Page 69 of The Sweetest Mistake

First Julia and then Ava, both of whom had him wrapped around their little fingers. He smiled then, realizing there was no place else he’d rather be.

Chapter Twenty-One

It was one of only two times that Julia felt uncomfortable in her childhood home. The first was when she’d brought Connor over for dinner, and the second was now, as she faced her parents across the dining room table. Even the aroma of homemade chocolate cake didn’t make her feel better.

“Did you enjoy your stay at the lake house?” Dr. Lee asked.

“Not completely.” She’d been trying to decide how to begin, and he’d just given her an opening.

“Oh? Why not?”

“Well, I was having a fine time until Alec showed up.”

Debra looked down and shifted the vegetables around on her plate.

“Ah,” her dad said.

And then, because she was horrible at subtlety, Julia blurted out, “You have to let it go, Dad. Alec and I are not getting back together.”

Her dad looked startled for a moment, but then he gave her a slight nod.

“I’m with Connor now, and I know you don’t particularly like him…”

“Now, hold it right there.”

Uh-oh. It wasn’t very often that her dad took that tone with her. “I never said I didn’t like him.”

“You didn’t have to. It was written all over your face the first time you met him.”

He sighed. “I’m sorry, Julia, but he doesn’t seem like your type.”

She tucked her hands beneath her thighs to keep them from banging the table. “Who is my type? A doctor like you and Alec?”

“Now, honey,” Debra said in an attempt to calm her down. But Julia was on a roll.

“Connor may not be a doctor, or a lawyer, or whatever else you deem to be a suitable occupation, but he’s excellent at what he does, and his business is very successful.”

“I thought it was his brother’s business,” Dr. Lee said.

“He and his brothers are equal partners, and eventually, Connor wants to branch off on his own.”

“That’s all well and good, but does he have the means to take care of you in the manner to which you’re accustomed?”

She’d never thought of her dad as snobby until right then, and it pained her. Looking over at her mom for help, she saw that she was on her own. Her mom belonged to a different generation. She’d been content in her role as a wife and mother and well taken care of by her doctor husband. But Julia wasn’t like that. She didn’t need anyone to take care of her or provide things for her. She was capable of doing that all by herself. She wasn’t with Connor for what he could give her. She was with him because…

“I love him,” she said quietly, testing out the words. And they felt right. “I love him,” she repeated more emphatically.

“Love doesn’t pay the bills,” Dr. Lee said.

“Now, James,” her mother said, finally breaking her silence. “Listen to your daughter. She’s in love with Connor, and we should be happy for her. She’s not a child anymore.”

Her dad stared at Debra for a moment in shock, but when he turned and saw the tears streaming down Julia’s face, he visibly softened.

“And you’re okay with taking on another woman’s child?” he asked.

Swiping away her tears, Julia said, “Ava’s his child too, and I love her. I’d like you both to meet her.” She’d sidestepped his question because she wasn’t sure how to answer, but she’d been truthful about her feelings for Ava. And she truly believed that once her parents met Ava, they’d fall in love with her too, regardless of who her mother was.

“Okay, then,” Dr. Lee said. “I’ll have to trust your judgment.”