Page 29 of Sunny Skies Ahead (Watford Sweethearts #2)

Chapter nineteen

Kameron

I shoved down on the “for sale” sign one last time before wiping my hands on my jeans and stepping away to admire my handiwork.

It was several days after our trip to Laketon to visit Lilliana, and I’d never been more grateful for the distraction of being busy.

Imogen had gone back and forth on whether to list the house for sale.

After many conversations with Abbie and Kelly Sakis, she’d finally made the choice to list the house and see what happened. If she didn’t find a buyer she felt comfortable selling to, she’d keep it. And if they found a buyer, she would figure out what her next steps would be.

Kelly had suggested adding the sign, not because there was a ton of foot traffic, but because it would look nice for listing pictures.

Imogen hugged herself tightly as she looked at the sign. Her cheeks reddened, and I sensed her tears were about to fall long before they actually did.

I walked over to her, replacing her arms with mine as I hugged her tightly.

“You did good. ”

Imogen nodded and sniffled, rubbing her nose with the back of her hand.

“I know, this is the most attractive thing you’ve ever seen,” Imogen said, laughing through her cries. “God, I’m a mess.”

I pulled back from the hug so I could hold her face in my hands and smiled.

“You’re always beautiful,” I said, and meant it. Imogen rolled her eyes, but I saw the gratitude shining in them before she turned away.

“Why is it that men always say that?” Imogen said, sticking her hands in the pocket of her jeans before striding back up the driveway.

Because this is what it’s like to be in love , I wanted to say. You’re always beautiful because I care for you so deeply that the rest of the world fades away when I look at you.

I might be losing my mind under the pressure coming at me from a thousand different directions, but my feelings for Imogen were the one thing that hadn’t faded in the last few weeks.

The late afternoon sun descended over the mountains as we returned to the farmhouse.

Imogen headed towards the kitchen to stir the slow cooker chili we planned on having for dinner, and I grabbed my laptop from my bag so we could continue working on the presentation.

I’d pulled the financial information from our various bank accounts and she’d been the one to put all of that information into beautiful graphs that elevated our slides, and would make it easier for me to explain during the presentation .

A few hours later, dusk fell over the landscape, and I closed my laptop.

Imogen stretched her arms out above her head and sighed contentedly before walking to the slow cooker to examine the chili.

I followed her, placing my hands on her hips.

It had been hours of working, and while I was focused on crafting the presentation that would make or break my career, I was also distracted.

“It needs another fifteen minutes,” Imogen said, sprinkling some shredded cheese on top.

“I can think of several things we could do to pass the time,” I said, moving closer to her.

I slid my hands down her sides, painstakingly dragging my callouses down the sensitive skin, looping my thumbs in the belt loops of her jeans to pull her back against me.

She let out a needy sound that sent a bolt of desire through me.

Crazy . She made me crazy with want. Having her this close to me was dizzying. There had been so many moments the last few weeks where I’d had to slow down and pinch myself. That I wasn’t dreaming.

I leaned down to press a kiss to her shoulder, and she shuddered.

“Your mind is permanently in the gutter.”

“When you’re around, yes,” I said. “Can’t blame a man.”

Imogen made me reckless. Reckless in a way that meant I would go to her come hell or high water if she asked me to.

She turned around in my arms, her eyes meeting mine.

“We need to finalize things for the grant presentation,” Imogen said. I said nothing, tilting her face away from me so I could press a light kiss to her jaw. She ran her hands up and down my chest before settling on my forearms.

“You are so distracting,” she muttered, and I kissed her. I kissed her like it was the only thing I wanted to do, and in so many ways, it was. I’d felt happier and more fulfilled over the last several weeks than I could remember being in recent history.

And it wasn’t because of the Warrior’s Grant, or the strides Imogen was making with getting the word out about Winding Road.

It was because of her . Because of what we had between us.

I’d known I wanted more the first night we’d slept together, where I’d woken up to her beside me, looking at me like I was the only person in the freaking world. What had started as a shameless crush was now something real. Something I obsessed over.

I was falling. And that terrified me. Not because I feared my feelings, but because I knew Imogen feared hers.

Not that I blamed her. Escaping an abusive relationship like the one she had with Jacob left scars on a person. I didn’t expect her to easily bounce back from that.

There were some scars that never healed completely. Out of everyone in the world, I knew that intimately, as she did.

“Oh Imogennnn!” came a sing-song voice from the front foyer. Imogen and I jumped apart like we’d been burned. Imogen swore loudly, pressing a hand to her chest.

“Who is that?” I whisper-yelled. Imogen’s eyes were wide as she looked from the dining room table set for two back to me. Bass’s head popped up from where he was sleeping on the couch. He bared his teeth in a snarl before he began barking in earnest.

“It’s Kevin,” she whispered back, and my heart sank.

“What the hell is Kevin doing here?” I asked incredulously. “Did he say anything to you about coming over tonight?”

“No, he didn’t,” Imogen said, and there was genuine fear in her eyes. “I have no idea why he’s here, but—”

Kevin Phillips rounded the corner, looking frazzled himself.

I didn’t know the kid well, but I could tell by the fake smile on his face that something was wrong.

He mouthed I’m sorry to Imogen before stepping to the side.

A middle aged White woman stood in the entrance to Imogen’s kitchen, looking entirely displeased by what she saw.

Her white button up was cleanly pressed without a wrinkle in sight, and she was wearing dress slacks.

Honest to God business professional slacks, in the heat of summer.

“You have a dog now?” Kevin said, cocking his head in disbelief as his eyes landed on the animal behind him. Bass was still primed and ready on the couch, showing his teeth towards Kevin and the mystery woman.

My fingers twitched at my sides as I regarded the woman. I wanted to step in front of Imogen to shield her from whatever terrible energy was spilling out from this woman, or put my arm around her shoulders and drag her close to me.

“Well, this is quite a surprise. The last time I found you in a compromising position in this kitchen, it was a woman between your legs.”

And I knew in that moment that this woman was Imogen’s mother.