Joshua snorted. “That little shit.”
“I know.” Colin cracked an almost smile. “Sheila accused me ofbrooding! Me, of all people! Brooding! Of allthings!”
Joshua rolled his eyes. “Oh,right! Howdareshe!”
Colin gave him a fake glare, then smiled. “It was… good, Josh. Weird… but good. I felt like a ghost at first. Like I didn’t belong in my own space. But then they laughed. And hugged me. And insulted me. And it started to feel… less weird… damn near… OK.”
He opened his eyes, turned his head, and looked at Joshua. “I missed it. God help me, Ireallymissed it. I missedthem! They’re such good people. They care sodamnmuch about doing what’s right.”
Joshua reached over and slid his hand into Colin’s. “None of that surprises me, love. What surprises me is how long it took you to see it.”
Colin gave a low laugh. “Esther offered three days a week. Small trials, if any. Just misdemeanors. Easy hours. No heavy trauma cases. Said I get to ‘play lawyer’ for a while.” He lifted Joshua’s hand to his lips. “Told her I had to check with my ‘other’ boss.”
Joshua’s fingers traced slow circles on the back of Colin’s hand. “Sounds like a good way to find your footing and maybe find your answers at the same time.”
“Yeah,” Colin said. Then, quieter: “I don’t know if the fire’s back, but I do know the warmth is. I didn’t feel numb today. That’s amazing.”
Joshua leaned over and kissed his temple. “You excel at amazing.”
They sat in silence for a long time, their fingers linked, their breathing synced. Outside, the wind stirred the trees. Inside, the world felt still.
Colin closed his eyes again and whispered, “I think I’m going to be OK.”
Joshua smiled, lips brushing his hair. “I never doubted it for a second.”
He eased backinto the courtroom routine like sliding into a well-worn pair of jeans. Judges smiled when they saw him at the prosecutor’s table, and clerks slipped him protein bars, just like always. Even Eddie, the gruff, half-deaf bailiff, slapped him on the back in welcome.
If anyone at city hall was surprised to see the CAO’s golden boy prosecuting petty misdemeanor cases, they kept it to themselves. Everyone knew what he’d been through. Everyone knew what he stood for, then and now. And they all rallied around him.
The docket was light—justtwo dog bite misdemeanors and a trespass charge—but by the end of the afternoon, Colin had his rhythm back. His voice didn’t crack. His cross-examinations were tight. His objections landed. His statements to the bench were crisp—no wasted words.
And the judge—old DeWitt, sharp as ever under his grizzled scowl—gave him a rare nod of approval after the last ruling.
“You’re still good, Campbell,” he muttered, almost grudgingly. “Glad you’re back.”
Colin just nodded, gathered his file folders, and tucked them under one arm. On his way out, Eddie gave him another swat on the back, nearly sending him into a wall.
“You still walk like a cop,” Eddie accused, then smiled. “You’ll be fine.”
Colin dumped the files on his desk and made his way to the exit, stepping into the fading light of early evening. The courthouse steps were warm from the sun. A breeze rustled the flag overhead. For a moment, he just stood there, suit jacket loose at the shoulders, head tilted up to the sky.
It wasn’t fire. But it was something steady. Something solid. Something… warm.
And right now, that was enough.
He foundJoshua in the kitchen, barefoot, sleeves rolled up, stirring something in a pan that smelled like garlic and contentment. Music played low from the living room—a mellowacoustic track with more feeling than lyrics. Joshua swayed in time with its rhythm.
He didn’t turn as Colin entered. “You smell like courthouse funk and heroic triumph.”
Colin dropped his keys in the bowl by the door and grinned. “Isthatwhat I smell like?”
“Mm hm.” Joshua turned, ladle in hand, eyes warm. “Everything go OK?”
“No one threw anything. Judges remembered my name. Eddie bruised my spine with a congratulatory whack.”
Joshua leaned in, kissed him softly, then again, slower. “That sounds suspiciously like a good day.”
“It was. Kind of.”
