The low hum of his car's engine finally silenced as Leonard eased it into his private parking spot in the basement garage. He leaned back against the leather seat, exhaling with the kind of satisfaction that only came after a night of solid sleep and a morning free of chaos. Things were far from perfect—but at least, they were... moving.
A small smile tugged at the corner of his mouth. For the first time in years, Leonard felt grounded. The sight of Maya and Nathan running around in pajamas and Katherine scolding them gently from the kitchen echoed sweetly in his memory. Even if she was tense, even if her smiles were tight and her words clipped, she hadn't slammed the door in his face. That counted as progress.
He grabbed his suitjacket from the passenger seat, slipping one arm through as he glanced into the rearview mirror to fix his tie. Classic. Clean. He looked like a man who had everything together.
