The Sweetest Mistake (O'Brien Brothers #2)

by Susan Coventry

“What’s the holdup?” Julia asked.

  “We’re trying to figure out the best place to get married since Megan’s family is scattered across the country,” Will said.

  “Oh. So, there might be a destination wedding?” Harper said excitedly.

  “Could be,” Will replied, smiling sweetly at his fiancée.

  “Well, the sooner you let everyone know, the better,” Julia said. “No pressure or anything.”

  Everyone laughed.

  Julia noticed that Connor and Finn had been particularly quiet during the exchange, but she didn’t think much of it. Women were always more interested in weddings than men anyway.

  Just then, Finn flagged down their waitress and asked for another pitcher of beer since he and Connor had finished the one sitting between them.

  Speaking of weddings, Julia wondered when Finn might pop the question to Harper. The two of them had moved in together, and she expected that they’d get engaged sometime soon. Harper had put her house up for sale with her real estate friend, Nicole Collins. She’d had several showings, but nobody had made an offer yet. Maybe Finn’s waiting for Harper’s house to sell before he proposes, Julia mused.

  And then she realized that all her closest friends were either married, engaged, or having babies. Everyone except her. She wanted all those things too, but given the current situation, she wondered when or if it would happen for her. She had started to envision a future with Connor, but that was before Cam and Ava had shown up. Now her vision was muddled. It was challenging enough to have a relationship between two people, let alone four!

  Shaking her head, she tried to rejoin the conversation about Will’s wedding, but just then, Connor’s phone beeped.

  Taking it out of his pocket, he looked down at the screen and then quickly typed something before returning the phone to his pocket.

  “Anything important?” Julia asked.

  “That was Cam. Ava’s running a fever, and she wanted to let me know.”

  “Oh. Poor baby. I hope she’s okay.”

  “Yeah, me too.”

  After their exchange, Will nudged Megan and said, “Go ahead and ask her.”

  “Ask me what?” Julia said.

  “We’d like you to stand up in our wedding—as one of my bridesmaids,” Megan said, her expression hopeful.

  “Oh,” Julia replied, the request catching her off guard.

  “I don’t have any sisters, and my best friend is my maid of honor, but I could use another bridesmaid,” Megan explained.

  “I’d love to,” Julia said, smiling at them. This would be the third wedding she’d stood up in recently, and she was starting to wonder if there was such a thing as a professional bridesmaid. But she loved Will like a brother, and she really liked Megan, so of course, she said yes.

  “Great! I promise not to make you wear a dress that looks like an ice cream flavor,” Megan said, earning a round of laughter from the group. “In fact, we can go shopping together, and you can pick out the dress.”

  At least there’s that. “Sounds good,” Julia said before taking a long swallow of beer.

  As she was setting down her glass, Connor’s phone buzzed again. This time, everybody stopped talking to hear the latest news.

  After he read the text, he looked up to see everybody staring at him and said, “She’s taking Ava to the emergency clinic.”

  “Babies get fevers all the time. I’m sure it’s nothing,” Finn said.

  “Since when are you an expert on babies?” Connor said.

  Connor and Finn had a volatile relationship. They could either be the best of friends or mortal enemies depending on their moods.

  “Hey, I was just trying to make you feel better,” Finn retorted.

  “Well, don’t,” Connor said, stuffing the phone back in his pocket.

  Placing her hand on his forearm, Julia said, “Do you want us to leave and meet Cam at the clinic?”

  Glancing around the table, he shook his head. “No reason for both of us to go. Why don’t you stay here, and I’ll go?”

  She started to argue, but then Harper piped up and said, “We can give you a ride home, Jules.”

  “Yeah. That’s no problem,” Finn affirmed.

  Julia was torn between wanting to enjoy the evening with her friends and wanting to be by Connor’s side. She’d hate it if something was seriously wrong with Ava and she wasn’t there. But Connor had already stood up and pushed in his chair.

  “Thanks, guys. I better get going.”

