✍︎

S𝐞𝐯𝐞𝐧 years later

      I paced back and forth as nurses and doctors rushed passed me. My arms were wrapped around me and my teeth were sunk into my bottom lip as my heart rate picked up

     "It's been two hours. Their has to be an update" I said stopping and looking towards the boys.

     "Sophie ,they said it could be hours until we hear anything" Charlie said looking up to me before sitting back in his chair. His eyes were tired and it had been four hours since we first came in.

     "How did they even get the house number?" I asked him sitting down by him.

     "They said that when they asked him who to call he said to look for Charlie or Sophie in the contact book he had" I put my head in my hands and my foot tapped against the tiles.

    "God I hope everything's okay" Charlie leaned towards me with his hand on my back

     "They would've came out to tell us if something went wrong Soph-"

     The two door to our right flung open frantically as Charlie and I stood quickly, turning to face the person that had bound through the doors.

     "We have a little girl" my mouth dropped open and tears flung to my eyes as Charlie let out a cheer and we crossed, pulling Knox into a hug.

     "Congratulations" we said as we pulled away

    "You wanna come see her?" We both nodded still in shock as he led us down the hall.

     The room was bright with ivory walls and little animals drawn onto it. It was a private room since Chris was the only one in there. We stepped inside slowly as we made our way to the two girls. Chris looked perfect and you wouldnt be able to tell she had just had a child.

     "Hiya Darling" I said leaning to give her a small hug and kiss on the cheek as she smiled "how are you feeling?"

"Tired"

     "Congratulations Chris" Charlie said giving the girl a kiss on the cheek and a hug. I took a look at the little girl in her arms. She was perfect, a small nose, beautiful skin, and a lot of hair. She slept and her little mouth curled up when Knox and chris spoke.

"Shes beautiful" I said in awe of the tiny baby.

    "Shes perfect guys" Charlie said leaning over my shoulder to look down at the baby.

    "Would you like to hold her?" Chris asked looking at me with a smile.

     "Would that be okay?" Chris nodded and moved to hand the baby to me. I took her in my arms as she moved a bit. Charlie was looking at her over my shoulder as her hand opened and held onto Charlie's finger.

     "We wanted to ask you two something" Knox said looking at the two of us

"Anything"

    "We were hoping you would be her godparents" Charlie's head shot up to look at Knox as my face held a shocked expression

     "Are you serious" the two smiled and nodded as Charlie and I broke out into grins

     "We'd love to" Charlie said as I looked back down the the baby in my arms

    "We were hoping you'd say yeah, now we have two Sophie's who we love" it took me a minuted to relise what Chris said as I lifted my head to look at her

     "What?"

   Knox smiled as he took a seat next to the bed "Sophie, meet Sophie" he said motioning to his daughter, my mouth dropped open and tear sprang to my eyes as I looked at him.

    "You didnt" I said looking between them as Chris laughed

    "Well we decided that we wanted to name her after someone who meant a great deal to us. And since your my best friend"

   "And you're basically a sister to me, we wanted to name her after you" Knox finished with a smile. She began to stir in my arms as her eyes opened and met mine.

"Hey little Sophie"

✍︎✍︎✍︎

    Over the next few months we watched baby Sophie grow. We minded her every second Saturday to give Chris and Knox a break and a chance to sleep.

    Sophie had been born at the end of may and it was soon approaching her first Christmas. Charlie and I had gotten a house recently enough since I had just finished my final year of college.

     Hager was right all those years ago. I'm my last year at Hell-ton, I got offered a scholarship to Harvard. I had finally finished last year.

     Charlie moved with me, his father paying for him to go to Harvard too after he aced all his exams and got accepted. They turned a blind eye to his expulsion after looking into the circumstances.

    I got my teaching degree and Charlie got a law degree. It hadn't been what his father had hoped but Charlie took a sudden interest in justice after everything that happened the year of 1959.

    With both of us earning and having saved enough money to buy a house, we got one that both of us adored dearly.

    The two story house sat on the lane way to the Daltons house and had been put up for sale the year we came back. Charlie said it was just temporary. Until we got onto our feet financially.

