram: @off.brandart) on all the pieces and I commend her for stepping up to the plate on such short notice. Through communication, she was able to provide tangibility to my vision that I wasn’t capable of doing.
I’ve included a link directly to her platform should any of you be interested in seeing more of her art and to possibly catch a glimpse of work that didn’t make it into the book. {PS…YES! She’s open to commissions!} My wish is that she gets the support that she deserves! Follow her, commend her, recommend her. All of that!
This is something that I want to strive to do going forward with my work. I want to be able to collaborate with other artists and art forms to help open as many doors to as many possibilities and opportunities as I can for other creative individuals who may not know where to start because I’ve been there. At one point, I didn’t know where to start or which door to knock on either.
To the artists, the dreamers, the believers, the writers, and the aspirers out there…GO. FOR. IT! There will be people who will try to stop the paint from dripping from your brush because they’re too comfortable being colorblind. Make them uncomfortable and be unapologetic doing so! Love with your words and inspire with your vision! Otherwise, history will be just another boring school subject.
Wherever this career, this path leads me, I am and will be eternally grateful to every single one of you readers. For those of you who have left reviews, passed a book onto another, recommended a book to another…THANK YOU! You do not know how much fuel you have added to the passion of doing this.
With ALL of this…ON TO THE NEXT!
Love Always,
Ami Van
P.S. Two Kings at the knee, two more Kings still standing! Long Live the Kings!
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