Page 80 of The Sweetest Mistake

“Hey, Connor? Something wrong?” Finn asked, breaking into his thoughts.

“No. But, I just decided that I’m ready to get out of here too.” He might not have someone waiting at home, but he knew right where he wanted to be.

Up until then, it had been easy to forget that Will was Julia’s cousin. First, they didn’t look that much alike, and second, Will had just been one of the guys. But now Will studied him closely.

“I have to admit that at first, I wasn’t so sure about Julia dating you. But now I can see how much she cares about you,” Will said.

“Goes both ways,” Connor said, looking him directly in the eyes.

“I can see that.”

“I wish it were that easy for the rest of her family.”

“You’re talking about Dr. Lee, right?”

Connor shrugged.

“I get it. He’s my uncle, but he’s always scared the crap out of me,” Will said. “I’m related to Julia through Debra.”

Connor smiled at Will’s attempt to apologize for Julia’s dad.

“Anyway, he’s just overprotective because Julia’s his only child,” Will said.

Connor could relate. He’d become fiercely protective of his own daughter in the short time he’d known her, and he suspected the feeling would continue to grow. While he and Will had been talking, Finn had paid their tab, and now he stood, indicating that guys’ night was officially over.

Connor and Will stood too, all three of them anxious to get back to their women. They said goodbye in the parking lot and took off in their separate vehicles. As Connor drove through town and then down the two-lane road toward his house, he debated about turning around and heading to Julia’s.

He felt confident that if he showed up on her doorstep, she’d let him in and even invite him to spend the night, but he decided that wasn’t the best course of action. His thoughts were all over the place, and he needed some time to process what he’d discovered—that he loved her.

He was afraid that if he went to her house, they’d tumble into bed together, and then he’d tell her he loved her before, during, or after they had sex. And for some reason, he didn’t want it to go down that way. He wanted to tell her in the light of day when she least expected it, not during the throes of passion. Maybe it was because of the way their relationship had begun. Originally, that’s what he’d thought it had been about—sex. But now he knew different, and he wanted her to believe him when he said the words.

So, even though his body yearned for her and he would have liked nothing better than to be wrapped up in her arms, he went straight home. But as for going straight to sleep, that wasn’t going to happen. Instead, he lay there in the dark, hands behind his head, and tried to formulate a plan for when he would tell her. After a half-hour of thinking, he realized he sucked at making plans. He was much better at shooting from the hip, at spontaneity. Julia was the one who excelled at planning, not him.

“Errrrrrr,” he growled after several more minutes went by and he still hadn’t come up with an idea. But then he decided to cut himself some slack. He would know when the time was right, and then he would go for it.

“Ahhh. Much better,” he said, wriggling down beneath the sheet. After all, Julia knew him, and she wouldn’t expect some big production. He would do what he did best—play it by ear and then hope like hell that she’d say it back.

Chapter Twenty-Four

“I recently started giving her solid food,” Cam said, “so if she seems hungry, you can try to feed her from one of the jars I brought.” She proceeded to hold up jars of baby food ranging from fruit to mixed veggies to cereal.

“We’ll be fine, won’t we, sweetheart?” Julia said as she gave Ava a squeeze. This was the first time she’d seen Cam since Connor had had “the talk” with her. It had been awkward at first, but the minute Cam had handed Ava to her, Julia’s discomfort had disappeared.

Oddly enough, Cam had agreed to let Julia watch Ava while Connor and his brothers helped Cam move into her new apartment. Julia took that as a positive sign, since Cam could have left Ava with her parents instead.

Connor winked at Julia. “I’m not sure who’s going to have more fun, you or Ava.”

Julia smiled broadly while Cam looked on. While she didn’t want to rub Cam’s nose in it, she had decided not to hide the way she felt about Connor or Ava. It was time that everyone started getting used to this, Cam included.

“I need to get some tie-downs from the garage. Be right back,” Connor said.

After he left the room, Julia and Cam stared at each other for a moment, and Julia hefted Ava to her other hip. “She’s getting heavier,” Julia said, hoping to break the ice.

“I know. Ever since she started on solids, I can tell a difference,” Cam said, reaching out to touch Ava’s hand.

“Connor said your new apartment is really nice. I bet you’re looking forward to moving in.”

Cam nodded. “It will be great for Ava to have her own room. We’ve been sharing my old bedroom at my parents’ house, and it’s kind of crowded.”