     And here we were now. Our first Christmas morning in a house that was ours, no parents. Just ours.

     Chris, Knox and Sophie were coming over for Dinner along with Meeks and his girlfriend and Todd. Pitts was still working hard at Yale and was spending time with his wife. Yes Pitt's got married last year. What a confusing yet amusing night that was.

     The second year into college we rekindled the friendship with Cameron that had been lost.

     It took us a while, almost too long to realise that not only had he lost Neil like we had but he also had to deal with that all alone. It took Charlie a while too fovgive him but after understanding Cameron's view on the situation he forgave him. Not fully and the friendship never went back to the way it was but it had improved greatly.

     Charlie lit the fire as I put on music reminding me of the Christmas at the Daltons a few years ago.

    We had just finished up opening our presents as I cleaned up the wrapping paper. "We should call down to your parents today" I told him making my way towards the fire.

     "Yeah, mom called. Claire and Preston are over so she wants us all there. You gonna go to your parents?" I looked back at him with a small shake of my head.

     "There in my grandparents this year" My mother hasn't spent a single Christmas in her home since Neil's death.

      I bent down to grab some paper before kneeling infront of the fire placing the wrapping paper in one by one. "Hey you remember the last Christmas we had at my parents?"

     I didn't turn back to look at Charlie as I placed the blue piece of paper in the fire watching it burn

     "Yeah, why?" I stood from my spot after placing the last piece in the fire.

    "How about we do it for real this time?" A line formed in my eyes brows as I turned on the spot.

    Much like that Christmas I froze in place, as my eyes met a kneeling Charlie.

   In his hand was a white velvet box with a diamond ring inside it. My mouth fell agape as my heart rate picked up "Charlie"

     "Sophia Julia Perry. Seven years ago told you I loved you for the first time. Seven years ago you became my girlfriend. Seven years ago I kissed you for the first time. Seven years ago I held you as mine and swore to myself as long as I lived I'd never let you go. Seven years ago I promised you that I would one day marry you and give you a real ring. That I would make you my wife. So Sophie julia Perry. Will you do me the honours of becoming my wife, starting a family with me and being mine forever"

    The tears were running down my cheeks and I didn't think twice before nodding my head and saying yes repeatedly. He stood with a smile and slipped the ring in my finger before I threw myself to him and crashed my lips against his.

    "I love you" he said against my lips lifting me as I smiled and wrapped my legs around him. It was perfect, just us two. No one else. Just us.

    By two o'clock the others had come and were sitting around the table as Charlie brought out the food.

   I had Sophie resting on my hip as I placed her into the highchair beside Knox. Todd sat beside Chris speaking about how college had been.

    Meeks and Vanessa, sat across from them as Vanessa held her bump that was beginning to show.

    We all sat around the table apart from Charlie who stood at the top with a glass in his hand. "I would just like to say both Sophie and I are delighted that you could spend Christmas with us for the first year. We really appreciate it. Congratulations to Knox and Chris and Sophie, who's first Christmas it is as three and not two. Congrats to Meeks and nessa who are about to welcome a new addition to their family. And to Todd. Who just got a new job" Charlie looked towards Todd who's head was down with a blush.

    Charlie let out a breathe and shrugged "well I guess that's all, thanks guys" he said taking a seat before standing again "oh and Sophia and I just got engaged" he said sitting down with a smile as all heads turned to us.

     I couldn't help the smile on my face as I lifted my hand to show the ring as Chris' mouth dropped open

     "Shut up"

"Hey language" Charlie said pointing to the baby in the high chair before Chris as she got us and came around to hug me while Meeks sat wide eyed. Knox clapped Charlie on the back as everyone moved to congratulate us. Todd was the last one to move over to me with tears in his eyes.

     "I'm so happy for you" he said as he hugged me "Neil would be too" I smiled sadly at him before squeezing him.

"He'd be happy for you too"

✍︎✍︎✍︎

      I stood in the back room as Chris fixed the veil on my head and Todd stood beside me telling me to breathe. Chris was my maid of honour and Todd was my grooms man. You think I wouldn't have him on my side on Charlie and I's big day? No way! Hard luck Charlie.

