“Stop it, Connor. Stop trying to intimidate him with your peacocking!”
Both men stopped and stared at her.
“Peacocking?” Connor said, his lips curling up in a slight smile.
“Or whatever you want to call it,” she hissed.
“Look. It’s obvious that you two have a lot to talk about, so I’ll just leave you to it,” Alec said and started to walk toward the door.
“NO!” Julia shouted, surprising all three of them.
Lowering her voice, she said, “It’s late, and it’s a long drive. I would feel terrible if you fell asleep at the wheel and got into an accident. You can leave in the morning.”
Connor gaped at her and looked like he was about to protest, but she didn’t give him the chance.
“And you can stay too, but I’m not talking to you tonight. It’s late, and I’m tired. I would have already been in bed if I didn’t have so many uninvited guests.”
Connor visibly backed down even though he didn’t look happy about it in the least.
“There are two perfectly comfortable couches in here, and you two can arm wrestle over them if you want to, but I’m going to bed!” With that, she turned on her bare feet and stomped out of the room, leaving the men standing there, flummoxed.
When she reached her bedroom, she slammed the door with a flourish and locked it before flopping back onto the bed. It took awhile for her heart rate to slow and the blood to stop ringing in her ears, and then she was hit with an unexpected bout of laughter. Burying her face in a pillow, she laughed hysterically for a few minutes until she got herself back under control.
If only she had a spy cam to see what Connor and Alec were up to. Just the thought of it had her laughing again, but then she heard voices coming up through the vent beside her bed. The men were talking without bothering to keep their voices down, unaware that she could hear them.
Quietly crawling off the bed, Julia sprawled out on the floor and put her ear to the vent. Yep— it still worked, just like when she was a kid. She and her best friend, Karen, used to do this when they wanted to hear what Karen’s older brother and his girlfriend were saying. What they’d usually heard had been a lot more kissing than talking, but this was better. This was her ex-boyfriend, the man she’d almost married, and her current boyfriend talking about her. This was juicier than spying on Karen’s older brother by far.
“I’m on to you, Alec,” Connor said. “You might be fooling Julia, but you can’t fool me.”
“I don’t know what you’re talking about,” Alec replied.
“Don’t play dumb. You’re going to be a doctor, for Christ’s sake.”
“It’s just like I said. Her parents were worried, and they asked me to check on her. That’s all there is to it.”
“So, you don’t have feelings for her anymore? You really expect me to believe that?”
“What about you?” Alec countered, his voice sounding more venomous than she’d ever heard.
“What about me?”
“I heard that you’re living with your ex-girlfriend and that she had your baby.”
Julia’s fingers clenched the carpet. So, Alec did know the whole story. But what was surprising was how he wasn’t backing down. She would have never expected that from him.
“I’m not living with her. Cam spent one night because our baby was sick and she needed my help.”
“Let me get this straight. Julia’s supposed to believe that you don’t have feelings for Cam, the mother of your child, yet you can stand there and accuse me of still having feelings for Julia?”
Julia’s heart pounded while she waited for Connor’s reply. Not that she needed Alec to fight her battles, but she had to give him some credit for standing up for her like that.
“My situation is different. Cam cheated on me, and I left her and never looked back. Yes, she had my baby, but I have no interest in reconciling with her—ever.”
Julia breathed out, and it was so loud she wondered for a moment if they’d heard it. But after a few seconds, they continued talking like nothing was amiss.
“And what about Julia? What are your intentions with her now that you have a child?”
“That’s really none of your business.”
“I’m just asking because I don’t want to see her get hurt—again.”
Again? Is he referring to himself? A moment later, she got her answer.
“I loved her, but I hurt her pretty bad,” Alec said. “I’ll always regret that.”
“Well, I don’t plan on hurting her,” Connor said, his voice softer now.
“We don’t always plan on hurting the people we love, but it can still happen,” Alec said.
Love? Connor never said anything about love.
“Julia means a lot to me. She’s important to me. I’m not going to lose her.”
Connor hadn’t used the word love, but there was no mistaking the emotion in his voice, and it made her throat constrict. It was the closest he’d come to sharing his feelings about her. Too bad he was sharing them with her ex-boyfriend instead.
“You seem pretty sure of yourself.”
“That’s because I am.”
“Sounds like you’re a little too cocky.”
I used to accuse him of that too.
“Not cocky. Confident,” Connor stated.
After a moment of silence, Julia wondered if they were done talking, but then Alec piped up again.
“I didn’t come here to get between you two,” he said, his voice clear and calm. “I came because I was worried about her. Julia’s one of the greatest people I’ve ever known, and she deserves the best.”
“I agree.”
“I’m not sure that you’re what’s best for her,” Alec said.
“That’s for her to decide.”
Julia lay there for a few more minutes, waiting to hear more, but other than some rustling sounds from them getting settled, there wasn’t anything else. She carefully rose from the floor and slipped back into bed, still wearing her clothes from earlier.
