“What’s another year, right?!”

Our story begins in a little town called Kent, Ohio in January 2013. As luck would have it, Billy moved from Toledo to Kent to work as Bar 145’s Chef de Cuisine around the same time that Mehgan landed a serving job at the bar to make her way through undergrad. And, the rest was history. Sort of. The two instantly became friends and began to spend a lot of time together on and off of the clock. Despite their obvious connection, Mehgan had to practice some serious patience until she got the clear go ahead to make her move once Billy was officially single. Mehgan likes to think it’s because of her massive “swooning” skills that she claimed her man, but Billy will never admit this to you because he’s a good guy. Thankfully, he’s not writing this, so you get the real story. As their bond grew closer, the pair found themselves in a daily routine: tearing up the dance floor at work (or stage for Mehgan), closing down the bar, jointly embarking on the walk home and crossing the 50 yards between their houses to have nightly sleepovers (sorry, Dad), ordering delivery breakfast in bed every morning before going into work together, and waiting for the others shift to end to do the same thing all over again. Sadly, the best summer of their lives came to a close, and Mehgan happily, but slowly, and without Billy’s welcome for an extended stay, began to move her belongings into Billy’s bachelor pad (bartending hours are super late okay?!)—and she quite honestly just never left. The entire incident is still a running joke between their friends.

Unfortunately, it took Billy until August 2013 to admit that Mehgan was, indeed, his girlfriend. Mehgan had planned a fun trip to the casino in Cleveland for Billy’s birthday. They stayed at a hotel, got way too much food at the West Side Market to cook the next day, and made their way back to Kent’s Acme grocery store to buy booze for the little watermelon vices (don’t ask—hello college!) they would be making afterwards. In true Mehgan fashion, she forgot her ID, and even though Billy was buying the alcohol (like the true gentleman he is), the clerk still gave him problems. Thankfully, we have that exact clerk to thank for the rest of their relationship. “She’s my girlfriend, I can vouch for her!” Billy said. This was the first time Mehgan heard him use the official term, even though it was evident that they had been exclusive for some time before. Although Billy never quite asked Mehgan to become his roommate, she had no problem placing herself into his life. When his lease ended in December 2013, Mehgan popped the question. No, not that question…. “So, what are we gonna do?” she asked. The pair secured their first lease together in January 2014, and right before the big move, Mehgan said those three little words for the first time. Sensing a pattern here? Thankfully Billy loves the assertiveness—most days. Mehgan and Billy have now officially lived in four places and three cities together—two apartments in Kent and one in Lakewood before buying a house in Cleveland’s West Park neighborhood in September 2017. Somehow, Mehgan has convinced Billy to add four animals to the mix along the way, making their family complete (for now) with two cats, Sasha and Cleo, and two dogs, Eerie and Laser. There have been plenty of ups and downs, changes, and opportunities for growth through the couple’s six years together. Mehgan completed grad school, Billy switched from a career as a chef to union carpentry (Thanks, Dad!), but the two remain closer than ever.

With Billy and Mehgan already a part of each other's families, everyone (especially Mehgan) was itching for Billy to pop the REAL question. Thankfully due their friends and family, when & where the proposal was going to happen remained a complete surprise to Mehgan until the actual moment occurred. Mehgan’s mom, Patty, was the real star of that show. She coordinated with Billy & invited a group of the duo's closest friends to her & Dave’s house for a Christmas/Homemade pizza making party. The friends knew why they were coming—but Patty had a few tricks up her sleeve. The entire group was convinced that there would, in fact, be a Christmas party, and when they showed up to the house, the already large assortment of appetizer foods looked like the party was going to be a big one. In fact, Maid of Honor, Lindy, pulled Patty aside during set up and quietly asked when the other company was going to show up. “They’re not!” Patty told her. “It’s just us tonight.” There was a lot of whispering behind Mehgan’s back to try to ensure that the proposal happened smoothly—but Billy knew exactly what he was doing. During the white elephant gift exchange, Billy saved the best gift for last, and on December 15, 2018, Mehgan finally experienced the moment she had been waiting her whole life for. In front of the whole crew that was there, and Billy’s mom on FaceTime, Billy got down on one knee, &, through (almost) hyperventilating tears, Mehgan forgot to say yes. Thankfully, her happy tears said it for her & their friends made sure Billy eventually got the “HELL YES!” he had been waiting for. That cold December night continues to hold warm memories for more reasons than one. Patty loved Billy like a son & was the happiest she'd ever been knowing that she was handing her daughter off to a man that would love & support her through the good days & bad. She continues to be the couple’s biggest blessing as she watches over them from Heaven. #perfectmemory