Disclaimer: I don't own any of the characters or M/C, but if I did, this is what would happen. In addition I also don't own anything related to the plot of the two films mentioned in this chapter.
A/N: This chapter is an epilogue of sorts and takes place about a year and a half after the events of the previous chapter. Sharon and Andy have been dating for two years by this point in the story and they've been "cohabitating" in the house they purchased together for about six months now. Hope you all enjoy the final chapter of this story. Thanks for sticking with me this long and reading it!
Chapter 13: An Old Fashioned Love Story
Fifteen Months Later
A lot had changed for Sharon and Andy in the past year or so. After dating for a little over a year, Sharon and Andy started talking about moving in together. They'd discussed their options and both agreed that moving into a slightly larger place together would be the best choice for them and their family. After an extensive and exhaustive house search, they finally found a three bedroom, two bathroom Mediterranean style house with a den in Eagle Rock that they both fell completely in love with. Other than needing some minor cosmetic updates such as repainting, changing out a couple of the light fixtures, and re-landscaping the backyard after adding a deck off the back of the house, the house had otherwise been perfect for them and Rusty. It gave everyone enough room to spread out, there was a guest room for when the kids or grandkids visited, and they'd even added a nice looking futon to Sharon's office in the den so it could double as extra guest space when they needed it.
Sharon and Andy found that settling into domestic life together had been rather easy for them. They enjoyed living together and both were glad to not have to travel between their two houses anymore. They walked through the same door every night, snuggled close to each other on the same couch, and at the end of the day, fell side by side into the same bed. It was more than living together and sharing a house for them though. Sharon and Andy were starting to see that home wasn't merely a place, but could also be a person too, and that sharing their lives in this way simply felt right for both of them. They weren't just creating a home together. They were creating a life where they couldn't imagine the other not being there at the end of the day.
With this realization, Andy had spoken to Sharon's kids about his intentions, received their blessing, and had sought the advice of Andrea, Emily, and Nicole before he began ring shopping. Eventually, Andy had decided on a one carat east west emerald cut engagement ring that he was sure Sharon would love. A ring that was currently housed in a very safe place.
Tonight was Sharon and Andy's two year anniversary. Andy had made dinner reservations at a nice seafood restaurant in Santa Monica near the beach. He and Sharon had talked and laughed and shamelessly flirted over dinner and then dessert before Andy paid the check and they headed back towards their house. Little did Sharon know there was more in store for her that evening than simply spending a nice evening with her boyfriend at a nice restaurant.
Once they walked through the front door, Sharon commented, "That's weird. I don't remember leaving the kitchen light on, do you?"
As Sharon slowly began to cautiously make her way towards the kitchen, Andy grabbed her hand and gently tugged her towards him before he said, "There's a surprise for you in there."
"A surprise? From who?" Sharon inquired.
"The idea was mine, but I'll admit I did have a bit of help from the kids with it," replied Andy.
"What did you do?" Sharon asked him.
"You'll see. Come on," said Andy as he and Sharon began walking towards the kitchen.
Once they walked into the kitchen, Sharon saw a fairly big ivory colored box with a dark purple ribbon around it. As Sharon walked over to the kitchen island, she ran her hand over the box as she turned to Andy and said, "I'm almost afraid to open this. You better not have gone and done anything extravagant."
"Even if I had, you'd deserve all of it and more. This however is a more sentimental gift," replied Andy as he walked up behind Sharon and wrapped his arms around her waist.
"Good," responded Sharon as she smiled at Andy before she began untying the large purple ribbon from around the box.
As Sharon set the ribbon aside and lifted the lid off the box, she saw that it contained a large leather bound album that said Our Adventure Book. Sharon instantly turned around in Andy's arms and smiled widely at him before she said, "You remembered."
"Of course I remember that night. We were laying on an air mattress under a blanket fort in my living room watching Up with Finn and Ben. We watched the movie for a few minutes and you were trying not to cry and I was complaining about how kid's movies are supposed to be happy," recounted Andy.
Sharon laughed at the memory before she asked, "Do you remember what I said to you?"
