Total pages in book: 149
Estimated words: 151384 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 757(@200wpm)___ 606(@250wpm)___ 505(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 151384 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 757(@200wpm)___ 606(@250wpm)___ 505(@300wpm)
For the moment.
But if he got any hint that they were doing something that they shouldn’t be . . . or if they were intimidating or scaring Immy . . . then they were out and he’d have to hire more security himself.
“Nice?” he asked.
“Uh, yeah.” She yawned and blinked slowly. He kneeled next to the bed and ran his fingers through her hair the way he knew she liked. “He is a bit weird, though.”
“Weird, how?”
That was it. He needed to go.
Why? Because he’s weird? Or because you didn’t like the way that he looked at Immy? Or how close she was standing next to him?
Immy could date.
Jenner didn’t have to like it, though.
Fuck. His feelings when it came to Immy were so fucked up that even he didn’t know how to describe them. Or what to do with them. He adored her. Loved her.
She was so pure and sweet and innocent.
That had to be protected at all costs. He had to protect Immy from everyone and everything.
Including himself.
“He doesn’t eat cookies.”
“What?” he asked.
Her eyes were now shut and she was hugging her toy owl close. “He’s weird ‘cause he doesn’t eat cookies. Who doesn’t eat cookies? It’s unnatural.”
Immy would think that since she thought that cookies should be their own food group.
“Everyone eats cookies. I’ll find what he likes.”
“You don’t need to make him cookies,” he told her.
“Course I do. Everyone should have someone make them cookies. Or cake. Or brownies. Or something.”
That was how Immy showed she cared about people. By baking for them. By buying them thoughtful presents for Christmas and birthdays. The amount of time she put into each gift was crazy.
She did it in other ways too. Like cleaning their cars or putting away their laundry when they were too busy to do it.
She did far too much for them all.
“You’re the best of all of us, Immy,” he whispered to her, gentling his touch as she slipped into sleep. “And I don’t deserve you. None of us do.”
But especially not him.
Jenner wasn’t sure how long he kneeled there and watched her sleep. He was worried about Maeve. They all were. So he should have realized it would affect Immy too. She couldn’t go long without sleep, though, or she’d get ill
So he was going to have to watch her for signs of too much stress or worry.
And he needed to research some new ways to help her get to sleep. Because obviously those sleeping pills had to go.
And it galled him that he hadn’t known that until some virtual stranger told him. Why had Immy even told Tobias that?
He didn’t really like it.
At all.
11
“Tobias!” Immy cried out as he entered the kitchen.
“Yes?” He watched her curiously. She was a bit dishevelled, her hair flying everywhere. She wore a dark-blue apron with white owls on it and a fair amount of flour and other stuff as well.
There was a smudge of flour on her cheek and he thought there was some in her hair too. All over the kitchen island bench were piles of cookies. Was she baking all of these for a reason?
He’d kind of expected her to act a bit strange around him today after last night, but she seemed to have pushed it to one side.
Jenner walked into the kitchen then, eyeing Tobias. Then he turned to Immy. “Baby, what are you doing?”
“I’m making some cookies to tempt Tobias. I need to find out what his favorite is.”
That’s what she was doing? These weren’t all for him, right?
“For me?” Tobias asked, shocked.
“Yep. Do you see anything you’d like to try?” She pushed her hair back. “Drat. I had my hair back while I was baking but the tie snapped. They do that.”
Jenner walked over to her, pulling her hair back and tying it. Which wasn’t an easy feat when Immy was bouncing up and down on her toes.
“Have you been eating cookies as you baked them?” Jenner asked her.
“Uh-huh, uh-huh,” she said. “Gotta taste as you bake! It’s the rules.”
“Sugar high,” Jenner muttered. He grabbed a banana and placed it in her hand. “Eat.”
Oh. So that explained the energy buzzing off her.
“So which one do you want to try first?” she asked Tobias, smiling brightly.
Dear God.
Was she for real? No one did things like this for him.
“Cherry, don’t eat cookies.”
Her lower lip started to wobble.
Holy. Fuck.
He was in trouble here.
“But I will try that one.” He pointed at one randomly, knowing he’d now have to go through with trying it. But it was worth it as that wobble turned into a smile.
Fuck.
She lit up a room with that smile.
Reaching over with her free hand, she passed it to him. He didn’t even know what it was.
Tobias took a bite of the cookie as she watched on in excitement.
He watched as Jenner quickly took the banana from her hand, peeled it, then placed it back into her hand. All without her really noticing.