Epilogue
Sebastian
“Matt, is it all ready?” I ask, pacing in my kitchen.
I tried to wait.
I really did.
I really, really did.
Two years seemed like a logical amount of time to be together until I proposed.
But let’s face it. I’m shit at waiting. And we’ve been together and super happy for a year. A year is solid, right?
In that year, Emma and I figured out a lot.
A few of my projects have been delayed or canceled, as often happens with movies, so my schedule cleared significantly.
And I’m more selective about what I sign on to for the future, prioritizing projects filming in LA.
So I’ve been able to spend a good portion of the year in LA with Emma.
That’s also meant I’ve had more time to work directly with the charity foundation my grandparents set up.
And I’ve spent more time with Dario. He’s even giving me tips about directing.
I guess I’m learning who I am outside of just being an actor.
Emma and Sadie’s business has, of course, skyrocketed.
Emma is incredibly busy and loves it. But her talent for wrangling schedules has allowed us both to juggle everything.
She’s even been able to visit me on set.
And we combined the Venice Film Festival with an epic Italian holiday and a visit to some of my relatives.
“It’s all ready,” Matt replies. “Everything’s in place. As you already know because you’ve double-checked it all, like a control freak. Which is very unlike you.”
“You’re absolutely sure Emma doesn’t suspect anything?”
“Not a thing. Arranging for Dario to set up a special weekend in Napa for Emma, Sadie, Olivia, and Daisy was a stroke of genius.”
“I know. It was brilliant of me to think of it.”
“It was my idea,” Matt says blandly.
I slap his back. “If she says yes, you just got yourself a raise.”
“And if she says no?” he teases.
“Don’t jinx it.” I fight down the unease.
His eyes widen in surprise. “You’re really nervous, aren’t you?”
“Hell yeah, I am. I’m not taking anything for granted.” I reach into my pocket and touch the ring box as if it were a talisman.
“You weren’t even this nervous about being nominated for an Oscar.”
I snort. “This is way more important than some stupid Oscar.”
Matt raises an eyebrow.
“Okay. Being nominated was a cool surprise. Plus, it pissed off Peter. And that was fun. But it’s nothing compared to this. Nothing.”
My phone pings. As I look at it, my palms start to sweat. It’s happening.
“She’s here,” I say. “Duncan just dropped her off. She’s on her way inside.” I look at Matt. “You know what to do?”
Matt rolls his eyes. “For the two thousandth time, yes. Now, go. Get in place.”
I make my way up to the master bedroom Emma and I share. We made minor renovations when Emma moved into my Malibu house last year.
We’d basically been living with each other from the start, alternating between her place and mine. So moving in just made sense. Plus, she needed the extra space at her office because she was so busy she had to hire an assistant. She tried to steal Matt, but I wouldn’t let her.
This mansion always felt too big for just me, and it still is too big, but it’s not lonely anymore, not with Emma.
We even hosted a Christmas party, inviting all our friends and family members.
My new family came. It’s been surprisingly easy and angst-free getting to know my father, stepmother, and sister.
My mother also came to Christmas. It was awkward.
But she spoke with Emma’s dad for a long time, and I think he might have convinced her to get counseling.
It’s not much. But at least it’s a start.
I run my sweaty palms on the legs of my pants and straighten my linen shirt as I walk through our spacious bedroom with the sweeping view of the Pacific and into the newly constructed adjoining room.
I take the box out of my pocket and set it on a shelf.
And then I take a deep breath, step back into the bedroom, and wait.
“Matt, what’s so urgent? And what do you need to show me?” Emma’s voice filters in from the hall. My heart thunders as loudly as a thousand screaming fans.
The door swings open and Emma enters the room. “Sebastian!” she cries in surprise when she sees me, gifting me a blinding smile. Her smile turns confused. “Why are you just standing there?” she asks. “And why do you look so… I don’t know. Shifty.”
She drops her purse as I sweep her into a giant hug. “Fuck, I missed you,” I mutter into her hair, kissing her.
“I missed you, too,” she says softly.
“You got some sun.”
“A little too much. We were at the pool all day yesterday. And today, the girls insisted on a full morning of beauty treatments. Hair. Nails. Facials. You name it. Daisy even gave us dresses from her new collection.” She twirls as ice-blue fabric floats around her.
