Then, slowly, "Evania... are you saying what I think you're saying?"
I swallowed. "He married us."
Another pause. Longer this time. Long enough for me to think she was no longer on the phone.
"You're joking," she said.
"I'm not."
"Elena," I added quickly, "I'm married."
She gasped so loudly it crackled through the phone. "Oh, my God."
"I know."
"Oh, my God."
"I know," I repeated, a laugh bubbling up through my nerves. "Please don't scream."
"I'm not screaming," she said, very much screaming. "I'm processing."
"Well, process quietly," I pleaded.
"So you've done it," she said slowly, "you married a billionaire after wanting to for so long. Is it everything you hoped for?"
I stared at the certificate again. "I'm terrified," I admitted. "But also excited and oddly calm."
"Calm?" she repeated.
"Yeah," I said. "Like this makes sense in a way nothing else ever has."
She hummed thoughtfully. "I'm happy for you, Eva."
"I'm just scared about telling everyone else," I confessed. "Mom is going to freak out. Dad is going to ask if I lost my mind. They're going to think I did this for the money."
"And did you?" she asked gently.
I didn't hesitate. "No, but it's an added bonus."
She smiled. I could hear it in her voice. "Then you're fine."
"You don't think this is insane?"
"Oh, it's absolutely insane," she said. "But you've always been a little crazy. I'm used to it."
I laughed despite myself. "That's for being cool about this."
"That's what big sisters are for."
I must have fallen asleep sometime after midnight. The last thing I remembered was talking to Elena; the next, my phone was vibrating insistently on my nightstand.
"Hello?" My voice was thick with sleep.
"Good morning," Callahan said, sounding entirely too awake for someone who had likely gone to bed just as late as I had.This was also the first time he'd called me since I gave him my number, which already had me on edge. I sat up instantly, trying to force my body awake.
"Good morning," I replied, rubbing my eyes. "Is everything okay?"
"Yes. Well - mostly." He hesitated, and that alone was enough to make me cautious. "My parents would like to meet you."
