“You’ll be alright, sweetheart,” I murmured as Cole approached with that quiet calm he carried these days. “He’s got you.”
He met my eyes over her back, nodded once. No words needed.
As we loaded the horse into his trailer, Gray lingered beside me.
“You ever think about what comes next?” he asked.
I raised a brow. “Comes next after what?”
“This.” He gestured to the scene around us, the smoke, the scorched timber, the weight we both carried. “We got out of the fire. Now, what do we build?”
I thought of the house Ava, and I were making into a home. The porch swing I hadn’t hung yet. The way she curled into me at night like it was muscle memory.
“I want it all,” I said. “The quiet. The mess. The noise of a life that doesn’t revolve around crime scenes.”
Gray gave a rare smile. “You ever think about what kind of dad you’d be?”
I snorted. “Strict.”
He laughed.
“Terrified,” I admitted. “But I’d show up. I’d show up every day.”
Gray nodded slowly. “That’s what matters.”
Before I could respond, my phone buzzed. Unknown number, but with a local area code.
“Harlan Gray,” I answered.
“Chief Gray, this is Captain Black over at Brockton. I just wanted to let you know, your reforms made the state circuit. We’re starting a restructuring next quarter and... well, your precinct’s the model.”
I blinked. “You serious?”
“As a heart attack. You’re not just turning this town around, sir. You’re making everyone take a hard look at the whole damn system.”
We exchanged a few more details, and when I hung up, Gray gave me a look.
“Good news?”
“Better than good.”
He grinned. “Damn right it is.”
That night, back at the house, Ava was sitting on the kitchen counter when I walked in, barefoot, hair messy from the wind, a half-finished bowl of cereal in her lap.
She looked up with those tired eyes that still lit me up every time they landed on me.
“Hey,” I said, dropping my keys. “How was your day?”
She shrugged. “Uneventful.”
I stepped closer and kissed her forehead. She leaned into it, like always.
Then she pulled back slightly, studying my face.
“I’m late.”
I blinked. “Work?”
