“Hello, girls,” she said as she bustled into the room. She didn’t wait for a reply as she bent over and lifted Ava into her arms. “There’s my sweet baby,” she said, hugging Ava to her chest.
Ava must have sensed that this woman was going to be important to her since she flapped her arms happily and gave her grandmother a wide toothless grin.
“Isn’t she just the most precious baby you’ve ever seen?” Barbara said without looking at anyone but her granddaughter.
Julia felt a twinge of jealousy, knowing that Cam had helped to create this “most precious baby,” but she quickly let it go. No matter who had birthed Ava, Barbara would have said the same thing.
“Barbara, have you met my sister, McKayla?” Harper said, changing the subject.
“No, I haven’t, but I heard that you work for my boys. It’s very nice to meet you,” Barbara said as she plunked down on the couch with Ava still in her arms.
So much for spending quality time with Ava this evening, Julia thought as she looked around the room. But she couldn’t blame them for wanting to get to know the newest addition to the family. Even though, technically, only Barbara and Ava were family.
“Now, Harper, when are you and Finn going to get married and give me some more grandchildren?” Barbara said with a twinkle in her bright blue eyes.
Barbara was in her sixties, but she still had a vibrant energy about her. Her short, stylish hair was dark brown with auburn highlights, and every time Julia had seen her, she’d been fashionably dressed. She had a warm, confident air about her that drew people in even though her bluntness could be shocking at times.
“Um…” Harper stuttered.
“Maybe you should be asking Finn that question,” McKayla said without flinching.
Now, there was an interesting match!
Harper scowled at her sister, but McKayla didn’t pay any attention.
Barbara laughed heartily, and Ava gave a little laugh too.
Then, looking directly at Julia, Barbara said, “And what about you and Connor?”
“Me?” Julia said, realizing too late that she was the only one Barbara could be referring to.
“Yes. This little girl could use a sister or brother.”
Julia racked her brain for a response but came up empty.
“Oh boy. I think Ava just made a poo-poo,” Barbara said, wrinkling up her nose.
They all laughed, and Julia was relieved that she’d been saved by Ava’s “poo-poo!”
“Where’s the diaper bag?” Barbara asked while holding Ava away from her chest.
“How about if we take care of it?” Harper suggested. “McKayla, why don’t you stay here and keep Mrs. O’Brien company for a few minutes?”
Harper didn’t wait for a response. She simply took Ava from Barbara and motioned to Julia, who grabbed the diaper bag and followed her down the hall to the spare bedroom.
Once they were safely behind the closed door, Julia let out a loud sigh. “Thank you,” she said.
Harper had laid Ava down and was rummaging through the diaper bag. “Barbara really knows how to put someone on the spot, huh?”
But Harper didn’t seem to be as thrown by it as Julia was. Of course, she’d known the O’Briens a lot longer than Julia had and was probably used to Barbara’s personality.
“How do you feel about having her for a mother-in-law?” Julia asked as she handed Harper a wet wipe.
Harper plugged her nose with one hand while she used the wipe with the other.
“Well…” she said, sounding funny because her nose was plugged.
Julia giggled. “Here. Let me finish,” she said, nudging Harper aside. She’d had plenty of practice with this from working at her dad’s office, and she finished changing the diaper with crisp efficiency.
Wrapping the soiled diaper in a tight ball, she tucked it inside a plastic bag, which she tied and handed to Harper.
“Oh, great. So, I’m stuck holding the sh—”
“Shhh,” Julia warned. “Don’t say that word in front of Ava.”
Harper giggled. “Right, because she’s smart enough to understand it already!”
Julia picked up Ava and gave her a hug. “There you go. All clean.”
“You’re a pro at this, Jules.”
“I love babies. You know that.”
“I know, but it’s really special how you’ve taken to Ava when she’s…”
“Not even mine. I know. It’s strange, but I’m trying not to think of it like that anymore. She’s part of Connor, and I love…oops!”
