Page 44 of The Sweetest Mistake

She thought about calling Harper, but it was her day off, and she was probably still in bed, maybe with Finn. Julia didn’t want Finn to know what had happened, because, as Connor’s brother and her friend, he’d be stuck in the middle. So, she went to the only other place she could think of—her parents’ house.

Pulling into the driveway, she felt a wave of relief, and when her mom answered the door a minute later, she fell right into her open arms. It was then that the tears came, bursting out of her quicker than she could swipe them away.

Her mom led her over to the couch and sat down beside her, keeping one arm wrapped tightly around her shoulder while murmuring words of comfort. Once Julia’s tears had subsided, Debra said, “What happened? Does this have anything to do with Connor?”

How do parents know things before you even tell them? Julia nodded, a fresh stream of tears trickling down her face.

“Do you want to tell me about it?” her mom asked softly.

Julia was glad that her dad worked on Saturdays and wasn’t there to see her like this. If ever there was an “I told you so” moment, this was it, and she didn’t want to hear it from both of them.

Sitting further back on the couch and wrapping her arms around her middle, she brought her mom up to date on all that had been happening with Connor. Debra listened intently, her expressions ranging from disbelief to empathy to outrage at Cam’s behavior. When Julia had finished talking, her mom’s first comment was, “That poor baby.”

Huh? What about me? But it was exactly the sort of thing she would have expected from Debra, who hated to see anyone hurting, children most of all.

“I’ve seen so many kids from broken homes, and it never fails to make me sad,” her mom explained. “Kids need both parents to succeed in this world.”

Julia’s eyes bugged out. “Are you saying that Connor and Cam should get back together?”

“No. That’s not what I’m saying at all, especially since they don’t love each other. That won’t do Ava any good.”

“Well, then what’s the alternative?”

“Is that why you came over here? To ask for my advice?” Debra said.

“You sound surprised.”

“That’s because I can’t remember the last time you took our advice. You’ve always followed your own path.”

She was right, of course. Julia had prided herself on being her own person and not relying on anyone for direction. But she was out of her element here, and she had no idea which way to turn. “I just needed to talk to someone,” she admitted.

“I’m glad you thought to come here. You haven’t been around much lately, ever since you’ve…”

“Been dating Connor. Yeah, I know.”

“I’m afraid we didn’t get off to a very good start with him,” Debra said, looking regretful. “Your dad especially.”

It struck Julia that her mom hadn’t referred to him as Dr. Lee that time. He was just “Dad,” and maybe Julia had needed the reminder. Her parents weren’t out to hurt her; they only wanted to protect her, just like most parents did with their children.

“Ava’s so sweet. I’m really going to miss her.”

Eyebrows raised, Debra said, “Are you breaking up with Connor?”

“Yes. No. God, I don’t know!”

“I can understand that it would be difficult to take on another woman’s child, but Ava’s Connor’s child too. Don’t forget that.”

“How can I? I’ve been reminded every day since Cam came back.”

“What are you going to do?”

There it was, the million-dollar question. “I have no idea. I thought I knew this morning, but once I saw them together, looking like a cozy family—it was just too much. All I knew was that I had to get out of there.”

“Maybe you should take a few days to think about it. Listen to your heart, and it won’t lead you astray.”

“Don’t you have that saying embroidered on a towel or something?” Julia said.

Debra burst out laughing, and Julia chimed in.