After the Climb (River Rain #1) - Kristen Ashley Page 0,92

to her shoulder to keep her warm.

The room, bright with moonshine on snow, was quiet.

Gen broke it.

“Now, I can let that go and just concentrate on being with you.”

“Good,” he murmured.

“Are you at that place?” she asked.

“Baby, you anywhere near me, I’m at that place. Nothing on this earth means dick to me except my boys bein’ good, now your kids bein’ good, and me bein’ with you.”

She made no response.

Though she did.

And he loved what she had to say.

Without anywhere to go, she burrowed even closer.

“Now, go to sleep,” he ordered when she was done.

“Okay, Bowie.”

“Love you.”

“And I love you.”

Having gotten it out, Gen went right back to sleep.

With her giving it to him, Duncan couldn’t find it.

So he was awake when the moon fell behind a cloud and he lifted his head to see snow falling again.

The roads up at that elevation were going to be a bitch in the morning.

So he’d work from home.

Gen, going out shopping now with Bettina, kept the kitchen stocked.

They were good.

Safe.

And settled in.

On that thought, Duncan finally drifted to sleep.

And the snow drifted down outside.

Blanketing a big log cabin next to an even bigger lake in peace.

Epilogue

The Holiday

Sullivan

“Your dad’s hung up, honey, something to do with the opening in Boise. He wanted to be here to get you, but he had to see to it. He’s headed down as we speak.”

“He texted and it’s not a problem, Genny.”

She smiled at him, watching him closely.

They’d just greeted outside the terminal and were walking to baggage claim.

He’d probably get used to people looking at her, some pulling out their phones, some of those not even hiding it, but for now, he wanted to chest butt all of them, get in their face and ask what they were looking at.

“So, a couple of days at the condo, and then we’re all going up to the house,” she said.

“Cool,” he muttered.

“I’m excited to show you the condo. You haven’t seen it yet. Gage loves it.”

Yeah, he did.

Gage was there practically every weekend. Even when Genny and Dad weren’t there.

Then again, Sasha was living there, and Chloe lived in Phoenix, and they’d all adopted each other, even Sully, who Sash and Coco texted all the time.

Coco had ironic gifs down to an art.

And daily, Sash sent him pictures of sunrises or starry nights or sandy beaches with the caption Your Daily Moment of Zen.

“Yeah, he’s told me.”

“You going to spend some time with your mom?”

Shit.

His dad, Sul could hide it.

He could do this because Sully lived far away, and emotionally his father was too close to it.

Genny was a mom.

You couldn’t pull anything over on a mom.

Not one like Genny.

He knew this because he barely knew her, and still, he figured she’d called it.

“Yeah,” he grunted.

They hit the display that told them where his bag was going to come out and she said nothing.

And they walked to the carousel and she still said nothing.

But he knew he was going to give his mom some time, more for Genny than for his mom.

It was getting to be a problem, him wanting to avoid his mother, and he should probably talk it through with Dad. He’d given him a little when Dad and Genny got back together, and his dad had taken it okay.

Though Sully didn’t think the rest of it he would.

No, telling Duncan Holloway that the entirety of his son’s high school years were fucked up because his mom decided he was going to be her ally with all her conspiracy theories about his dad fucking everything that moved, and she was up his shit all the time (when Dad wasn’t around), wanting him to spy on his own father, babbling all her crap? This going on even after they split up and Dad moved out?

No.

Dad was not going to be okay with that.

Sully had hid it, and he’d lied.

For his dad and for Gage.

He didn’t want her dragging Gage into her shit.

And he didn’t want his father to end up hating her.

So it was on him.

And when they were done, decided to split, he was so relieved. He thought it’d be over.

But instead, he was supposed to be the honorable son, understanding his mom was sick and getting over it.

He did.

He understood she was sick.

And he hated that for her.

But it was hard as fuck to get over it.

Because everyone thought she was all right.

But all Sully saw was her playing more games.

So if it was his choice, he’d hang with Dad and Genny and maybe