20. Griffin

Cora's jaw drops in awe as my parents' beach house comes into view, its silhouette etched against the setting sun.

The walls, mostly glass, shimmer in the golden light, adding to the spectacle.

The driveway winding its way to the house is paved with luxurious white stones, creating an elegant path. Flanking it, meticulously pruned hedges and trees enhance the grandeur of the approach.

Cora bites her inner cheek as she looks at me. "Is that a marble fountain in their driveway?"

"Mom has a temperature-controlled closet for her clothing, and there's a massive wine cellar in the basement with a bulletproof door for security." I grip the wheel tighter as sweat beads on the back of my neck.

Cora toys with the slit that climbs halfway up her thigh. "Wow."

"We could turn around and head back home. We could order your favorite food and have a relaxing night instead of torturing ourselves through this."

I want her to tell me to turn around. I want to go back to the safety of our house where nothing can hurt her.

My parents are going to scrutinize every detail about her, and they won't be kind about it. When I mentioned bringing my wife to dinner, they were shocked.

I'm sure they had private investigators look into Cora's past as soon as I hung up because that's just how they operate.

They call it ‘protecting their investments,' but I see it as a gross overstep of boundaries.

But if I'm going to be with Cora, I know they'll eventually find out about us. It might be best to bite the bullet before the situation escalates beyond my control.

All I can do is hope this dinner doesn't turn into a complete disaster.

Cora inhales deeply and lowers the sun visor, adjusting the shade so she can peer into the mirror. With a delicate touch, she removes a stray flake of mascara from under her eye before glancing over at me.

"You"re convinced this dinner will be a disaster, right?" Her voice falters as she gazes at the warm glow emanating from the house.

The waterfall springs to life, illuminating as streams of water shoot high from the mouths of several cherubs.

I groan, drumming my fingers on the wheel, unable to muster the will to turn off the car. "I doubt this will go well. My parents can be overwhelming, and they"ll probably say some outrageous things to you."

Cora squeezes my bicep reassuringly. "We can handle this. I"ve seen your dad a couple of times before. He seems scary but not as horrible as he could be."

I grit my teeth and turn off the car. "You"ve only seen him at the office when he"s on his best behavior. Things are much different at home."

She gives my arm another squeeze before pushing open the door. "We"re going to get through this together. Come on, I doubt things will be any better if we keep them waiting."

I take a deep breath before following her, feeling a sense of impending doom.

This is going to be a huge mistake.

Cora waits for me to join her, taking my hand and lacing our fingers together. She smiles, tendrils of hair escaping the loose bun at the nape of her neck.

Her pale blue dress floats around her as the ocean wind whips by. Cora"s hand instinctively flies to the skirt, holding it down as we ascend the stairs.

The front door swings open just as we reach the top step, revealing the housekeeper with a warm smile.

Mrs. Cecilia beams and envelops me in a tight hug. "My dear boy, it"s been far too long since your last visit. One of these days, you must join me for lunch."

I hug her back, the familiar scent of lilac wafting beneath my nose. Mrs. Cecilia is barely over five feet tall, but the tiny woman is terrifying.

Between her and my nanny, I was scared to step a foot out of line when I was younger. Mrs. Cecilia turns to Cora.

"And this must be your beautiful wife. You know, when I heard your parents talking about you running away to another state to get married, I thought they must have been joking."

I give her a flat look, though the twitching at the corner of my mouth gives me away. "You know my parents never joke a day in their lives."

"I know." Mrs. Cecilia pulls Cora into a tight hug. "Cora, right? I"m Mrs. Cecilia. I"ve been taking care of this house since before Griffin was born. You"re stunning. I knew Griffin would find a gorgeous woman."

Cora laughs, a nervous quiver in her voice. "Thank you. What was he like when he was young?"

Mrs. Cecilia"s eyes twinkle with mischief as the wrinkles at the corners of her eyes deepen.

"Oh, he was nothing but trouble. He"ll claim he was a perfect angel, but he always got into mischief every time my back was turned. His poor nanny had a hell of a time keeping up with him."

Cora smirks as she looks up at me. "So, nothing has changed then."

I shrug off my jacket and hang it in the hall closet before taking Cora's coat. "You keep teasing me and see what happens when we get home."

Cora winks and pokes out her tongue. "Promises, promises."

Mrs. Cecilia laughs and shakes her head, wiping her hands on her apron. "Oh, to be young and in love again. You better make your way to the formal dining room. Griffin, your parents are waiting for you."

"Thank you." I take Cora's hand and hold it tight. "Ready to walk into the lion's den?"