“She insisted I wear it on the plane. She said it would be comfortable, and, surprisingly, she was right.”
“You’re perfect,” I say, taking her hand and leading her farther into the room.
“What is—?” She stops short when she sees the open doorway that leads to another room.
She turns to me, eyes wide. “This wasn’t here when I left three days ago. This was a wall.”
“Yup.”
“There was no door. No other room.”
“Nope.”
She takes a step forward. “Sebastian, what have you done?”
“Go and find out,” I grin encouragingly, following as she steps forward.
She gasps. “It’s a closet.”
My smile widens because her eyes are wide with wonder.
“A really, really beautiful closet.”
“It is.”
“The floating shelves. And this storage island. And the glass display with lighting. The floor-to-ceiling racks. This is my dream closet.” She shakes her head, but her smile is wide. “Matt hacked my Pinterest again, didn’t he?”
“He did. You might as well stop changing your password. It’s useless.”
“But I thought we couldn’t tear down walls because of the historical status of the house.”
“I made some calls.” About ten million calls. And double that in favors.
She looks around, still a little dazed. “It’s empty. You haven’t moved any of my clothes in.” It’s an observation, not a complaint.
I lean against the island, my lips quirked. “I know my girl. For you, that’s the fun part.”
She laughs in exuberance. “I love that you know me so well. I love my surprise. And I love, love, love this closet,” she says before kissing me so thoroughly that I almost forget why we’re here. Almost.
We’re both breathing heavily when I pull away.
She looks around with sparkling eyes. “I’m going to have to buy new everything to fill all this space.”
I clear my throat because it’s suddenly parched. “I got you started.” I indicate the glass jewelry display.
She approaches the shelf in curiosity before turning back to me. “What did you do, Sebastian?”
I know the moment she spots the deep-blue jewelry box because she gasps. I walk up behind her as she pulls out the velvet box.
I take it from her shaking hand and kneel. Then open it. She gasps again as she stares at the rare, old mine-cut diamond.
My ADHD hyper-focus locked in as I spent this past year obsessively searching for the perfect gem and setting for Emma. But even with all that research, I’m a mess of nerves, praying she loves it, praying she wants this.
I look into her beloved face. There are tears in her eyes.
“Is it too soon? Too much?” My heart is laid open before her. I’m more vulnerable than I’ve been in my entire life, but also more hopeful.
She shakes her head. And I see that behind the tears, her eyes shine with joy.
“It’s not too soon,” she whispers.
“Are you sure?” I tease, buoyant with overwhelming relief. “I can put this in the safe and wait another—”
“Sebastian!” she cries, laughter replacing the tears, which is what I wanted. “Don’t you dare take that ring away. But you can’t just hold it out. You have to ask the question.”
“Are you going to boss me around for the rest of my life?”
“Yes.”
“Thank God. In that case, Emma Reynolds, will you marry me? I’ll never be able to give you a quiet, peaceful life. But that just means you can use your ferocious talent to keep me and our world in line. I will love you forever. And I’ll spend every day showing you just how much.”
“Yes,” she whispers in a small, awed voice, her voice catching.
“I love you, Sebastian. I wouldn’t have you or our life any other way.
You take me out of my comfort zone a dozen times a day.
But in the best way possible. I even love figuring out how to combine our schedules.
It’s a challenge I can handle. And one day… when we have kids…”
“Soon?” I ask hopefully.
She laughs. “Maybe we should focus on the wedding first.”
“Always so practical,” I tsk.
“You love it.”
“I do,” I say as I slip the ring on her finger. It shines with soft brilliance as if it’s lit by a thousand flickering candles.
She looks up. “This is ridiculously large. I’m going to need to do finger exercises to carry it around. It’s, like, four times the size of this one,” she says, touching the necklace where she still wears the first ring I gave her close to her heart.
“You’ll get used to it. I want everyone to know you’re mine.”
“All the way from Mars?”
“From Mars. And from across the red carpet.” I raise an eyebrow. “In case Landon Takahashi gets any ideas.”
Laughing, she throws herself back into my arms, and I catch her easily. “He wouldn’t dare.”