"Why don't you open the front cover and find out?" suggested Andy as he moved to stand next to Sharon as he kept one arm wrapped around her waist.
As Sharon opened the front cover of the album, there was a message clearly written in Andy's handwriting that said:
So, there's a very special woman who once cried at the beginning of a Disney movie. The man next to her, stating the obvious, pointed out that he thought kids movies were supposed to be happy. The woman wasn't only crying because she thought it was sad that the main character's wife had died within the first five minutes of the movie though. She was also crying because in the first five minutes of watching this movie, she saw the beauty of the relationship that the couple, Carl and Ellie, had over the years. She liked that they were so happy together and that even during the difficult times, they were still there for each other and had plenty of adventures to go on together. She commented on how rare it was to find something like that in life. Then, the man, more than likely trying to morph into some idiotic form of Prince Charming, pointed out that they had somehow managed to find it. The woman, overlooking the man's obvious attempt at charm, pointed out that they had found that with each other and that there was nobody else that she'd rather go on adventures with and the man agreed. They then returned their attention to the movie to see what would happen next.
The beginning of that movie told the beautiful yet difficult story of Carl and Ellie, but this book is just the beginning of Sharon and Andy's story. Take a look through the pages. I'm sure you'll love what you see. I know I do.
After Sharon finished reading the note inside the cover of the album, she quickly turned her face into Andy's shoulder in an effort to collect herself and hopefully stem the flow of tears that were beginning to run down her face.
"I'm hoping those tears are a positive sign," Andy lovingly whispered in Sharon's ear.
Sharon laughed and lifted her face away from Andy's shoulder as she swiped at the tears rolling down her face and said, "Yes. That and so much more. That was such a beautiful story."
"It's ours and it's only the beginning," Andy told her.
"Yes it is. This must've taken you forever to write," said Sharon.
"Let's just say I went through several drafts before I settled on this one," admitted Andy.
"It's beautiful," Sharon complimented him.
"Turn the page. There's plenty more to the story," said Andy.
As Sharon flipped the page, she saw pictures of her and Andy. Some were just of them together while other ones were of them surrounded by other people and each picture had a carefully labeled caption beneath it explaining the context of the photo.
Sharon wrapped her arm around Andy's waist as she pulled him towards her and asked, "You did all of this?"
"This was the part I had help from the kids on. Some of the pictures are from them. Others are copies of photos that you and I have of us together. I gathered all the photos together and told Nicole how I wanted them laid out and she scrapbooked them for me and added the captions I told her I wanted on each one," explained Andy.
Sharon continued flipping through the photos until she came to the last page that had photos on it and said, "This is amazing Andy. Better than any material thing you could've gotten me. Thank you."
Andy smiled at Sharon as he said, "My pleasure. Happy Anniversary,"
"Happy Anniversary," replied Sharon as she smiled at Andy before she kissed him.
Andy reluctantly broke the kiss a minute later and whispered, "Anniversary night isn't over yet."
"Judging by that kiss it's just getting started," Sharon whispered back suggestively.
Andy laughed before he replied, "I'm sure that will inevitably happen at some point tonight, but that's not exactly what I was talking about."
"Oh?" Sharon asked as she raised her eyebrows curiously at Andy.
"I have another surprise waiting for you in the backyard," revealed Andy.
"The backyard? I'm not sure if I should be scared or intrigued," commented Sharon.
"Close your eyes," Andy told Sharon.
"What?" Sharon asked confusedly.
"Take my hands and close your eyes," repeated Andy.
As Sharon took Andy's hands in hers and closed her eyes, she said, "You're just full of surprises today, aren't you? First the flowers delivered to my office, then a fancy dinner at the beach, and then the Adventure Book. You sure know how to show a woman a good time, Mr. Flynn."
Andy smiled at Sharon's flirtatiousness as he continued leading her out into the middle of the backyard. Once he had Sharon standing where she'd be able to see everything, he continued holding on to one of her hands as he grabbed a remote and quickly hit a button on it.
