Page 40 of The Sweetest Mistake

But he hated seeing the uncertainty on her face whenever Cam was around. He’d give anything to erase her doubt. But how?

Chapter Twelve

The day had started out perfectly. It was one of those gorgeous spring days in May where the sun is bright but the temperature is a comfortable seventy degrees. It was perfect weather for eating dinner outside on the patio of her favorite restaurant with Connor and their friends. It had been his idea, and Julia had jumped on it.

So, there they all were, she and Connor, Harper and Finn, and Julia’s cousin Will and his fiancée, Megan. They’d also invited Liam, the youngest O’Brien brother, and Harper’s sister, McKayla, but neither of them had shown up yet.

There were two pitchers of beer on the table and several appetizers, and as the breeze gently ruffled her hair, Julia scooted her chair a little closer to Connor.

She’d worn a dress for the occasion, and Connor rested his hand on her bare knee beneath the table while they conversed with their friends.

“So, have you two set a date yet?” Harper asked Will.

Initially, Julia had tried setting Harper up with Will, but they’d turned out to be better off as friends, and now he was engaged to Megan. Julia noticed that Finn had casually draped his arm over Harper’s shoulder, and she smiled. Everyone is with the right person, she thought while observing the two couples.

“Not yet,” Will said.

“But we’re getting closer,” Megan said.

“What’s the holdup?” Julia asked.

“We’re trying to figure out the best place to get married since Megan’s family is scattered across the country,” Will said.

“Oh. So, there might be a destination wedding?” Harper said excitedly.

“Could be,” Will replied, smiling sweetly at his fiancée.

“Well, the sooner you let everyone know, the better,” Julia said. “No pressure or anything.”

Everyone laughed.

Julia noticed that Connor and Finn had been particularly quiet during the exchange, but she didn’t think much of it. Women were always more interested in weddings than men anyway.

Just then, Finn flagged down their waitress and asked for another pitcher of beer since he and Connor had finished the one sitting between them.

Speaking of weddings, Julia wondered when Finn might pop the question to Harper. The two of them had moved in together, and she expected that they’d get engaged sometime soon. Harper had put her house up for sale with her real estate friend, Nicole Collins. She’d had several showings, but nobody had made an offer yet. Maybe Finn’s waiting for Harper’s house to sell before he proposes, Julia mused.

And then she realized that all her closest friends were either married, engaged, or having babies. Everyone except her. She wanted all those things too, but given the current situation, she wondered when or if it would happen for her. She had started to envision a future with Connor, but that was before Cam and Ava had shown up. Now her vision was muddled. It was challenging enough to have a relationship between two people, let alone four!

Shaking her head, she tried to rejoin the conversation about Will’s wedding, but just then, Connor’s phone beeped.

Taking it out of his pocket, he looked down at the screen and then quickly typed something before returning the phone to his pocket.

“Anything important?” Julia asked.

“That was Cam. Ava’s running a fever, and she wanted to let me know.”

“Oh. Poor baby. I hope she’s okay.”

“Yeah, me too.”

After their exchange, Will nudged Megan and said, “Go ahead and ask her.”

“Ask me what?” Julia said.

“We’d like you to stand up in our wedding—as one of my bridesmaids,” Megan said, her expression hopeful.

“Oh,” Julia replied, the request catching her off guard.