“My lifeline. Those cards.” He blushed and looked up into Colin’s face. “OK. Here it comes. My most embarrassing confession…”
“Well, let’s hear it!”
Joshua wrinkled his nose, mugging. “I slept with them under my pillow.”
“Thepostcards?”
Joshua nodded, then looked up, pointing a finger at Colin’s grinning face. “Noteasing!”
Colin snickered and kissed his hair. “I wouldn’t dream of it. And… I’ll make it up to Nate.” He sighed. “Once I catch up on my rest.”
Joshua’s fingers stroked the sandy-brown beard, which was longer than he’d ever seen it. “You keeping that?”
“Up to you. I’m not the one who’ll have it burrowing between their legs.”
Joshua laughed softly. “We’ll discuss later. After I’ve had some experience. D’you think Esther will approve?”
“There’s a lot of bearded prosecutors in the world.” He sighed. “Jesus. I don’t even want to think about going back to the CAO.” He looked into Joshua’s eyes. “I’m just not ready.”
Joshua sat up and laid his mug on the coffee table, then he turned to his husband and rested a hand on his arm. “The only thing that I ask of you, myyedid—that Ibegof you—is that you take all the time you need to feel like yourself again. I don’t care if it’s a week… a month… or ayear. Just please,pleasetake that time.” He took Colin’s hand and lifted it to his lips. “All that matters to me is you.” He drew in a breath. “Just you.”
Colin smiled and leaned close to kiss him. “I have so much to tell you. So much to share.” He shook his head and sipped. “But god, Josh—it’s going to take me a while.”
“I understand. And if I may use one of my most overworked phrases… you’re stillprocessingwhat you experienced.”
Colin gazed down at him, eyebrows lifted. “And for the first time, I actually understand what that means.” His eyes sought out the weather-beaten bag by his feet. “I want to show you the journal I kept on the road.”
“Your pilgrimage.”
Colin arched his brows and nodded. “Yes, itwasthat. And it was everything a pilgrimage issupposedto be.”
“What drew you to that path, my love?”
“Honestly, Josh? I don’t know. Danny asked the same question, and I couldn’t answer it then either. I was just… led to it. Almost as ifIrelandwanted me to do it.” He glanced at Joshua with a wry smile. “I know that sounds nuts.”
Joshua’s answering smile was soft. “You really think I need to be convinced that Irelandspeaksto you, my beloved husband? Who bought your ticket?”
Colin stared at him for a moment, then huffed a soft laugh. “You always knew?”
Joshua pressed a kiss to his shoulder. “I knewnothing. But I always hoped.”
Before Colin could reply, the front door opened, and the sound of voices filtered in from the hallway.
“They’ve probably moved to the bedroom by now,” David was saying, and then he and Nate stepped into the room, both laughing softly.
Nate froze the moment he saw Colin, his eyes going wide. “Colin,” he breathed, hand flying to his mouth.
Colin stood slowly, and Nate crossed the room in seconds, pulling him into a tight, tearful hug. “Don’t ever scare me like that again,” Nate choked out, already weeping. “I mean it.”
“I’ll do my best,” Colin murmured, voice hoarse. “But no promises.”
David stepped forward, more composed but no less emotional. He clasped Colin’s shoulder with one hand, then pulled him in for a quick, tight embrace. “Thank god,” he said simply.
Colin looked at each of them, his arm still around Nate. “I missed you both. More than I can say.”
“We missed you, too,” Nate whispered, eyes welling.
“Thank you,” Colin said, resting a hand on each of their shoulders. “Thank you for taking care of my beloved husband while I wandered the highways and byways in search of…”
