CHAPTER 4:
Back in Hartford later that evening, Emily and Benji arrived outside Garrett's apartment.
"Are you sure it was a good idea to have Aubrey and Chad babysit Russell?" Benji asked as they both got out of the car.
"They didn't seem to mind. Besides, Aubrey told me herself that Finn loves company," Emily recapped as she knocked on the door of Garrett's apartment.
"Emily!" Garrett exclaimed, happy to see her.
"Garrett!" Emily replied, happy to see him, and the two shared a hug.
"I've missed you so much," Garrett said.
"You too," Emily said before they broke away from their hug.
"Come on in," Garrett invited them, and Emily and Benji did so.
"Garrett, I'd like you to meet my husband, Benji," Emily said.
"Nice to meet you," Garrett said politely, prompting a handshake.
"You too," Benji said, accepting the handshake as a tall, blonde, pregnant woman came into the living room.
"I take it she's your..." Emily started.
"Ah, yes. Emily, Benji, this is my wife, Shannon. Shannon, this is my best friend from high school and her husband," Garrett explained, introducing them.
"Nice to meet you," Shannon said, prompting a handshake.
"You too," Emily said, smiling, accepting the handshake.
"So, you guys ready to go?" Garrett asked.
"Yep. Just tell us where we're going since I'm driving." Emily led the group to the car while Shannon locked the door behind them. Benji got in the passenger seat while Garrett opened the backseat door and motioned for Shannon to get in first. They drove to the local TGI Fridays, which was not far from Garrett and Shannon's apartment.
At the restaurant, not long after the four had placed their orders...
"So, Garrett, how did you meet Shannon?" Emily asked.
"Remember when we applied to Barden, but I didn't get in?" Garrett asked.
"Mm-hmm," Emily said.
"Well, it turns out I got into NYU instead, and Shannon and I met during our sophomore year during one of the classes we had together," Garrett explained.
"We were sitting next to each other this one day, and he had so much to talk about," Shannon recounted.
"In fact, we hit it off and sat next to each other in that same class every day," Garrett added.
"So after a week's worth of conversation, he finally got the courage to ask me out," Shannon continued.
"I remember being so nervous that day, I thought I would cry," Garrett said.
"Think of it this way, Garrett; you may have been nervous when you asked Shannon out,
but I think that was a very brave thing you did, and I'm glad it all worked out for you two," Benji added.
"I was even more nervous on the day I proposed," Garrett said.
"We both graduated the same year, and he proposed to me on the day of my graduation party," Shannon recounted.
"No way! That's awesome," Emily exclaimed.
"Thanks. We got married September 4th, 2021, and we had our honeymoon at one of Shannon's favorite places," Garrett said.
"Which is?" Benji asked.
"Disney World," Shannon replied.
"Boy, I'd love to take our son there sometime, when he's old enough to know what's going on," Benji mused.
"Please tell me you at least got to meet Mickey and Minnie Mouse while you were there," Emily said.
"Sadly, we weren't able to hug Mickey or Minnie due to COVID restrictions at the time. But we did get some good pictures of them," Shannon said as she pulled out her phone to show the pics.
The pics were of Mickey, Minnie, and other characters waving to the crowd at Magic Kingdom.
"Did you ever post these on Facebook?" Emily asked, looking through the pics.
"Yep. You should send me a friend request sometime. They're all on my profile," Shannon said.
"Well, I have my phone with me, so I'll go ahead and do that right now," Emily agreed as she pulled out her phone and opened up Facebook.
She typed Shannon's name in the search box and sent her the friend request. Shannon got the notification instantly and accepted.
"Nice. Now we're officially Facebook friends," Shannon smiled.
"Yep. When Benji and I get home, we need to decide when Russell will be old enough to enjoy Disney World, so we can start planning our trip," Emily said.
"I take it Russell is your..." Garrett began.
"Yep. He's our son," Emily said.
"You should've brought him along," Shannon said.
"We thought of that, but at the same time, we thought it should be a nice relaxing dinner for just the four of us," Benji explained.
"Speaking of kids, Shannon, I noticed that you are pregnant. How far along?" Emily asked.
"Seven months," Shannon said.
"When are guys due?" Benji asked.
"November 6th," Shannon replied.
"Well, congratulations. Is it a boy or girl?" Emily asked.
"It's a girl," Garrett announced proudly.
"We had a name picked out since one month after the sonogram test," Shannon added.
"Well, what's her name?" Benji asked.
"We're naming her Lucy. Garrett thought of the name," Shannon said.
"My grandmother's favorite show was 'I Love Lucy' back in the 50s, so that's how I got the idea," Garrett explained.
"That's a great inspiration," Emily responded as everyone's food arrived.