43. Katerina

I stood in front of the floor-to-ceiling mirror, slowly opening my eyes before letting a small gasp leave my lips. The person staring back at me was not someone I recognized. She stood with her hair in an elegant bun, adorned with a diamond-encrusted tiara and a beautiful white veil cascading down her back. I swallowed the lump in my throat as I looked at my reflection in the mirror, dressed in a gorgeous white mermaid wedding dress. I knew I had picked out a Kim Kardashian dress two days ago, but when I went to pay for it, my eyes landed on the dress I was currently wearing. I don't know what it was about the dress, but I just had to get it. So, I switched the dress I had picked only moments before and exchanged it for this mermaid dress.

It was a vintage full lace mermaid wedding dress with a sexy sheer v-neck illusion back, buttons running down the middle, and a beautiful backcourt train of tulle. It was absolutely breathtaking, and I was so glad that I had seen it before I paid for the other dress. Behind me stood Hayden and Maribel, both of whom had helped me get ready.

"Goodness, Kat, you look absolutely stunning," a voice from the door said. The three of us turned to see Dad standing in the doorway with a smile as big as the sun, though I could see his eyes watering, which made me smile before he walked further into the room.

"Doesn't she look like a real-life princess, Dad?" Hayden asked with a giddy smile, rocking back and forth on his toes.

"She does," Dad replied, standing in front of me. "I can't believe that today you're marrying the man of your dreams."

I bit the inside of my cheek to keep my lip from quivering as he looked down at me with those eyes of his that held so much love. I couldn't help but smile as my eyes watered. "It still feels surreal."

"I bet it does. You recently turned 23, and yet you're already taking a big step in your life by marrying Alex," he stated. "But I couldn't be more proud of you, honey."

"Thank you, Daddy," I murmured, and he smiled.

"Come on then, we don't want to keep that fiancé of yours waiting or else he'll think you're getting cold feet," he stated with a wink, making me chuckle. I hooked my arm through his and took a deep breath before we left the room and made our way down the hall toward the exit, where a white limo waited. We climbed in with Hayden and Maribel, who was already seated across from Mom, who held a sleeping Savannah in her lap. With my dad's help, I settled into the limo beside my mother before he closed the door and climbed into the front seat with the driver.

"You look absolutely stunning, sweetie," Mom gushed with a smile, making me give her a nervous smile. "Nervous?"

"Very," I replied as we drove down the street toward the church where I would soon be marrying the love of my life. "I still can't believe that today is the day I say 'I do' in front of 500 people," I murmured, making my siblings and mother smile.

"Well, just focus on Alex and no one else," Maribel said, and I nodded.

"Your wedding is already the talk of town," Hayden said as he looked up from his phone. I raised a brow, and he showed me a tweet that, sure enough, talked about mine and Alex's wedding. "Can you believe you two have a huge fan base? It's even bigger than Kim and Kanye."

"Who?" Mom asked, and Hayden once again explained who Kim and Kanye were. She hummed in response. "Well, it's no surprise, seeing as they are two very respectable adults with careers that don't involve showing half their bodies or rapping about sex." But before we could comment further, the limo came to a stop, and the front door opened. Dad's face appeared as he smiled.

"Ready?" he asked, and I nodded. I could hear loud screams and flashes of cameras going off as Dad helped me out of the car. We made our way toward the church, where my soon-to-be husband was waiting.

"Katerina, you look gorgeous!"

"Look at her dress; it's stunning!"

"Alex is such a lucky guy!"

Those were a few of the comments I heard as Dad and I made our way up the steps of the church, with Hayden holding my train and Maribel and Mom walking beside us with Savannah and Levi.

Our wedding party was already waiting at the entrance of the church when we arrived. They all gushed at how beautiful the dress was and how stunning I looked while Maribel went inside the church to announce our arrival. I took a deep breath as the double doors opened, and the wedding song began playing. One by one, the wedding party made their way inside, starting with the flower girl and ring bearer, which were Savannah and Levi.

"Deep breaths, Katerina. We don't want you to faint before you reach the altar," Dad whispered. I nodded and took a deep breath before we slowly made our way toward the altar where Alex stood. As we neared, I saw him bend over with his hands on his knees. He looked up, and I saw his blue eyes glazed over with tears, and I smiled.

"Dearly beloved, we meet here today to witness a sacred ceremony: the union of Alexander De Luca and Katerina Montgomery. With great reverence, we come together to celebrate the love and devotion shared by these two children of God that stand before us. We are especially blessed to be joined today by family and friends. The groom and bride are honored you could be here to participate in this important occasion.

As the Bible reminds us in Corinthians, 'If I have the gift of prophecy and can fathom all mysteries and all knowledge, and if I have a faith that can move mountains, but do not have love, I am nothing,'” the priest, Father Gabriel, stated as Dad and I stood at the altar with Alex, who smiled as his eyes locked with mine.