He hadn’t said he loved her, but she felt loved, more so with each passing day. Their relationship wasn’t perfect, and it wasn’t easy, but it was everything she needed and then some.
Chapter Twenty-Two
“This is so much fun. Thanks for asking me to come,” Megan said.
“It is fun. I haven’t had a night out with the girls in a long time. Not since I’ve been dating Finn,” Harper said.
“You guys need to get out more,” Harper’s sister, McKayla, said drily.
Julia laughed. “I guess you’re the only truly single one among us.” But she said it without envy. She was happy to be “off the market” now that she was with Connor.
“Another round?” Their waiter had approached the table, and they’d been so busy chatting they hadn’t noticed.
“Sure! Why not?” Harper said, answering for all of them.
“This is going to be my last drink,” Megan said, “since I’m the designated driver.”
After Connor had told her about his guys’ night out, Julia had arranged a girls’ night out for the same evening. Looking around the table at her friends, she was glad she had. It was nice to have other women to share things with, and with these three women, she didn’t have to hold back.
“So, how are things going with you and Connor?” Megan asked.
“I thought we weren’t going to talk about men tonight,” McKayla huffed.
Harper scowled at her. “Talking about men is what girls’ night is all about! We have to dish about our men—it’s a requirement.”
McKayla rolled her eyes and took a sip of wine.
“In answer to your question, things are going pretty good considering his ex-girlfriend is in the picture,” Julia said.
“How do you handle that one?” Megan said.
“Very carefully,” Julia replied.
“She’s a rock star,” Harper said, rubbing Julia’s arm encouragingly. “Only a strong woman could deal with it the way she has.”
“He’s worth it,” Julia said, smiling unabashedly.
Harper gave her a knowing look, and Megan smiled.
“Why are you two so hung up on those O’Brien brothers, anyway?” McKayla asked.
They all gaped at her.
“Are you kidding? If I wasn’t engaged to Will, I’d have been all over those boys,” Megan said.
And now they all gaped at Megan, who, up until then, had seemed like the most conservative one of the bunch.
“What? They’re gorgeous. I’d have to be dead not to notice. Of course, I’m very happy with Will,” she added, perhaps for Julia’s benefit. He was Julia’s cousin, after all.
“Will’s a great guy,” Harper said, smiling at Megan. Harper and Will had dated for a short time, but if Megan was jealous, she never let it show.
“How about a toast?” Megan said, holding up her wine glass. “To all the wonderful men in our lives!”
Harper and Julia immediately held up their glasses. The only holdout was McKayla, who was tracing a finger around the rim of her glass like she hadn’t heard a word they’d said.
“Kay, aren’t you going to toast with us?” Harper asked, eyeing her curiously.
“I can’t. I don’t have a wonderful man to toast to. But you guys go ahead.”
The three of them clinked glasses and took a drink, but Harper continued to study her sister over the rim of her glass.
“What happened to that guy you were dating recently? What was his name again?” Harper asked.
“Dylan?”
“Right. What happened to him?”
“We went out a few times, but it was no big deal. I haven’t heard from him in a while.”
“What about Liam?” Julia said.
McKayla’s hand tightened around the stem of her glass. “What about him?”
Uh-oh. Connor had told Julia that Liam was interested in McKayla, but why was she acting surprised? Me and my big mouth!
“I just thought…” Julia began, but Harper interrupted.
“C’mon, Kay. It’s no secret that Liam’s interested in you.”
McKayla shrugged. “Doesn’t matter because I’m not interested in him.”
Megan cleared her throat noisily, and they all turned to look at her. “I was just going to say that he’s the last available O’Brien brother…”
“It’s not going to happen,” McKayla insisted.
“Why not?” Julia asked.
“Because, one, we work together, and two, we have nothing in common except that we work together. And everybody knows it’s not a good idea to mix business with pleasure.”