Harper’s eyes danced. “You love him! I knew it!”
“Shhhhh,” Julia implored.
“Why? Ava won’t mind if you love her daddy, will you, sweetie?” Harper said as she tugged on Ava’s bare toes.
“Don’t say a word about this, Harper. I mean it. I haven’t even told him yet.”
“I won’t. I promise,” Harper said solemnly.
“Right. Like you promised not to tell him when I went up to the lake house?”
“That was Connor’s fault. He pressured me into it. This is different.”
“You’re right, and I want to be the first one to tell him.”
“When?”
Julia shrugged. “I’m not sure yet. There’s a lot going on right now.”
“No time like the present,” Harper said.
“I seem to recall you holding out on Finn for quite some time,” Julia reminded her.
“Yes, but I’ve made up for it since then,” she said, wiggling her eyebrows.
Julia laughed. “We better get back out there before Barbara gets suspicious.”
“Ha. She’d probably be happy if she knew we were talking about loving her sons. That just means more grandchildren for her.”
“Maybe from you and Finn, but Connor and I still have a long way to go.”
Harper shook her head. “I don’t think so, Jules. He already has one child. What’s a few more?”
Julia rolled her eyes, but she was secretly thrilled at the idea. She’d always wanted a big family, and if she were to become part of the O’Brien clan, she’d already be starting out with a large group of people. It was a heady thought, and she practically floated back out to the living room with Ava tucked securely against her hip.
“It must have been a really bad one for it to have taken that long!” Barbara exclaimed.
McKayla was perched on the edge of the chair across from Barbara, looking shell-shocked, and Julia wondered what had transpired between them while she and Harper had been occupied.
Surprisingly, when Harper stood up to leave a short while later, Barbara rose too.
“Sorry for hogging her,” Barbara said as she handed Ava back to Julia. “I just can’t get enough of this little cutie.”
“I understand,” Julia said, following Barbara, Harper, and McKayla to the door.
After exchanging goodbyes and thanking her friends for the gifts, Julia shut the door behind them and returned to the living room. Ava looked sleepy from all the activity, so Julia sat in Connor’s newly acquired rocking chair by the window and gently rocked her to sleep.
Julia must have been tired too because, the next thing she knew, she was being awakened by a kiss on her cheek. Thinking it might have been a dream, she slowly blinked open her eyes to find Connor staring down at her with the sweetest expression she’d ever seen plastered all over his handsome face.
Chapter Twenty-Five
“Hi,” Julia said.
“Hi.”
“I must have fallen asleep while I was rocking her.”
“Did she wear you out?”
Julia glanced down at the sleeping bundle in her arms. “No, but I think my arm might have fallen asleep from staying in this position for so long.”
Connor laughed. “Here. Let me take her.”
“Careful,” Julia said as she gently transferred Ava into his outstretched arms.
Ava stirred, but she didn’t wake up.
“W
hat time is it? Where’s Cam?”
“It’s nine o’clock. I convinced Cam to let Ava stay here tonight.”
“Really? Where’s she going to sleep?”
“Cam sent me home with a portable crib. I thought I’d set it up in my bedroom for tonight, but I’ll eventually have to get something more permanent.”
Julia nodded. “That’s a good sign, right? Cam letting you keep Ava overnight.”
“It took some convincing, but yeah. She was exhausted after the move, and I offered to keep Ava so she could get a good night’s sleep.”
“That was sweet of you.”
“It has nothing to do with being sweet. I want Ava with me as much as possible, Jules.”
“I know,” she said, admiring the way he looked with Ava cradled in his muscular arms.
“Maybe I should set up the crib so I can lay her down. She’s starting to get heavy.”
Julia giggled. “Now is the only time she’d be okay with you saying that. Babies are supposed to be chunky. Do you want me to hold her while you set up the crib?”
“Sure.”
They made the transfer again, and this time, Ava whimpered. She popped her eyes open and looked right at Julia, but then her eyelids grew heavy, and she fell back asleep.
