Page 129 of Hail Marry
“Let me know when you hear,” Jack says. “I can’t be exposing Jack Jack to fugitives of the law at this young age, you know.”
I snort softly. Zach sent us copies of the letters my family wrote, and Jack’s made me cry. Whatever he says and however much he pretends to reject the Sheppard mantle, the man would do anything for a Sheppard, including Luca. He’s a help-you-hide-the-dead-body type of guy.
I only get Jack Jack for another two minutes before Stevie steals him away. It’s like my family’s playing a game of hot potato with the babies.
I sit back on the couch and lean into Luca, who slips his phone into his pocket. “Wanna get some fresh air for a minute?” he asks.
I look up at him and search his face, sensing something’s wrong. “Sure.”
He stands, then pulls me up after him, and without saying a word to anyone, we head out through the front door.
“You okay?” I ask as he shuts the door.
“Preston emailed. He got the decision letter.”
My heart kicks into high gear. “Already? Is that good or bad?”
Luca shrugs. “I didn’t open the attachment. We should do it together.”
“Okay,” I say, my breath coming quickly. I look at his pocket, where his phone sits, but he makes no move to pull it out.
“There’s something I wanna do first,” he says.
My brows pull together. What in the world could he want more than to know the results of everything we’ve been working for since March? But I guess we’ve waited this long. Another few minutes won’t hurt. “What is it? How long does it take?”
He smiles at my impatience. “Not long.” He steps toward me, and the way he looks at me sends all thoughts of the immigration letter out of my mind. “I have no clue what that email attachment is going to say, Tori, but it doesn’t matter. Nothing they can say, nothing they can do will keep me from you or you from me.”
I blink quickly. “I know.”
“We got married on a whim. We barely knew each other. We had our first kiss in front of a total stranger. It was weird and rushed and?—”
“A massive disappointment,” I say.
He chuckles. “Thanks for that. But we’ve been through a lot since then. We know each other much better now. We’ve kissed a lot.”
“And yet not enough.”
He smiles. “Can I finish? I’m kind of trying to say something here.”
I roll my lips between my teeth and nod docilely.
“My point is, we’ve been through a lot of craziness. And even though we might read that letter and find out we now have criminal records just after I managed to get mine expunged, I want you to know that I don’t regret any of it. Not a single second.”
I blink away the stinging in the back of my eyes.
“So.” He lowers himself until he’s on his knee, then reaches into his pocket and puts out his palm. In it are the rings we traded the day we got married—his grandparents’ rings. “Will you marry me again, Tori? Will you give me the chance to make those vows again and to mean them this time? To promise everything to you all over again, and to do it in front of the people we care about most?”
My eyes start to fill and my chin trembles as I stare down at him. All I can do is give a watery laugh and nod emphatically, then lower my lips to his.
Mouths locked, he pulls us to our feet and scoops me closer to him.
Whatever’s in that letter, it’s got no power over us.
When I finally pull away, he slides the Amazon ring off my finger and replaces it with the one from his grandma. This time, it fits. He must’ve gotten it resized.
I take his grandpa’s ring and slide it onto his finger.
“What if you do get deported?” I ask.
