Page 42 of The Sweetest Mistake

“Yeah. It is,” Julia said. “I hope Ava’s okay.”

“I’m sure he’ll call you after he leaves the clinic,” Harper said, but Julia wasn’t so sure. He’d probably be too busy attending to his sick baby and consoling her mother. Once again, Julia questioned Cam’s motives. Cam must know that he’d feel responsible for her and Ava and would jump in to help whenever he could. Was she using that to her advantage?

It was late by the time Finn dropped her off, and Julia still hadn’t heard from Connor. She didn’t feel right going to bed without knowing Ava’s condition, so she decided to send him a text. She figured it would be less disruptive than a phone call, and Connor could answer her discreetly.

So, she typed: Are you still at the clinic? How’s Ava?

When there was no reply, Julia started to get ready for bed. She hung up her dress, washed off her makeup, and put on some pajamas. Originally, she’d thought that she and Connor might spend the night together, so she’d worn a sexy bra and panty set under her dress. There went that idea, she thought as she tossed them into the hamper.

Connor wasn’t the only one who’d have to get used to being interrupted. She’d just crawled under the sheets when her phone buzzed with an incoming text.

Connor had written: We’re home now. Ava was given an antibiotic and she’s sleeping comfortably.

Wait a minute. We’re home now. What exactly did that mean? Julia read the text again, confused by his choice of words. Did he mean that they were each at their individual homes or that they were together? Suddenly, a chill crawled up her spine, and her nerve endings tingled with dread. What should I do? Should I ask him if they’re together? Would he tell me the truth if they were?

But before she could make up her mind, her phone beeped again.

Cam’s staying over tonight so we can both keep an eye on Ava.

And there was her answer. Her instinct had been correct—again. She’d learned to listen to her inner voice whenever something felt off, but in this case, the voice was more like a scream. Shoving off the covers, she got out of bed and started pacing.

“Am I just supposed to accept this? My boyfriend and his ex-girlfriend are staying overnight together, and I’m just supposed to sit back and let it happen?”

Her phone buzzed again, probably because she hadn’t texted him back.

Jules? Are you still there?

She stared at the screen for a moment, debating how to respond, and then she typed: I’m glad Ava’s feeling better. That was all she could manage before she shut off the phone and set it face down on her bedside table. And then she paced some more, knowing there was no way she’d get to sleep anytime soon.

She hated the idea of Cam sleeping under Connor’s roof, with or without Ava there. She could just imagine what Cam wore to bed, probably something skimpy that accentuated her long, toned legs and perky little breasts. She was probably trotting around his house like that right now, or worse, they were sitting in the living room together having a nightcap.

A nightcap? Really, Jules? But still! Ava was probably sleeping soundly in the spare room, which left the two of them all alone. As she was pacing, Julia caught a glimpse of herself in the dresser mirror. Her hair was in disarray from shoving her hands through it, her face was pale and drawn, and her Hello Kitty pajama set, which she’d thought was so cute when she’d bought it, made her look like a rumpled little kid.

Damn that Cam! She with the flowy blonde hair and bright blue eyes, looking more like a runway model than a woman who’d just had a baby. Cam was really a devil in disguise, and Connor refused to see it. He’d made excuses for Cam’s behavior and insisted that she only had Ava’s best interest in mind. But how could he trust her? And could Julia trust him? After all, he didn’t owe her anything. They were dating, but that wasn’t the same as having a true commitment to one another. They hadn’t even exchanged words of love, which would have been something to hang on to, but there wasn’t even that. What did they share other than a heart-pounding physical attraction and some mutual friends, two things that would be easy to walk away from?

Finally, tired of pacing, Julia slipped back into bed. She picked up her phone, and sure enough, Connor had tried to call, but he hadn’t left a message or sent any more texts. He’d probably given up on her and was currently being seduced by the blonde she-devil. Setting her phone down, Julia turned her back on it and curled into herself.

“Fine. You can have him!” she shouted. But a few minutes later, once she’d started to settle down, she realized that it wasn’t fine at all. Nothing about this situation was fine. And the question that nagged at her as she tried to sleep was: What am I going to do about it?

Chapter Thirteen

Julia rose early the next morning and quickly got ready. Sometime in the middle of the night, she’d decided what she was going to do, and now she was anxious to follow through on it.

She’d downed two cups of coffee, but she was still bleary-eyed as she pulled into Connor’s driveway, right behind Cam’s car. It was only seven thirty in the morning, but she figured they’d be up because of Ava. And even if they weren’t, too bad!

Inhaling deeply, she exited the car, and quietly closed the door, not wanting to give them advanced warning of her arrival. For a brief second, she questioned her decision to come there, but only for a second. She had to face this sometime, and now was as good as any.

She knocked on the door and waited. No answer. She knocked again, a little louder that time, and then she heard footsteps. Here we go.

The door opened with a whoosh, and the two women came face to face, staring at each other like they were in a western standoff until Cam reluctantly motioned her inside. In a way, the visual was even worse than Julia had imagined. Cam wasn’t wearing sexy pajamas, but she was wearing one of Connor’s T-shirts with the logo for O’Brien Brothers Landscaping printed on it and nothing else. The T-shirt hung to mid-thigh, but if Cam sat down, the shirt would probably show a glimpse of her underwear, assuming she was wearing any.

Even without makeup, Cam’s skin glowed, which seemed unfair at seven thirty in the morning. Her hair was caught up in a swingy ponytail, and she was barefoot, her pink, polished toes looking entirely too comfortable in Connor’s plush carpet. And to make matters worse, Cam was holding Ava on one hip, looking every bit the pretty young mom at home with her family on a sunny, Saturday morning.

The only saving grace was when Ava held out her chubby little arms in Julia’s direction as if she wanted to be held by her. HA! But Cam ignored her daughter’s request and eyed Julia haughtily like she was the intruder there.

Blood rang in her ears, but Julia managed to detect another sound—the shower running.

“Connor’s in the shower,” Cam said, confirming it.