𝐩𝐥𝐚𝐲 𝐩𝐫𝐞𝐭𝐞𝐧𝐝, 𝐬𝐭𝐚𝐧 ✓

epilogue

THERE WAS NO USE PRETENDING she wasn't nervous. Caterina had been married to Sebastian for almost three years by the time they had actually managed to pull through and hold a redo wedding, one complete with fancy dresses and people in attendance, yet she felt as if she had never been married to him. Perhaps it was the nerves messing with her. The truth is, the couple's relationship had never really changed from their high school years; a romantic aspect had just been added. Nonetheless, Caterina stood behind the doors of a church, waiting for music to begin to cue her.

"Are you ready?" Elizabeth asked softly, raising an eyebrow at her best friend. Caterina nodded, smiling back at her. Elizabeth had gotten married a few months prior, and Caterina had asked her the same thing, as they were both each other's maid of honor.

"Of course I'm ready," Caterina replied, "I've been ready my whole life."

"You're going to make me cry," Paul mentioned from beside her, making Caterina laugh. After her brother's passing, her idea of who would walk her down the aisle if she and Sebastian had a do-over had been blurry. Typically, it was your father who gave you away, but Caterina's father was getting older than he would admit and wasn't able to do it, though he didn't mind.

It only seemed right for Paul to give her away. She would never admit it to his face, it just wasn't her style, but he was a brother to her, and she knew he would always be considered part of the family after meeting her mother and complimenting her so profusely that she insisted he come to every family gathering for the rest of his life.

"Good," she replied with a grin, "that means I'm doing something right."

Before he could retort, the music started, and the doors opened. One by one, their wedding party stepped into the aisle, and Caterina felt jittery. She knew it would go perfectly- she had planned it after all, because "Sebastian I am legitimately a wedding planner, we are not hiring one"- but it seemed surreal to her in a way she couldn't seem to describe.

"You look beautiful, Cat, and he loves you dearly. Calm down," Paul murmured, making her smile at him before they stepped out, following Elizabeth and Chris Evans.

"Thank you for doing this, Paul," she replied, trying to ignore how Sebastian's breath caught in his throat when he saw her. It was like they had never been married, and it made her fight back a laugh at how in love they were.

When they made it to the alter, it took everything in Sebastian not to just take her hands from Paul's, wanting to hold her after two days away from each other. They had barely seen each other in the week leading up to the wedding since she was the planner, always going somewhere and fixing something. He didn't mind too much, though, as it lead to this moment.

"I love you," he mouthed when he caught her eye, making her grin.

"I love you too," she mouthed back, shaking her head just slightly.

The wedding went faster than expected, but it was likely because they were together. As they shared a kiss, they heard Magdalena yell, "Mama and Daddy!", making them share a grin as they pulled away. The two year old loved seeing them together, and Sebastian reached for her as they walked back down the aisle, the family sharing a moment of utter happiness as he did so.

For once, the actor was more than glad he once had to play pretend.