Connor took the fold-up crib that he’d leaned against the front door and started walking down the hall toward his bedroom. “You coming?” he asked over his shoulder.
“Yeah.”
She stood in the doorway and watched while he set up the portable crib in an open corner of his room.
“You do realize that you’d still be able to hear her if she was in the spare room, right?” Julia teased.
“Maybe, but I’m a pretty deep sleeper. What if she needed something and I didn’t hear her right away?”
Julia thought it was sweet that he was being so protective, so she didn’t protest. Once he finished with the crib, he said, “Should we change her first?”
Julia shook her head. “She had a huge blowout not long ago, so I think she’ll be good for a while.” She carefully set Ava in the crib and covered her with the blanket that Cam had provided.
“Excuse me. Did you just say blowout?”
The look on his face was priceless, and if Ava hadn’t been sleeping, Julia would have rolled with laughter. Instead, she just smiled and said, “You don’t want to know.”
Connor sat down on the edge of his bed and raked his hand through his cropped hair. As she came and sat beside him, she realized that he looked tired too. Leaning her head on his shoulder, she said, “It’s been a long day. I should leave and let you get some sleep.”
“What? No. I mean stay…please.”
Looking up at him through her lashes, she melted. “Do you want me to stay and help with Ava?”
“No. I mean…yes and no. I really want you to stay for me.”
“Oh.”
Sitting together in the dark with the sound of Ava’s steady breathing as background noise, the scene felt oddly intimate. It was something she’d expect to do with her own child someday—sit there and watch him or her with wonder. It felt very…cozy.
“Lie down with me,” Connor said.
“Are you sure? What if we wake her up?”
But Connor was already pulling back the covers, and then he started undressing.
After he’d removed his shirt, he unzipped his pants and stepped out of them, leaving on his underwear.
At any other time, the display of flesh would have tempted Julia, but now she looked over at Ava’s sleeping form and felt uncertain.
“We don’t have to do anything, Jules. Just let me hold you.”
She looked at him strangely, and he said, “I know. There’s a first time for everything.”
Smiling, she walked around to the opposite side of the bed and started removing her clothes. Connor lay on his side, his head propped in one hand, and watched as if he’d never seen her before. When she was down to her bra and panties, she crawled up next to him and felt his arms come around her.
“How’s that?” he whispered against her hair.
“Perfect.” And it was. She was lying beside the man she loved with a baby asleep in the crib across from them.
Rubbing her palm over his chest, she began to talk, telling him all about the visit with his mom, Harper, and McKayla.
“I knew my mom would find a way to sneak over here,” he said, amused.
“Who can blame her? It’s her first grandchild.”
Connor was tracing patterns on her back, and she felt her body warming with every stroke. It was impossible to lie in bed with him and not want him to touch her like this. She’d be shocked if they made it through the night without making love.
“I’m sure there will be more,” he said quietly.
“True. Harper and Finn will probably get married soon, and I know they want kids.”
Brushing her hair back with his fingertips, he said, “I’m not talking about Harper and Finn.”
“Oh.” Julia’s heart skipped a beat, but she was afraid to think he was talking about them.
“Well, it doesn’t seem very likely for Liam since he’s not dating anyone right now…”
“Julia?”
“Um-hmm?” Her heart was racing, and she willed herself to calm down.
“I’m not talking about Liam either.”
“Then that leaves…”
“Us.”
Her eyes flicked upward to connect with his, and what she saw there took her breath away. He gazed down at her with such intensity, such emotion, that she was temporarily rendered speechless. With one hand resting on her hip, he cupped her chin with the other as if to keep her locked in place.
“I didn’t want to do it like this,” he said, his voice catching.
“Do what?”
“Julia?”
“Yes?”
And then Ava shifted in her crib and let out a little cry.
They both stilled, waiting to see if she’d go back to sleep. But then came another cry and some rustling noises.
