Page 45 of The Sweetest Mistake

“I believe it’s on a cross-stitch I made,” Debra said after their laughter had died down.

Picking up where they’d left off, Julia said, “The thing is, if I stay here, Connor will probably track me down, and I’m not ready to talk to him yet.”

“So, go away for a few days. Go up to the lake house.”

“The lake house! Why didn’t I think of that?”

“I don’t know, but you’re welcome to use it anytime. You still have a key, don’t you?”

Julia nodded, her enthusiasm growing by the second. “Yes, and I haven’t been there in forever.”

“Well, there you go. Take a few days to yourself, and you’ll probably find the answers you’re looking for.”

“Sounds like another cross-stitch saying,” Julia teased.

“Mom wisdom. You’ll have it too someday.”

And just like that, tears sprang to Julia’s eyes again. Debra knew how much she wanted to be a mom and how devastated she’d been when Alec had said he didn’t want kids. What irony that now that she had access to a baby, it wasn’t hers. It was theirs as she’d been so glaringly reminded of earlier.

Even if she and Connor reconciled, could she love Cam’s child? Could she look at Ava without thinking about how she’d come to be? And how would it work between her and Cam going forward? They obviously harbored a lot of resentment toward each other. Would that ever go away?

“You know what? A few days away is exactly what I need. I’m going to call Harper and see if she’ll give me some time off.”

“Great idea. I wish I’d thought of it,” Debra said, patting Julia on the knee.

Standing up, Julia said, “Thanks for listening, Mom. And I’m sorry I haven’t been around much lately. One way or another, I’m going to fix that.”

“You just worry about you and Connor first, and then we’ll go to work on your dad.”

Bolstered by the knowledge that her mom was in her corner, Julia smiled, hugged her mom tight, and left.

On her way home, she called Harper, who answered on the first ring.

“There you are!” Harper exclaimed.

“Huh?”

“Connor’s been looking all over for you. He just left here a few minutes ago after I swore I had no idea where you were.”

“Good, and he won’t find me if you agree to give me some time off.”

“Wait a minute. Slow down. Time off for what? Where are you going?”

“To my parents’ lake house, if you can spare me for a few days.”

“Sure. That’s no problem, but do you mind telling me what’s going on? Connor didn’t say much other than you’re pissed at him and that you took off from his house earlier this morning.”

It didn’t surprise Julia that Connor hadn’t said more. It was so typical for him to hide things, even from his family. But it made her even angrier.

As she drove, she told Harper what had happened, down to the details of what Cam had been wearing when she’d answered the door.

“That bitch!” Harper said.

Julia laughed, inwardly rejoicing that Harper was on her side despite her connection to the O’Briens.

“Was Finn there when Connor came over?”

“No, but he’s pissed at Connor too.”