     Claire was stood in the corner fixing her mascara as she fixed her bridesmaid dress. The first knock came to my door and it was Pitts coming to congratulate me before he told me I had ten minutes.

    The second knock came five minutes later and my heart race picked up before a conversation between Todd, who had answered the door, and the other person started up

    "Sir" Todd said looking at the man and I looked to Chris confused

     "Is Sophia in here? I'd like to see her before she gets sweeped off her feet by Mr. Dalton" my face dropped to shock as I made my way towards the door to the voice I remembered all too well as he and Todd stood laughing "although I think that happened eight years ago"

    Wrinkles appeared by his eyes as he smiled and took in my dress "Sophia"

     "Mr. Keating" I said still starstruck as he stepped in and I hugged him.

     "May I say you look beautiful" tears welled in my eyes as we pulled away

"How did yo-"

    "Charlie called me" he said with a smile as I looked to Todd who looked like he was going to cry.

     Mr. Keating hadn't changed all that much. He wasn't grey at all, maybe a few more wrinkles but nothing else in his face or how he spoke showed that it had been seven years since we saw him last.

     "Neil would be so proud" he said as he placed his hands on my shoulders and looked at me. I tried to not tear up but it was hard to do since it always broke my heart when someone brought up Neil.

     "Are your parents here?" He asked looking around the room to see if they were there. I shook my head slightly as Todd gave me a napkin to dab under my eyes.

      "My mom is here with Charlie's parents but my father didn't come" I said as Mr. Keating's forehead creased but his eyes held an understanding. After that Christmas I didn't speak much with my father and ended up living with the overstreets the following summer.

    So when he heard about the wedding he refused to go always claiming I was making a mistake when mother brought it up.

     I cleared my throat as Pitts came in with a smile and looked at me. "You ready?" He said before looking to Mr. Keating "sir"

    "Pitts" he said shaking his hand before Pitts looked back at me with a nod. The girls got into their positions and Chris gave me my bouquet.

    Claire fixed my hair and gave me a small kiss on the cheek before moving into her position. Todd looked at me and squeezed my hand before standing out into the hall with the other girls.

     "I'll go find my seat and speak to you and Charlie after" Mr. Keating said moving towards the door before I called out to him, causing him to look back at me

      "I don't have my dad here and Neil isn't here either" I started "and Knox is Charlie's bestman so I was wondering If maybe if you wanted to" I said looking away before looking back to him "would you would give me away?"

    Mr. Keating's eyes filled with tears as he smiled "I mean this whole thing" I said gesturing to the whole room and the dress "is because of you and your class" I said with a smile

     "So if you'd like to, I'd love it if you gave me away" I said hoping that he'd say yes. He didn't say anything and just nodded with tears in his eyes.

     He linked his arm with mine as Todd turned back to me and nodded and the music started up. This was it.

     Chris went first, holding the little flower girl,  Sophie by the hand as she poured the little flower petals along the isle. Then it was Claire and then Todd.

   Now it was my turn.

       The ceremony was outside. The sun was shining and the arches were filled with flowers. Chairs we're lined up all along both sides, filled with our family's and friends. The fresh scent of the summer filled my senses as everyone stood and looked back to me. The girls and Todd parted infront of me and there he was

      Charlie was stood there waiting for me. His suit made him look smart and the lake behind him made him stand out. His eyes lit up and his head dropped when he saw me. Behind him Knox reached into his pocked and grabbed a tissue before handing it to him.

      He wiped his eyes quickly and met mine as mine began to fill. We got to the top and Mr. Keating handed my hand to Charlie with a smile before taking a seat as Charlie and I made out way under the arch.

    "You look beautiful" he said wiping his eye where a tear was falling.

    "You scrub up well yourself" I said as he rolled his eyes with a smile

   "You ready for this?" the dimpled on my face deepened as I nodded "deeply and completely?"

"Deeply and completely"

"Lets do this then"

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
So that is 'Moonstruck' done.
I hope you enjoyed reading it as much as I loved writing it.
I cannot thank all of you enough for Voting, Commenting and overall just reading this book.
It's been a pleasure to be able to share this story with you.
Onto the next
-C🦋