After the Climb (River Rain #1) - Kristen Ashley Page 0,102
way to Hale.
“That went as expected,” Tom said.
“I worry he thinks he can delay until we give up,” Genny noted.
“In the end, it’s his call if he wants it or not, honey,” Duncan replied.
They all fell into unhappy silence.
Tom broke it, saying, “I need more rum too.”
He touched Gen’s arm, gave Duncan a chin lift and went inside.
Duncan moved to his woman.
“We shouldn’t have done it on Christmas,” she fretted.
“Stop worrying, baby. We had this window, and if he’d opened up, on Christmas, he’d have learned that his dad was more than he thought he was. He didn’t and now he’s in there with Sash and Coco and he’ll be fine. We’ll get another shot.”
“Yes,” she murmured, gazing into the house and slumping into his side.
Duncan pulled her close.
“Good call, building this huge log cabin,” she said.
He turned his attention through the windows into his house and studied the goings-on.
Tons of presents, unwrapped, sitting in individually designated piles under the big, real tree.
Real garlands that made the place smell like a forest were swagged everywhere, fit with red and silver baubles, pinecones and bright red velvet ribbons.
Dogs and cats and a rabbit snoozing or mixing.
Chloe, Sash, Tom, and Hale in the kitchen, talking about something.
Matt and Duncan’s mom playing some card game on the coffee table in the living room.
The fire was crackling.
Christmas music had been playing all day.
And his sons would be home soon.
Yeah, he’d rambled around that house alone whenever the boys were with their mom, and then after Gage went to school, and there were times, too many of them, that it wasn’t fun.
But now, Gen was with him more than they were in Phoenix.
The girls came up whenever they wanted, like they were going to the mall and it wasn’t a two-hour trek.
And every day he’d gone to work since she’d come back into his life, Genny had been home when he’d walked through the door.
Shooting for her new show started in February, so that would end soon.
But it didn’t matter.
His boys’ crystal ball may have broken, but his hadn’t.
He’d built that house for his family and for Genny.
And that was who was enjoying it.
And he knew that was the best present he’d ever get every day for the rest of his life.
“Have I told you I love you today?” Gen asked, and he looked down at her.
And another present.
“You told me after I had Christmas breakfast, before I had the Christmas breakfast that involved food,” he reminded her.
Her face grew soft and sexy with memories of her orgasm before she said, “Well, it bears repeating. I love you, Duncan William Holloway.”
“And I love you too, Imogen Sarah Swan. And just so you know, that thing you opened this morning was a place keeper. Your real gift is up in our bedroom.”
Her chin shifted back.
And then she stated, “First, I do not consider a Van Cleef and Arpels Alhambra pendant a place keeper.”
He smiled.
She kept talking.
“Second, sex with you is a gift, but since your mom is in a room on our side of the house, like I explained, we’re refraining from the actual act, unless your mouth is engaged in some way, due to your gruntiness.”
“First, your rule means sex for the next three days pretty much revolves around me going down on you—” he started.
“Well, if you’d let me suck you off at the same time, it wouldn’t,” she cut him off to proclaim.
He made the instant decision they were doing that later that night.
He didn’t share that.
He got back to business
“But I’m not talking about sex, Genny, I’m talking about the engagement ring that’s upstairs that I’m giving you when we’re alone.”
Her eyes got huge.
Then they got wet.
Then she shoved him hard with both hands in his chest.
“Bowie, you’re not supposed to tell a girl you’re giving her a ring. You’re supposed to just give it to her while asking her to marry you.”
“Yeah, well, if I did that without warning, it’d lead to you making me grunty.”
At that, she started laughing hard, then harder, then she collapsed into his arms, and she was making noises, but he didn’t think she was laughing anymore.
“Baby?” he called into the top of her hair.
“We’re getting married.”
“Yeah, we are.”
“Genny and Bowie are finally getting married.”
He rested his cheek on the top of her head.
“Love you too, Gen.”
“I know, Bowie,” she squeezed him tight. “Boy, do I know.”
And that right there?
Best present of all.
*****
Chloe
Chloe watched her mom and Bowie out on the porch.
Her heart felt light.
Then she looked at her dad who was also watching them, until he realized he had his daughter’s attention.
Then he gave her his eyes, a fake smile that was still sweet, and turned his attention to Hale.
And her heart felt heavy.
Chloe did not do a heavy heart.
She felt her sister sidle closer.
“We’re gonna have to do something about that,” Sasha said, sotto voce.
Chloe glanced at Sasha to see her expression was sad and her gaze was aimed at their father.
Chloe always took the flack, but quite often, it was Sash who was the instigator.
All right, perhaps “quiet often” was overstating it.
“Operation Happiness Part One worked a treat. Now it was time for Operation Happiness Part Two,” Sasha decreed.
“Tout de suite, ma ravissante s?ur, tout de suite,” Chloe replied.
And then she took a sip of her hot buttered rum, knowing the expression on her face was at rest.