"Can I open my eyes yet?" Sharon asked him.
"In a minute," replied Andy as he went to stand behind Sharon.
Once the projector finished booting up, Andy wrapped his arms around Sharon's waist and whispered, "You can open your eyes now."
Sharon opened her eyes to the sight of a huge projection screen with An Affair to Remember ready to play on it. Next, she saw two chaise lounge chairs situated directly in front of her with a cluster of purple and ivory balloons attached to each one.
As she took in the impressive sight before her, she turned around in Andy's arms and smiled at him as she asked, "You're really trying to make me cry tonight, aren't you?"
"Not intentionally. You like it?" asked Andy.
"Like it? I love it, Andy," answered Sharon as she placed a chaste kiss against Andy's lips.
"I'm glad you love it. Like I said before, you deserve all of this and more," Andy told Sharon before he closed the minute distance between their lips and kissed her.
"Best anniversary ever," proclaimed Sharon as Andy broke the kiss.
"Just means I'll be thinking of ways to top it next year," joked Andy.
"You know you don't have to wine and dine me so much, right?" inquired Sharon.
"I know, but I still love doing it from time to time. You deserve to know you're cherished and loved," reasoned Andy.
"Such a romantic," beamed Sharon.
"What do you say we put these chaises together and get cozy while we watch our movie?" suggested Andy.
Sharon hummed happily before she kissed Andy's lips and whispered, "It's a date."
"Come on," said Andy as he smiled at Sharon's comment and led them over to the chaise lounge chairs so they could begin their movie.
"Do you remember the first time we watched this movie together?" Andy asked Sharon after the movie ended a couple hours later.
"Of course. We had been dating for almost a year by then. We'd just closed an exceptionally difficult case. You needed a meeting and I needed some time to decompress, but you promised to come over afterwards with some chocolate cheesecake. Except you decided to bring a bit of an extra surprise with you that night. So, after we cut into the chocolate cheesecake, we snuggled on the couch to watch this movie together. You somehow knew that what I needed after a horrible case like that was chocolate cheesecake, an old fashioned love story, and your arms around me," recalled Sharon.
"That was a good night," Andy smiled at the memory.
"Mmmhmm. It was just what I needed that night. Afterwards, I remember turning to you and asking how such an unlikely love story could be so beautiful. You looked at me and said that love isn't always logical. Two people who would've never thought they'd even like each other, let alone anything more than that, all of a sudden finds themselves being drawn to each other more and more. Each day brings them a little bit closer together until it's pretty obvious to everybody what's going on between them. Neither of them planned for this to happen. It just did. They'd fallen for each other once and they had never really stopped loving each other since," Sharon reminisced.
"What would you say if I told you that I still have one surprise left?" asked Andy as he stood up from the chair they'd been sitting in.
After Andy extended his hand and helped Sharon up from the chaise, she inched her face slightly closer to his as she said, "I'd say that I'm not all that surprised because you have a tendency to be full of surprises."
"That's true," responded Andy as he took both of Sharon's hands in his.
"So, what's this next surprise all about?" asked Sharon as she lifted her eyebrows questioningly at Andy.
"Close your eyes and I'll tell you about it," Andy told Sharon.
As Sharon closed her eyes, she asked jokingly, "Did you get me a puppy?"
"No, but that's not a bad idea for next time," replied Andy.
"So, if it's not a puppy, why am I standing in the middle of the backyard with my eyes closed?" inquired Sharon.
"Because love isn't always logical and two people who never dreamed that they'd fall in love with each other have gone and done exactly that and it's pretty clear to one of them where they'd like them to go next," said Andy as he knelt in front of Sharon before pulling a square box out of his pocket and opening it.
"Can I open my eyes now?" Sharon asked shakily as she squeezed Andy's hand in hers.
"Only if you let me ask you one question," said Andy.
"What would that be?" Sharon asked with a watery smile as she opened her eyes to Andy bent down on one knee in front of her with a box in his hand containing a beautiful diamond ring.
"Sharon O'Dwyer Raydor, would you do me the great honor of agreeing to become my wife?" Andy asked her.
