Pup, Pup, and Away (Pride Road Trip 2026 #2)

1. Chapter One

Chapter One

Zahir

A fter seven days in Toronto on a business trip, I was more than ready to head home to my senior mutt—Daphne.

Yes, she was staying with my friend Quinton and his family—husband Leo, son and daughter, Melodie and Trevor, Quinton’s mama, as well as her rescue Puff.

I was so damn lucky they loved Daphne almost as much as I did.

Mama Zhang sent pictures every day of the pups playing together.

Well, Daphne wasn’t a pup—but she sure acted like one when around Puff the dachsund/bichon mix.

“Here’s your boarding pass.” The young woman, who couldn’t have been more than twenty-one, handed me back my passport and my pass. “Gate thirty-six. You’ve got some time.”

“I like to be early. I think I’ll grab a sandwich—”

“Sir, are you certain you’re okay? You’re shaking and—”

I turned to look at the guy at the counter next to me. His dark skin made color difficult to discern. That said, if a Black man could be pale, he certainly was .

With a compulsion I didn’t understand, I stepped toward him.

The WestJet check-in person eyed me with wariness.

I didn’t blame him.

“Is this gentleman going to Abbotsford?”

“Yes, but—”

“We haven’t seen each other in a while and I almost didn’t recognize him.” I snapped my fingers. “I’m Zahir. And you are? Sorry I’m so rude.”

The guy blinked. “Uh…Andre.” The name was spoken so softly that I almost didn’t understand him.

“Great, Andre. I’d forgotten how much you hate to fly. Again, sorry about that.”

“The note on his file says this is his first flight.” Again the officious WestJet agent.

“Oh, you finally found the courage to fly. I’m so proud of you.”

Again, Andre blinked. That was the only reaction.

I turned to the check-in guy. “Surely you can arrange for us to sit together.”

He held out his hand for my boarding pass. After examining it, he shook his head. “You’re business class and he’s coach.”

“Oh. When I checked in last night, the seat next to me was still empty. Is it now?”

“Well, yes.”

“So you could perhaps upgrade him? Or I could go to the back—”

The guy shook his head. “Coach is full on the flight to Abbotsford.”

I yanked my credit card out of my wallet. “Whatever it takes.” I could spare the cash. Why I felt so strongly that I needed to help this stranger defied logic…but I just knew I had to help.

“Happy to oblige. ”

I gently took Andre’s boarding pass back from him and handed it to the young man.

As he fixed things, I chanced a glance at Andre.

Mid-twenties, if I had to guess. Tall, slender, shaved head, dark-brown eyes wide.

With terror? I couldn’t be certain. His black leather jacket and dark-blue jeans gave him an almost rakish appearance while his pale-blue dress shirt was almost incongruous.

His hand shook, so I moved closer. Near enough to whisper, but not too much in his space.

“It will be all right. I’m assuming you have a reason you need to fly? There’s always the train—”

He shook his head—his eyes going a little wild.

“Okay, then. We do this together.”

“Mr. Parnal?”

I nodded.

The young man handed me two boarding passes. “Good luck.”

I was quite certain he didn’t mean he hoped our plane didn’t crash.

“Andre’s luggage has been checked?”

“He’s all ready to go.”

“I think you.” I turned to my new friend . “Let’s head to security.”

He nodded. “Uh, yeah.”

Another two words. I’d take that for a victory.

The line was long, but I was determined to get us through and onto the plane.

How we’d cope beyond that, I couldn’t be certain.

“I’m not a nervous flyer, per se. Neither do I relish flights.

I keep thinking how bad for the environment these things are.

That said, I don’t like being away from my dog any longer than necessary. ”

His eyes lit. “Pup?”

“She’s a senior rescue dog but admittedly, she can act like a puppy. She’s got a joie de vivre that I love. She’s, uh, helped me through some rough times. And, I suppose, I helped her through some as well.”

“Nice.” A small, but what I chose to believe, genuine smile .

“Do you have pets?”

He shook his head.

We’d advanced nearly to the front of the line. “Okay. Jacket off. Your phone and any change go into the same tray. You don’t happen to have any artificial joints? Or other metal in your body?”

After a long moment, he shook his head.

Poor guy — he really is out of his element. Well, he’s got me. Like, providential or something.

At the security checkpoint, we removed our coats. I had a laptop case, while Andre had no carry-on luggage. I loved the new scanning machines where we were no longer obliged to remove our laptops. Anything that made my life simpler was appreciated.

As Andre removed his jacket, I caught sight of a pin on it that I’d missed before. A dog with the colors of a rainbow.