Connor sighed as Julia moved out of his arms.
“Maybe she’s just cold,” Julia said. She padded across the room and leaned over the crib. Sure enough, Ava had kicked off her blanket, but her eyes were wide open, and when she saw Julia, she broke into a sweet smile.
Julia hadn’t noticed that Connor had gotten up too until she felt his warm body up against her back and his arms snaked around her waist. Resting his head on her shoulder, he peered down at Ava.
“Looks like she’s up,” he said with a touch of regret in his voice.
“We’ll have to get used to this—being interrupted I mean. How about if you pick her up while I go warm up a bottle?”
“Sure,” he said.
Glancing around for the nearest clothing item, she picked up his T-shirt from the floor and pulled it over her head before going out to the kitchen. As she was coming back down the hall toward his bedroom, she stopped in her tracks. Is he singing? She stood and listened for a few seconds, smiling to herself as he hit the crescendo. And then she slipped back into the room.
Connor was sitting up against the headboard with Ava perched on his thighs. His large hands engulfed her little back, and she appeared to be enraptured by his version of Bon Jovi’s “Livin’ on a Prayer.”
Suddenly, he glanced up and noticed Julia standing there, and she swore she saw his face flush.
“Bon Jovi? Out of all the songs in the entire world, that was the song you chose?” she teased as she climbed onto the bed and sat next to him.
“I couldn’t think of anything else.”
“Didn’t your mom ever sing you nursery rhymes?”
“I’m sure she did, but I couldn’t remember any of them. Besides, I was under pressure.”
Julia giggled and handed him the bottle. “Here. As much as she seemed to enjoy your singing, I think she wants this more.”
Taking the bottle from her, he adjusted Ava’s position so she wa
s cradled against his chest, and he put the bottle to her lips. The scene was so natural, so beautiful, that Julia got a lump in her throat. Suddenly, everything meshed together in her mind. Maybe she and Connor had come together for this very reason, to not only love each other but to love this little girl too.
Neither of them spoke as they watched Ava contentedly suck down her formula, her eyes beginning to droop once again.
“I still can’t believe she’s mine,” Connor said softly.
Julia squeezed his arm. “I know. She’s so beautiful, Connor.”
“So are you,” he said, turning his head toward her.
Leaning in, she gave him a quick kiss on the lips in lieu of a thank you. When she pulled away, she noticed that the bottle had slipped out of Ava’s mouth and formula was dribbling down her chin.
“Here,” she said, handing Connor the burp cloth she’d brought in with the bottle.
He took it from her, threw it over his broad shoulder, and immediately hoisted Ava up. Patting her back with just the right amount of pressure, she emitted a burp and then nestled her face into the crook of his neck.
Julia couldn’t help but think what a stunning picture they made—daddy and daughter together. If Harper were there, she would have snapped a thousand photos by now. Then again, Julia wouldn’t want Harper to be there with Connor looking all rumpled and sexy in his underwear.
He looked completely at ease with Ava resting on his shoulder, and once again, Julia was amazed at how much had changed in such a short time. When she’d first met Connor, she would have never pictured him like this—sexy and sweet. She’d been so caught up in the sexy…
Suddenly, he shifted beside her and carefully climbed off the bed. She admired his backside as he walked softly to the crib and gently laid Ava back down before pulling the blanket up over her. When he turned back around, he caught Julia staring, and his face broke out into a sexy grin.
Crawling back into bed, he pulled her close and said, “Now. Where were we?”
“I think you were about to make love to me.”
“I thought we were talking,” he said, although his eyes widened to mammoth proportions when she whipped off his T-shirt and tossed it onto the floor.
“We’ll talk later,” she said as she reached around and unhooked her bra. He swallowed hard when she slid down the straps to reveal her bare breasts, which were heaving with desire. Leaving her underwear on for now, she crawled over his lap and settled herself on his hips before wrapping her arms around his neck.
The Sweetest Mistake (O'Brien Brothers #2) Page 19