I laughed, squeezing his hand. “I don’t mind.”
He peered at me from the corner of his eye. “You don’t?” I shook my head and he pulled me to his side, kissing my cheek. “Good. You’re going to get sick of it over the next few months, but just cut me some slack, okay?”
I followed him through the hallways, up escalators, and lines of security. When Travis walked through the metal detector, a loud buzzer went off. When the airport guard asked Travis to remove his ring, his face turned severe.
“I’ll hold onto it, sir,” the officer said. “It will only be for a moment.”
“I promised her I’d never take it off,” Travis said through his teeth.
The officer held out his palm; patience and amused understanding wrinkled the thin skin around his eyes.
Travis begrudgingly removed his ring, slammed it into the guard’s hand, and then sighed when he walked through the doorway. He didn’t set off the alarm, but he was still annoyed. I walked through without event, handing over my ring as well. Travis’s expression was still tense, but when we were allowed to pass, his shoulders relaxed.
“It’s okay, baby. It’s back on your finger,” I said, giggling at his overreaction.
He kissed my forehead, pulling me to his side as we made our way to the terminal. When I caught the eyes of those we passed, I wondered if it was obvious that we were newlyweds, or if they simply noticed the ridiculous grin on Travis’s face, a stark contrast to his shaved head, inked arms, and bulging muscles.
The airport was abuzz with excited tourists, the beeping and ringing of slot machines, and people meandering in every direction. I smiled at a young couple holding hands, looking as excited and nervous as Travis and I did when we arrived. I didn’t doubt that they would leave feeling the same mixture of relief and bewilderment that we felt.
In the terminal, I thumbed through a magazine, and gently touched Travis’s wildly bouncing knee. His leg froze and I smiled, keeping my eyes on the pictures of celebrities. He was nervous about something, but I waited for him to tell me, knowing he was working it out internally. After a few minutes, his knee bobbed again, but this time he stopped it on his own and then slowly slumped down into his chair.
“Pigeon?”
“Yeah?”
A few moments passed, and then he sighed. “Nothing.”
The time passed too quickly, and it seemed we had just sat down when our flight number was called to board. A line quickly formed, and we stood up, waiting our turn to show our tickets and walk down the long hall to the airplane that would take us home.
Travis hesitated. “I can’t shake this feeling,” he said under his breath.
“What do you mean? Like a bad feeling?” I said, suddenly nervous.
He turned to me with concern in his eyes. “I have this crazy feeling that once we get home, I’m going to wake up. Like none of this was real.”
I slid my arms around his waist, running my hands up the lean muscles of his back. “Is that what you’re worried about?”
He looked down to his wrist and then glanced to the thick silver band on his left finger. “I just can’t shake the feeling that the bubble’s going to burst, and I’m going to be lying in my bed alone, wishing you were there with me.”
“I don’t know what I’m going to do with you, Trav! I’ve dumped someone for you—twice—I’ve picked up and gone to Vegas with you—twice—I’ve literally gone through hell and back, married you, and branded myself with your name. I’m running out of ideas to prove to you that I’m yours.”
A small smile graced his lips. “I love it when you say that.”
“That I’m yours?” I asked. I leaned up on the balls of my feet, pressing my lips against his. “I. Am. Yours. Mrs. Travis Maddox. Forever and always.”
His small smile faded as he looked at the boarding gate and then down to me. “I’m gonna fuck it up, Pigeon. You’re gonna get sick of my shit.”
I laughed. “I’m sick of your shit now. I still married you.”
“I thought once we got married, that I’d feel a little more reassured about losing you. But I feel like if I get on that plane …”
“Travis? I love you. Let’s go home.”
His eyebrows pulled in. “You won’t leave me, right? Even when I’m a pain in the ass?”
“I vowed in front of God—and Elvis—that I wouldn’t, didn’t I?”
His frown lightened a bit. “This is forever, right?”