Page 28 of Sunny Skies Ahead (Watford Sweethearts #2)

“Kameron Miller,” a warm, gentle voice called out. Kameron turned towards the hallway and waved at the middle-aged blonde woman walking towards us. “It’s been far too long.”

The woman pulled him into a hug before turning her attention to me. “You must be the assistant.”

She waggled her eyebrows, much to Kam’s chagrin, and I couldn’t help but smile.

“I’m Imogen,” I said, extending a hand towards her. “Imogen Phillips. ”

To my surprise, she took my hand and then pulled me in for a hug. I let out an “oof” of surprise but returned the hug. If Kameron was comfortable with her, I felt like I could be, too. She released me and I tucked a stray curl behind my ear, suddenly feeling out of place.

“This is Gail,” Kameron said with a gentle smile. “She’s the director here, and a longtime family friend.”

“It’s wonderful to meet you,” I said. Gail gestured for the two of us to follow her.

“She’s in the common room with some of the other residents,” Gail said.

“How has she been today?” Kameron asked as we walked.

Gail smiled as she looked back over her shoulder. “She’s having a good morning. She wasn’t fully lucid upon waking, but I wouldn’t be surprised if your presence helped her return to the present moment.”

We rounded a corner, and my breath caught at the wall of windows overlooking the mountainside.

There were several tables and various seating arrangements.

Some had board games or books laid out. We approached a woman sitting in the chair overlooking the mountains beyond.

Kameron’s breath hitched, and I knew that this woman was Lilliana.

“Hi, Mom,” Kameron said gently. The woman didn’t turn to face him, but I could have sworn her posture relaxed slightly at Kameron’s presence.

Kameron took the empty seat beside Lilliana. I hung back, perfectly happy to stand nearby as emotional support for Kameron.

“It’s Kameron,” he said. “I’m going to sit with you for a bit. ”

“That’s fine,” Lilliana said, turning to face him. “You look familiar.”

Kameron’s expression shuttered briefly, but he kept a gentle smile on his face. Gail squeezed my shoulder gently, and I nearly jumped out of my skin, having forgotten she was there.

“I need to head back to my office for a meeting, but let me know if you need anything,” Gail said. “I hope your visit goes well. It was lovely to meet you, Imogen. Kam is a wonderful man, and I’m happy he’s found someone to share his time with.”

“Oh, we’re not—”

But Gail was already walking away, and whatever retort I had died on my lips. I had a suspicion denying my growing feelings for Kameron would have been futile anyway, based on how protective Gail seemed of him.

I turned my attention to Kameron and his mom, watching as Lilliana reached out a hand to stroke his face gently. My heart leaped as her eyes widened.

“Kameron,” she repeated, her eyes scanning his face. “My boy. You’re my boy.”

Kameron’s lips trembled as he smiled. “Hey, Mom.”

“My goodness,” Lilliana said, sitting back in her chair and looking Kameron over. She shook her head a few times, as if trying to clear the last of the fog from her head. “You’ve been in the gym.”

Kameron let out a wet laugh and nodded.

“I try to stay in shape.”

“I remember,” Lilliana murmured. “Do you still have the farm? ”

“Yes,” Kameron said, and my heart sped up. She was here with him. I’d hoped she would be lucid even for a few minutes of our visit, and she was. “Things are going really well. Amazing, actually.”

“And your friends?”

“Connor and Lucas still work with me,” Kameron said. “Connor got married recently, to a girl from his hometown that he’s loved his entire life.”

“That sounds dreamy,” Lilliana said, smiling wistfully. “I remember those early days of love. How perfect everything seemed. How easy it was to believe the dark days would never come.”

The expression on Kameron’s face crushed something inside me.

“I don’t want to talk about that,” Lilliana said quickly, shaking her head almost violently. “I don’t want to.”

“That’s okay,” Kameron said, and I saw the fear flash in his eyes as he reached out for his mom’s hand. He squeezed it gently. “We don’t need to talk about that.”

Lilliana nodded, but I could tell she was rattled. Even the memory of her husband was enough to shake her.

I realized then why Kameron was so anxious about this.

His anxiety went well beyond simply visiting his mom—it was how earth-shattering the loss of his father was for her.

He had said it in so many words, that his father’s death broke his mother.

He’d told me in detail about the ugly days after the funeral, where Lilliana wasn’t able to properly care for him .

“That girl is staring at us,” Lilliana whispered, and I pressed a hand to my mouth to stifle a mortified laugh. Kameron glanced over his shoulder and his beautiful eyes met mine.