  “I’ll walk you out,” Julia said before standing up and following him out to the parking lot.

  “Finn’s right, you know?”

  “About what?” he said briskly.

  “Having a fever doesn’t mean it’s something serious.”

  “Are you a doctor now too?” he said.

  Up until then, she’d blamed his abruptness on his being worried about Ava, but now her patience was running out. They’d reached his Jeep, and as he went to open the door, she put her hand on his arm again.

  “No, but my dad is, and I’ve been around a lot of sick babies. But you know what, never mind. You’re obviously not interested in hearing anything I have to say.”

  “Shit. I’m sorry, Jules. I’m just not used to this, ya know? I don’t usually get calls about a sick kid who’s mine.”

  While she felt bad for him, she was still smarting from the way he’d treated her and his brother. “Just go. Ava needs you.”

  Nodding, he hopped up in the Jeep and drove away, leaving her standing there in the parking lot. He wasn’t the only one who wasn’t used to getting interrupted in the middle of dinner. She’d been looking forward to a relaxing night out all week long, and now it was down to her and two couples. Inhaling deeply, she plastered on a smile and went to rejoin her friends. Even with Connor gone, she was determined to enjoy the rest of the evening without him.

  While Finn and Harper were driving her home, Julia checked her phone for the umpteenth time. She hadn’t asked Connor to update her about Ava’s condition, but she’d assumed that he would.

  “This must be hard on you too,” Harper said when she saw Julia looking at her phone.

  Finn was driving, and he kept his eyes glued to the road, pretending not to hear.

  “Yeah. It is,” Julia said. “I hope Ava’s okay.”

  “I’m sure he’ll call you after he leaves the clinic,” Harper said, but Julia wasn’t so sure. He’d probably be too busy attending to his sick baby and consoling her mother. Once again, Julia questioned Cam’s motives. Cam must know that he’d feel responsible for her and Ava and would jump in to help whenever he could. Was she using that to her advantage?

  It was late by the time Finn dropped her off, and Julia still hadn’t heard from Connor. She didn’t feel right going to bed without knowing Ava’s condition, so she decided to send him a text. She figured it would be less disruptive than a phone call, and Connor could answer her discreetly.

  So, she typed: Are you still at the clinic? How’s Ava?

  When there was no reply, Julia started to get ready for bed. She hung up her dress, washed off her makeup, and put on some pajamas. Originally, she’d thought that she and Connor might spend the night together, so she’d worn a sexy bra and panty set under her dress. There went that idea, she thought as she tossed them into the hamper.

  Connor wasn’t the only one who’d have to get used to being interrupted. She’d just crawled under the sheets when her phone buzzed with an incoming text.

  Connor had written: We’re home now. Ava was given an antibiotic and she’s sleeping comfortably.

  Wait a minute. We’re home now. What exactly did that mean? Julia read the text again, confused by his choice of words. Did he mean that they were each at their individual homes or that they were together? Suddenly, a chill crawled up her spine, and her nerve endings tingled with dread. What should I do? Should I ask him if they’re together? Would he tell me the truth if they were?

  But before she co
uld make up her mind, her phone beeped again.

  Cam’s staying over tonight so we can both keep an eye on Ava.

  And there was her answer. Her instinct had been correct—again. She’d learned to listen to her inner voice whenever something felt off, but in this case, the voice was more like a scream. Shoving off the covers, she got out of bed and started pacing.

  “Am I just supposed to accept this? My boyfriend and his ex-girlfriend are staying overnight together, and I’m just supposed to sit back and let it happen?”

  Her phone buzzed again, probably because she hadn’t texted him back.

  Jules? Are you still there?

  She stared at the screen for a moment, debating how to respond, and then she typed: I’m glad Ava’s feeling better. That was all she could manage before she shut off the phone and set it face down on her bedside table. And then she paced some more, knowing there was no way she’d get to sleep anytime soon.

