Page 30 of The Sweetest Mistake

“But they’re my problems now too,” she argued.

“Only if you want them to be,” Harper said.

Ava’s cries were escalating, and Julia hurriedly took the bottle out of the microwave and squirted some formula on her wrist. “This is good,” she said, looking up to find Harper staring at her. “What?”

“I just hope you know what you’re getting into,” Harper said.

Me too.

Chapter Eight

Shortly after the proud new grandma fed Ava her bottle and she’d fallen asleep, Connor kicked his family out. He’d used the excuse that Ava needed to nap, but the real reason was that he wanted to be alone with Julia. Not to mention that he’d grown tired of his family’s scrutiny, especially his mother’s.

He’d answered her questions the best he could and had watched Julia grow more uncomfortable with each one until he’d decided he couldn’t take it anymore. So now Ava was napping in her bouncy seat where he could still see her, and he and Julia were sitting on the couch—alone.

“Can I get you anything? Are you hungry or thirsty?” he asked.

“No. I’m okay.”

But he wasn’t convinced. So far, she’d been amazing throughout this ordeal, but he saw the doubt and worry in her eyes, and he’d give anything to erase it.

“Are you sure? I’ve got chocolate.”

That perked her up for a second. “What kind of chocolate?”

“Your favorite—plain Hershey bars.”

“Really? When did you have time to go out and buy chocolate?”

“You’d be amazed at how good I am at multitasking,” he teased, anxious to bring a smile to her face.

And it worked. “I could have some chocolate.”

“Great. Stay right here,” he said and disappeared into the kitchen.

Seconds later, he handed her the Hershey bar, which she promptly unwrapped and took a bite of.

“Mmm,” she said. “So good.”

Tugging on a strand of her hair, he said, “I’d rather hear you say that to me.”

“I just did,” she teased.

Watching her sitting there enjoying her candy bar, he felt a sense of peace wash over him. She was a woman of simple pleasures, and he admired that about her. She enjoyed being at home with a takeout pizza and a chocolate bar more than any other woman he’d ever known, including Cam. Cam’s tastes had run to the more exotic and expensive, and looking back, he realized he’d never have been able to make her happy. But with Julia, it had been relatively easy until he’d screwed it up.

“Thanks,” she said, licking the chocolate off her fingers.

He’d been watching her before, but now he openly stared and tried to tamp down his arousal. Luckily, she hadn’t even noticed since she was busy licking her fingers and keeping an eye on Ava, who was still sleeping peacefully.

“You’re going to be a great mom someday,” he said, which made her snap her head around. Oops. Maybe not the right thing to say.

But she recovered quickly and said, “I hope so.”

“I know so. Look how good you are with Ava. It’s like you’re already in tune with her.”

“I love babies. It just comes natural to me.”

“I wish I could say the same.”