Page 41 of The Sweetest Mistake

“I don’t have any sisters, and my best friend is my maid of honor, but I could use another bridesmaid,” Megan explained.

“I’d love to,” Julia said, smiling at them. This would be the third wedding she’d stood up in recently, and she was starting to wonder if there was such a thing as a professional bridesmaid. But she loved Will like a brother, and she really liked Megan, so of course, she said yes.

“Great! I promise not to make you wear a dress that looks like an ice cream flavor,” Megan said, earning a round of laughter from the group. “In fact, we can go shopping together, and you can pick out the dress.”

At least there’s that. “Sounds good,” Julia said before taking a long swallow of beer.

As she was setting down her glass, Connor’s phone buzzed again. This time, everybody stopped talking to hear the latest news.

After he read the text, he looked up to see everybody staring at him and said, “She’s taking Ava to the emergency clinic.”

“Babies get fevers all the time. I’m sure it’s nothing,” Finn said.

“Since when are you an expert on babies?” Connor said.

Connor and Finn had a volatile relationship. They could either be the best of friends or mortal enemies depending on their moods.

“Hey, I was just trying to make you feel better,” Finn retorted.

“Well, don’t,” Connor said, stuffing the phone back in his pocket.

Placing her hand on his forearm, Julia said, “Do you want us to leave and meet Cam at the clinic?”

Glancing around the table, he shook his head. “No reason for both of us to go. Why don’t you stay here, and I’ll go?”

She started to argue, but then Harper piped up and said, “We can give you a ride home, Jules.”

“Yeah. That’s no problem,” Finn affirmed.

Julia was torn between wanting to enjoy the evening with her friends and wanting to be by Connor’s side. She’d hate it if something was seriously wrong with Ava and she wasn’t there. But Connor had already stood up and pushed in his chair.

“Thanks, guys. I better get going.”

“I’ll walk you out,” Julia said before standing up and following him out to the parking lot.

“Finn’s right, you know?”

“About what?” he said briskly.

“Having a fever doesn’t mean it’s something serious.”

“Are you a doctor now too?” he said.

Up until then, she’d blamed his abruptness on his being worried about Ava, but now her patience was running out. They’d reached his Jeep, and as he went to open the door, she put her hand on his arm again.

“No, but my dad is, and I’ve been around a lot of sick babies. But you know what, never mind. You’re obviously not interested in hearing anything I have to say.”

“Shit. I’m sorry, Jules. I’m just not used to this, ya know? I don’t usually get calls about a sick kid who’s mine.”

While she felt bad for him, she was still smarting from the way he’d treated her and his brother. “Just go. Ava needs you.”

Nodding, he hopped up in the Jeep and drove away, leaving her standing there in the parking lot. He wasn’t the only one who wasn’t used to getting interrupted in the middle of dinner. She’d been looking forward to a relaxing night out all week long, and now it was down to her and two couples. Inhaling deeply, she plastered on a smile and went to rejoin her friends. Even with Connor gone, she was determined to enjoy the rest of the evening without him.

While Finn and Harper were driving her home, Julia checked her phone for the umpteenth time. She hadn’t asked Connor to update her about Ava’s condition, but she’d assumed that he would.

“This must be hard on you too,” Harper said when she saw Julia looking at her phone.

Finn was driving, and he kept his eyes glued to the road, pretending not to hear.