But she could blame a guy for knocking up his ex-girlfriend and turning their lives upside down. Get a grip, Julia.
“If Cam doesn’t come back soon, you might want to check Ava’s diaper again. Don’t be surprised if it’s messy, since she just ate.”
Connor wrinkled his nose. “Are you sure I can’t convince you to stay?”
And there was the million-dollar question. Part of her really wanted to, but part of her felt like leaving was the right thing to do. As much as she felt upended by this, Connor must have been feeling it tenfold. She didn’t plan to abandon him permanently, but she needed some space too. He wasn’t the only one who needed to process this.
As if he realized it too, he said, “Never mind. I’ll be fine. But let’s talk soon, okay?”
“Okay,” she said. Connor started to follow her toward the front door, but she put up a palm to stop him. “You should keep her away from the door. It’s chilly out today.”
“Oh. Right,” he whispered.
She shot him a brief smile and then walked outside into the crisp, fresh air. The wind hit her like a slap in the face, but she welcomed it. She’d felt warm and clammy inside Connor’s house, and now she released the tension in her neck and shoulders. Yes. Leaving was the right decision, she thought as she drove away. But why did she feel so empty?
The empty feeling presided over the next few days, when neither she nor Connor bothered to contact each other. Since he’d missed a few days of work when he’d gone to Colorado, she assumed he’d be working a lot to make up for it. But that didn’t answer what he was doing with the other hours of his days. Probably spending them with his daughter and ex-girlfriend, she’d reminded herself countless times.
She’d been going over the entire scenario in her head when Harper interrupted. “Jules? You okay? You’ve been staring at the same screen for ten minutes straight.”
“Oh. Sorry. I don’t know where my head’s at today.” Or the last three days for that matter.
“Everything okay with Connor?”
His name was bound to come up some time, but Julia didn’t have a good answer.
“Eh,” she said.
“Well, that doesn’t sound very promising.”
“Tell me about it.”
“Why don’t you tell me?”
Since Harper hadn’t mentioned anything about Connor’s daughter, Julia assumed he hadn’t told his brothers yet. Typical Connor, still keeping secrets.
“We’re having some…issues right now, but I’m sure we’ll work it out.” Will we? Do I even want to?
“Have you talked to him about it?”
“Some, but we haven’t resolved anything yet.”
“Stubborn O’Briens. Finn’s the same way,” Harper said with a gleam in her eye. For a moment, Harper’s happiness took Julia’s mind off her own problems. Harper practically floated around the photo studio these days, and she was always in a hurry to leave so she could see Finn.
Julia had experienced the same feeling with Connor, as fleeting as it had been. Now she wondered if she would ever feel that way again.
“Don’t give up on him,” Harper said. “I almost did with Finn, but I’m so glad I didn’t.”
“Yes, but Finn’s different.”
“They’re not that different.”
“But your relationship started off differently. You two were friends for a long time before anything happened. I can’t say the same for me and Connor. I didn’t even like him at first, and the next thing I knew, we were lovers.”
“Every relationship follows its own path. There is no right or wrong. It can still work, Jules.”
“Have you been reading self-help books again?” Julia teased. But before Harper could answer, her cell phone rang, and when she glanced down at the screen, her entire face lit up.
“Don’t worry about me,” Julia said. “Go. Take your call.”
Harper blew her a kiss and walked out the door of the studio, saying, “Hey, Finn.”
After work, Julia dreaded the thought of driving home to an empty house. Funny how, before she’d started dating Connor, the silence hadn’t bothered her. But without him, she felt more alone in her house than ever. She was contemplating how to spend the rest of her evening when she turned the corner onto her street and saw a familiar sight—Connor’s Jeep parked in her driveway. And when she looked up toward her house, there he was, sitting on her front porch with his head bowed and his hands clasped, almost like in prayer.
When she clicked the garage door opener, his head popped up, and he broke into a wide smile. If she’d been tangled up in knots before, the feeling was magnified now. His smile wormed its way into her heart and made her realize that she wasn’t done with Connor O’Brien yet. Not by a long shot.
Chapter Three
He couldn’t help it. The minute he saw Julia whip around the corner in her bright-red Mini Cooper, he broke out with a huge grin. The car was small, sporty, and fun, just like her. Once he’d gotten to know her, he’d discovered it suited her to a tee. Practical yet sassy, and never to be underestimated, which reminded him of their first date…
“What are you doing here?” Julia asked when he showed up at the photo studio one evening.
“I hope someday I’ll get a better greeting than that,” Connor said, his eyes twinkling with humor.
“That’s something you’ll have to earn,” she said and started to walk away from him.
“Hey. Where are you going?” he asked, placing his hand on her arm to stop her.
“Home. Why?”
“What about that drink?”
Julia gaped at him like he had two heads. “Tonight?”
“Yeah. That’s what we said.”
“As I recall, we never agreed on a day or time.”
“That’s not how I see it. You asked me if I wanted to go out for a drink, and I said…”
“Hell yes,” she finished. “I fail to see where that sentence contains a date or time.”
