After the Climb (River Rain 0.50)
Silence I could feel was stunned, even through the phone lines, then, “Lie?”
“I’m putting a statement out within an hour that Samantha Wheeler just lied her ass off to Elsa Cohen.”
“Genny—”
“Fuck Elsa and fuck Sam.”
“You forget, there’s another person in this scenario,” he said hesitantly.
“She comes forward, we’ll say she lied too. And I’m goddamn Imogen Swan and you’re fucking Tom Pierce, they’ll believe us, and we’ll eviscerate them all if we have to. No one does this to my goddamned family.”
“Ge—” he started.
I cut him off. “How did she know?”
“Hale knows. I can only assume he told her.”
“Hale would never do that to you.”
“I have to admit, that’s a part that was seriously gutting me, if he did that.”
“You need to phone him. He’s on his way to find out what’s up his mother’s ass. He’s worried about you. You need to phone him and find out if he said anything. Because if he didn’t, something fishy is going on and we need to get to the bottom of it.”
“It wouldn’t be her,” he said quietly. “She’s not the kind of person to do that.”
He was talking about the woman he fucked.
“I’m sorry, Tom, but you need to get on the line with her too and find out. Or better, get our lawyer on her.”
“She really isn’t like that, Gen. I would not stick my dick in that.”
“Tom, I’m about to press go on the first outright lie I’ve released to my adoring fans. And yours. We need everybody with this program.”
“I’m not at one with you lying, Imogen. Everything you are is against that.”
“Well, you’ve got five full minutes to become one with it, Tom, because if you’re down with it or not, it’s happening.”
He was silent.
Not for five minutes but for at least half of one.
And then he said, “I’ll get in touch with her and Hale. Don’t let Mindi say anything until I do. I need an hour.”
“You got it. But I’m starting her on it. She’ll need that time anyway.”
“I love you, and I will go to my grave regretting what I did to us.”
Again, I closed my eyes tight.
Then I said, “I love you too, and I’ll go to mine regretting you have that regret.”
“Speak soon, honey.”
“Of course, Tommy. Take care. And Tom?”
“Right here.”
“You’re my go-to guy, and even if I have another one, you’ll always be that. Always. Even if you decide you need to take yourself away from me, that’s the way I’ll think of you.”
His voice was guttural when he replied, “I love you, Gen.”
“And I love you.”
We rung off and I barely had my phone from my ear when I heard my daughter ask, “You’re lying?”
I looked her in the eyes.
“Absolutely.”
She stared into my eyes.
And then she said, “I love you so fucking much.”
I smiled at her and ordered, “Call your sister and find out if she’s okay and brief her. Then call your brother.”
“Matt will—”
“Matthew will stick by his family.”
She nodded, ducked her head to her phone and walked quickly down the hall toward the great room.
Duncan had clearly quarantined his sons away from our drama.
I walked back into the game room and announced, “I’m very sorry.”
“I’m very sorry too. That bitch is a bitch. Laying you and Dad and your ex out like that. What the fuck?” Sully clipped.
I blinked because Sullivan had, thus far, seemed even keeled. Like his dad.
“Sasha is a mess and that is not on. I cannot freaking imagine knowing the world knows that shit about my dad when it’s none of their fucking business. She’s a c-word and I wish I could say it, but I don’t even live with Dad, and he’d ground me until I was twenty-five if I did,” Gage added.
Okay, I would love Duncan’s boys just because they were his boys.
But now I just loved Duncan’s boys because they were good guys.
I gave them both a weak smile and looked to Duncan. “I’m so sorry, darling.”
“You got dick to be sorry for,” he bit out.
“I’m lying,” I told him.
“What?” he clipped.
“About Tom. I’m releasing a statement that he didn’t do that.”
“Good. It’s nobody’s fuckin’ business. You need my office?”
I stared at him.
My Duncan.
Protective, almost to a fault.
Of me.
And mine.
And on this thought, it started happening.
Then he was there, his hands cupping my jaw, his face in mine. “Gen, fall apart in an hour. We got you. But now you need to keep your shit tight.”
I nodded, fighting back the tears.
“I gotta call Sheila, baby. I’ll need your statement so she can devise language around it if she gets questions.”
I nodded again.
“Go to my office. I’ll check in, in a bit. You finish your breakfast?”
I nodded yet again.
“You need more coffee?”
Totally gin.
I didn’t say that.
I said, “Yes, please.”
“Sul, get Genny a cup, cream and one sugar, take it to the office,” he ordered.