Gavin nodded while eating his plate of lasagna. “I love to eat; that’s for damn sure.”
I giggled. “No kidding.”
Then I watched Mr. and Mrs. Truman talking with each other in the kitchen. She was helping him fill up his plate with food, and I thought it was the cutest thing in the world. Although I had heard stories from Annie and Gavin that Mr. And Mrs. Truman often fought like cats and dogs, I had never witnessed it. It seemed to me they always took care of each other, like earlier when she stubbed her toe, and Mr. Truman asked if she was okay and rubbed her foot. I was beginning to understand what married life was really all about.
Right now, it still didn’t make me feel any better about faking a marriage even if the dollar amount was significant, though. It was still wrong, and I had involved Gavin and, to a point, the Truman family in a deceitful plot.
Annie came over while rubbing her belly, which by then was quite large. “We sure are going to miss you at the yoga studio, but you deserve this vacation.”
“Thank you, Annie. And thanks for giving me the time off.”
She waved her hand as though it were nothing. “I know how long you’ve waited to get your settlement. Plus, I hired a few more yoga instructors to help out while I’m on maternity leave. So this is a good time to do some on the job training.”
Richard brought a bottle of water over to her, and again, I was reminded that being married definitely had its perks. After what my mom went through with my dad and all of the jerks I had dated over the years, I assumed it’d be best if I stayed single. Yet, as I watched all of these married couples take care of each other, often without the other partner asking, I realized that maybe I was wrong.
Maybe marriage could be a good thing.
I also knew that everyone at the party wanted to see Gavin and I end up together. I was watching him talk with everyone about our trip. I could see how excited he was to be going away with me. It wasn’t just to help me get my money. He wanted to spend time together, only the two of us, on vacation.
Richard clinked his glass. “If I could get everyone’s attention, I’d like to raise a toast to Gavin and Crystal. I know the purpose of this trip isn’t to get married, but all of us are eager to hear how it all unfolds. So keep us in the loop. Also, if you need anything more, anything at all, don’t hesitate to call.”
Annie raised her bottle of water. “I was just saying that to Richard last night. Ever since you moved back to River Valley, Crystal, I have watched you blossom into a beautiful young woman. You’ve progressed in your position at the yoga studio, and after this trip, everything will be on track for your life to move forward. The fact that Gavin is with you, in our opinion, makes it even more special.”
Julianna cleared her throat and then raised her glass of seltzer. “And I just want to say that it was OUR idea they get together in the first place!”
“That’s true,” I said, nodding. “If it hadn’t been for me not wanting to be alone at a baby shower and gender reveal, because apparently, people bring dates to them now, who knows if we would have ever met.”
Gavin cleared his throat. “That might not be true, Crystal. Maybe we would have gotten together if you called me after our little fender-bender.”
I playfully nudged him. “Did you think that move would have worked on me? Offering to buy some strange woman a car because of a tiny scratch?”
He shrugged his shoulders, raised his glass, and yelled, ‘Cheers!’
As we sat there chatting with everyone and drinking more champagne, I realized that I wanted to do whatever I could to make Gavin happy on our trip. If he had gone to such great lengths just to help me get this inheritance, I could do whatever was necessary to make sure that his needs were being met. It’s the least I could do for such a great guy.
Up until I met Gavin, I honestly didn’t think there were any good men left in the world.
I got up and went outside for some fresh air, and Annie joined me a few minutes later.
“I’ve been a bit worried about you since this fake marriage thing went down. Actually, I hadn’t seen you that anxious since your mom told you she only had a few months to live.”
I knew Annie meant well, but thinking back to that moment always made me want to cry.
“I’m doing better, thanks for asking. It’s just a lot to take in, you know?”
“Absolutely. What about Gavin? How’s he holding up with everything? I’m not surprised he agreed to do this for you, but this is even so…well, you know, he has to be under a bit of stress himself.”
We started walking under the tall trees in the back yard.
“Gavin’s doing much better than I am. I was so worried when I asked him to do it a few weeks ago, but he didn’t hesitate to say yes. He seemed more into it than I was at first.”
“What about now, Crystal? Are you more excited about it?”
I thought about spending time with Gavin in Moldova, and I realized that I wanted to play house with him. I wanted to see what it’d be like to be a wife, even though we wouldn’t be married.
“I think so. I mean, the way I look at it, it’s a vacation that I’ll return from a hell of a lot more financially secure — I hope.”
“Which is ironic, seeing as how it’s usually the other way around. People go on vacation and then return having gone into debt, but you get to visit a foreign country and come back a millionaire. I’m not sure there is a downside to this?”
