The Darling Diaries

Epilogue- Happy Together

Six months later

I sat nervously at the prosecutor's table. The jury had been out for an hour, and I was getting antsy. Dylan had pleaded insanity. I mean, he was insane, but that didn't mean he should get any less punishment because of it. I mean, he stalked me for six months (approximately), and he tried to kill me!

I turned to look behind me for the hundredth time that day. Robert, Jonesy, Jimmy, Bonzo, Eden, Vanity, and Monet were sitting back there, and when they saw that I was looking at them, they gave me a thumbs-up and reassuring smiles. I smiled back at them and turned back around.

Ten minutes later, I repeated the process.

Twenty minutes later, the jury came back in.

"Have you made your decision?" Judge Andrews inquired.

"We have, your Honor," The jury head replied.

"Will the defendant please rise?" Dylan and his attorney stood up. "What is your decision?"

"In the case of Winter Hollis versus Dylan Hannigan, we find the defendant guilty of stalking, attempted murder in the first degree, and illegal possession of a firearm. It is recommended that he be sent to a medium security prison for twenty years."

I gasped. The courtroom cheered.

I got up and ran to Robert, who was already in the isle. I jumped up and wrapped my legs around his waist. He was smiling wider than I had ever seen him smile before. I tangled my hands in his hair and kissed him.

This wasn't like any of our kisses before. It was passionate and loving and sweet and sensual all at the same time. It was one of those really cheesy 'soul-wrenching' kisses that you read about in romance novels. It was soft but rough, and it was mind-blowing and made my heart pound. It was perfect.

It was also ruined by Bonzo yelling, "Get a room!"

We pulled away, but I didn't look at the guys, I didn't look at the rest of the cheering courtroom, I didn't look at the jury, and I didn't even look at Dylan being led out of the room. I just looked at Robert. He was smiling back at me. We bumped our foreheads together.

"I love you," I told him, trying to put as much feeling as I could into those three words.

"I love you, too."

Later on that night, after we had gone out and celebrated, Robert and I walked around Times Square, hand in hand, not really saying anything, just reveling in the moment.

Eventually, Robert just stopped me and sat me on a bench.

"You have shown me the best time of my life, and I love you so much. You're so perfect to me and just the most wonderful woman in the world. You're my inspiration, darling," He said.

I smiled and pecked him on the lips. "You're so sweet, you know. I'm the luckiest woman in the world."

"Yes, well, I want you to make me the luckiest man in the world." He pulled a small box out of his jacket pocket. My eyes went wide as he opened it. "Will you marry me?"

I looked from the ring to him. He looked so hopeful. I threw my arms around his neck. "Of course I'll marry you!"

He chuckled and wrapped his arms around my waist. He pulled back a little and kissed me, tangling one of his hands in my hair.

After a minute or so, we pulled back, and he took the ring out of the box and put it on my left ring finger. I looked at it in the light of all of the New York City buildings. It was glittering in the twinkling lights. It wasn't big or gawky, which I loved. It had a thin silver band that had a round diamond in the middle, surrounded by smaller diamonds and was vintage. Beautiful.

When we got back to Darlings Manor, as we called it, everybody was in the living room.

"So? Did you say yes?!" Vanity asked excitedly.

"You knew?" I asked in confusion.

"We all knew!" Jimmy exclaimed.

"Okay, now that that's out of the way... What did you say?!" Eden repeated.

"I said yes!" Vanity, Eden, and Monet jumped up, squealing, and together, we squealed and jumped around.

Vanity ran up to Robert, pulled his head down to her height, and kissed him on the forehead, leaving a lipstick print, followed by Monet and Eden kissing him on each of his cheeks. Finally, I kissed him on the lips.

I gestured to his face. "That's mine."

He chuckled and kissed me again.

"Always."