They step out into the sun, and he finally takes his hands off her eyes. She looks at the plane and then back at him. "Where are we going?"

"Buenos Aires."

She seems shocked but overjoyed, although she's trying not to look too excited. After the confrontation with Thony, things have eased significantly between them, but they still have a lot to work through. He is also sure she's worried that Thony might try to come back despite his request. She was determined like that. But it had been two weeks, and so far, nothing. Which is why he'd planned this, to take her mind off things for a while. Thony couldn't find them in Argentina, at least.

"I know you've wanted to see your sister for a while, but we've just been caught up with... well, everything." He sighs, unable to stop himself from smiling at seeing her look happy for the first time in what felt like forever. "So I told Claudia to keep an eye on La Habana for a while, and now we can just spend some time together."

"Ah, now these make sense." She says, gesturing to the luggage he told her to pack.

The flight is mostly spent sipping champagne and talking, the simple way they used to when things were simpler. Her legs rest on his lap, and she dozes off for a while. It almost brings him to tears; it's been so long since they've been intimate like this. He wants to preserve every second, make himself realise again and again what he has and how lucky he is. It's as warm as he remembers it when they arrive in the early evening. Several years have passed since they've last been here. Once they got in deep with Hayak, they lost time for little getaways like this. Everything had to be business with Hayak, so they hadn't ventured much further than Mexico in a while. He knows Nadia has missed her family dearly, so he hopes this trip will be what she needs. He's missed them too; after he lost his parents and became estranged from his brother, they became his family in many ways.

When they land, she calls her mother to tell her they're here, and he can tell they're both excited to see each other. The same thing happens with her sister, and by the sounds of it, the whole family's getting together for dinner. They go to the hotel to drop off their things, and he adores watching how she's unable to contain her grin. She can't be bothered pretending anymore, and to him, that's a good sign.

"What?" She asks, blowing a strand of hair from her face as she tries to hurry.

"You're happy." He muses.

Nadia blushes a little. "I didn't realise how happy I was to be home until I looked out the window as we landed."

There's another thing that they're both aware of, but neither wants to bring up. He'd hate to see that smile disappear.

"You sure you'll be alright with Anna's, uh…"

She nods. "I want to see my nephew, Armando." She says, meeting his eyes. "He's my family."

He takes a few steps towards her, taking her hands in his. "We're here to do whatever you want to do. This is about spending time with the people we care about and who care about us."

"Then let's not keep my mother waiting. You know how she hates it when we're late."

"She's never going to let that go, is she?"

Nadia grins. "Nope. That was your one first impression, and you blew it."

"How was I supposed to know everyone drives like maniacs here?"

She takes him by the hand, rolling her eyes. "Come on."

—

They're standing on her mother's porch. The door opens almost immediately, and he watches as she takes her with open arms. Nadia and Anna, her older sister, are a lot like her. All of them are very headstrong, don't take no for an answer, and are fiercely protective of those they care about. When Nadia first introduced him to them, he'd received less scrutiny than expected. Of course, some of these things made more sense now that he knew he hadn't been her first husband. It seemed that all of them had wanted to pretend Kamdar didn't exist. He couldn't blame them; he was the charming man who took their little girl away from her home. Arman realised that the fact that he came from nothing and didn't have much to offer had obviously meant something to their family. His humble roots had made them more receptive to him. Her mother doesn't look terribly pissed at him; he wonders whether Nadia confided in her about Thony; they spoke often on the phone, but with all of the worries about the FBI, he understands if that has tapered off over the past few months.

As they enter, they can hear children laughing, and he clutches her hand a little, reminding her that he is there. Her father shakes his hand and pats him on the shoulder, just the way his father used to. He kisses his daughter on the cheek, telling her how much he's missed her and Nadia's teary now. The house smells like good food, there are photos everywhere, captured across generations, and it makes him nostalgic for his own childhood home. Eventually, her sister emerges, with Mariana at her feet and her newborn son, Matteo, in her arms. Mariana is almost four; she was born shortly before he and Nadia had expected their son. It's hard not to think about that when he sees her, but he and Nadia love her as their niece nonetheless. Before Nadia can hug her sister, Mariana bolts towards her, and Nadia lifts her up with a grin on her face, commenting on how much bigger she is compared to last time.