She lay there in silence for a while, listening to the sound of the wind in the trees outside her window and replaying what she’d overheard. She hoped that Connor was being truthful about Cam not living with him and hadn’t been trying to cover it up in front of Alec. Alec might be the one who was studying to become a doctor, but Connor was no dummy. He’d have known that anything he said to Alec would have a good chance of getting back to her parents. So, until she heard it from him directly, she wasn’t going to get too excited.
The same went for his confession about not wanting to lose her. She’d heard the conviction in his voice, but it would mean more once he said it to her face. And he probably would have if she hadn’t banned them both to the living room. But what else was she supposed to do? It was already awkward enough having them both there. She couldn’t very well haul Connor up to her room to talk, even though that’s exactly what she’d wanted to do when he’d shown up at the door. Well, that and a few other things, if she were being honest.
What was it about him? How had he gotten under her skin so quickly to where it was difficult to imagine her life without him? And why was it that she could easily envision her, him, and Ava having fun together in the park, just like the family of three she’d seen earlier? Interestingly enough, she didn’t see Cam anywhere in that picture, and that was the problem. Because, no matter how much Julia wanted to be with Connor and Ava, she’d have to accept Cam’s presence in her life too.
Glancing at the clock, Julia saw that it was after midnight. Instead of getting out of bed to find her pajamas, she decided to peel off her clothes and sleep in her bra and underwear. She didn’t want the floor to creak and alert the men that she was still up. Wriggling out of her clothes, she laid them at the end of the bed and then crawled underneath the covers.
The best thing she could do was try and get some sleep since her troubles would still be there in the morning—both of them!
Chapter Sevent
een
Connor was tired of waiting. He’d spent an entire day and night trying to get to Julia, and now that he’d tracked her down, he was anxious to talk to her. Alec had had the decency to leave early that morning, rousing Connor from his sleep to say, “Be good to her,” before placing the blanket he’d used neatly at the foot of the couch and departing.
Somehow, Connor had managed to sleep through the night even though Alec’s snoring had threatened to keep him awake. And now with Alec gone, he could finally talk to Julia, assuming she was awake.
She hadn’t come downstairs yet, and he wondered if she was delaying their confrontation. Pushing himself to an upright position, he ran his fingers through his hair and realized he’d peeled off his shirt and socks sometime during the night.
Oh well. This is how she gets me.
Not bothering to walk softly, he took the stairs two at a time until he reached the top. He glanced both ways down the hall, not sure which room was hers, and stopped to listen for any sounds. Nothing.
Trying the handle of the door closest to him, he pushed it open and peered inside. The room was a home office equipped with a large cherrywood desk, leather office chair, and floor-to-ceiling bookcases.
Connor closed the door and moved on to the next room, which was a feminine-looking bedroom decorated with white wicker furniture, floral accents, and a white bookcase. This must have been Julia’s room when she was a child. Curious, he walked up to the bookcase and ran his eyes over the titles: Nancy Drew mysteries, the Hardy Boys, and an assortment of other childhood classics.
“Snooping?” Julia said from behind him.
Connor had his hand on a copy of Are You There God? It’s Me, Margaret when he spun around, and the book fell to the floor.
Glancing down at the title, Julia laughed. “Thinking of doing some reading?”
“No,” Connor said, quickly inserting the book back into position on the shelf. “Are these in alphabetical order?”
“Yes. Why?”
“Just wondered,” he said, scratching the back of his head.
“I’m an organized person.”
“Yeah. I noticed.”
“So, if you weren’t coming up here to read, what were you doing?”
“Looking for you.”
“Well, here I am.”
Connor took a moment to look at her—really look at her. She’d obviously just woken up, since she didn’t have a stitch of makeup on. Her hair was done up in a messy bun, she wore a pair of gray shorts and a University of Michigan T-shirt, and her feet were bare. She looked adorable and sexy at the same time, and he was suddenly extremely glad that Alec had already left.
“Where’s Alec?” she said as if she’d read his mind.
“He left about an hour ago.”
“Hmm. Did he leave on his own, or did you kick him out?”
“He woke me up to say he was leaving.” He left out the part about Alec’s warning.
“Hmm,” Julia repeated as if she didn’t quite believe him.
“I swear,” Connor said solemnly, placing a hand over his heart for good measure. But the move seemed to have a different effect as her eyes focused in on his bare chest and then drifted up to his tattoo. She quickly looked away, but not before he saw the flicker of desire in her eyes. Good. That’s one point in my favor.
“So. You came here to talk, but before we do, I need some coffee,” Julia said, turning away and walking out of the room.
He had no choice but to follow her, although he didn’t mind the view. His hands itched to reach out and touch her. Under different circumstances, he would have scooped her up in his arms and carried her back to bed. But then Alec’s words rang in his head. Be good to her. He was pretty sure Alec hadn’t meant to strip her naked and take her up against the wall, so Connor kept his hands to himself as he followed her down the stairs.
Once they were in the kitchen, he sat down at the table while she bustled around making coffee. Then, body bent into the refrigerator, she asked, “Do you want anything?”
Hell yeah, I do. Licking his lips, he said, “Water is fine.”
