𝐞𝐩𝐢𝐥𝐨𝐠𝐮𝐞.

By her 12th week, Faith's baby bump was beginning to show. While small, there was only so much more hiding she could do with baggy clothes in pictures or rattling off a quick I must be bloated excuse to anyone who might've noticed.

Naturally, after making their reentry to the engagement party, they hadn't told anyone about the fact that Faith was pregnant. Seeing as they'd been through breaches of trust before, they'd gotten together that night after everyone had gone home and compiled a shortlist of people that they'd share the news with initially. If they felt comfortable enough, they'd expand the list, but the idea was to not take any chances. Even still, some people in their circle—no matter how long they'd known them—wouldn't find out until Faith or Chris decided to post about it on social media.

Maybe it could be seen as overdoing it. But it was the little things that mattered early on, and Faith and Chris wanted the best for their baby. They deserved it.

One afternoon, Faith was resting on the couch eating ice cream and watching a movie. Dodger sat near her feet, tail swishing lazily. On the other side of the room, Chris was at the kitchen counter, sitting on a stool while typing away at his laptop. "Babe, do you know what today is?"

Chris swiveled around to face her. "Should I know what today is?"

After pausing the movie, Faith grabbed her phone from the coffee table and turned it toward him with a soft smile. "It's the anniversary of when we first tweeted each other."

"No way," Chris got up and joined her on the couch to see her phone screen. "Oh, man. Time really flies, doesn't it?"

She gestured to her belly. "I mean, clearly. I don't think either of us had all this in mind back then."

"Tell me about it. What did you do when you found out you won the contest?"

As the memories returned to her mind, Faith laughed. "I don't think you wanna know, it's so embarrassing."

"Now you gotta tell me, babe." He replied, giving her knee a gentle nudge. That teasing tone, the twinkle in his eye...she was powerless to it, and supposed she always would be.

"Fine..." She went on to explain how she and Cass had watched the video his team had sent, how their excited screams had carried through her apartment, and the way she thought she had no chance of winning in the first place. "I was a complete and total mess."

"I would've loved to have seen that." Chris replied with a chuckle. "Before we met at the game, I was so nervous about sending that DM to ask for your number. Scott will tell you, I was practically shaking."

"No way!"

"Yes way. I almost chickened out, to be honest. Here's this gorgeous lady who writes for one of my favorite sports teams and she gets to be my Oscars date. It was too good to be true."

Faith shook her head playfully, warmth in her cheeks as she grinned. "Thank God you didn't chicken out, then."

"Mhm," He pressed a soft kiss to her lips, followed by her forehead. "How you feeling? You need anything?"

"I think I'm fine for now, actually." She instinctively rubbed a hand over her belly. "I have an alarm to take my prenatal vitamins in like, an hour."

"Good. Let me know when you're hungry and I'll make you something."

"Thanks, babe."

As he got up to return to his laptop, a thought popped into Faith's mind. Well, really, she'd been thinking about it for quite some time now, but their reminiscing had brought it back to the forefront. "Hey, I have an idea I wanted to run past you."

"Yeah? What's up?" He sat back down, the stool still facing in her direction.

"So, I know we've been doing some minor wedding stuff here and there, but I've just been thinking with the baby and all, I don't think I want to wait until after they're born for the wedding."

"Really?" He raised his eyebrows.

"Yeah. I mean, we weren't really onboard with a huge wedding, right? I think if we did it small, it would be right up our alley. Just super close friends and family. Basically everyone who was at the engagement party."

She watched as he rubbed his beard thoughtfully, considering her words. "I'm down with whatever you wanna do, mama. Did you have a date in mind?"

"It'll be a fast as hell turnaround, but I was thinking February 18th."

A knowing smile lit up Chris's face. "The anniversary of our Oscars date. You're so sappy."

"Not any more than you," She poked her tongue out at him. "We'll do it indoors. And since that's usually an off month for weddings, I know there's gonna be more venue availability and stuff like that."

"Makes sense. Okay then! I'll start making some calls. Let's have ourselves a wedding, baby."

• • • •

February 18th, 2020

The doors to the sanctuary opened, and the pianist began playing the bridal march. All the guests stood and turned around as Faith came through the doorway, her father on her arm. Everyone had their phones out to snap pictures, and some light sniffling could be heard over the music.

All Chris could do was stare in awe as his bride walked down the aisle towards him. He'd already done some crying today, but seeing Faith in her dress, coupled with the way the white lace of her gown fit snugly around her baby bump, reduced him to tears yet again.

From his spot in the groomsmen line, Sebastian surreptitiously handed him a handkerchief. "Let it all out, bud." He whispered.

Once Faith and Mr. Beaumont reached the altar, Chris took a half step down to reach for her hand and help her up. Now that they were closer, even underneath the veil, she just about took his breath away.

"Hi," Faith whispered as she looked up at him, tears forming in the corners of her eyes.

"Hi," Chris whispered back, running his thumb across her knuckles. "You look so beautiful, babe." He wanted to kiss her right there and then, but ceremony protocol was getting in the way.

The reverend Carter gestured for everyone to take their seats. "Dearly beloved, we're gathered here today in the sight of God to join together Chris and Faith in holy matrimony. I know everyone's excited, so let's not delay any further, shall we? Do we have the rings?"

