After the Climb (River Rain #1) - Kristen Ashley Page 0,28
interrupt, are you hearing me?”
Gage nodded.
“Like I said, it’s a long story, and it’s time you heard it. I wish I could tell you face to face when our faces aren’t projected on screens, but that doesn’t seem like it can happen. And now your brother is trying to connect, and I need for both of you to know. So even if this is not how I’d like to do it, the truth of the matter is, Genny was my high school girlfriend. I broke up with her after I graduated, but we got back together again a few years later. It was intense. It was forever. And then I made that not so for a variety of reasons I may share one day, but today is not that day. We both went our separate ways, but now she’s back in my life and it remains to be seen how back in my life she’s going to be. What I can tell you is, I loved her very much. She was my world. It killed, letting her go. But now is now and we’ll just see.”
Gage was silent a beat before he asked incredulously, “Genny?”
It’d be good when all the people in his life got over this.
“She was my girlfriend, bud.”
“Does Mom know about this?”
He nodded. “I told her a long time ago. Though, I don’t know if she knows that Genny’s back. That said, we’ve both moved on, as you know. So I don’t see it as an issue for your mother.”
Something occurred to him, and as usual with Gage, he didn’t hesitate to share it, no matter how inappropriate it might be.
“Oh my God, you’ve had sex with Imogen Swan. My dad has had sex with Imogen Swan.”
Duncan closed his eyes and tipped his head back.
“I don’t know whether to think this is awesome or hurl,” Gage shared.
He looked back to his son. “How about not thinking about it at all?”
“That’s a good call,” Gage muttered, his face twisted in disgust, then something else occurred to him and he got right on letting that out. “Holy shit, if you guys become an item again, everyone is going to know my dad is doing Imogen Swan.”
“Gage, let’s get off this topic, yeah?”
“Totally,” Gage agreed.
“Are you okay with this?” Duncan asked, feeling his neck muscles contract as the question came out, because the answer could change everything.
But Gage just looked confused.
“Okay with what? You hooking up with a movie star?”
“Yes, and should that become more,” Duncan confirmed.
“Dad, serious.” Gage now looked serious. “I mean, do I have to count this down?”
“Considering the fact you’re my son, I love you, your thoughts and feelings matter to me, and this woman was important to me, that never really stopped being the case, even if we moved on with our lives, and I’m hoping that she’ll be big part of my life again, which means yours, yes. You have to count this down.”
“Right, but you can’t get pissed about how I do it.”
“Second, my dad might be hooking up with a hottie. I agree, it’s too bad we aren’t doin’ this face to face so I can’t high five you.”
Jesus.
His son.
“Third, if I’m reading this right, this might lead to Imogen Swan being my stepmom and that would totally not suck. I mean, everyone knows she’s like, the coolest chick in Hollywood.”
“She lives in Phoenix, Gage.”
“Better, she probably has an awesome pad and lives next to Larry Fitzgerald or something and we can ask him over for a pool party and he and me could be buds.”
The tension eased out of his neck as Duncan started chuckling.
It shot right back when he heard the tone of his son’s voice and saw the change come over his features when he said, “I’m not sure I want the whole story, seein’ as it obviously gutted you so much you didn’t even tell us she was a part of your life. And you’re all over getting her back when it had to be that guy dyin’ that started this, and he offed himself, like, I don’t know, maybe a week ago. So you aren’t wasting time. But if she treats you right, Dad, without any crazy, I’ll love her forever.”