Cora squeezes my hand. "Everything is going to be fine. We"ll have dinner with them, and then we can go home. If you want to forget that dinner ever happened, we can do that too."

My heart pounds and my blood rushes in my ears. I want them to like her, too, even though I hate that a part of me still craves their approval.

I don"t know how to protect her and please them at the same time.

Cora puts on a bright smile, but her gaze flicks back and forth to me. Her lips part slightly as she glances up at the molding on the ceiling and the gold accents on the walls.

She shakes her head and looks at a massive landscape painting of the beach outside.

I kiss her temple, trying to ease the nerves that course through me as we get closer to the dining room.

As we turn down another hall, my heart pounds louder with every step. I take a deep breath as we stop in front of the double doors.

After a moment, I finally let go of her hand to push the doors open.

Dad stands up and smooths down the front of his suit jacket. He puts on a fake grin to draw you in before he strikes.

He makes you feel comfortable and relaxed, and then he goes for the jugular.

Mom tilts her chin upward, her shrewd gaze already assessing Cora. I know this meeting is already headed south when she turns her nose up.

"Mom, Dad, this is my wife, Cora." I force a smile as I put a hand on the small of Cora"s back, guiding her to the other side of the table where my parents are seated.

Dad holds out his hand, and Cora shakes it. He squeezes her hand before letting it go.

"Interesting to see that my son married his assistant. I thought he would"ve had a little more respect for the workplace."

I stand taller, glaring at him. "I"ve known Cora for years before she became my assistant."

Dad arches an eyebrow, the corners of his eyes crinkling with amusement. His beady glare makes me feel uneasy.

"Son, you"ll have to tell the truth about this situation sooner or later."

Mom looks just past Cora before her gaze drops to Cora"s stomach. "Should we be asking if there is a baby due?"

The color drains from Cora"s face as she smiles at my mother.

"Funny, I was going to ask you the same. I saw those photos of you and that French man on the catamaran," Dad spits.

As my mother's face turns a deep shade of red, I realize I've never loved anyone more than I love Cora.

Maybe this won't be so bad.

Cora sits down in the chair I pull out for her. She takes her napkin and spreads it across her lap. "I think we're going to hold off on having children for a while. Griffin is busy with the office, and I'm looking into my own ventures. When we are ready to discuss having children, it will be between us."

Dad clenches his jaw shut as he sits down. He glances between us before reaching for his glass of red wine. "And what are these ventures you speak of, Cora? I must say, I didn't think that you would want to get involved in business after what happened with your ex-fiancée."

"Dad!" I exclaim as I sit down on the other side of Cora, sandwiching myself between her and my mother.

He swirls the wine in his glass. "I was just asking a question. Especially if she is going to be connected to our family, I would like to know if my daughter-in-law has a good head on her shoulders."

I hate the way Dad's gaze cuts to me. He's always been good at finding and using people's fears against them.

Cora locks gazes with my father. "I was younger then and didn't know what I was doing. At the time, I thought my ex was everything to me, and I made mistakes. I'm paying for them now, which it sounds like you already know."

Though her tone is as sweet as sugar, it's clear that she is only playing nice. She gives my father a cold smile that could rival his own.

Mrs. Cecilia interrupts the conversation momentarily as she brings in plates of ceviche, setting them in front of everybody before disappearing through the doors again.

The moment she"s gone, Mom turns to Cora, ready to take her turn swiping at my wife.

I reach beneath the table and put my hand on her thigh. She bounces her leg and looks at me quickly. Her irritation is clear on her face, but she smiles.

Mom clears her throat. "So, why is it that we knew nothing of Cora or the wedding until a week ago?"

I shrug and pick at the food in front of me. "You and Dad are both busy. I didn"t want to burden you."

Dad clicks his tongue. "Don't you think it will be a bigger burden to me when I get calls from the office about what you"re doing with your assistant?"

"I didn"t think you"d be getting calls since I"m the one running the company, and I"ve been diligently weeding out the rats."

Dad"s scowl deepens. "You have no right to fire people who have been loyal to my company."

I shrug and pour myself a glass of white wine. "I"m the one in charge of the company right now. And I haven"t fired anybody. As it would appear, a good early retirement plan is all it takes to get rid of those who rat out my every decision to you."

Dad"s nostrils flare as he turns his attention to Cora. "And I suppose you were the brains behind this? Get people out of the way so you would have access to Griffin? What was the plan then? Get him to marry you so you would get his money?"

I see red as I stand up so fast that my chair falls over. "You will not speak to my wife like you do with me. We"ve been here for less than half an hour, and you've done nothing but insult her."

Mom rolls her eyes. "Please, Griffin. If this is the woman you want to be with, then I think it"s only fair for your father to ask these questions."