  She hated the idea of Cam sleeping under Connor’s roof, with or without Ava there. She could just imagine what Cam wore to bed, probably something skimpy that accentuated her long, toned legs and perky little breasts. She was probably trotting around his house like that right now, or worse, they were sitting in the living room together having a nightcap.

  A nightcap? Really, Jules? But still! Ava was probably sleeping soundly in the spare room, which left the two of them all alone. As she was pacing, Julia caught a glimpse of herself in the dresser mirror. Her hair was in disarray from shoving her hands through it, her face was pale and drawn, and her Hello Kitty pajama set, which she’d thought was so cute when she’d bought it, made her look like a rumpled little kid.

  Damn that Cam! She with the flowy blonde hair and bright blue eyes, looking more like a runway model than a woman who’d just had a baby. Cam was really a devil in disguise, and Connor refused to see it. He’d made excuses for Cam’s behavior and insisted that she only had Ava’s best interest in mind. But how could he trust her? And could Julia trust him? After all, he didn’t owe her anything. They were dating, but that wasn’t the same as having a true commitment to one another. They hadn’t even exchanged words of love, which would have been something to hang on to, but there wasn’t even that. What did they share other than a heart-pounding physical attraction and some mutual friends, two things that would be easy to walk away from?

  Finally, tired of pacing, Julia slipped back into bed. She picked up her phone, and sure enough, Connor had tried to call, but he hadn’t left a message or sent any more texts. He’d probably given up on her and was currently being seduced by the blonde she-devil. Setting her phone down, Julia turned her back on it and curled into herself.

  “Fine. You can have him!” she shouted. But a few minutes later, once she’d started to settle down, she realized that it wasn’t fine at all. Nothing about this situation was fine. And the question that nagged at her as she tried to sleep was: What am I going to do about it?

  Chapter Thirteen

  Julia rose early the next morning and quickly got ready. Sometime in the middle of the night, she’d decided what she was going to do, and now she was anxious to follow through on it.

  She’d downed two cups of coffee, but she was still bleary-eyed as she pulled into Connor’s driveway, right behind Cam’s car. It was only seven thirty in the morning, but she figured they’d be up because of Ava. And even if they weren’t, too bad!

  Inhaling deeply, she exited the car, and quietly closed the door, not wanting to give them advanced warning of her arrival. For a brief second, she questioned her decision to come there, but only for a second. She had to face this sometime, and now was as good as any.

  She knocked on the door and waited. No answer. She knocked again, a little louder that time, and then she heard footsteps. Here we go.

  The door opened with a whoosh, and the two women came face to face, staring at each other like they were in a western standoff until Cam reluctantly motioned her inside. In a way, the visual was even worse than Julia had imagined. Cam wasn’t wearing sexy pajamas, but she was wearing one of Connor’s T-shirts with the logo for O’Brien Brothers Landscaping printed on it and nothing else. The T-shirt hung to mid-thigh, but if Cam sat down, the shirt would probably show a glimpse of her underwear, assuming she was wearing any.

  Even without makeup, Cam’s skin glowed, which seemed unfair at seven thirty in the morning. Her hair was caught up in a swingy ponytail, and she was barefoot, her pink, polished toes looking entirely too comfortable in Connor’s plush carpet. And to make matters worse, Cam was holding Ava on one hip, looking every bit the pretty young mom at home with her family on a sunny, Saturday morning.

  The only saving grace was when Ava held out her chubby little arms in Julia’s direction as if she wanted to be held by her. HA! But Cam ignored her daughter’s request and eyed Julia haughtily like she was the intruder there.

  Blood rang in her ears, but Julia managed to detect another sound—the shower running.

  “Connor’s in the shower,” Cam said, confirming it.

  “That’s okay. I wanted to talk to you anyway.”

  “Well, as you can see, I’m kind of busy here. Ava was sick last night, and we were up late.”

  There was the dreaded we again. Julia was starting to hate that word.

  “Yes, I know. How’s she doing today?” Julia asked, temporarily setting aside her animosity and reminding herself that Ava was the innocent one here.

