Julia
“I suck at telling her no,” I said to Lachlan once Imogene disappeared into the athletic building.
“No, you don’t. You’re a good mum.” He arched a brow. “If all this stuff with Nick weren’t going on, would you have let her stay?”
“No question.”
“Then you made the right decision.” He leaned down, lips touching mine.
It was freeing to be able to kiss him anytime without worrying about who could see us. While we couldn’t exactly make out, at least not here, I still liked the idea of kissing him anytime and anywhere I wanted.
Lachlan pulled back and glanced past me, pushing out a long breath.
“Well, if Imogene’s only going to be twenty minutes, I should probably start signing a few things.”
I placed my hands on his chest, hoisting myself onto my toes. “Do your thing.” I pressed another kiss to his lips, then turned toward Naomi.
“Come on. Let’s people watch and talk shit.”
She clapped excitedly. “Two of my absolute favorite things to do.” She hooked her arm in mine as we walked toward the empty bleachers.
Any other day, no one would be lingering, all the students having left or gone toward the football field in preparation for tonight’s game. But today wasn’t a normal day. Instead, dozens of students waited to meet Lachlan and get his autograph.
And just like in Hawaii, he happily signed anything the kids asked of him, Nikko keeping everything running smoothly.
“It’s really sweet of him to do this.”
“What? Sign all those autographs? That’s normal for him. I haven’t been out in public with him much, but I imagine this is pretty typical.”
“No.” Naomi shook her head. “I’m talking about the fact he came to Imogene’s game tonight when he has his own to get ready for. The way he cheered for her… The pride in his eyes…” She licked her lips, struggling to come up with the words to explain it.
She didn’t have to, though.
I lifted my gaze to hers, emotion tightening my throat. “I know…”
She squeezed my hand. “I’m so happy for both of you. He’s truly an incredible man, Jules. And exactly the type of person you deserve. That Imogene deserves, too. I’m glad you finally allowed yourself to be happy. Finally allowed someone to love you. And allowed yourself to love someone in return.”
“And I’m glad you finally smacked some sense into me.” I nudged her, lightening the tension.
“That’s what I’m here for.”
The minutes passed in comfortable silence as we watched Lachlan easily interact with everyone waiting to meet him. He truly was a remarkable man. And completely unlike the image most people probably had of the young pitcher who had a propensity for being a bit of a hothead, at least on the mound. Instead, it was obvious how much he appreciated each and every one of his fans. How grateful he was to have the opportunity he did.
I was so mesmerized by watching Lachlan that I didn’t realize how much time had gone by until Roman approached, brows scrunched in concern.
“I’m sorry, Ms. Prescott.” He ran a hand through his hair. “But has Imogene come out of the athletic building yet? I tried texting and calling, but she hasn’t answered. Or even read my texts.”
I glanced at my watch, seeing it had been over a half-hour. Her game ended a little after six. It was now approaching seven, and the football game would be starting soon.
Granted, she was taking a shower. And since she had plans to spend time with Roman, she could have been putting in a bit more effort than normal in styling her hair and applying her makeup.
That didn’t stop the worry from creeping in, even after I checked the location of her phone, watch, and backpack tag, all of them in the same place — the general vicinity of the locker room.
“I’m sure everything’s fine,” Naomi offered, sensing my growing unease. “Her security escort has barely left her side. Hell, I thought he was going to step onto the field and shadow Imogene during the game.”
“You’re probably right. But I’ll go check on her anyway.”
I pulled my phone from my purse and pressed Imogene’s contact, holding it up to my ear as I stood and made my way across the field. When her voicemail picked up, I called again, not so much as glancing Lachlan’s way as I passed. All my attention was focused on the athletic building, searching for anything that appeared out of place.