I’m delighted to welcome my fellow Wild Rose Press author, Alana Lorens, back to my blog today as she introduces her new contemporary romance, That Girl’s the One I Love.
Regret seems inevitable with any relationship, because when you enter into a relationship, you have to make a choice. You might leave someone you could have had a better shot with. Perhaps you’d have been better off single at this particular period in your life. Or when you choose the one you’re with, even if everything seems to be going fine for now, in the long run, you might regret the other choices you didn’t make.
But we are linear beings, so we only have one real choice: move forward.
In THAT GIRL’S THE ONE I LOVE, Leyla Brand meets the man she’s been dreaming about, an up-and-coming rock star named Arran Lake, when his Copper Moon band plays the Asheville, North Carolina Festival called Bele Chere. He takes her out for the evening, and as they get to know each other, Leyla realizes this might be her one great love, a real soulmate.
By the next morning, though, real life interferes, sending her life and Arran’s in separate directions. She has to settle for the memories she has of their magical night together. Does she regret it? Or should she look at it like Shelby in Steel Magnolias: “I’d rather have thirty minutes of wonderful than a lifetime of nothing special…”
How about you? Is there a relationship you grabbed while you could or let slip away that you regret the outcome?
BLURB:
Leyla Brand has one perfect day in her life: the day she meets rock singer Arran Lake at the Bele Chere Festival in Asheville. They have so much in common, Leyla is sure they are soulmates and will have a future together.
The very next morning, when Arran receives the call to hit the big time, he vanishes into the world of California rock and roll to become an international star, leaving her behind. Only a few phone calls keep them in touch — until his phone is disconnected. After that, all she has of him is every new song that hits the charts.
Five years later, she gets a message on the Internet from an unfamiliar address. Someone wants to know if she’s the Leyla of Bele Chere. Should she open that door and discover who this might be? Who else could it be? And if it is Arran, why does he want to contact her now, after all this time? Will he just break her heart again?
EXCERPT:
One night near the fountain area of the restaurant, when Leyla was feeling particularly moony and sad, Jane grabbed her arm and looked her in the eye. “Come on, Leyla. Why are you holding on to this?”
Leyla studied her pudgy pal, a few strands of nondescript brown hair trailing down into her eyes despite an army of bobby pins. Jane hadn’t had a date in three years. Was she just complaining so she could seriously buzzkill Leyla’s hopes?
“Why wouldn’t I hold on to this? He said he didn’t want to lose me. We were… Oh, Lord, it was amazing, Janie. When we—”
“Yeah, yeah, I know. Eleven on a scale of ten, fancy fantasy video, clothes floating off your bodies, fires lit. Yeah. You told me.” Jane’s brown eyes flickered in her direction. “You keep believing it if you want to. You’ll miss out on other opportunities.”
Leyla frowned. “What other opportunities?”
Jane cocked her head in the direction of Tim Grange, one of the new managers who’d just transferred in. “He’s had his eye on you.”
“I don’t need complications, Janie. I just need to be a little more patient.”
She noticed Tim noticing her from across the kitchen and bit her lip. “I’ll be fine.”
The days at work passed, bills arrived and got paid, her car developed a terminal engine condition and died. Nothing solid came from Arran. Had she made a mistake?
What did she have to go on, really, other than the night of Bele Chere?
It hadn’t been just a night, just another rendezvous. That she believed with her whole being. Her heart felt the connection with Arran, felt it strong and hard and real. Neither of them had been fooling around, she was sure. Those feelings were true.
So it wasn’t a matter of emotion or attachment.
Bad timing.
Fate.
Destiny.
Whatever it was, it had separated them, as sure as the miles and mindsets between them.
BUY LINKS:
The Wild Rose Press: http://www.thewildrosepress.com/index.php?main_page=product_info&cPath=175_133&products_id=4971
Amazon.com: http://amzn.com/B009ADS5KA
Find out more about Alan and her books at http://alanalorens.com
babettejames.com 
Great post. Reminds me of how much fun it was dating the bad boy, but I’m so glad I married the one who wasn’t.
I knew after the 1st date he was the one. After 40 years, I don’t regret that choice.
I wonder many times if I should have married someone else, but then I wouldn’t have my kids, at least they wouldn’t have the same looks and personalities, and I could never regret one moment with any of them.
You’re a lucky woman, Diane! And Liz, it’s great that you can look back and see you did it right. 🙂
I’m with you, Kathy. No matter how wrong the relationships might have gone, the children are something to hold on to as a good product from them.