Page 56 of Sunny Skies Ahead
I shook my head. “I’m not saying thank you out of obligation, I promise. I’m saying it because I’m grateful for you.”
Kameron’s features softened. “Then I’ll accept it.”
I rolled my eyes.
“So, what are we thinking?” Kameron said, gesturing to the living room to our left.
“I think I’m going to talk to Kelly,” I said quietly. “I think it’s time to let go.”
As terrifying as the prospect was, I couldn’t deny the way I’d outgrown this place.
“Okay,” Kameron said, reaching for my hand and squeezing it gently. “Let’s talk to Kelly.”
The way Kameron so casually used terms likeweandlet’sshould have had me running for the hills.
Instead, it felt like the most natural thing in the world.
Chapter seventeen
Kameron
Trying to explore a new romantic relationship while also trying to keep said relationship a secret from your best friends and coworkers was messy.
It was much harder than anticipated, trying to find time to whisk Imogen away. Connor was only at Winding Road on site a few times a week. Most of his work could be done from home, since we were gearing up for the next cohort. Imogen would be the one working from home, and Connor would be here with Lucas and I.
Imogen was also walking through the process of listing the farmhouse. After several conversations with Kelly about the reality of the house’s condition and the value of her land, Imogen made the decision to sell.
I knew it wasn’t an easy choice, but I couldn’t deny how excited it made me. Imogen didn’t know where she was going next, and it would most likely be months before she formally moved, but there was a good possibility she’d want to move here.
Add that to my rising anxiety about getting ready for the Warrior’s Foundation presentation that was coming up in just a few short weeks, and I was drowning.
It was also getting difficult to keep the situation with my mother under wraps. All five of us had a lot going on, and the last thing I wanted to do was to stress my friends out with my crap.
I also realized that this would be one of the last opportunities for me to visit my mother before the next cohort began, because I was a terrible son, and still hadn’t called Gail back to arrange a visit.
With things between Imogen and I so delicate and new, I was nervous to introduce her to this part of my life. Dementia was a heavy thing to walk through, and Imogen was someone I cared deeply about. I also knew Imogen’s propensity to take things on where she shouldn’t. I didn’t want her to feel a sense of obligation to go with me.
And yet, when she approached me the next morning, wrapping her arms around my waist and tucking her face into my neck, the words “I need to tell you something” slipped out before I could hold them back.
Imogen turned to face me, her jaw set in a way that I recognized as a sign of her anxiety rising. The expression made my stomach flip.
“That came out weird,” I said. “Sorry. I’m really anxious.”
Imogen’s face softened. “What’s going on?”
“My mother. . .”
Crap. How was I supposed to tell her this? Would she be mad that I kept this from her despite my good intentions.
“My mother lives in a memory care facility in Laketon.”
There. It was out there, and there was no taking it back. Imogen’s face gave nothing away, and she gave me a subtle nod to continue as she turned towards the coffee machine to make her morning espresso.
“I got a call from the director a few weeks ago. She’s not doing well.”
Imogen’s face fell. “I’m sorry, Kam.”
“I want—Ineed—to go visit her. I don’t know when things might progress. I’d like to have some memories of her, even if they’re hard. I haven’t visited her as often as I should have these last few years.”
