16. Griffin

"Are you going to tell me where we're going?" Cora asks as she looks out the airplane window at the ocean.

I lean back in my seat and shake my head. "No. You'll see when we get there. It shouldn't be too much longer now."

Cora pulls her feet up to the edge of her seat, hugging her knees to her chest. "When you told me that we were going away for the long weekend, I didn't expect a private plane," she says.

"You should start expecting that." I look down at the contract on the table in front of me.

Dozens of page flags stick out of the side, and I still have to finish reviewing a few files before we land in a few hours.

I want to have all my work done so I can spend as much time with Cora as possible.

Was whisking her away one of my better ideas? Yes.

Have I done this for any other woman before? No fucking way.

Cora told me she'd love to travel more. She wants to see the world, and I have the money to show her some of my favorite places.

Cora shakes her head. "Griff, don't get me wrong—I'm so excited right now. But this is too much, really. We've been flying through the night, and now we're over the ocean. I don't know where you're taking me, but I can already tell you it's too much."

"You could say that. I prefer to think of this flight as your introduction to the rest of the world." I lean forward and run a hand through my hair.

As I pick up the red pen to make notes in the document, there is nothing I want to do more than get off this plane.

"You shouldn't be spending this much on me. It's not necessary."

I shrug and skim through the first page. "It's just money, Cora. Money comes, and money goes. I have enough to do something like this for you right now, so enjoy it."

When I glance up, her eyes are narrowed, and her cheeks are the shade of pink I love. She's embarrassed and certainly not used to being spoiled like this.

Things are going to be different for Cora and me.

She will know the best that life has to offer because I can give it to her. She can do whatever she wants without worrying about whether I will put her in the same situation her ex did.

Cora looks out the window again before grabbing her book from the seat beside her. "I know there's no winning this argument with you."

The corner of my mouth twitches. "You're right. Maybe next time I'll let you win an argument about how I treat you to something nice."

"I don't need nice things. You don't have to spend money on me."

I arch an eyebrow and thoroughly look at her. "I thought you said there was no winning an argument about this?"

She laughs and shrugs one shoulder as she opens her book. "Can you blame me for trying one last time?"

"Not even a little." I turn my attention back to the file. "Just sit back and enjoy the rest of the flight. Take a quick nap or something."

She makes a noise in the back of her throat before settling in to ignore me for the rest of the flight.

When the plane lands at a private airport a couple of hours later, Cora looks outside and gasps. "Oh, Griffin!"

"Cora." I skim through the last page of the document before stuffing it into my briefcase.

She stands and stretches before stooping down to look out the window again. Her eyes widen, and she points at the sign, ‘Welcome to Dublin.' "You didn't tell me we were going to be in Ireland," she says.

I take her hand and lace our fingers together. "If I"d told you where we were going, you would never have agreed to come with me. I believe the words out of your mouth would've said it's too much."

"A private jet to Ireland is too expensive." Cora stops just beside the door and pulls me into a tight hug. She stands on her toes and presses her lips to mine in a brief kiss. "Thank you so much."

I grin and tuck a strand of her hair behind her ear. "You're welcome. Now, come on, no time to waste. I've arranged to bring our bags to the house where we're staying while we go explore the city."

Her entire face lights up as she hurries off the plane. I follow behind her, handing my briefcase to the pilot. He nods and takes off to gather the rest of our bags while I follow Cora to the waiting car.

She slides into the passenger seat as I take the driver's side. The engine rumbles to life as Cora rolls her window down.

Rolling green hills are in the distance, and the sky is bright and sunny. It's still early in the morning, giving us hours to explore before it gets dark.

The drive from the private airport to Dublin is short. We abandon the car in a parking lot before heading to the cobblestone streets of the city"s older sections.

Brick buildings tower on either side of the road, bright pops of color accenting the shops.

Cora pulls out her phone and starts snapping pictures. "I can't believe we're in Ireland right now. It's been my dream destination for a long time."