As if on cue, the back doors opened again and down trotted Dodger in a mini tuxedo, carrying a basket that held the wedding rings. A rumble of laughter spilled through the crowd, as Chris bent down to retrieve them. "Great job, bub."

Chris handed Faith his ring as the reverend continued. "Faith, you may place the ring on Chris's finger, and then repeat after me."

Lifting his hand, Faith did as instructed, happy tears rolling down her cheeks. "I, Faith, take you, Chris, to be my husband. To have and to hold from this day forward, through sickness and in health, for better or for worse. I promise to honor you, to treasure you, and be by your side during the good times and the bad times. I promise you this from my heart, for all the days of my life."

When it was Chris's turn to do the same, despite the words being identical, it still felt that much more special. "You two have prepared vows for one another, correct?"

Chris dug in the pocket of his pants for the note cards he'd written. "Yeah, I'll go first."

Reverend Carter nodded politely. "By all means."

He took a deep breath, dabbing at the corners of his eyes with his jacket sleeve. "I met you at a time when I was unsure about so many things. My career, my ambitions, my relationships, even the future that I'd always dreamed of having. And then one day, we accidentally bumped into each other at TD Garden. And it felt like coming home. Only to somewhere I'd never been before, but now want to stay forever. You're my partner in every sense of the word. You know my quirks, my fears, my faults, and my shortcomings. You know what I need to hear, even before I do. Knowing that someone who cares and loves so deeply, cares and loves someone like me so deeply, is something I'll never get used to. I consider it an honor to be loved by you, Faith. And I can't wait for the rest of our lives to start today."

There wasn't a dry eye in the room, least of all Faith, who'd now retrieved her own note cards from the side pocket sewn into her dress. "Okay, I'm gonna need a touch up on my mascara after this is over, I swear." She let out a soft sigh, fingers trembling a little.

"My mom always told Hope and me to never settle for anything less than what we deserved. In all aspects of life, but especially when it came to relationships. The truth is, despite everything that I've gone through over the years, I never understood what love looked like until I met you. You never really expect to meet your future husband because of a contest, but that aspect of who we are together somehow just makes sense. You remind me of who I am, what I'm capable of, and the things I can do with just a smile. You always hold space for me to say how I feel, and hold me up when I feel like I'm slipping away. You're my safe place, someone I'll always be able to trust, someone who always makes me laugh even when I don't feel like it. I love you more than I ever thought my heart could feel. And becoming your wife is nothing short of everything I've ever wanted."

Light applause broke out inside the sanctuary. Chris simply accepted that they both would be a teary mess for the rest of the day, and gave Faith the handkerchief that Sebastian had given him earlier.

"By the power vested in me by the state of Massachusetts, I now pronounce you husband and wife. You may kiss the bride."

Chris wasted no time in lifting Faith's veil and resting it atop her head. He placed his hands on either side of her face and pulled her in close. She met him in the middle, arms wound around his neck as they kissed deeply.

"Ladies and gentlemen, may I present to you for the first time...Mr. and Mrs. Evans!"

• • • •

"To my big brother and his beautiful bride, I wish you all the happiness the universe has to offer, and then some." Scott grabbed his champagne glass from in front of him, lifting it high in the air. The guests assembled followed suit. "To Chris and Faith!"

"To Chris and Faith!"

Glasses clinked all around the room, followed by applause for Scott's best man speech. The DJ slowly turned the music back up, and mixed conversations resumed. Faith swore that her cheeks would never return to normal from smiling so much. Though it faded once she took a sip of her drink and was reminded that it was sparkling apple cider and not alcohol. "Ugh, please remind me never to buy this after the baby comes. My mouth feels like static."

Chris laughed and so did she. By now, her baby bump was twice the size it had been all those months ago when she and Chris first talked about the wedding. Now that their day was finally here, Faith could hardly believe it. The venue they'd chosen was just outside of Boston's city center, a quaint place with furnishings that suited both their personal styles. Looking out over the familiar faces of people they held close to their hearts was an added bonus.

As far as food went, they'd done an homage to another tenet of their relationships by having patty melts and onion rings on the menu, reminiscent of their favorite meal at South St. Diner. It was perfectly them.

"You look so beautiful, baby." Chris reached for her hand under the table, intertwining their fingers. "Just in case I forgot to say it."

He hadn't, but Faith wasn't going to complain. All she could focus on was him, of where they'd been, what they'd gone through, how far they'd come to get to this moment. That combined with raging pregnancy hormones had her eyes filling with tears for the umpteenth time today. "I can't believe today is real. Like, I can't believe we're actually married."

Chris brought the hand he'd been holding to his lips, placing a tender kiss on her skin. "Believe it, Mrs. Evans."

• • • •

[NOTIFICATION]

@havesomefaith updated their bio.

• • • •

April 10, 2020

[INSTAGRAM]

chrisevans posted a photo.

1h

*ugly sobbing*

honestly, truly, cannot say it enough: THANK YOU! to think when i posted this story last year it would get to where it is now is crazy. thank you guys for all the reads, votes, comments, reading list adds, and kind dms/message board posts about how much you love beauvans' journey. i'll say it time and time again, y'all are the best!

until next time,

-rach