With tears streaming down her face and the hugest smile on her face, Sharon replied, "Yes! Of course! Now get up here so I can kiss my fiancé for being the most romantic man I know."
After Sharon helped Andy to his feet, she pulled him close as they shared a kiss that was overflowing with love.
A minute later, Andy reluctantly broke the kiss as he rested his forehead against Sharon's and said, "I believe this belongs on your left hand."
Sharon nods her head against Andy's and presents her left hand to him. He takes the ring out of the box and slides it down Sharon's ring finger before lifting her hand to his lips and kissing the top of it.
"It's stunning, Andy," Sharon told Andy as she smiled at him.
"Yeah?" Andy asked her.
"Mmhmm. I can't wait to show it off," affirmed Sharon.
"Speaking of showing it off, I promised the kids I'd let them know how this all turned out," said Andy.
"They knew about this?" Sharon asked him.
"Yeah. I talked to each of them a few months ago and let them know what I had planned. They were all too eager to help me pull everything together. Rusty, Brandon, and Nicole were actually the ones who came over and set the backyard up while we were at dinner," explained Andy.
"We've got some amazing kids, don't we?" stated Sharon.
"The best," answered Andy.
"Well, a picture is worth a thousand words," Sharon pointed out.
"It is. How about we send them a picture of the ring?" suggested Andy.
"I think that's perfect," replied Sharon as she stuck her left hand out in front of her so Andy could take a picture of her engagement ring on her finger.
Andy took the photo and sent it to all of their kids and a copy of it to Sharon's phone before he said, "Okay. Phones off."
"As much as I love that idea, what if we catch a case in the middle of the night?" asked Sharon.
"I may have asked Provenza to cover for you if a case comes in tonight," explained Andy.
"I'm not even gonna ask what you had to do to get him to do that," said Sharon as she too turned off her phone.
"Good. Cause we've got lots to celebrate," Andy pointed out.
"We do," replied Sharon as she bit down on her bottom lip and played with Andy's tie.
Andy leaned his face next to Sharon's ear as he whispered, "You know what that does to me."
"Why do you think I do it?" Sharon quipped teasingly.
Suddenly, Sharon felt Andy's tongue touch the sensitive spot behind her ear before he said, "You're not the only one with intimate knowledge here."
"Lucky me," replied Sharon as she playfully pulled on Andy's tie and began moving them backwards toward the house.
As Andy continued maneuvering them towards the back door, Sharon pulled him towards her as they began kissing passionately.
Once they were standing in front of the door, Andy reluctantly broke the kiss as he used one hand to stop Sharon from hitting the door and quickly reached for the doorknob to open the french door that led into the house. Once they made it through the doorway, Sharon quickly closed and locked it before she and Andy resumed their previous activities. As they continued making out, Sharon's hands eventually slipped underneath Andy's shirt as his quickly found the zipper at the back of Sharon's dress.
As Andy began moving them in the direction of their bedroom, he broke the kiss as he said, "Thank god for first floor master bedrooms."
Sharon laughed before she replied, "Yeah. Not sure we'd make it there if we had to climb the stairs."
"Wouldn't be the first time," said Andy mischievously.
"No. Although stiff hips and a sore back aren't exactly my idea of a good time. Especially tonight," replied Sharon.
"True. There's more room on the bed anyways," commented Andy as he continued directing them down the hallway.
"Room for what?" Sharon flirtatiously asked him.
"Celebrating till the sun comes up," Andy shot back.
"My sense of occasion seems to have rubbed off on you," responded Sharon
"Among other things. Why do you think I asked you to marry me?" teased Andy.
"Why did you ask me to marry you? Besides the obvious reasons," said Sharon.
"Because you're too good to me and great for me. I'd be an idiot not to ask you to marry me. Why did you say yes?" Andy asked Sharon as he pulled her towards him and leaned against the wall in the hallway.
"Because I love the way you're always there for me whenever I need you. Whether it's to kiss me or hold me or make me smile and laugh with one of your stupid jokes," answered Sharon.