Cora presses her lips together, grabbing my glass of wine and draining it.

"And this is exactly why I didn"t bother introducing her before we married." My voice rises, my careful control of my temper slipping as I look between them. "I thought it"d be good that she meets with you at least."

Dad shrugs and pours himself another glass of wine. "I"ve had our private investigator look into her. I have all the information I need."

"I doubt that you know everything, and unfortunately for you, I"m not going to sit here and continue to entertain this conversation. Cora shouldn"t have to either."

I look down at Cora and hold out my hand. She places hers in mine, letting me pull her to her feet.

Mom sighs. "Griffin, this is ridiculous. You cannot bring home a woman we don"t know and expect us to accept her without any information on her background."

"You could've gotten to know her over the years when we were growing up if you bothered to pay attention to anything in my life." I lace my fingers with Cora's and pull her toward the door.

Mom and Dad stay silent as we leave, their stares as cold as steel.

The dining room doors swinging shut behind us is the best feeling I've had in a long time.

Cora squeezes my hand. "I'm sorry I pressed you to have dinner with them. I didn't think that it would go this awful."

I chuckle and spin her around before pulling her back to me. "Are you kidding? Watching someone tear into my parents was great. I'm proud of you for holding your own in there, but I'm sorry that I put you through that in the first place."

Cora reaches up and brushes stray strands of my hair from my face. "You are so much more than they think you are. I hope you know that."

I kiss her quickly before leading her back down the hall. "Let's go say goodbye to Mrs. Cecilia before we leave. She would be upset if I left without saying anything to her."

Cora grins and nods. "I like her. You should lure her away from your parents."

"As much as I love Mrs. Cecilia, having her work for me would be weird, and she would never let me live down the fact that she used to change my diapers."

I push open the door to the kitchen as Mrs. Cecilia is about to walk out of it with another bottle of wine.

She smiles and pats my chest. "You're right about that. I love you, my boy, but there is no way I"d ever work for you."

Cora laughs and hugs Mrs. Cecilia. "It was nice to meet you."

Mrs. Cecilia glances down the hall toward the dining room. "I thought you would be running out of here a lot sooner. They must've been behaving themselves today."

I chuckle and dip past her to grab the plate of stuffed chicken set to the side. "I take it this is for us?"

Mrs. Cecilia nods. "There are some glazed carrots as well. Oh, and your cheesecake in the fridge."

I hand Cora the plate of chicken before rummaging around in the fridge for the carrots and the cheesecake. "You're the best, Mrs. Cecilia. Next time they're both out of town, I'll come and visit you again."

Mrs. Cecilia pats my chest before making her way down the hall. She pushes open the doors to the dining room while I wink at Cora.

Cora looks down at the chicken before looking back at me. "She made you plates of food to take with you?"

"I can't remember the last time I made it past the appetizer course with my parents." I smile and lead the way through the house.

Cora follows behind me, a thin line between her brows. "Your relationship with them is worse than I thought… Which is understandable. They seem difficult to please."

I laugh and head down the front steps to the car, putting the food in the back before opening Cora's door for her. "I had Mrs. Cecilia and your parents growing up. It was enough to keep me from turning into one of them."

Cora gives me a sad smile as she gets in the car. "I wish we had gotten along when we were younger."

I lean in the car to kiss her, my entire body warming as a tear slips down her cheek. I brush it away with my thumb and kiss her again. "You don't need to be sad for me, Cora."

She scowls at the house behind me. "I'm angry for you. Everybody should have parents who actually care."

"Well, if we ever have kids, we"ll make sure they do." I close the door and round the front of the car, getting in beside her.

Cora rolls her bottom lip into her mouth as the car rumbles to life. "Do you want children? I guess we"ve never talked about any of the important things."

I pull away from my parents" house. "I"ve thought about what it would be like to have kids, and until now, I was sure that they wouldn"t fit into my life. But then I fell in love with you, and now the most logical thing to do is build our family one day."

Cora beams as she kicks off her heels and stretches out her legs. "I"m glad. I want a big family. I want a house where all the other kids hang out because it feels like a second home."

I place my hand on her thigh. "Don't worry about what my parents said to you."

Cora rolls her eyes. "I'm going to do nothing but worry about it, and we both know that. They said some horrible things today."

"You're right, but their opinions don't matter. We're living our own lives, and everything will be fine. We're going to be happy."

Except I know the words don't sound entirely true. I can hear it in my tone.

It's as if I'm seeking their validation and approval, even though I'll never receive it. As much as I want my parents' opinions not to matter, they do…

… Just enough to cast doubt on whether we've bitten off more than we can chew with this relationship.