Vegas Knot (✔️) | Love Travels #1

Twenty-Seven

Walking off the plane in Calgary is like pulling on my favourite pair of sweats. Everything is back to normal.

Well, not quite. I'm still stuck in an airport. But it doesn't take long before we're out of the airport into the cool evening air. Carla only made two cowboy jokes on the way through. Which is actually a miracle.

"Are you coming with us?" Lorena asks as we walk out the door. "Or you two are off already?"

"I parked my car at the long term parking," I remind her. "We'll take the shuttle there."

"And we can't persuade you to stay a night or two before heading out?"

"Lorena, it's going to be fine," I say, pulling her into a hug. "Thank you for worrying about me. I do love that about you. But I'll be fine."

"You're taking your own car, then?" Her head spins between me and Enrique a few times.

"Yes. I will be. Enrique took a bus here so it's the easiest for both of us."

Enrique's lip pulls up in a small smile that he hides behind his hand, pretending to scratch his cheek. "I'll take good care of her, Lorena," he says once he's composed himself slightly. "We're only an hour or so drive away if you want to come visit at some point."

He must see my death glare because he adds, "You can arrange it with my wife," and loops his arm through mine.

"I like you," Carla cuts in. "You might actually stand a chance at living with this one." She jabs her thumb in my direction and laughs.

"Oh, haha. I think you're hilarious."

"You won't scare me off, Carla," Enrique responds. "After all, I've already married her."

Carla lifts my hand and turns my empty ring finger around to face him. "Prove it."

"Carla!" Lorena and I call out together. "Stop!"

"He needs to know where I stand. If he's going to stay with you—"

I interrupt her with another death glare. My 'glare face' is really getting a workout today.

"If he's going to stay friends with you even, he should probably get used to me. Because you are stuck with me. So by extension, he is, too."

"Okay, we're going," Lorena pulls Carla by the arm and then leans in to kiss me on the cheek. "Keep in touch please."

"I'll be fine, Mom," I laugh, wrapping her in another hug. "I promise."

"I know," she laughs. "I'm just going to miss having you around at girls' night."

"Maybe I can drive in. We're not that far away."

I don't even have time to look at Enrique before his arm wraps around my back. "I think that would be a great idea."

"Okay, I'll text you. Divya and Raj are gone for a while, so we'll have to get by with just the three of us."

The amount of pleasantries they exchanged on the way to the taxi should actually be in the record books. You'd think one of them was dreading the idea of leaving the airport. Which can't possibly be true, because it's an airport.

Finally, Carla shoves Lorena into the back of a cab and we wave them off, still waiting for our shuttle.

* * *

It's only when we pull into my driveway that I realize my decidion to stop at home before heading to Enrique's might be a bad one. My car parked and turned off sends a bolt of fear through me. Suddenly the idea of bringing Enrique into my space feels like inviting him to peer into my soul. What on earth possessed me to think I could actually be married to him. Who made me think this could actually work?