Page 57 of Hail Marry
“I’m going to run to the bathroom,” I say to her.
She knows it’s not true—Zach’s in the bathroom—but I get up and head that direction, leaving my phone in my pocket until I get to Tori’s room.
I pull it out, my heart beating against my ribs like a jackhammer on concrete. Afraid I’ll miss it, I answer right away.
“Hello?” My voice is suddenly fit for a soprano.
“Luca Callahan?”
“Yeah.”
“This is Coach Staley. How are you?”
If I answered honestly, it’d be something along the lines ofI’m about to puke all over my wife’s carpet, but he’s just being polite, so I say, “I’m good, sir. How are you?” I know who Coach Staley is, though, and I know what this call likely is. That doesn’t stop my brain from concocting all sorts of unlikely reasons he’s called me that aren’t because I’m getting drafted.
“I’m doing great, thanks. And I’m about to makeyourday a lot better, I hope. How would you like to be the newest member of the San Diego Admirals, Luca?”
When I respond, my voice sounds weird and breathless. “I’d love that.”
He chuckles. “I’m glad to hear it because we just turned in the card, and you’re our pick. We’re excited to have you on board, Luca. We think you’ve got a lot to offer this team.”
“Thank you for the opportunity, Coach. I’m ready to work.”
“That’s what I like to hear. We’ve got big plans for you. Coach Tate will be your position coach, and he’ll be calling you soon. We’ll talk more once the two of you have touched base. Congratulations, Luca.”
The door opens a crack, and Tori peeks her head in, her eyes wide and alert.
“Thank you, Coach,” I say.
The line clicks off.
Tori steps into the room and shuts the door behind her, her eyes questioning me.
My mouth stretches into the goofiest grin I’ve ever worn. “It was the Admirals. The Admirals picked me.”
Tori lets out a shaky laugh, then after a second of hesitation, runs over to me and jumps into my arms.
I catch her as she wraps her legs around me and buries her face in my neck. “I knew you’d be picked.” Her arms tighten around me.
I shut my eyes and hold her tighter, breathing it all in—the relief, the euphoria, Tori. It’s overwhelming in the very best way. I can’t believe this is happening.
She pulls back and looks down at me, her eyes sparkling. “You did it.”
“We did it.” I couldn’t have done it without her.
Her eyes search mine, then flit to my lips. If my hands were free, I’d pull her mouth to mine, but she’s in my arms, so it has to be her. She has to be the one to make the move.
My heart pounds faster as I wait—wait for her to lower her head and kiss me. I want her to. So badly. Like, now that I’ve gotten the thing I most want in life, this is what I want next. To kiss my wife.
She leans closer and shuts her eyes. I close mine too, every nerve firing as I wait for contact.
There’s a knock on the door. “Luca?!” It’s Zach.
Tori pulls away, and I let her slip down to the floor.
“Yeah,” I call back, my voice embarrassingly breathless. I go to the door and open it.
Zach’s shirt has a big wet spot on the chest where he’s attacked the spit-up. “Was that…?” He spots Tori behind me. “Oh. I thought maybe you’d gotten a call.” His disappointment is palpable, and I’m wondering what he thinks was happening in the room. Does he think we were…doing something? He knows the real situation between Tori and me.