Connor tipped his head back and laughed. “Oh, so you’re one of those women, huh?”
“One of what women?”
“The kind who have to have everything spelled out. What was I supposed to do, send you a written invitation?”
Draping her purse over her shoulder, she punched her hands on her hips and said, “A simple phone call would have sufficed.”
Studying her for a few seconds, he changed tack. “Okay. Look. I made a mistake. How about if we start over?” And then, without waiting for a response, he said, “Hey, Julia. Would you like to go out and have a drink with me tonight?”
She debated it for what felt like a long time before answering, “Okay.”
“Cool,” he said, and they both started walking toward the driveway. Connor had purposely blocked in her Mini Cooper with his Jeep, but she took out her keys anyway. Confused, he said, “That’s okay. I’ll drive.”
Tossing her purse into the passenger seat, she leaned against the door frame and scowled at him. “You’re right. You’ll drive your Jeep, and I’ll follow you in my car.”
He was about to protest, but then he just flung out his arms and said, “Okay. Fine. I’ll meet you there.” And then he turned and started to walk away.
Julia cleared her throat loudly until he turned back around.
“Now what?” he asked, exasperated.
“Where is there?”
“If you’re following me, then you’ll find out when we get there.”
Eyes locked, they held a silent standoff until Julia finally gave in. “Fine, but it better not be your place, because we never agreed to that!”
“You wish,” he said and then hopped into the Jeep before she could say another word.
He drove to O’Malley’s Bar and Grill, a small mom-and-pop establishment that everyone who lived in the area was familiar with. Having grown up in Brandon, Connor embraced the small-town vibe. And when he got restless, it was a relatively short drive to get to the busier communities of metro Detroit.
When they arrived at the restaurant, he noticed she parked a few spaces away from him, probably thinking it would give her a buffer zone when they left later. Silly woman. By the time she’d retrieved her purse from the passenger seat and was about to exit the car, he was already opening her door. See that? He could be a gentleman when he wanted to be.
Looking surprised, she said, “Thank you.”
“Welcome. See how easy it is to be nice to each other?”
“The night is young,” she said with an eye roll.
Instead of retorting, he placed his hand on the small of her back and led her inside the restaurant. Somewhat surprised she hadn’t swatted his hand away, he soaked up the feeling of her warm skin through her top, wondering what it would feel like underneath. Inwardly cursing, he reminded himself to be good. Julia was obviously still wary of him, and he didn’t want to scare her away, especially on their first date.
His friend Matt was standing behind the check-in desk when they walked in. “Hey, Connor. Good to see you, buddy.”
“You too,” Connor replied, reaching around Julia to shake Matt’s hand.
“Would you like a table for you and your lovely date?”
Connor had just opened his mouth when Julia butted in. “We’re not dating. And we’ll just sit at the bar. Thanks.”
Wide-eyed, Matt said, “Whatever the lady wants.” And then he led them to the bar, where he set down two menus.
After he’d walked away, Connor turned toward her and said, “Are you going to loosen up or what?”
“Huh?”
“You practically bit the owner’s head off.”
Eyebrows raised, she stammered, “The…the…owner?”
“Yeah, and he was just trying to be friendly.”
Julia sighed. “Oh God. I sounded like a bitch, didn’t I?”
“Your words, not mine.”
Sighing, she said, “I’m sorry. I didn’t mean to embarrass you.”
And then the bartender came over. “Hey, Connor. What can I get you?”
Connor knew everyone who worked there, and Julia visibly shrank down in her seat.
“I’ll take a Guinness and a shot of whiskey.”
“And for the lady?”
“I’ll just have water.”
Connor stared at her, as did the bartender. When they’d agreed to go out for a drink, he hadn’t expected her to order water. That didn’t even count as a drink in his book, especially not at O’Malley’s, where they had an extensive menu of real drinks to choose from.
As if she realized her mistake, she said, “Okay, fine. I’ll have a shot of whiskey too.”
She looked pleased with herself, and Connor chuckled.
“What?” she said.
“Just curious. Have you ever had a shot of whiskey before?”
Julia thought about it for a few seconds and replied, “I’m not sure. Maybe once, in college.”
“Hmm.”
“Hmm, what? You don’t think I can hold my liquor?”
“I guess we’ll see. Maybe we should order dinner too.”
“I agreed to a drink, not dinner,” she huffed.
“Fine. How about an appetizer?”
Finally, she agreed. When the bartender returned with their drinks, Connor put in an order for not one, but three different appetizers.
“We might as well have ordered dinner,” she scoffed.
Ignoring her, he held up his shot glass and said, “You ready?”
She looked nervous for a moment but then said, “I guess so.”
“On the count of three. One…two…three.”
Julia’s reaction was comical. She sputtered, her face wrinkling up like a rotten banana and her hands clutching the edge of the bar in a death grip.
“Good, huh?” he said, taking great pleasure in her reaction.
