Theo studied us for a long moment, something unreadable flickering behind his eyes. Then he sighed. “You know I’m going to help her escape if she changes her mind, right?”
Evania smiled at him, soft but sure. “I appreciate that, but I’m right where I want to be.”
That seemed to settle it.
“Alright,” Theo said finally. “If we’re doing this, we’re doing it properly. At least as properly as a living room wedding can be.”
Fifteen minutes later, we were standing in front of his fireplace. Theo had changed into something resembling real clothes. Evania stood beside me, close enough that I could feel the warmth of her arm through the thin fabric of her blouse.
This was supposed to be strategic. Controlled. A means to an end. So why did my chest feel tight?
Theo cleared his throat. “We are gathered here today,” he began, smirking, “very unexpectedly, to join Callahan Sterling and what's your name?"
“Evania Blackwell,” she grinned, seemingly unoffended that I totally forgot to introduce them.
Theo nodded. “To join Callahan Sterling and Evania Blackwell in marriage. This isn’t traditional. It isn’t romantic. And it definitely wasn’t planned.”
Evania glanced at him. “Speak for yourself.”
Theo continued, after side-eyeing her. “But marriage is about partnership. About choosing each other, for whatever reason, brought you here.”
His eyes met mine briefly, sharp and knowing. Then he turned to Evania. “Do you, Evania, take Callahan to be your husband?”
She responded immediately. “I do.”
The words landed heavier than I expected.
Theo turned to me. “Do you, Callahan, take Evania to be your wife?”
I swallowed. “I do.”
Theo smiled. “By the power vested in me by the internet and the state, I now pronounce you husband and wife.”
He stepped back. “You may kiss the bride.”
I turned to face Evania, noting how her eyes seemed to sparkle even now. I leaned in and turned my head slightly, aiming for her cheek. Just before I could, she moved. Her hand came up, fingers curling into the lapel of my jacket, and she turned her head at the last second. Our lips met.
It was brief but deliberate, a kiss that sent a jolt straight through my spine. I froze for half a second too long before she pulled away, her eyes bright, lips curved into a satisfied smile.
“Well,” she said, voice warm and certain. “Hello, husband.”
Theo made a choking sound. “Oh. Oh wow.”
I stared at her, heart pounding, mind scrambling to catch up with my body. “That wasn’t—”
“In the contract?” she finished sweetly. “No. But neither was the part where you looked like you forgot how to breathe.”
Theo burst out laughing. “I like her.”
13- Evania
I stared down at the marriage certificate in my hands, fingers tightening on the edges as if it might disappear if I let go.
My name sat there in neat black ink, permanently paired with his.
I was now married.
The word felt surreal—too big, too final, too real to fit inside my chest. A laugh bubbled up, sharp and breathless, and I pressed the paper flat against my thighs as I sat on the edge of my bed. I had always imagined this moment differently. There was supposed to be a dress I obsessed over for months, a first dance, champagne, and a thousand pictures to prove it had really happened.
