After the Climb (River Rain 0.50)

“Sullivan,” she greeted.

“Cocoroco,” he replied.

She rolled her eyes.

Gage had come up with the addition to her nickname.

She pretended to hate it.

It was cute.

He moved in and kissed her cheek.

She kissed his back, but when he went to move away, she caught him by cupping his jaw.

Her eyes moved over his face, soft, warm and concerned.

Then they caught his.

And honest to fuck, it was all better when she drawled, “She’s a damned fool.”

Christ, when Judge got his shit together about her, he was going to be the luckiest man on the planet.

Outside Dad.

And whoever earned Sasha.

She let his jaw go and lifted her drink. “You want a Snowman Jack?”

“I don’t know, what’s in it?”

“It is blue. It is pepperminty. And other than that, I have no clue, except it is very alcoholic and your brother made a pitcher of them.”

“I’m in.”

Her lips curled and she glided away.

“Dude! Look!”

Sully then looked.

Yes.

Lots of white.

And black.

Black floors. Black wood on some of the white-upholstered furniture. Mostly just white-upholstered furniture. So many crystal chandeliers, it was like there might not be any left in the world. Some gold accents.

And Genny’s Christmas decorations were white, pearly-white and freaking pink.

There were a lot of them.

He looked to her. “Has Dad seen your decorations?”

“Of course,” she murmured.

“And how much shit has he given you about them?” he asked.

“He detests them,” Genny answered, her lips curling like her eldest girl’s.

Sully shook his head but looked to Gage when he yelled impatiently, “Sul! Look!”

His brother was turned to face the back of the unit and his arms were expanded wide.

Sully looked.

The wall was all windows, and beyond a balcony, Phoenix was laid out before them like a blanket of urban-themed Christmas lights.

“Is that not…the shit?” Gage asked.

It was one-hundred percent the shit.

“Yeah.”

“They call me Mr. Holloway. Did they call you Mr. Holloway?”

“Yeah.”

“Sometimes I walk through the lobby just so they’ll say, ‘Good morning, Mr. Holloway.’ Or ‘Good afternoon, Mr. Holloway.’”

“Stop doing that,” Sully ordered.

“I will when it gets old and it is so not old being rich and knowing someone famous,” Gage returned.

“This is why I love and adore our brother,” Chloe said, handing him a martini glass filled with white froth and blue liquid. “He understands what’s important in life.”

“Oh, Coco,” Sasha landed with a bounce on her knees on a sofa that was so white, Sully was, frankly, scared to get near it. “Stop encouraging our baby bro.”

“Lest he ever forget, I will drill this into him until my dying breath,” Coco returned.

Grinning at this, Sully took a sip.

“Jesus, it’s like Christmas in alcohol form,” he said when he’d swallowed it.

“Gage Holloway, mixologist,” Coco said like she was introducing him to Gage.

“I’m our self-appointed bartender. Last weekend, Googled holiday cocktails,” Gage said. “Made a list. Coco went to Total Wine. And the valets had to carry up four boxes of booze.”

“Yes, and you’re all very lucky I’m rich,” Genny stated. She had her own blue and white cocktail now and was aiming her ass into a chair at an angle to the couch. And once she was down, she crossed her long legs in her stylish slacks, still wearing her stiletto heels, and she looked every inch the movie star she was. “Because those four boxes cost me a thousand dollars.”

“The fuck?” Sully asked then looked to Gage. “Does Dad know this?”

Gage shrugged.

“Allow me to translate,” Chloe cut in. “What ma mère is saying, when she discusses something as gauche as money, is, you’ve done it once, which I will allow. Don’t do it again.” She leaned toward Sully. “This I learned upon the purchase of a thirteen-thousand-dollar Chanel evening bag. And I will note, I have only the one.”

At this news, he nearly did a spit take since he was sipping.

“But truly, it is that fabulous,” she finished.

“I’m not sure you’re a real great influence on my brother, Cocoroco.”

“Our brother, mon magnifique frère. And I know, isn’t it perfect?” she asked.

Christ, he loved this chick.

He couldn’t help smiling at her.

“Hey, where’s Cookie?” Gage suddenly asked.

“We’ve decided to leave her up at the house when we’re down. Bettina is looking after them. We’ve learned with the back and forth, it can’t be one and not all, and she’s bonded with Rocco,” Genny told him.

“She’s bonded with Rocco?” Sully queried.

“It’s so cute, they cuddle together,” Sasha shared.

Rocco loved everything and everyone, including cats, which Tuck wasn’t a big fan of, and rabbits, which Bounce hid from.

Good he had Cookie now.

“Gage, darling, can you grab Sully’s bag and show your brother your room?” Genny asked.

“On it,” Gage said.

Gage beat Sully to the hall to get his bag.

Sully gave up on the ridiculous argument of who was going to shoulder it, let his brother do it, and Gage guided him to “their room.”

It took a while. This pad was essentially an apartment.