“ShouldI be proud of him?”
“Well, hellyes, you should!” David shouted. “Whywouldn’tyou be? I knowIam! He charged into a life-threatening situation because people he loves were in danger. He swiftly and expertly disarmed a dangerous gunman without evenoneperson getting injured, not even the dangerousgunman! What’snotto love?”
Colin shifted on his feet and shot Joshua an embarrassed look.
“Andyou!”David said, turning to Colin. “Jesus Christ, Colin, how did youthinkhe’d feel after your big-damn-hero performance? Did you think he’d be doing the dance of joy? For fuck’s sake, you had toknowthat what you’d get would be a frightened, traumatized husband!” He drew in a long breath and turned to Aileen. “I’m sorry, Aileen. Please forgive my language. But thesetwo!”
Colin scowled, then reached for Joshua’s hand. “I’m sorry, bud.”
Joshua nodded and set his teacup on a nearby table. “And I’m sorry, Colin,” he said, letting his hand rest in Colin’s. “I’m sorry for not acknowledging your courage and your skill.”
“It was like a dance,” Nate added, his voice soft. “I mean, it happened fast, but I remember thinking at the time that every move he made flowed into the next as though he’d performed that same dance a million times.”
“Hehasperformed that same dance… well, not amilliontimes,” Colin muttered. “But hundreds, if not thousands.”
Nate reached to touch Colin’s arm. “It was almost…poetic.”
CHAPTERNINETEEN
AFTEREFFECTS
Colin’s Aunt Nora arrived in the early afternoon and whisked Aileen off to shop for the groceries they’d need for tomorrow’s family dinner. As the ladies pulled away, headed for downtown Killarney, the four travelers piled into their van for the drive through Killarney National Park.
Still smarting from their earlier disagreement, neither Colin nor Joshua had much to say as Colin steered the van down the winding road. What conversation they did have was stilted and conducted with careful courtesy. Thankfully, the amazing views outside their windows captured David and Nate’s attention to the point where they didn’t notice the relative silence emanating from the front seat.
Just past the park entrance, Colin turned onto a narrow gravel pathway and followed its meandering trail for over a mile before pulling off the road. “We walk from here,” he said, climbing out of the van.
“Where are you taking us?” Nate asked, stumbling through a thicket of ragwort.
“You’ll see,” Colin told him. He grabbed Nate’s arm to steady him. “Watch it. There’s a dip here.” He turned to reach for Joshua’s arm, but he strode past Colin without speaking or glancing his way, stepped down the slight incline, and followed David down the narrow path. Colin watched him go, his face dark with pain.
“Hey,” Nate said, nudging his arm. “He’ll move past it. Just be patient, Colin. Today scared the living hell out of him.”
Colin nodded. “I fuckinghateit when we’re like this, Nate. He’s so distant. It leaves me feelingemptyinside. Like a huge part of me is missing.”
“Josh is an introvert,” Nate observed with a shrug, linking his arm with Colin’s. “He has to work it out inside himself before he can reach out to the world again. Give him time, Colin.”
Colin nodded, then jerked to a halt and sucked in a deep breath, nearly overwhelmed by a wave of dizziness. Nate looked at him and tightened his grip on Colin’s arm. “You OK?”
“Not sure,” Colin muttered.
They moved to where David and Joshua stood, looking across a grass-covered ravine to the valley below.
“There’s the castle!” Nate crowed, pointing to the spectacular ruins.
“I think this is one of the best views in all of Ireland,” Joshua said. “The first time Colin brought me here was one of the happiest moments of my life.”
“On your honeymoon?” David asked.
Joshua nodded and lowered himself to the grass, gazing across the hills and valleys of Killarney National Park to the waters of Lough Leane, which glimmered below them. Colin stood beside him, his hands jammed into his pockets, his eyes fixed on the ancient castle that towered above the Lough Leane shoreline.
Joshua glanced up at his husband, then tugged on the hem of his jeans. When Colin glanced down, Joshua patted the grass beside him. “Would you sit with me?”
Colin lowered himself to the ground and hugged his knees, still staring at Ross Castle. “Nice to see your castle again?” Joshua asked.
Colin nodded. “Yeah.” He shot Joshua a glance, then quickly looked away, sadness clouding his handsome Irish face.
“Are your ears still ringing?”
