After the Climb (River Rain 0.50)

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 “quite 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 sœur, 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.

But in her head…

She was plotting.

* * *

The End

* * *