Page 29 of The Sweetest Mistake

Daniel O’Brien had paused and was looking around the room at his sons as if to sniff out the culprit. When his eyes landed on Connor, who was scratching the back of his neck furiously, his eyes widened with understanding.

Luckily, Ava was cooperating beautifully, garnering Barbara’s full attention by smiling and cooing.

“Is she a relative of yours?” Barbara asked Julia.

“Um…no…”

Suddenly, Connor rose from his seat and walked over to where they were standing. Gently taking Ava from Julia, he held her facing outward like a shield and said, “Mom, Dad. I’d like you to meet my daughter, Ava.”

All eyes shifted to Barbara, and nobody moved a muscle as they awaited her reaction.

“Your daughter? But how? When?” She looked Julia up and down as if she’d been secretly carrying Connor’s baby all this time and Barbara had missed it.

Julia would have laughed had she not noticed the stricken look on Connor’s face. He’d been apprehensive before, but now he looked terrified. Julia had known his family long enough to understand Barbara’s role in the family. In a household full of men, she’d had to hold her own, and she was a tough lady with strong opinions that she didn’t hesitate to share. Her boys were no longer under her control; however, they still revered and respected her, and nobody wanted to endure her wrath.

But Julia also knew that underneath Barbara’s hard-as-nails exterior, she had a soft heart and she loved her boys tremendously even when they screwed up. Everyone knew that Barbara was itching to have grandchildren, but she’d probably never expected it to happen like this. Thus, the reason for Connor’s discomfort.

“Remember Cam?” Connor said.

“The blonde woman who was a little full of herself?” Barbara said.

Liam snickered in the background until Finn punched him in the arm.

“Yes. Well, it turns out that she was pregnant when we broke up, and she neglected to tell me until now.” The second the words were out, Connor looked visibly relieved.

But Barbara wasn’t done. “Well, where is she? I’d like to give her a piece of my mind!”

“Barb,” Daniel warned.

“I mean it. What kind of woman has a baby and doesn’t tell the father?”

A blonde woman who’s a little too full of herself, Julia wanted to say.

“It doesn’t matter, Mom. Now that I know, I’m going to be completely involved in Ava’s life.”

With that, Ava gave a little cry, and Barbara immediately sprang into action.

“Poor baby. Come to Grandma,” she said, whisking Ava out of Connor’s arms.

“I’ll warm up her bottle,” Julia said, grateful for a reason to escape.

“I’ll come with you,” Harper said, jumping up and following her.

As soon as they were alone in the kitchen, Julia let out a breath. “Holy cow. That was intense,” she said as she stuck the bottle in the microwave.

Harper eyed her with concern. “How are you handling this, Jules? I mean, you had to be shocked.”

“Shocked doesn’t begin to cover it.”

“What did Connor have to say for himself?”

“What could he say? He was blindsided by this too. That’s what he was doing in Denver a few weeks ago—meeting Ava for the first time.”

Harper shook her head. “I can’t imagine what that must have been like.”

“I know, which is why I’m trying to keep it together—for him.”

“Jules,” Harper said, placing a hand on her arm. “Your feelings are important too. Don’t let Connor’s problems weigh you down.”