He was a year ahead of us in school, now the CEO of Sanchez Group. Not only was he devastatingly handsome, but his romantic history was a complete blank slate. A prime catch by every measure.
I didn't take the bait. My gut told me the more captivating the man, the more dangerous he was.
The night the mixer ended, a friend request popped up on my phone. Patrick Sanchez.
The instant I accepted, he sent me a location pin for the county clerk's office and a time.
"Hello. Would you be willing to enter a secret marriage with me?"
My fingertip froze in midair, trembling. I didn't dare move, convinced I was dreaming.
It turned out Patrick's grandfather was on his deathbed. The old man's only dying wish was to see his grandson married before he passed. That was why Patrick had suddenly shown up at the alumni mixer.
His reason for choosing me was simple. I was in medicine, out the door before dawn and home after dark. We'd barely cross paths. And since I'd already grown numb to the world's cruelties at the hospital, he assumed I wouldn't be interested in romance.
It felt like someone had thrown a bucket of ice water in my face. I was about to refuse when another message came through.