Page 78 of Thanks for Coming Along

If someone had told her a year and a half ago that she'd be getting married, she'd have probably laughed in their face. But here she was, married at the ripe young age of twenty-seven. Her twenty-five-year-old self would've thought she’d somehow stepped into the Twilight Zone.

Ronan’s two documentaries turned out to be huge successes. The first one, which mostly focused on Eden, streamed on BNN and got rave reviews. The second one made its way to an indie film festival, where it grabbed a lot of attention and even got nominated for an audience award in the documentary category. He'd accepted Jackson Foster’s offer to work behind the scenes on the prime-time show, but he was seriously considering branching out on his own. He still held a bit of resentment toward BNN for how they’d handled their relationship during the documentary filming.

Meanwhile, Eden’s third album was a massive hit. Critics and fans were calling it her best work, and she couldn't argue with that—Ronan had helped pull something out of her that turned into some of her most raw, heartfelt music. The song she performed on live TV with Colm ten months ago had topped the charts, proving to her label that commercial hits weren’t the only thing that could succeed. With the album’s success, all her past missteps were suddenly forgotten—money really did have a way of shutting down criticism.

As Eden scanned the rows of dark wood pews, she saw their closest friends and family, each face beaming with joy. A wave of happiness washed over her heart.

Erin was patting Conor's hand as he dabbed at his eyes with a tissue, her own eyes glistening with tears as she fought back her emotions. Sadie and Ingrid shared a tight hug, their laughter echoing through the chapel. Beck, with a small, satisfied smile, observed the two girls. Colm offered a comforting pat on Quentin's back, wiping away a tear from his cheek.

At the end of the row, Bobby and his wife were clapping, their smiles wide. It had been only a few months since Ronan reached out to Bobby and repaired the rift between them.

Despite the time that had passed, Bobby, now equipped with a prosthetic leg, had expressed nothing but gratitude to Ronan for saving his life. He’d even joked that he was wondering what took Ronan so long to make the call. While the weight of guilt still hung over Ronan, he’d made real progress in fixing things with Bobby and learning to forgive himself.

They were still planning a big wedding celebration back at the house where it all started—her house in Malibu. Invitations would be sent out to all their friends, including Finn and Reef, who’d been living in Costa Rica for the past few months. Reef had lost his phone, and Finn, in solidarity, had decided not to use his either. Once they’d had enough of surfing and finally got around to checking their messages, Eden could start planning the party.

Eden had invited Sloane, Foster, and Mr. Lopez to the elopement. Sloane, who would never be caught dead in Vegas, had instead sent them a karaoke machine as a wedding gift. Foster and Mr. Lopez were both tied up with filming at BNN, but they’d promised to show up to the post-wedding party.

"Thank ya, thank ya very much!" The Elvis impersonator declared with an exaggerated hip shake, his voice filling the air as he began to croon “You're The Devil in Disguise” by Elvis, though his voice was completely out of key. It was a song Ronan had insisted they include in their elopement package, an ode to the words he had said to her, and the lyrics she had included in her song about him.

Sadie swept Eden and Ronan into a massive bear hug, and Erin soon joined in, creating a tangle of arms and laughter.

"Welcome to the family, Eden," Erin said, grinning as she gently cupped Eden's face and kissed her cheek. Eden’s eyes misted up, her heart swelling with warmth. She hugged Erin tight, holding onto the moment without saying a word. Trying to keep herself together, she pulled away. Then Conor stepped in and wrapped her in a big hug.

"I knew you were the one for him as soon as I laid eyes on the two of you together," he said softly. "That was the moment you became my daughter." Eden felt a sense of completeness wash over her. Ronan's family had welcomed her into their hearts, and now they were her family too.

"I can’t believe I have a sister now. Finally! I was left with only this dweeb for so many years," Sadie teased, her voice filled with affection as she playfully elbowed Ronan, who reciprocated with a light jab of his own before he pulled Colm into a warm hug. Then Colm reached into his tweed jacket, retrieved a flask, and raised it high in the air, the polished silver catching the light.

"A toast!" Colm declared, holding the flask high in the air. "Ní féasta go rósta, 'is ní céasta go pósta." He concluded the toast with a long pull from the flask, which Eden could only assume was whiskey.

"Da!" Erin exclaimed with a laugh at her father's Irish. Eden looked to Ronan for an explanation. With a playful roll of his eyes and a small smile, Ronan translated, "There is no feast like a roast and no torment like a marriage." Eden laughed and nestled closer to Ronan, feeling his laughter vibrating against her.

“Nah, I am only codding you lot,” Colm said with a grin as he cleared his throat, holding his flask out again. “Go maire tú chomh fada agus is mian leat, agus nach dteastaíonn uait chomh fada agus a bheidh tú beo.”

“Nice save, Da,” Erin said with a pat on her father’s back. “May you live as long as you want, and never want as long as you live,” Erin translated for the group.

Colm hobbled over, leaning closer to Eden's ear, and whispered, “I love ya to bits. I am so fiercely pleased for ya both. Yous are a match made in heaven herself.” He pulled back with unshed tears in his eyes and planted kisses on both of her cheeks.

"Good woman yourself! Finally, someone in this family has a musical bone in their body. If I have to hear Conor's bleedin' voice one more time, I might eat the head off of him," Colm announced loudly, while Conor groaned in embarrassment. Eden laughed deeply, her cheeks hurting from the smile that wouldn’t leave her face. In that moment, she felt so completely happy and accepted that she wouldn’t have traded it for anything in the world.

Bobby approached Ronan with a warm hug, and they began conversing in hushed tones. Meanwhile, Quentin maneuvered his way through the bustling crowd, draping an arm around Eden's shoulders.

"Congratulations, Ed," Quentin whispered into her ear as he rested his head gently on hers. "I'll take credit for this, you know. I'm convinced those space documentaries we watched rewired your brain and made you see what an idiot you were." A playful smile on Quentin's lips.

"Dream on, loser. I was the one who knocked sense into her. You just sat on your ass and watched clips of Uranus," Sadie shot back, her gaze squarely fixed on Quentin.

"Yeah, after breaking and entering on private property like a feral Pixie," Quentin retorted, causing Conor to gasp. "Sadie Cara Murphy! I told you no more B&Es." He seemed more surprised by the revelation than angry. There was more than one break-in?

"Better to be a Pixie than an Ogre," Sadie shot back, completely ignoring her father and keeping her eyes locked on Quentin. She locked him with a fiery gaze, her petite frame somehow towering over him, radiating an intensity that defied her size.

"Doubtful, everyone loves Shrek," Quentin quipped in return, maintaining the intense eye contact with Sadie.

Eden turned to find Ingrid, and they shared a tight hug. "I'm so happy for you," Ingrid whispered tearfully into Eden's hair.

Beck strolled over with a smile, and Eden felt Ingrid tense slightly at his close proximity. Ingrid pulled back, and Beck glanced at her rigid posture, his smile widening just a touch.

"Don’t look so uncomfortable, princess. I’m going to be your neighbor in a few weeks," Beck said with a mischievous glint in his eyes. Ingrid’s eyes went wide in surprise, and she quickly exchanged a look with Eden. Well, the cat was out of the bag. And judging by Ingrid’s reaction, that cat might as well have been feral with a contagious disease.

Eden owned two apartments on the Upper West Side—one for herself and one Ingrid was living in. With Eden and Ronan heading off on an extended honeymoon and her tour indefinitely postponed, the place was empty.

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