Harper smiled like she was proud of her. “McKayla’s learned that lesson the hard way.”
“Let’s not talk about me,” McKayla said. “Let’s go back to talking about your men.”
Since Julia had brought up Liam to begin with, she decided it was her duty to change the subject.
“Tell us more about your wedding plans, Meg,” Julia said.
“Sure. But can we order some food first? This wine is going straight to my head!”
Harper flagged down the waiter, and they placed their food orders before they resumed talking.
“So, we decided where we’re going to have the wedding,” Megan said. She waited for a dramatic pause and then said, “Jekyll Island, Georgia!”
McKayla gave her a blank stare. “Never heard of it.”
Harper scowled at her sister. “I’ve heard of it, although I’ve never been there. Sounds romantic.”
“Makes me think of Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde,” McKayla said, and they all giggled.
“I’ve never been there either, but I’ve seen pictures. It looks beautiful,” Julia said.
“A lot of my relatives live down South, so we thought that might be a good location,” Megan explained. “I went there once when I was a kid, and I have great memories of it. We still haven’t set the exact date, but we’re working on it.”
“Well, I vote for a winter wedding. That way, we can escape the snow for a while,” Julia said.
“Even though it’s not our decision, I’m with Jules. It would be great to go to a warmer climate during the winter,” Harper said.
McKayla hadn’t said anything, and Julia figured it was because she wasn’t invited to the wedding. This was the first time she and Megan had met, so it made sense. But part of her thought it would be fun if McKayla and Liam could be there too. Who knows? Maybe they’ll be a couple by then.
When the waiter arrived with the food and set their plates in front of them, Julia noticed that he took an extra-long look at McKayla. And who could blame him? She was a striking woman with her flippy light-blonde hair and large hazel eyes. You could tell that she and Harper were sisters; however, McKayla had a style all her own—sort of Bohemian meets girl next door. She wore very little makeup, but her skin glowed, and she had a natural beauty that really stood out. She was even prettier when she smiled, which didn’t occur very often. According to Harper, McKayla had a history of failed relationships, and she’d had a hard time holding down a job. Harper, the quintessential older sister, had stepped in and asked Finn to hire her at O’Brien Brothers Landscaping, and so far, McKayla seemed to be working out fine.
McKayla was obviously trying to get her life back on track, which was probably why she hadn’t responded to Liam’s advances. As she’d said, “Business and pleasure don’t mix.”
“Are you ladies celebrating anything special tonight?” the waiter asked after he’d topped off their water glasses.
He looked at McKayla again, but she’d already dug into her meal and wasn’t paying attention.
“No. Just a ladies’ night out,” Julia replied. The waiter had been very attentive all night long, and now she knew why. He had his sights set on McKayla.
“Just four single ladies out on the town, huh?” the waiter said not so subtly.
“Actually, only one of us is single,” Megan replied. And then she smiled and pointed at McKayla.
McKayla’s he
ad popped up, her pasta wrapped around her fork and poised at her mouth. “Yep. That would be me,” she said and waved her free hand at the waiter before sticking the fork in her mouth.
Julia eyed the waiter more closely and thought that he looked several years younger than them and might even be a college student. But he was good looking in a messy-haired, stubbled-jaw, nerdy sort of way. Not as hot as Connor, but still. And now McKayla was eyeing him a little more closely too.
“I’ll be back to check on you ladies. Enjoy your meals,” the waiter said and sauntered away.
McKayla stared after him, and Harper nudged her shoulder.
“You were staring at his butt,” Harper accused, feigning disgust.
Julia and Megan snickered.
“Why shouldn’t I? I’m the only single one here, remember?” McKayla said.
“Which brings up a good question,” Megan said, setting down her fork. “Butts, abs, arms, or legs? Which do you ladies prefer?”
Julia’s eyes popped out, and Harper choked on her hamburger.
“What? It’s ladies’ night!” Megan said a little too loudly.