"Seems to me that we're quite the pair," said Andy.
"Mmhmm. The best. Like you and surprises," responded Sharon.
"Well, I am full of surprises," Andy declared proudly.
"I've noticed," replied Sharon as she quirked her eyebrow teasingly at Andy as she pulled him away from the wall and down the hall before they made their way into their bedroom.
"Somebody's passionate tonight," commented Andy.
"Oh, like you're not some amorous casanova," Sharon wittily responded as she pulled Andy towards the bed.
"They say passionate people make the best lovers," murmured Andy as he and Sharon stood in front of their bed.
"What do they say about passionate people and marriage?" Sharon asked teasingly.
"That they're especially talented when it comes to the loving and cherishing part of marriage," answered Andy.
"Good to know. Something to look forward to," said Sharon.
"Yeah. In fact, I think we should start practicing right now," suggested Andy.
"I like the way you think, Andy Flynn," replied Sharon as she fell onto the bed, pulling Andy down with her.
Sharon and Andy's anniversary and engagement celebrations continued for the rest of the night and even ended up spilling over a bit into the following morning.
That morning, as Andy woke up, he could distinctly smell the scent of coffee and breakfast food cooking in the kitchen. However, he was slightly confused when he realized Sharon was still lying next to him fast asleep. He smiled to himself and looked over at the clock to see what time it was before turning his attention back towards Sharon.
Figuring there were more than a few people camped out in their kitchen at the moment, Andy decided now was probably the time to wake Sharon up. He leaned over and placed a soft kiss against Sharon's neck before moving down to do the same to her shoulder. It was during the second kiss that she started to stir a bit as she opened her eyes to look at him.
"Morning sunshine," greeted Andy.
"Mmm. Morning. What time is it?" Sharon asked him.
"A little after eight," answered Andy.
"Mmm. It smells good. Did you make breakfast?" inquired Sharon as she brushed her hand against Andy's cheek.
"Not me. If I had to hazard a guess though, I'd say there's probably at least seven or eight people in our kitchen right now," Andy informed her.
Sharon smiled to herself before she looked at Andy and said, "They're so sweet."
"They really are. So, should we get up now or should we stay in bed a little longer and make out?" teased Andy.
"Well, if last night is any indication, I think it's probably best that we get up now. Cause the last thing either of us probably wants to do is explain to our children what the noises coming from our bedroom were," retorted Sharon.
"Yeah, that could get a bit awkward. Rain check, then?" Andy asked hopefully.
"Definitely," replied Sharon as she turned to look at Andy as she got out of bed.
"That's a nice view," Andy told Sharon as he got out of bed and watched her naked form as she walked over to their closet.
"And you say I'm the tease," Sharon uttered from the closet.
"I think we're both equally skilled in that department," replied Andy as his hand brushed lightly across Sharon's back as he walked past her to his side of the closet.
"Whatever it takes to keep the spark alive," Sharon playfully replied.
"As evidenced by last night and all the times before that, I think it's safe to say that fire will never go out," quipped Andy.
"No. We seem to be rather gifted where that's concerned," stated Sharon as she slipped a blue and white striped sundress over her head and pulled it down over her body.
Andy looked over at Sharon and smiled at her as he said, "I've always liked that dress on you."
"Why don't you work on making yourself look presentable while I clean last night's makeup off my face," suggested Sharon as she exited the closet and walked into the master bathroom.
Andy smiled to himself for a moment before turning his attention back to choosing an outfit. He eventually settled on a pair of jeans and a Dodger's t-shirt and quickly got dressed before joining Sharon in the bathroom.
As Andy waited for Sharon to finish applying the minimal makeup she'd decided to put on, he took the time to fix the mess his hair had become last night. As he finished combing through his hair, he caught Sharon sneaking glances at him in the mirror as she applied her lipstick.
"Apparently I'm not the only one who likes to stare," Andy commented teasingly.
"Well, I do appreciate a man with nice hair," retorted Sharon playfully as she wrapped her arms around Andy's neck and played with the hair at the base of his neck.