"Congratulations." He says warmly to Anna, who has an understanding smile on her face as his eyes flit down to the baby.

"It's good to see you both. We've missed you."

"Where's Bruno?" Anna's husband has always been like a brother to him.

"He's outside."

They talk, they eat, they appreciate each other's company. Anna and Nadia disappear somewhere while he helps his father-in-law. Eventually, he finds Nadia in one of the bedrooms, holding Matteo, who is now asleep. The sight pains him so much, but he's so admirable of her bravery. She sniffles and looks up at him.

"You okay?"

She nods with a watery smile. "I'm fine."

He shuts the door behind him, leaning against the wall and simply watching the two of them.

"I-I hope you realise that I was never jealous of Thony because I thought you were in love with her." She starts after a beat, speaking quietly. "I wasn't really worried about you spending time with another woman. I… I was worried that you would leave me because she had something I couldn't give you."

Arman shakes his head. "The only person I've ever wanted a family with is you. I would never give you up for that." He reassures. "But we have fulfilling lives. It's not… it's not something I need anymore."

Nadia hums in assent. "I agree. As nice as this is, I… I've moved on from praying for it to happen to us. We have each other."

She's right. They're the main part of each other's lives, and it again reminds him of his stupidity for letting her slip down his priority list. Nadia stands and sets the baby down before walking over to him and snaking her arms around his waist.

—

They end up at the beach the next morning. It's off-peak season, so it's quiet. He's finished reapplying sunscreen to her back, and she's stretched out like a lazy cat on the chaise. She's doing better than he thought she would after so much time around kids. It's a reminder of how far she's come. But this is a nice way for them to decompress. Despite her sunglasses, he can tell she's looking past him at someone. He turns to see a woman roughly her age wearing a red one-piece swimsuit. Her long reddish-brown hair cascades down her shoulders, a floral tattoo adorns the centre of her back, and her smile is infectious.

"Do you know her?" He asks, looking back at her.

"Know her? I slept with her."

He chokes on his drink, and she chuckles. "I've been having my rendezvous long before I moved to America, Armando."

What surprises him but doesn't concern him - he's never been one to criticise a lover for being promiscuous - is that this happens multiple times. They've visited Argentina before, so he's not sure why this hasn't come up. It's not his business who she's slept with. He's not saying that. But he does have a jealous side that she likes to use to rile him up, in a good way, of course.

"Have you slept with everyone in your town who isn't related to you?"

Nadia lets out a hearty laugh. "Oh, don't be jealous. I'm sure they'd let you join in if you asked. They always tend to listen to me."

He smiles wryly. That he knows is true, based on the parties she used to throw at their house.

She snorts after a beat, grabbing his thigh. "I'm kidding. I just like seeing you jealous. I've only slept with some of the people you pointed out."

The sun is setting now, and they watch it in silence, their hands intertwined. He feels a weight lift from his chest just by being here with her without thinking about what Thony might ask him to do next, about what could possibly fuck up and put them in danger again.

Nadia looks at him. "Thank you so much for this." She says softly.

"You're welcome."

Eventually, they make it back to the hotel, too tired to want to go out. They're somewhat used to being night owls from running the club, but there's a pleasant sleepiness that's come over both of them. Both of them have showered, and she's already gotten into bed.

"Where are you going?"

He juts his thumb to the door. "I… the other room?" He'd booked a separate hotel room since they weren't exactly sleeping together right now. He had been promoted back to the spare room of their home after he told Thony to leave, but they'd been yet to lie next to each other again.

Nadia pats the empty spot on the bed beside her. "I'm in a good mood right now, so I want you with me." She's smiling, and her eyes are shut like she's half-nodding off.

He strips down to his boxers and tentatively slides in next to her. It's a warm night, but she tugs him closer to her and drapes an arm over his waist.

"Love you." She mumbles.

"Love you too."