Why was it that seeing Julia like this, fresh out of bed, was more stimulating to him than seeing Cam all glammed up, or any other woman for that matter? There was just something about Julia that he found irresistible.
“Here ya go,” she said, setting a bottle of water before him.
Catching a whiff of her sleepy scent, he suppressed the urge to pull her onto his lap. He felt like a horny teenager as he watched her move around the kitchen, hoping for a glimpse down her shirt.
When she finally sat down across from him, he felt relieved. At least they were in the same room together without any possibility of being interrupted. Connor had told Cam that he’d be out of touch for a couple of days and that she could call one of his brothers if she needed anything. She’d pouted and asked where he was going, but he’d kept silent. He needed to see Julia without any interference from Cam this time. And here was the perfect place.
The sliding glass door off the kitchen offered an expansive view of Walloon Lake, and there were already a few boats bobbing on the water. Probably fishermen hoping for an early catch. Connor wouldn’t have minded being out there himself, but right now, he had more important things to do.
“This is a great place,” he said, deciding to start with an icebreaker.
“It is. I’ve been coming here since I was a kid, but I haven’t been much lately.”
“How come?”
“Too busy, I guess.”
“I take it Alec’s been here before too,” he said, unable to keep the jealousy out of his voice.
“Yes, when we were dating. I never expected him to show up last night, though.”
“I believe you,” he said, and he did. He could tell that she was no longer interested in her ex, and now he had to convince her that he felt the same.
Julia nodded and took another sip of coffee, her hands wrapped tightly around the mug like she was holding onto a life raft. He hated that he’d caused her to be wary of him, and he was desperate to put an end to it.
“The other day, with Cam…”
“She said she was moving in with you,” Julia blurted out, her eyes boring into his.
“That’s not true.”
“She sounded pretty adamant about it. Are you sure you didn’t give her that impression?”
Scraping his hand across his stubbled cheek, he said, “I might have, but I didn’t mean to.”
“You either said it or you didn’t, Connor. Which is it?”
“I said that she could stay for a few days if she needed to, but that I wanted her to find an apartment as soon as possible.”
“That’s not what she said.”
“Are you surprised?”
“No, but it proves what I’ve thought all along. She still wants you, Connor, and it’s not just to help out with Ava.”
Leaning forward, he placed one hand atop hers and said, “But I don’t want her. Does that count for anything?”
She studied him carefully before responding, “Have you told her that?”
She’d stumped him there. “I assumed she already knew. She knows you and I are dating, and I haven’t done anything to encourage her.”
“Except invite her to stay over and loan her your T-shirt,” she said sarcastically.
Her eyes had narrowed to slits, but he still thought she looked sexy. “That was a mistake, but I was just thinking of Ava. She seemed so small and helpless when we were at the clinic, and even though nothing was seriously wrong, I didn’t feel right being apart from her.”
Julia sighed. “I get that part. I really do. How is she feeling, by the way?”
“Much better. It was just an ear infection, but the antibiotic seems to be helping.”
“Good.”
“Julia?”
“Yeah?”
He rubbed his thumb back and forth over the soft skin on the back of her hand and gazed at her imploringly. “I’
m sorry. I really am. I’m sorry that having Cam stay over hurt you, and I’m sorry for whatever she said to you. But you have to believe me when I tell you that I don’t have any desire to get back together with her. None. It’s you that I want and only you. I want this to work between us, and I’m willing to do whatever it takes to make that happen. Please believe me.”
Julia swallowed hard, and her eyes misted over. “This whole situation is really hard, Connor. Harder than I thought it would be.”
“I understand.”
“How can you when I’m having a difficult time understanding it myself? Ava’s adorable, and I’d love to spend more time with her, but…”
“No buts, Julia. We can make it work. I promise.”
“But what about Cam? Is she going to accept me wanting to spend time with her daughter? What if she tries to take Ava away from you again?”
He smiled because there she was, thinking about everyone else but herself. “I won’t let that happen. I’ll talk to Cam and make her understand that it’s you I want. You and Ava.”
“You make it sound so easy.”
“Listen. Cam has her pride. She might have thought that she could lure me back in, but once she realizes that I’m not interested, she’ll back off. And I doubt she’ll take Ava away again, because she needs my help.”
“What about her sister in Colorado?”
“I don’t think she really wants to move there, Jules. Her life is here. Her job is here. I think she just went there for a while out of desperation.”
Seeing that he had a lot more convincing to do, he pushed back his chair and went around to her side of the table. Kneeling down next to her, he slanted her chair so she was facing him and placed his palms on her thighs.
“What do I have to do to make you believe that it’s you I want? Tell me. I’ll do anything.”
“Anything?” she said, perking up.
“Name it.”
“Well, for starters you could take me out to breakfast.”
He tipped his head back and laughed, feeling better than he had in hours. If his girl wanted to eat, then he’d be happy to feed her. And maybe afterward, she’d want something else from him. Something that would allow him to show her how much he wanted, needed, and l—
The Sweetest Mistake (O'Brien Brothers #2) Page 13