"How does it look?" Andy asked teasingly as he rested his hands against Sharon's lower back.
"Fine," replied Sharon as she smiled at Andy.
"I'll let you mess my hair up later if you let me mess up yours," Andy offered suggestively.
"Deal. Now let's get out there before this turns into something awkward to explain to our children," suggested Sharon as she made her way out of the bathroom.
Andy quickly caught up to Sharon and slipped his hand into hers as he gently ran his fingers back and forth over her engagement ring. Sharon turned to look at him and smiled at the gesture before she opened their bedroom door as they headed for the kitchen.
As they entered the kitchen a few moments later, they weren't at all surprised to see a whole spread of assorted breakfast foods laid out on the kitchen island. Sharon however was quite surprised to see her other two children among the guests currently sitting at their kitchen table. Sharon quickly let go of Andy's hand and ran to wrap Ricky and Emily in a hug as they stood up from the table and began walking towards her.
As Sharon tried and failed to hold back her tears, she told them tearfully, "Oh my goodness! I can't believe you two are here right now."
"Are you kidding mom? We wouldn't miss celebrating this for the world," said Ricky.
"Yeah, mom. It's not every day our mother gets engaged. Nothing was gonna stop us from coming out here to celebrate," added Emily.
Just then, Sharon turned around to look at Andy before she asked him, "Did you know about this?"
"Not a clue. Can't say I'm all that surprised though. Especially considering how much of a sense of occasion their mother has," replied Andy.
"You're certainly right about that, Andy. Congrats," said Ricky as he shook Andy's hand.
"Thanks Ricky. I'm just glad she said yes," responded Andy before he pulled Ricky into a hug.
"Oh, like she would've said no. Living together is generally the equivalent of playing for keeps. At least in mom's book it is. Plus, didn't I say before their second date that mom must have it bad for Andy cause she couldn't stop smiling?" Emily asked her brothers as she hugged Andy.
"You totally said that," Rusty piped up as he stood up to hug Sharon.
"I distinctly remember someone spilling the beans on that one," replied Sharon good naturedly as she hugged her son.
"Congratulations mom," Rusty told her as he hugged her back.
"Thanks Rusty," said Sharon before she looked over at the rest of the smiling crowd at the table and said, "The six of you better get over here so I can hug you too."
Nicole and Dean prompted Ben and Finn to go over first before the two of them, Brandon, and Gus stood up to join the rest of the family in their celebration.
Finn ran up to hug Sharon while Ben ran up to hug Andy as the two of them each picked a boy up in their arms.
"Sharon, are you and Grandpa Andy getting married?" Finn asked her.
"Yes we are, Finn," Sharon happily answered.
"When?" Ben asked them.
Andy looked over at Sharon to indicate that the timeline was entirely up to her.
"Well, Ben. Grandpa Andy and I don't have an exact date picked out yet, but I'd say sometime in the next year or so," Sharon told him.
"And every single one of us will be there," replied Nicole as she wrapped Sharon in a tight hug while Brandon congratulated his father with a hug before he and Nicole switched to congratulate the other half of the happy couple.
After Dean and Gus also congratulated them, Gus asked, "Who's ready to eat?"
A chorus of cheers erupted before everyone walked over to grab what they wanted from the platters on the kitchen island.
Soon after everyone sat down at the large dining table to begin enjoying their breakfast, the clink of a glass could be heard as Sharon stood up from the head of the table with Andy's hand in hers as she encouraged him to stand as well. She slid her hand from Andy's as she moved to snake it around his back and pull him closer to her side before she addressed the group before them.
"So, from what I understand every single one of you played some part in the events of last night. Both Andy and I are extremely touched and grateful that you'd all take time out of your own lives to help make our anniversary and engagement special. We are immensely thankful to have the support of such an amazing and wonderful family and are glad that you're all here to celebrate this exciting time in our lives with us. As all of you well know, families come in many forms and people don't necessarily have to be blood related to one another to be a family. I think Rusty put it best when he said that family means loving each other no matter what and I believe that I speak for both Andy and I when I say that we envision that same sentiment for our family. For this family," beamed Sharon gratefully.
