Page 35 of Sunny Skies Ahead (Watford Sweethearts #2)

Chapter twenty-five

Kameron

I t had been a long time since I’d allowed myself to get that angry.

I normally kept my feelings pretty close to my chest and didn’t let other people bother me. But the sight of Imogen’s ex-husband sitting at the bar, like he didn’t have a care in the world, unraveled something in me.

I knew now why he was so fidgety. It’s because he knew people at the bar would recognize him and he was trying to keep a low enough profile that someone didn’t start something before he had the chance to talk to Imogen.

But someone did start something, and that someone was me.

And I had never felt more like a piece of shit in my life than when I turned around to see Imogen standing there, face sunken and void of feeling, looking at me with that haunted expression, like I was a monster.

Like I was the villain in her story.

Jacob deserved to get punched in the face. I refused to sit here and say that he somehow deserved redemption, or the chance to explain himself. He didn’t .

But that choice on how he deserved to be punished for his past actions wasn’t up to me, and I shouldn’t have taken it upon myself to do that.

But damn if I still wanted to.

I’d let Jacob go as soon as Connor told me Imogen was watching. Jacob had just stood there and laughed, calling me every name in the book, saying I was weak.

I couldn’t care less what he thought of me. I knew what kind of man I was.

My only concern was Imogen.

Imogen hadn’t answered my texts or my calls from last night, though I couldn’t blame her. I wouldn’t want to talk to me either.

I was the world’s biggest idiot.

When Connor finally came back after spending the night at Abbie’s apartment, I immediately asked him how Imogen was feeling.

Connor just gave me a look, as if to say, you’re a fucking idiot .

“I know I’m an idiot,” I said, throwing my hands up in defense. “But I need you to tell me how she is. She didn’t answer my calls, and I’m losing my freaking mind here.”

Connor slung his keys on the bar top with a sigh.

“She feels like shit, Kam. I don’t know what you want me to say.”

Whatever hope I had that things were salvageable was quickly dissipating the longer I looked at Connor. He slumped his shoulders forward in defeat.

“Did she say anything to you?”

Connor shook his head .

“Not really. I left pretty quickly after breakfast. I wanted to give her and Abbie some space to talk things out. She’s still planning to go to Seattle.”

I let out a long sigh of relief. In the aftermath of what happened at the bar, I had completely forgotten about Seattle. Not having Imogen there would be devastating. I needed her administrative help, yes, but I needed her there for moral support.

I couldn’t imagine giving that massive presentation that I was so nervous about, that meant so much to Winding Road and was so important for our stability in the future, without her there. She had been such an integral part of this process.

And selfishly, I needed her there for me, because she was the one damn thing in this world that could calm me down with nothing more than a brush of her fingers against mine.

Not that I had a right to ask her after the events of last night.

“That’s good,” I said, trying to remain optimistic. If she was still up for Seattle, there was a chance we could talk things out. There was a chance I could apologize.

Connor just shook his head.

“She doesn’t want to talk about last night.”

“She doesn’t want to talk about last night,” I repeated, trying to process the words. She couldn’t just go back to normal after last night.

Connor shook his head again, frustration making his body stiff.

“You’re a freaking idiot, Kameron. You’re an idiot , going after Jacob like that. What the hell were you thinking? ”

“I know, I know,” I said quickly. “I wasn’t thinking. When I saw him there and realized who he was, I lost my mind.”

“Yeah, you did lose your mind,” Lucas said, appearing from the hallway behind me. I whirled to face him.

“Jesus Christ, I thought you were still sleeping.”

“Yeah, well, the two of you talk really loudly,” Lucas said, trotting over to the coffee pot to pour himself some caffeine.

“What am I supposed to do?” I said, looking to Connor for guidance. Connor just shrugged.

“I gotta be honest, I don’t know. Abbie knows Imogen better than me, but I remember what Jacob was like in high school. I don’t know why he’s back in town, but I have to assume it has something with trying to talk to Imogen.”

“Well, that’s not going to happen,” Lucas said, and I nodded my head in agreement.

“I agree,” Connor said.

“Okay,” I said, closing my eyes and pressing my fingers into my temples to ease the ache forming there. “So we all agree Jacob doesn’t come anywhere near Imogen.”

Connor and Lucas nodded their heads in agreement.

“I need to talk to her,” I said. “But I don’t want to spook her anymore than she already is. I don’t know what the hell to do.”

Lucas and Connor shared a rare glance.

“I have an idea,” Lucas said after a sip of his coffee. “Let me talk to her.”

“Are the two of you still planning to come to Seattle?”

“I will be,” Lucas said before jerking his chin towards Connor. “Big Man over here is sitting this one out. Something about Abbie having an appointment in Brighton. ”

I nodded. I had kind of expected Connor would stay behind.

“As much as I hate to say it, we’ll just have to wait and see how things shake out over the next couple of days,” Connor said, reaching out to squeeze my forearm.

Sitting around and waiting was the last thing I wanted to do.

But if Imogen was truly as triggered as I thought she might be by the events of last night, I knew she needed her space.

I trusted that Lucas would encourage her to come to me when she was ready.