This ain't a movie, no
No fairytale conclusion y'all
It gets more confusing every day
Sometimes it's Heaven sent
Then we head back to Hell again
We kiss, then we make up on the way...
-John Legend, "Ordinary People"
EPILOGUE
And that was how my best friend, Francesca Marie Darcy, and my future brother-in-law, Edward William Bennett, fell in love.
I'm not going to lie and say their relationship was peachy from that day forward. It was a big adjustment for the both of them. Downtown Chicago had always been the arena of their hatred, and it was hard for them to leave the homey Christmas atmosphere and take their relationship into real life. I can't tell you how many phone calls I've gotten from Frankie, ranting about their latest fight, how he was the most stubborn person she has ever met (excluding herself, apparently), and how sometimes she just wanted to strangle him… but at the end of the day, they still wanted to be together more than they wanted to be apart.
And apparently, the makeup sex was, and I quote, "mind-blowing." Don't ask me how Frankie would even know that, considering Eddie is the only guy she's ever had sex with, but she refuses to listen to all reason, and keeps insisting that Eddie Bennett is the best lover on God's green earth.
Ew. Sorry, grossed myself out for a second there.
Aunt Cathy disowned her great niece after the little incident on Christmas morning, but I don't think Frankie was all that upset about it. Emily and Mrs. Bennett were ecstatic, as the two of them had gotten along famously through the holidays, bonding over the obvious attraction of their offspring. The two musketeers of Mrs. Darcy and Mrs. Bell soon became the Three Musketeers of Darcy, Bell and Bennett, and we all got the feeling that every holiday season from then on would be a mass gathering of all three families. Grace Darcy became very good friends with Maggie and Kelly Bennett, and finally broke out of her shell. She has now graduated college and is living happily with her boyfriend in New York. Carly Lucas and Zach Collins are still together this day, the cutest and shyest couple I've ever met. Every now and then Frankie shudders when Carly talks about the more "intimate" moments with Zach, but then we all laugh it off.
Charlie and I got married on July 28th, in a beautiful outdoor wedding ceremony. The wedding was perfect. Not only did our best man and maid-of-honor not kill each other on their walk up to the altar, they couldn't seem to stop making googly eyes at each other throughout the entire ceremony. Charlie and I have been married for over two years now, and are in the process of expanding our family.
Oh that's right, Frankie, I don't think I've told you this yet – I'm pregnant.
That's all there is to it, there's no more to the story. Well, there is more to the story, but it hasn't been written yet. I know it's not considered traditional manuscript methodology, but the dedication for this story is at the end.
To my best friend and my brother, on their wedding day.
May the story of your love live forever in your hearts.
Congratulations, and I love you both.