After the Climb (River Rain #1) - Kristen Ashley Page 0,82

late on Tuesday.

So his sons were leaving at oh-dark-hundred Tuesday morning so Gage could get Sully to Sky Harbor to catch his flight, and then he’d drive down to Tucson.

Knowing this, and displaying an alarming competitive streak they had to have inherited from their father, Chloe and Sasha were in for that haul in order for them both to lavish attention, affection and their very different, but both endearing, personalities on Duncan and his sons.

In other words, he was looking forward to what would undoubtedly be a great two days.

“Give me fifteen minutes and I’ll rally,” Genny said.

“Take your time, babe. Goldwater isn’t going anywhere.”

He said this while her phone rang.

He looked to the nightstand and then told her, “It’s Matt.”

“Can you give it to me, please?”

He unhooked it from her charger and handed it to her.

He also intended to move so she had time with her son, but he didn’t when her hand darted out and her fingers wrapped around his wrist.

“Hello, darling,” she greeted, pushing up a little in bed. “Yes, I’m fine. I’m good. Are you?” Pause and, “I know, but desperate times.” Another pause and in a sharper tone, “I understand that, Matthew, but to deliberately put a very fine point on it, I believe your father’s debt is paid with losing his wife and having his son practically freeze him out of his life. Something, I would encourage you, this before begging you, to think very long and hard about ending.”

She was staring at Duncan with an expression that warred between annoyed and worried.

She spoke again.

“I’m not defending him. I’m reminding you he’s human and I’m telling you I love you very much. And since I do, I do not want there to be a time, and it will come, Matt, where you mess up, and you do it huge, and you hurt someone, that you look back with deep regret at the time you lost with your father when you were not allowing him to be something he cannot possibly stop being. Human.”

Oh yeah.

He loved this woman.

Duncan reached out and stroked her jaw.

She turned her head into his touch.

“Yes, fine,” she said. “Yes.” A pause. “Yes, I know, and no, I’m not mad. I want you to be happy. And yes, Sasha shouldn’t have told me. But Matthew, you know better than that. If you have something you want to keep a secret, you tell Chloe. She’ll take it to her grave. You don’t tell Sasha. She’ll hold it quiet for precisely as long as it takes her to design the billboard she’ll put up, broadcasting it.”

Duncan chuckled.

Her worry faded as she watched him do it.

He took his hand from her jaw.

“Right,” she kept going, “since you’re taking a semester off, come visit your mother. I love and adore you. But I’m hungover, need a shower and one of Sasha’s smoothies, because we’re going hiking around Goldwater Lake.” Pause then, “Yes, hiking. I used to hike all the time.” Another pause, and, “Yes, I believe Chloe’s coming with.”

And then there was her laughter.

He bent and kissed her forehead and rose to leave her to it.

This time, she let him.

He left the room, and Sully was on his way from the hall to the great room when Duncan was heading down the stairs.

“Somethin’ came for Genny, Dad. I put it on your desk,” Sul said.

“Thanks, bud.”

He knew what it was that was delivered on a Sunday.

The script.

He’d take it up to her.

“Is it okay if we pop into town and hit the store real quick?” Sully asked. “Sash is covered, but Coco says she’s going to need some hiking gear.”

Since it was Sunday, and Judge didn’t work on Sundays, he figured this was safe.

“Ask her to get something for Genny. She’s coming with,” Duncan replied.

Sully smiled. “Awesome.”

His son resumed his trek to the kitchen.

Duncan headed to his office, and as he did, his phone in his back pocket rang.

He pulled it out, didn’t know the number, but considering all the shit that had been rising around them, and hoping this wasn’t indication there was more, he took the call. Because, if it was, he wanted to deal with it and then they could go to the lake.

“Duncan Holloway,” he said.

“Dun, don’t hang up.”

Two days ago, he would not remember that voice.

Now, he did.

Samantha Wheeler.

“How’d you get this number?” he growled, moving far more quickly toward his office and then closing himself in.

If this was going to be a drama, he was going to sustain it