"I may have found that out after asking Jake."

Cora spins to face me, her full lips parting in surprise. "You asked Jake?"

"I asked him where he would want to travel next. He said Bali would be nice, but he's considering Ireland since you never shut up about it." I grin and loop my arm over her shoulders, steering her down a street packed with bright buildings. "Besides, that seemed like something a good husband should know about his wife."

Her elbow digs into my side. "You still haven't sent me the divorce papers."

I stop and turn to her. My stomach ties itself into knots as I look down at Cora. This moment is more intimidating than stepping before a judge to argue a case.

"Cora, is there really a point in divorcing?"

She is silent as she steps to the side and allows people to pass us.

As we stand there, I'm sure she can hear how my heart is racing.

"Did you ever want to get divorced in the first place?" Cora's words are soft. Her gaze drops to the ground before flicking back up to me.

I swallow hard, stuffing my hands into my pockets. I don't know how to answer her.

Telling her the truth about why I stalled the divorce for as long as I did might make her angry, but I want to be honest with her.

Though I could give her a toned-down version of that truth, it wouldn't be enough.

I hold her gaze as I shake my head. "No. I never wanted to get divorced. Is sneaking off to a chapel in Colorado the way I thought I would get married? No. I didn't even think that marriage would be for me before we accidentally got married."

Cora stares at me like I have three heads for too long.

I clear my throat and shift my weight from one side to the other. "I know you probably don't want to hear this, but I didn't even start the process of filing for one. I thought that if I kept us married for a little while, I could figure out a way to get you to spend more time with me. After we kissed that night… I knew I wanted you."

Cora's eyes widen, but her mouth presses into a thin line. She runs her hand through her hair before linking her hands behind her head and looking up at the sky.

"Is there anything else you want to share about this divorce you never intended to follow through with?"

My chest tightens as I nod. "I'm sorry I didn't tell you that from the beginning. But you wouldn't have listened."

Cora nods and drops her hands. She paces away from me before coming back. She takes a deep breath and looks up at me.

"Don't keep secrets from me, Griffin. You hear me?" She pouts her lips.

Some of the aches in my chest ease. "I won't, Cora. Now that we agreed we won't get a divorce, I have nothing else to hide from you. I promise."

Cora tucks herself into my side, taking my hand and lacing our fingers together. "I'm slightly annoyed with what you did, but I'm not mad. That marriage certificate gave us a chance that we never would've had any other way."

I kiss her temple. "I still have no idea how we ended up getting married. The only thing I'm worried about now is letting your brother know."

She squeezes my hand as we reach the Ha'penny Bridge. "Let's see how this trip goes first. Shall we?"

I laugh as we lean against the railing and look down at the water. "You're my wife, and I want to spoil you. You work hard, and I probably don't thank you enough."

"Damn right, you don't." She smirks and pulls out her phone, holding it out and taking a picture of us. Cora flips around the phone to show me the picture. "Not bad for two people who've been up all night on the plane."

I cup her chin and turn her face to mine. "You could never look bad."

When I lean in to kiss her, the sparks fly. It doesn't matter how many times we kiss; the same warm feelings explode every time.

As I pull away, she snaps another picture of us before taking one of herself.

She sends the one of herself to Kaleigh and Sophie. "They're going to be so jealous that they're missing out on this."

"You should come back here with them one day."

Cora nods and tucks her phone into the back pocket of her jeans. "I know. As soon as everything is paid off, I'm flying on a plane and heading straight out of the country."

"Just promise me that you'll come back home to visit every now and then." I give her a teasing smile as we push off the railing and continue across the bridge.

Cora rolls her eyes and bumps her hip into mine. "Come on. We're in Ireland, and I desperately need a beer from Temple Bar."

"A girl after my own heart."

Cora stops nearly a dozen times between the bridge and the bar.

She takes pictures of everything she sees and pictures of us.

As I walk with her and pose for pictures, I know everything about this trip feels right.

Everything about being head over heels for Cora feels right.