“Try me.”
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Claire leaned back, studying me. “So, you want me to… what, pretend to be your wife?”
“Exactly. One year. No strings. We do the paperwork, act married around my parents, then quietly divorce. I’ll pay you well, I promise. You can tell your family whatever you want. I’ll handle everything.”
She sipped her coffee, silent for a minute.
“Will there be a contract?”
“There will be, yes. I’ll put everything in writing.”
“So, you want me to… what, pretend to be your wife?”
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Claire tapped her fingers on the table. “And I can tell my parents I’m getting married for real?”
“Absolutely. I’d expect nothing less.”
She looked at me. “You seem honest, Adam. Or at least desperate.”
“A little bit of both, Claire.”
Claire nodded. “Alright. Text me the details.”
That night, my phone buzzed with a text: “Okay, Adam. I’m in.”
“Alright. Text me the details.”
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***
The wedding was over before I could process it. We had it in a fancy room at the country club, with forgettable food, bland music, and my parents making stiff conversation with strangers.
Claire wore a simple dress with her hair pulled back, and her parents sat quietly at a table near the back, holding hands and looking both proud and out of place. Her mother looked familiar, but I couldn’t place her.
I overheard my mother whisper to my father, “At least her parents dressed conservatively.”
The photos were awkward and stiff. My parents’ smiles faded the second the camera was down, but their eyes kept flicking to Claire’s hands.
Her mother looked familiar.
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Claire’s mom gave me a warm hug and whispered, “Thank you for loving her,” even though she knew the truth.
Her dad shook my hand, his grip surprisingly steady. “Take care of each other, Adam.”
***
After the reception, Claire’s parents hugged her tightly in the lobby.
Her mom pressed a lucky charm into her hand. “Call us if you need anything. We’re so happy for you.”
I stood there, feeling awkward and exposed as my own parents strode past, barely nodding at the family they’d just inherited by contract.
The photos were awkward and stiff.
