A good-bye. A vow. A prayer.
Then he turned toward the path that would take him home.
Joshua stoodat the kitchen counter, sorting the mail without thinking.
A flyer. A bill.
A postcard.
He froze. His breath caught in his chest.
His fingers tightened around the edges—familiar now. The weight. The smoothness. The hush of it.
The photo showed the lake at Ross Castle, mist curling low over the water. He knew that angle. They’d stood there once, arms around each other, Colin whispering something that made him laugh so hard he nearly dropped his phone in the water.
He turned the card over.
And this time, there were words.
I love you. I’m coming home.
—C
Joshua’s knees gave out.
He slid to the floor, back against the cabinet, the postcard cradled in his hands like something holy.
He couldn’t breathe. Couldn’t think.
Just read the words again and again—until they blurred.
A sound escaped his throat—half sob, half laugh.
David stepped in from the hallway, startled. “Josh?”
Joshua looked up, tears streaming down his cheeks.
“He’s coming home.”
David’s face softened. “Yeah?”
Joshua lifted the card with both hands—reverent.
“Look, David. Look. He wrote on it, David. Hewroteon it.”
David crouched beside him, reading the message. He nodded, slow and sure.
“Told you. That man always finds his way back to you and hopefully to himself.”
Joshua let his head fall back, the card pressed to his heart.
And for the first time in what felt like forever, he breathed—deep, shuddering, free.
“He’s coming home to me.”
CHAPTER EIGHTEEN
WHERE THE LIGHT STILL SHINES
