Page 27 of Hail Marry
Luca checks his watch. “About two hours ago.”
Zach’s jaw slips open, and I can almost hear him blinking. “Um…wow. Okay.”
Luca goes to Zach’s desk and grabs the Certificate of Record. “You think this will be enough to convince the teams they can draft me? The clerk’s office said it’ll take a few weeks to get the actual marriage certificate.”
I’m not convinced Zach is even seeing the paper. He’s stuck on the whole wife thing.
You and me both, buddy.
“Hold up,” he says, taking a step back. “You got married…today?” He points down at the floor like that’s where today’s date exists.
“Yeah.” Luca stares at his agent with a frown that says he can’t understand why he’s having to verify these pesky details so many times.
I stifle a laugh. This is incredibly entertaining. I should get surprise-married more often.
Zach looks at the certificate again. The man seems to think Ashton Kutcher is about to pop out of nowhere because he’s being Punk’d.
“You said this was the only option, right?” Luca asks. “Marriage?”
“I mean, yeah. I was mostly joking, but…” He looks up, and the confusion in his eyes gives way to something else: hope. He lets out a breathy laugh. “I can’t believe you actually gotmarried.”
“Will that paper work?” Again, Luca seems to be impatient to move past the incredulity.
“Dude. I mean, I know you’re a private guy, but I didn’t even know you had a girlfriend.”
“I didn’t.”
Zach’s confusion returns in full force, and he looks at me.
I smile again.
The certificate drops to his side. “Okay, hold on. Correct me if I’m wrong, but…did you get married to your friend”—he looks at me—“for a green card?”
“We’ve only known each other about a week,” Luca says, “but yeah.”
A burst of high-pitched laughter comes from Zach. It’s almost maniacal in its incredulity. “Have you seenThe Proposal?”
I look at Luca, who’s also confused. Seenwhatproposal?
“The movie,” Zach says. “With Ryan Reynolds and Sandra Bu—you know what? Nevermind. Please tell me you at least signed a prenup.”
Luca’s eyes flit to me, and I smile through clenched teeth, which is apparently a permanent expression for me now. A prenup didn’t even cross my mind.
“I promise I’m not planning to take Luca’s money,” I reassure Zach. “Is there a way to sign a…postnup? Is that a thing? Because I’ll totally sign it.”
Zach narrows his eyes as he studies me as if he’s trying to figure me out. “So, what exactly is in this for you?”
Luca shoots him a look that saysthanks a lot.
“Not that this guy isn’t cream of the crop,” Zach says, “but…I mean, it’s not like you guys signed up for a game of mini-golf. You got married.”
“Yeah, but just on paper,” I argue. “He saved my life, and he needed a wife. A life for a wife.” My cleverness knows no bounds.
“Wait.” Zach’s gaze fixes on me intently as though he’s having a small epiphany. “Areyouthe reason he was at the hospital?”
“You make it sound like I put her there,” Luca says.
“Well, you did force me to go,” I say.
