The Unexpected Romance

Chapter 1

On August 21st, 2021, some of the Bellas met for a beach day.

Alice and Beca were looking out at the water while Alice's daughter, Grace, played in the sand.

"Wow! What a great day for the beach," Alice enthused.

"You said it. I'm just glad you and Aubrey made amends after all these years," Beca said.

Alice sighed, "Yeah. It sure feels nice to be a better person now."

"Hey, what's taking Chloe so long to get everything out of the car?" Beca asked when she noticed Chloe struggling with a cooler.

"Hey, Beca. This cooler is so heavy. Can you give me a hand?" Chloe asked as Beca went over to carry one end of the cooler.

"Geez, how did it get so heavy? Did you put too much ice in?" Beca asked.

"No. Besides, wouldn't it be all melted by now?" Chloe asked.

"Fair point," Beca remarked as the two made it to the sand before setting everything down.

"What's up, Bellas!" Chad said as he and Aubrey arrived with Finn.

"Chad, Aubrey, glad you two made it," Alice said, happy to see them.

"Of course. You didn't think we'd back out on this, did you?" Chad asked.

"Oh, and how's Finn doing today?" Alice asked.

"You wouldn't believe this, but ever since we brought up this beach day, he's been practically jumping for joy!" Aubrey said.

"I don't doubt it. Grace loves coming here ever since we first brought her here earlier this summer," Alice mentioned.

"Is this Grace? She is so adorable," Chad said.

"Yep," Alice said.

"Wow, she is like your little ray of sunshine," Aubrey commented.

Grace was a brunette, just like her mother.

"You'd better believe it," Alice agreed.

"What's up, Bellas!" Amy exclaimed as she, Jessica, and Ashley arrived.

"Hey, glad you all made it today," Aubrey said, giving the Bellas a thumbs up.

"Yep. Jessica and Ashley have some big news for us. They wanted to keep it quiet till we got here," Amy said.

"Well, what is it?" Chloe asked.

"Show 'em, Jessica," Ashley said as Jessica showed the Bellas the engagement ring on her finger.

"O.M.G.! When did this happen?" Chloe asked, totally surprised.

"Last night," Ashley said. "She proposed; it was a total surprise and it was so romantic!"

...

"Jessica Smith, the past few years have been some of the best of my life. Even after our brutal break-up last summer, we still managed to eventually stay best friends. I can remember this past Valentine's Day when we finally got back together, I was so happy, and I could tell you were as well. And now, with all the romances we've seen over the years, I want ours to be out there as well," Ashley said before getting down on one knee. "So, Jessica Smith, my long-time next-door neighbor, best friend, roommate, and one true love...will you marry me?" she asked, which left Jessica speechless for 15 seconds.

"YES! ABSOLUTELY!" Jessica shouted, accepting the ring as the two shared a long kiss.

...

"Wow! I can't believe this. I'm so happy for you two," Beca said.

"Yeah. And now we have a favor to ask Aubrey," Jessica said.

"What's up?" Aubrey asked, trying to guess what the favor was for.

"Since you did a wonderful job officiating CR and Denise's wedding five years ago, would you officiate ours as well?" Ashley asked.

"Of course I will. I'm looking forward to it," Aubrey agreed, nodding her head yes.

"So, when's the big day?" Chloe asked.

"We don't even know yet," Jessica admitted.

"But when we do decide on a date, we'll keep you all in the loop," Ashley promised.

Just then, a tall, muscular man appeared with a bottle of sunblock.

"Oh, there you are. I've been waiting for you. Everyone, I'd like you to meet my husband, Ken," Alice said as the Bellas greeted him.

"Nice to meet you all. You must be those Bellas my wife was telling me about," Ken said.

"Some of them. There were a few more that couldn't make it today," Beca answered as Stacie arrived.

"Hey, guys. Sorry we took so long getting here. Bella would've thrown a hissy fit if we didn't bring her favorite beach toys," Stacie said.

"You didn't miss much. Anyway, Stacie, this is Alice, Ken, and their daughter Grace," Chloe said, introducing them.

"Nice to meet you, guys. And may I say, your daughter, Grace is adorable," Stacie said as Bella ran over to play in the sand with Grace.

"Oh, look at that...it seems Bella and Grace like each other already," Alice pointed out.

"I'm not surprised. We both raised well-behaved daughters," Stacie said proudly.

"Mommy, can we go in the water, please?" Grace asked.

"Of course, honey. You want to go in there now?" Alice asked as Grace nodded yes.

"Well, would you look at that; it seems Finn is getting anxious to go in the water as well," Aubrey noticed.

"Well, let's not keep the kids waiting any longer, and let's hit the water!" Stacie suggested as everyone went in the water.