Page 26 of The Sweetest Mistake

“You’re wrong. It has everything to do with us.”

“Why are you doing this? Why are you being such a coward?”

He’d been called worse things, but hearing her accuse him like that flipped a switch inside him. “Go home, Julia.”

But she didn’t seem fazed by his harsh words, nor the fact that he wouldn’t look at her.

“I’m not going anywhere until we finish talking.”

“We are finished. Go home,” he repeated firmly.

“You don’t want to talk right now—fine! But we’re not done, Connor. You can’t get rid of me that easily.” And with that, she shoved open the door and stepped out, glaring at him one last time before walking away. He waited for her to go inside and fought the urge to go after her. But once she’d closed the door, he backed out of the driveway and sped off.

It’s better this way, he told himself. She’s too good for me. We’re too different. It’ll never work.

But here it was a few months later, and they were still together. Julia had forgiven him for driving off in a huff after that night at her parents’ house. And he’d forgiven her for calling him a coward, although it still stung whenever he recalled it.

He didn’t want her to see him like that. He wanted to be a man she could be proud of even though he’d never be a doctor like her dad or that asshole Alec. No. He’d always choose beer over wine, and a small house in the woods over a mansion in a subdivision. He’d always prefer jeans to dress slacks. But, that didn’t make him a lesser man.

He was successful in his own right. He was good at what he did, and not just the physical labor. His favorite part of the job was the design aspect. He found satisfaction in transforming a tangled, weedy, overgrown area into a work of art. He excelled at formulating designs that his customers were happy with. And then, when those plans came to fruition, he felt proud of the hard work he’d done.

Of course, his brothers played a vital role too. Finn was an expert businessman, keeping meticulous records and making sound financial decisions that propelled them forward. Their younger brother, Liam, excelled at building customer relations, marketing, and selling O’Brien Brothers Landscaping to anyone who’d listen. All three of them possessed the brains and the brawn to get the job done.

So, Dr. Lee could look down his nose at him all he wanted. He could have his fancy house, his designer suit, and his professional title. Connor was perfectly content with what he had—a reasonably sized house on ten acres, his Jeep four-by-four, a job that he loved, his family, and a beautiful woman by his side.

Now all he had to do was figure out a way to keep her there.

Chapter Seven

Julia showed up early to Connor’s house only to find that Cam had beat her there. When Julia peeked in through the screen door, she saw the three of them sitting on the living room floor in a tight circle—Connor, Cam, and Ava. Connor and Cam were laughing as Ava knocked over a stack of blocks, and then Connor built the stack up again.

Since they hadn’t noticed her presence, Julia stood there and watched for a moment. If she hadn’t known better, she’d have thought she was observing a happy little family. When Ava knocked down the blocks again, Cam placed her manicured hand on Connor’s arm and leaned into him.

Okay, that’s it! Time to break up this happy little scene.

“Hello. I’m here,” Julia announced as she let herself in.

“Julia. Hey,” Connor said, rising to greet her.

As he pulled her into a hug, Julia peeked at Cam over his shoulder and saw her glaring at them. But the minute Connor let go, Cam pasted a cheerful smile back on her face.

Ignoring Cam, Julia crouched down, tugged on Ava’s foot, and said, “Hello, sweet girl.”

Ava smiled and flapped her arms enthusiastically, at which Julia melted and Cam struggled not to frown.

“She likes you,” Connor said. “But of course, who doesn’t?”

I can think of one person.

“Well, I guess I should go now,” Cam said somewhat reluctantly.

“Yeah. I think we can handle it,” Connor said, giving Julia a wink.

Cam had been sitting on the floor with her knees tucked underneath her, so Julia hadn’t seen what she was wearing until now. When Cam stood, she tugged on her denim miniskirt in a display of modesty. HA! The skirt was so tight Julia couldn’t understand how she’d sat down in it. Julia had forgotten how tall Cam was, and she was wearing four-inch wedges that highlighted her long, trim legs. When Cam bent over to say goodbye to Ava, she inadvertently (or maybe not) gave them a full view down her V-neck shirt. Finally, something Julia didn’t have to feel jealous about! Cam was taller and leaner than her, but she also had a lot less to show in the breast department. What little she did have was being propped up by a lacy pink push-up bra.

Glancing over at Connor, it was obvious he’d seen down Cam’s shirt too. He was busy scratching the back of his neck, his nervous tell.

Cam shot Julia a look of smug satisfaction as she tossed her long blonde hair off her shoulders and then turned her attention to Connor, who was trying to ignore the silent battle that was raging around him.