Andy reached behind Sharon and pulled her slightly closer to his side before he added, "Definitely. Most of you have probably heard Sharon say this once or twice, but all we ever expect of any of you is to be safe and be kind. So, if any of you are ever in any sort of trouble or just need advice about something going on in your own lives, know that both of us are only a phone call away. If you need someone to lend a listening ear, we're here for you. If you're stuck on the side of the road somewhere, we'll come pick you up. If you're on the other side of the country, we'll fly to wherever we need to in order to be there for you when you need us. Every single one of you is a member of our family and while the shape of our family may change over the years to include your future spouses and any future children you may decide to have, the idea that family means loving each other no matter what will always remain at the core of what this family stands for."
Sharon tucked her face into Andy's shoulder as a few tears began to escape from her eyes at his words. A moment later she lifted her head away from his shoulder and laughed embarrassedly as she said, "I promised myself I wasn't gonna cry and now look at me."
Andy wiped a few stray tears from Sharon's face before he said, "You look absolutely beautiful and as long as those are happy tears, I think we'll be just fine."
Sharon nodded her head at Andy before she directed her attention towards the rest of the family and said, "Okay. Enough crying for now. Let's eat."
As the family sat down to enjoy a nice breakfast and celebrate the journey that Sharon and Andy were about to embark on together, Sharon couldn't help but think back to when her and Andy had first started dating. She'd flirtatiously said something to him at the end of that first date that neither one of them would ever forget. Sharon told him that she was old fashioned, not dead. Those five words had ignited a passion so strong between the two of them that it was sure to last for many years to come.
Andy gently squeezed Sharon's hand to get her attention before he asked her, "What's on your mind?"
Sharon smiled at him as she said, "How old fashioned dating seems to have worked out rather well for us."
Andy looked out at the rest of the people sitting at their dining table and then turned his attention back towards Sharon and smiled as he replied, "I couldn't agree more. Especially when it's our own personal brand of old fashioned dating."
"It's gotten us this far," remarked Sharon.
"And I'm sure we'll have fun dating in the old fashioned sense of the word for many years to come," said Andy.
"Promise?" Sharon asked flirtatiously.
"Till death do us part," responded Andy as Sharon grinned excitedly at his choice of words.
As Sharon and Andy turned their attention back towards engaging in conversation with their family, the thought that in a year or so they'd be Mr. & Mrs. Flynn was never far from their minds. Their friendship may have been the foundation from which they built their relationship upon, but now they were preparing to take that a step further. A step in which they would take both their friendship and their old fashioned dating and use that to lay the foundation for a solid marriage. It would certainly be a new adventure for them as a couple, but as they'd pointed out to one another fifteen months earlier, there was no one else they'd rather go on adventures with than each other. They may be getting married, but their old fashioned dating would never cease to exist and it would always be theirs.
The End
A/N: Thank you so much to every single person who has read, favorited, or left a review or message with words of encouragement or constructive criticism or simply interest in when this story would next be updated. It has admittedly took me quite a bit of time to finally complete this story and complete it in a way that not only I was satisfied with, but also an ending that I thought would satisfy the readers of this story. As always, feel free to leave me a review to let me know what you thought of the ending or just your thoughts on the story in general. This was my first larger scale fic and this journey has definitely been a learning experience for me both personally and as a writer. If you have any suggestions for the future, please don't hesitate to let me know.
My next writing project will be to finally get back to writing more chapters for Hands, which many people have asked when I will be returning to. I can't give all of you an exact date yet on when a new chapter of that story will be up, but once I've got a decent idea of what the timeline might look like, I'll be sure to post a writing update on my Tumblr page. If any of you aren't aware of where it's located, you can go to Tumblr and search love-letters-x-cardigan-sweaters. Again, a huge thank you to all of you for coming on this Shandy adventure with me! Writing this story has been a challenging, yet thoroughly enjoyable ride for me and serves as a reminder as to why I started writing in the first place.