We sat down on two benches, and I realized that I was happier about going on vacation with Gavin than I had led myself to believe. I was so worried about getting caught in a fake marriage that I forgot we’d be away, just the two of us, and how romantic it could be. Plus, there was no reason to worry. The documents he drafted up fooled me, so the Moldovan judge would hopefully believe them too.
“That’s true. Once this is all over, Annie, life is going to be so much better for me. I’m going to be more financially secure and also free to expand my horizons.”
“Even though you’ll be a millionaire, Crystal? I thought by now you’d rather retire and just travel, you know, enjoy life.”
“Teaching people about holistic medicine and yoga makes me happy, Annie. I don’t want to be one of those people who gets all of this money and then becomes a shut-in. Plus, it’s not like I need a lot. You know me. I’m kind of a minimalist. As long as I have a backyard, a garden, and a decent-sized kitchen, I’ll be happy.”
“Let’s not forget about that Lamborghini. You’re keeping that, right?”
“Really, it’s only mine because my name is on the title, you know. Gavin drives it more than I do.”
“Which name? You’re real one or your… married one?”
We both giggled and hugged each other’s necks.
16
Gavin
Crystal was fast asleep by the time we landed in Chisinau, Moldova, the capital district. Thankfully, Mr. Truman had chartered us a plane, which saved us the hassle of booking a commercial flight. Seeing as how she was still a little nervous about trip, it was much appreciated. The flight ended up being quite peaceful, as opposed to a commercial one that could have been full of noisy passengers and definitely cramped.
I gently nudged her as we landed. “Hey, we’re here.”
Crystal opened her eyes and looked out the window. “Are we in Moldova already? I feel like I just fell asleep.”
She was utterly adorable whenever she woke up. “It was a long flight. You must have needed that sleep, though.”
We got off of the plane and were immediately greeted by a driver from the law office, who drove us to the President Hotel. He informed us that we would be meeting with other people appointed by the judge the following day. Crystal appreciated that we had a day to rest before putting on a charade for the judge, but there was a part of her that also just wanted it to be over.
After we unpacked in our luxury apartment, we sat down on the bed while drinking some coffee.
“I’m wide awake now,” she said, “and it’s early in the day. What’s on the itinerary?”
I pulled out my phone and looked at a few places that I thought we’d enjoy visiting. Seeing as how we were both into nature and gardening, I came up with a few ideas.
“Since you and I are both nature freaks, I thought we’d hit up some of their popular parks.”
Crystal tilted her head at me and laughed. “Are we just going to walk around all day? I do get hungry, you know.”
“Yep, so do I, as you know, and some of the parks here have cafes and food vendors. There are even some amusement park rides. From what I’ve gathered, the city is known for its lovely flowers. How about that, my dear?”
Her eyes perked up. “Did you say flowers? You should know better than to tease a hippie with flowers!”
That’s what I loved about Crystal. Even though I was a businessman, she always brought out the side of me that was more connected to nature. I felt like I could be myself around her all the time. I didn’t have to pretend to just be some guy who loved money and sports cars.
“Perfect. How about we hit up Parcul Rascani first?”
“That sounds like a beautiful park. I’m in.”
I had arranged for a driver to take us wherever we wanted to go on our trip, and he agreed that it was a lovely place to visit. “It’s such a beautiful and peaceful space. The kind of place you go to realize what’s truly important in your life. Some people need to just put their phones down…go outside every once in a while. You know, just experience Mother Nature.”
Crystal and I spent most of the morning walking throughout Parcul Rascani, which was full of locals enjoying the gorgeous day. I chose that as our first place to visit because of the intricate trails and dense forest. Both of us had talked about going on hikes back home in River Valley, but with our work schedules, it had never happened. Watching Crystal bend down to smell all of the flowers brought me so much joy, and I even picked a purple one to put in her hair.
After we walked the long trail accompanied by a large variety of birds and scampering squirrels, we sat down by a lake, and I wrapped my arms around her. Even though we were surrounded by people, the calmness of the water made it seem as though it were just the two of us. I ran my hands through her long, red hair as she casually skipped rocks across the lake.
“I could sit out here by the water all day long,” she said.
“Is that what you did in Hawaii?”