  “Better, but she might be contagious, so you shouldn’t get too close.”

  Ava looked fine from where Julia stood, but she got Cam’s message loud and clear. Not wanting Julia to get too close to her daughter is exactly what Cam wanted.

  “I know what you’re doing, Cam, and it’s not going to work.”

  “What am I doing?”

  “Trying to win Connor back.”

  The words floated in the air for a moment before Cam shrugged. “And what if I am?”

  “You might think that because you had his baby, he’ll take you back, but you’re wrong. You screwed up when you screwed your boss, and Connor isn’t going to forget that.”

  “Maybe not, but he might be able to forgive. If not for my sake, then for Ava’s.”

  “What kind of mother uses her child as bait?”

  “She’s not bait. She’s our child. That’s right—ours. And Connor is going to want to do whatever’s best for her.”

  “And you think what’s best is if you three become a happy little family, right?”

  Cam shrugged again.

  “Connor already told me that’s not going to happen.”

  Cam’s eyes narrowed, and her smug smile instantly disappeared. “He may have said that to you to make you feel better, but that’s not what he said last night.”

  Julia’s heart began galloping in her chest. Don’t let her get to you. She’s lying.

  “In fact, last night, when we were sitting in the living room drinking a beer, he said he’d consider letting Ava and me move in here for a while.”

  Julia studied Cam’s face, looking for any indication that she was lying, but she didn’t see one.

  “Ask him yourself. He’ll tell you,” she said confidently.

  Julia’s head was spinning, and she thought she might faint. The shitty thing was she believed her. She could see where Connor might allow them to live there until Cam found a place of her own. And once Cam had him in her clutches, who knew what might happen. It wasn’t out of the realm of possibility that he could fall in love with her again. People broke up and got back together all the time. Wasn’t that the very reason Connor was skeptical of Alec?

  She and Cam were still standing in the entranceway when she noticed the shower had shut off. She was debating about whether to wait for Connor to come out when, suddenly, he was standing there too, off to the side with a towel wrapped around his waist and damp hair.

  When he saw Julia, his face lit up, but Julia noticed that Cam’s did too as she openly perused his magnificent
body from head to toe. Suddenly, it was all too much, and Julia had to escape. Turning around, she started to walk out when Connor called, “Julia, wait!”

  Ignoring him, she pushed open the door and hurried to her car, moving quicker than she thought possible on her high-heeled wedges. She cursed herself for wearing them because she’d been trying to look pretty for him. What a joke!

  “Julia, stop!” he shouted.

  Ignoring him, she slid into the driver’s seat, and then she noticed that he’d stepped onto his porch in the towel and was about to come after her. Behind him, Julia saw Cam and Ava standing in the doorway, watching the whole scene play out.

  At that moment, all Julia’s courage and determination disappeared, and all she wanted to do was get as far away from them as possible. Ignoring Connor’s protests, she backed down the driveway faster than she probably should have and left him in a cloud of dust—literally. The last thing she saw was him waving his hands in front of his face to clear the dust away.

  Heart pounding, her fingernails dug into the faux leather steering wheel. She was barely aware that she’d passed the turn-off to her street until she was already well past it. All she knew was that she didn’t want Connor to find her, assuming he would come looking for her at all.

  She thought about calling Harper, but it was her day off, and she was probably still in bed, maybe with Finn. Julia didn’t want Finn to know what had happened, because, as Connor’s brother and her friend, he’d be stuck in the middle. So, she went to the only other place she could think of—her parents’ house.

  Pulling into the driveway, she felt a wave of relief, and when her mom answered the door a minute later, she fell right into her open arms. It was then that the tears came, bursting out of her quicker than she could swipe them away.

  Her mom led her over to the couch and sat down beside her, keeping one arm wrapped tightly around her shoulder while murmuring words of comfort. Once Julia’s tears had subsided, Debra said, “What happened? Does this have anything to do with Connor?”

  How do parents know things before you even tell them? Julia nodded, a fresh stream of tears trickling down her face.