“Yeah, and I think you just forfeited your job as designated driver,” McKayla said.
Her comment set off a round of laughter, and suddenly, they were being stared at by several people at the surrounding tables.
“Do you ladies need anything else?” They hadn’t even noticed the waiter reappear, and his question made them laugh even louder.
“No. We’re good,” McKayla said with a wink.
After he’d walked away, Megan said, “You haven’t answered my question.”
“Ah, what the hell! I’m all about the abs. I especially love it when Finn works outside without his shirt,” Harper said, wiggling her eyebrows.
McKayla made a fake barfing sound.
“I’m an arms girl,” Julia said. “I love Connor’s muscular arms, especially the one with the tattoo on it.”
“That is pretty hot,” Harper said before sticking a french fry in her mouth.
“Hey. You have your own O’Brien brother,” Julia teased.
“What about you, Megan? You have to answer too,” Harper said.
“I thought the person who asked the question was exempt,” Megan said, her cheeks turning pink.
Julia wasn’t sure if it was from the wine or from their talk, but Megan had started it.
“Come on, Meg. Spill.,” Julia said.
“It’s kind of weird since Will is your cousin,” said Megan, shifting in her seat.
“I’ll just pretend you’re talking about someone else,” Julia said.
“This is going to sound really stupid,” Megan said, twisting her napkin nervously.
“Just tell us,” McKayla said.
“His ears,” she whispered.
“What?” Julia said, cupping her ear and leaning forward. The restaurant had become a lot louder since they’d arrived, and she’d had trouble hearing Megan.
“Yes. That’s exactly it,” McKayla said, pointing to Julia’s ear.
“His ears?” Julia said.
Harper was trying to hide her laughter behind her napkin but was failing miserably.
“See? I told you it sounds stupid,” Meg said.
“It’s not stupid. Tell us what you like about his ears,” McKayla said, looking genuinely interested.
Julia wondered how McKayla was keeping a straight face, when she wanted to burst out laughing along with Harper.
“They’re just so soft, and they’re the perfect size, and I like to nibble on them when we’re…” Megan’s voice trailed off at the stricken look on Julia’s face.
“Enough!” Julia cried. “I can’t take anymore!”
Megan took a long drink from her water glass, looking like she regretted starting this conversation in the first place.
“Wait a minute. McKayla hasn’t answered yet,” Harper said.
All eyes shifted to McKayla, who had just taken another large bite of pasta.
So far, Julia had only seen her eat bread and pasta, and she wondered how the woman could stay so trim.
After she swallowed, McKayla said very loudly and clearly, “I like butts—nice, firm, perfectly shaped butts!”
The waiter had chosen that moment to walk up to their table. The expression on his face indicated that he’d heard McKayla’s proclamation, and they all waited for his reaction.
“Butts, huh? I’ve been told I have a decent one.”
With that, they broke into raucous laughter except for McKayla, who said, “I’ll be the judge of that.” And then she motioned for him to turn around.
Harper started to slink down in her chair, and Megan buried her face in her napkin while Julia looked on with amusement. McKayla had sass, that was for sure, and Julia liked her more by the minute.
Seemingly thrilled to be asked, the waiter did a slow turn, even going so far as to lift up his black apron and wiggle his butt for them. When he turned back around, he said, “Well, what’s the verdict?”
But before McKayla could reply, a group of men approached their table—a group of tall, attractive men, three of whom looked strikingly similar.
The women froze, and one of the men tapped the waiter on the shoulder.
“Excuse me, but are these ladies bothering you?”
“Um, no, sir. They’re just having a little fun, that’s all,” the waiter said, looking dwarfed by the other men.
“Well, we could hear them laughing all the way across the room, and since we know these ladies personally, we’d be happy to escort them out if you need us to.”
“Connor!” Julia said, torn between being irritated and happy to see him. They hadn’t discussed where they were going that evening, and she found it ironic that they’d ended up at the same place. Of course, Brandon wasn’t that big a town.
