After the Climb (River Rain #1) - Kristen Ashley Page 0,101
his sons.
Hale was Matt, open to giving shit, taking it, teasing, cuddling, any and all brotherly duties, just without sharing the same blood.
When Hale quit laughing, he started to pay attention.
Mostly to the look on Gen’s face and then the line of Tom’s body.
Which made him ask, “What’s up?”
“Okay, honey, your dad gave Duncan and I—”
That was all Genny got out.
He let her go and stepped away, saying, “No.”
“Honey, let us—” she tried again.
“I got a box too, Gen,” he said, his words curt. “After that Insta pic hit with you and Duncan.”
Gen glanced at Duncan. He returned it and looked to Tom.
Tom caught it and sighed.
“Yeah, you all know his games,” Hale stated. “His attorneys were instructed not to give it to me until he’d set up Duncan to make his play.”
Okay, there it was.
Hale also got his father’s smarts.
“Hale—” Tom began.
“Fuck him, Tommy. I’m all right with him coming clean with Gen and Duncan because he owed them that. But he doesn’t get to try to be a dad to me after he blew the back of his head all over a priceless David Hockney.”
Genny winced.
“Hale,” Tom clipped warningly.
“Sorry, Gen,” Hale muttered tersely.
“We’ll give it time,” Duncan said.
“Respect, Duncan, but there’s not enough time in the world,” Hale replied.
“Yeah, I thought the same thing and almost burned the letter he wrote to Genny and me before we finished reading it. Then a few days passed, and his games meant I knew her daughters and she my sons and that led to what you had today, Hale. And I’ll share, even if his words affected me, I have not forgiven him. And I know myself enough, I won’t. Not ever. But that does not negate the fact I’m glad I read them, even as it’s upsetting that I read them knowing he felt compelled to write them before he took his own life.”
He got closer and both Gen and Tom took his cue and they moved in too.
Not pushy, just supportive.
“And it is upsetting,” Duncan went on quietly. “Because I don’t forgive him, but I miss him. I loved him. And I hate that he was living in so much pain, and swimming in so much guilt, that was the only way he saw to end it. But none of that gives back what he took from me. And I mean Genny. But I also mean Corey. He was the only brother I had and what he did meant I lived without Gen for twenty-eight years, but I will live without Corey forever.”
Hale swallowed.
Duncan didn’t like it, but he had to keep at it.
“What I’m saying is, this isn’t about forgiveness. This is about giving him the last things he wanted before he died. And at least for that, I’m glad I got the opportunity to give that to him.”
Hale stared into his eyes before he turned his attention to Gen.
“Do you forgive him?” he asked.
“Yes,” she answered.
“Of course you do,” he muttered, and looked toward the stables.
“So we’ll give it time,” Duncan repeated.
Hale looked back to him. “At this very instant, he’s very dead, and he’s still playing you.”
“Some games you don’t wanna play. But still, it’s important you play and do it to win,” Duncan returned.
“Christ, too bad I hadn’t heard that, or I’d have been in on the coffee mug gig.”
Everyone, but Hale and Tom, had a new coffee mug with some saying on it they’d spouted to Sully or Gage.
And Tom and Hale had mugs too. Tom’s said, I’m Tom Pierce, and I Got A Hella Backstroke and Hale’s said, Be Good, Or I’m Inviting You to Camp.
Chloe was drinking her hot buttered rum right then from a red mug with black words on it that said I’m Going to Have to Get You in Hand.
The boys gave joint gifts, always had, and this didn’t have to do with the fact that the only money they had they got from their dad.
They were always in cahoots about “the perfect gift.”
And this year, even with more people to come up with ideas for, they hadn’t disappointed.
“Just not now, all right? It’s Christmas,” Hale gave in, somewhat.
“You leave tomorrow, darling,” Gen pointed out.
“Just not now, Genny, okay?” he asked.
She thought about it for a moment and nodded.
“I need more rum,” Hale muttered. “Excuse me.”
Duncan moved out of the way, and Hale went into the house.