“Well, this is actually a girl I wanted you to meet,” Kameron said, gesturing for me to step closer.

Lilliana’s eyes widened in sheer delight. “Kameron Miller, are you bringing a girl home?”

Kameron’s face flushed. “Mom.”

“Forgive me,” Lilliana said, tilting her head in my direction. “This is the first time he’s ever brought a girl home to me, so you’ll have to excuse my shock.”

It suddenly felt like the floor was going to fall out from under me.

“Surely this isn’t the first time,” I said.

“It is,” they replied simultaneously. Kameron grimaced while Lilliana was positively delighted.

“Come, sit and talk with me for a minute,” Lilliana said. “Kameron, might you fetch us both a cup of tea?”

Kameron glanced between us briefly. “Are you sure that’s—“

“Oh, for the love of everything, go,” Lilliana said. “Before this ends.”

Kameron’s jaw dropped slightly as I inhaled sharply.

“You know,” I said as I sat down. “About your memory.”

I winced, feeling like an idiot for saying that.

I wasn’t well versed in dementia care, but I did know that each case was different.

Some people were aware of their gaps in memory, but others weren’t.

As things progressed, most individuals lost track of their memory gaps, until lucidity became increasingly rare .

“Memory is a strange thing,” Lilliana said. “It’s strange what we remember, and what we don’t. But let’s not talk about me. Let’s talk about you.”

“My name is Imogen,” I said, wringing my hands together nervously. “I live in Watford, a small town close to Winding Road.”

“Watford, Watford. . . I’m sure I’ve been that way before,” Lilliana said.

“I met Kameron during the Founder’s Festival last year. The Winding Road nonprofit was the main sponsor, so Kameron and I worked together to help the festival organizer with everything. Earlier this year, he offered me a job to help with some administrative work on the farm.”

“Oh,” Lilliana said, raising her eyebrows to show her intrigue. “And when did you figure out that my son was the most handsome young man you’d ever laid eyes on?”

I choked on a laugh right as Kameron re-appeared with two cups of tea. He handed one to each of us before pulling one of the smaller chairs over to our little corner and settling in behind us.

“I’m not sure,” I said honestly. When had I first realized that I was interested in Kameron? I’d known from the beginning that he was attractive—there was no way for anyone in their right mind to deny that—but I couldn’t place exactly when I’d started wanting more.

“Don’t torture her, Mom,” Kameron teased.

“Well, what about you? When did you first realize? ”

“There was a party last fall. The five of us were meeting each other for the first time, and when Imogen walked in the door. . . I couldn’t take my eyes off of her.”

My lips parted as my heart galloped in my freaking chest. I remembered that night, but that was also the first time we’d met.

The knowledge that Kameron’s eyes had been on me from that very first night had butterflies fluttering to life in my stomach.

“How romantic,” Lilliana said. “It reminds me of. . . of. . .”

Kameron leaned forward, concern etched into the lines of his face as Lilliana turned away from him.

“You need to go,” Lilliana said, and a lead ball of emotion quickly replaced the butterflies in my stomach. “Thank you for coming, but you need to go. Please. I can’t talk about it. I don’t want to talk about it.”

I quickly waved the nurse standing near the entrance to the common room over, sensing that things were about to go south.

“I love you, Mom. It’s okay.”

Lilliana looked back at him, but gone was the delight that had been there just minutes before. She looked hollow now. A ghost of who she’d been.

Kameron stood to leave, and I placed my teacup on the table before chasing after him. We took off our guest badges and signed out before Kameron practically ran out of the door into the parking lot.

“Kam, wait,” I said, chasing after him. When he turned around, devastation written into his features, I did the only thing I could—wrapped my arms around his neck and hugged him tightly.

He clung to me, and his shoulders shook with the force of his emotions. I buried my face in his neck, inhaling the earthy scent of his cologne.

“I’m here,” I whispered. “I’m not leaving.”

I felt the truth of it in my bones. I wouldn’t leave him. Even if our romantic feelings for one another faded, even if whatever relationship we had between us fizzled out, I wanted him in my life.

Whatever that looked like.

“Let’s go home,” I murmured. “A snuggle with Bass will do you good.”

Kameron sniffled and pulled away from me, wiping his red cheeks and shaking out his shoulders. He turned his face away from me, and I linked our hands together, a silent reassurance that he didn’t need to turn away from me.

“Let’s go home.”