We made it through the X-ray machines intact—something I was always grateful for—and we headed toward our gate. “We have a bit of time—would you like to stop and grab something to eat or drink? I think we should pass on alcohol—”

He pressed a hand to his stomach.

“Fair enough. I like to take a bottle of pop on the flight so I have something to sip.”

He nodded.

We headed into a store and paid an excessive amount for two drinks.

I opted for a diet cola while he selected a Canada Dry ginger ale.

I thought that was a good choice in case he got nauseous.

I also grabbed a bag of gummy bears while he sheepishly selected a package of beef jerky.

“It’ll just be easier if I pay, and then we can be on our way.

” I had no idea of his finances, but a few extra bucks meant little to me.

He didn’t appear convinced, but he let me pay, and we headed off quickly toward our gate .

“Why don’t we duck into the washroom? I like to go so I don’t have to worry about having to pee during takeoff or even for a bit after. But—”

He gestured to the washrooms with his chin.

Maybe I should’ve found his silence unnerving. I didn’t. I took reassurance from the gestures, nods, and other nonverbal cues he was giving me.

Yes…but is the pin a hint? I just don’t know. I’d only seen a rainbow dog pin like that before in one place—Club Kink on Puppy Night.

Except I didn’t know if this was some kind of universal symbol.

Did it mean the same thing in Toronto? And perhaps I was making a leap that the guy was from Toronto.

Well, since he’d never flown before, it stood to reason he wasn’t from Vancouver or Abbotsford, or wherever his final destination was.

I tucked our drinks and food into my bag and we headed into the washroom. Personally, I wasn’t a fan of urinals, but we made it through everything and arrived at our gate in time for our flight to be called. Our section was called first, and so I encouraged Andre toward the gate.

His steps slowed as we approached.

For the first time, I dared to touch him. A gentle hand under his elbow to encourage him. Normally, I’d never do this—but extraordinary times called for extraordinary measures and all that…

He leaned into the touch and sighed quietly as he handed over his passport and boarding pass. After he was waved through, though, he only took one step, then turned and waited for me.

I passed this final check quickly, and we headed down the gangplank.

He extended his hand .

I grasped it. Only then did I realize I was wearing my rainbow bracelet. I worked off the assumption he’d noticed it—although maybe he just wanted reassurance, and I was the person who offered it.

“Welcome aboard WestJet.” A lovely dark-skinned woman with the widest smile I’d ever seen greeted us. She checked our boarding passes. “Oh, seats 1C and 1D. Lots of legroom and Liliana will be happy to assist you.”

“Lovely,” I offered my most congenial smile as I guided Andre to our seats. “Window or aisle?” We stood before the seats—out of the way of boarding passengers—as I waited patiently for his response.

Eventually, at length, he pointed to the window seat.

I grinned. “Good choice. Wait until you see the lakes, the prairies, and the Rocky Mountains.”

His eyes went wide again. Such a lovely shade of dark-brown.

I encouraged him to sit while I retrieved our pop and snacks. We’d be well cared for in business class, but I liked to have something handy so I didn’t have to bother the flight attendants.

Andre sat as I stowed my laptop case in the overhead bin. I’d intended to try to get some extra work done, but watching over Andre was far more important. I couldn’t explain why I felt the man was now my responsibility—but he was.

I was truly surprised when the seat belt flummoxed him.

I showed him how mine worked, and he was able to replicate it.

At moments like these, I wondered about his exposure to experiences beyond the very straightforward.

This just made me want to ask more questions.

Still, one kept pressing to the front of my mind.

I leaned over—not too much into his space, but so we wouldn’t be overheard. “I love your pin.”

He met my gaze. After a moment, he swallowed. Several moments after that, he shifted. “It’s special.”

“Definitely. Does it mean something?”

His eyes went wide.

“You don’t have to—”

“Pup.” He swallowed again, and his leg jiggled. “I’m a pup. That sounds stupid—”

I gently laid my hand on his jiggling knee. “That was brave of you to say. And I’m not going to judge. I—” I blinked. Then pasted on a smile. “I used to be a handler.”

“WestJet flight 73 to Abbotsford is preparing for takeoff. If this isn’t your flight, better let us know.” The man’s words over the speaker elicited some chuckles from several passengers.

Andre grasped my hand. “I’m scared.”

“It’s all right. I’m here for you. I’ll take care of you, pup.” With anyone else, I would never have dared to use the endearment. With Andre…it felt right.

That’s a whole lot to unpack. Let’s get to Abbotsford first and then deal with the rest later.