“That’s right. We’d be happy to throw them over our shoulders and carry them out of here,” Finn said, smiling at Harper.
Liam just stood there and stared at McKayla while Will moved around the table and clapped a hand on his fiancé’s shoulder.
“Of course, my bride-to-be is completely innocent here, right?” Will said, grinning down at Megan, whose cheeks had turned bright red.
“Um, I have another table to tend to,” the waiter said and scurried away.
“Now look what you guys did! You scared him off,” McKayla whined.
“Were you looking at his butt?” Liam said, a somewhat bemused expression on his face.
“So what if I was? I’m the only single one at this table,” she stated firmly.
Julia and everyone else watched their interaction closely, but nobody dared interfere.
“I’m glad to see you ladies are having fun,” Connor teased.
“Yes, and I’m sure you guys have been having fun too,” Julia replied, her eyes sparkling. Connor looked exceptionally gorgeous, and suddenly, she was ready for ladies’ night to be over with, but she wouldn’t abandon her girls.
“Well, we’ll leave you to it,” Finn said, and bending down, he gave Harper a quick kiss on the lips.
“Yes, and if you need a ride home, let us know,” Will said, ever the responsible one. “I’m the designated driver in our group, and we have plenty of room for four more.”
“We’re fine,” Megan said. “Just having a little fun.”
Leaning down, Connor whispered in Julia’s ear, “Be safe,” and then he gently kissed her cheek before wandering away with Finn and Will.
That left Liam, who was still standing there, seemingly rooted in place.
“I can’t believe you were harassing the waiter like that,” he said to McKayla, arms crossed over his muscular chest.
“Why not? He’s young and good looking, and besides, it’s really none of your business,” she hissed.
“Okay, you two, back to your corners,” Harper said, eyes darting from one to the other.
Sighing, Liam threw up his hands and walked away while McKayla watched him go. Ev
erybody noticed but nobody said a word when they saw her staring straight at his butt!
Chapter Twenty-Three
Once the guys were back at their table, they started on their third round of beers. Well, except for Will, who had switched to water since he was the designated driver.
“Man, our ladies are hot!” Finn said, pretending to wipe the sweat off his brow.
“You can say that again,” Connor chimed in. Having heard Julia’s laughter from across the room, he’d immediately gone in search of it, and the other guys had eagerly followed. None of them had known that they’d end up at the same place as their girlfriends, but none of them seemed to mind (except for Liam, who was scowling into his beer glass).
“What’s wrong, man?” Connor asked, even though he had a pretty good idea what the problem was, or who in this case.
“Not a thing,” Liam said, keeping his eyes trained on his glass.
“Don’t mind him. He just hasn’t gotten laid in a while,” Finn teased.
“I can tell I’m out with the guys,” Will said thoughtfully.
“How’s that?” asked Finn.
“Because with Megan, we talk about ‘making love’ not ‘getting laid.’”
They all chuckled, even Liam.
“So, when are you going to ask her out?” Finn said, eyeballing his youngest brother.
“Who?” Liam said.
“You know who,” Connor said.
“Are we talking about McKayla?” Will asked innocently.
Liam’s head jerked up, and the answer was written all over his face.
“Bingo!” Finn said.
“She’s a pretty lady just like her sister,” Will said. Everyone stilled for a moment, and Connor noticed Finn’s hand tighten around his beer glass. Everyone at the table knew that Harper had dated Will for a short time before she’d gotten together with Finn. That was months ago, but Finn obviously still felt jealous over it.
To his credit, Finn replied, “Harper’s the most beautiful woman there is to me.”
Liam had been sitting there quietly until Connor nudged him. “So, what’s it going to be, bro? Are you going to grow a set and ask her out?”
“I have asked, okay? She turned me down.”
The Sweetest Mistake (O'Brien Brothers #2) Page 17