It took a minute for Julia to be able to speak, and then she said, “Yeah. Really good.” When she licked her lips as if to confirm it, Connor felt a twitch down below. Down, boy.
“One more before the food comes?” he asked.
Eyeing him skeptically, she said, “Are you trying to get me drunk?”
He laughed. “If I was, I wouldn’t have ordered any food. It’s up to you. No pressure.”
He watched as she contemplated the offer, wondering what she was thinking. He didn’t know that much about her yet, but he suspected that she was a rule follower. He might even have called her uptight until now, when she’d finally started to loosen up. Surely, the liquor helped, but he hoped that some of it was due to him. He didn’t want her to feel nervous with him. He’d much rather she be relaxed and have fun. Surely, there’d be no harm in that.
“Okay. Just one more,” she said.
Trying not to act surprised, Connor ordered the second round, which they downed right before the appetizers came. She seemed to handle the liquor a lot better the second time, and when she looked at him afterward, her eyes were sparkling.
“So, tell me a few things I don’t know about Julia Lee,” he said in between bites of the oversized Bavarian pretzel they were sharing.
“I’m an only child,” she blurted out as she dunked a hunk of pretzel in the gooey cheese sauce. “And I really want kids someday—like three or four. Oh, and a dog, because I don’t like cats.”
His hand froze over the cheese sauce. “Okay, then. That’s…”
“Crazy? At least that’s what Alec said.”
“Who’s Alec?”
“My ex. We talked about getting married, but then he casually mentioned that he didn’t want kids—ever.”
“Ouch.”
“Yeah. So, that was a deal-breaker for me. What about you?”
He was cutting into a loaded potato skin and didn’t look up. “Three or four kids sounds like a lot, but I suppose it’s doable.”
Julia stared at him, her mouth agape. “That’s not what I was asking!”
“Oh. Sorry. I must have lost the thread of the conversation,” he teased.
“I was turning the question around on you. What can you tell me about Connor O’Brien that I don’t already know?”
“That depends. What do you think you know about me?”
“I know that you’re the middle of three brothers and that you’re the bad boy of the bunch.”
He set down his fork and looked directly at her. “Did somebody tell you that, or is that your opinion?”
Julia shrugged. “A little bit of both, I guess. I’ve overheard a few comments from Finn, and I’ve also seen you in action.”
Leaning closer, he whispered, “You haven’t seen anything—yet.”
His thigh brushed against hers underneath the bar, but he didn’t move away, and neither did she. The thought of that pleased him to no end. Maybe he was finally getting to this girl. This girl who drove him crazy with desire and something else too. She might act all tough, but he saw glimpses of her vulnerability too, and it made him want to protect her. To hold her, kiss her, possess her, and take care of her all at the same time.
“Hmmm,” she said while spearing a mozzarella stick.
“Hmmm, what?”
“Just wondering if you’re all talk and no action.”
And now it sounded like she was goading him! “When you’re ready to find out, you just let me know.”
“Can I get you two anything else?” the bartender asked, startling them. They’d been gazing into each other’s eyes and hadn’t heard him approach.
“Julia? Another drink?” Connor asked.
“No!” she practically shouted. And then, lowering her voice, she said, “No thank you.”
They reached for the bill at the same time, their hands touching briefly as he swooped it out from under her.
“I got it,” he said, pulling his wallet out of his back pocket.
“Oh, no you don’t,” she said, reaching into her purse. “This wasn’t a date, and in modern times, women split the bill.”
“There’s something to be said about
the old days,” he muttered. Slapping down some money on the bar, he grabbed her arm and practically pulled her off the stool. “Thanks, Ed,” he called over his shoulder to the bartender, and then keeping his hand clamped around her arm, he led her out of the restaurant.
He hadn’t meant to manhandle her that way, but she didn’t pull out of his grip, so maybe she hadn’t minded. God, this woman was confusing, shooting him down one minute and then heating under his gaze the next. She was a puzzle he definitely wanted to solve.
It was dark out, and the temperature had cooled off significantly compared to when they’d arrived. He walked her to her car, and as she dug through her purse for the keys, she shivered.
“Where’s your coat?” he asked, sliding his hands up and down her arms to warm her.
“I left it at the studio. It was warmer earlier,” she said, averting her eyes.
Deciding he’d touched her enough for tonight, he dropped his hands and took a step back. “You okay to drive home?”
Raising her brows, she said, “I didn’t drink that much. Besides, you filled me up with enough appetizers to absorb all the alcohol.”
He chuckled, and then they just stood there and stared at each other for a moment.
“Thank you for paying,” she said.
“I’d do it again.”
“What, pay?”
“Well, you’d have to go out with me again, but yeah, that too.”
“Are you asking me out again?”
“Sounds like it.”
Julia giggled and shook her head. “You’re a hard man to read, Connor O’Brien.”
“Not really. Not with a little practice.”
And then he stepped forward, reached out, and fingered a lock of silky black hair that was curling softly over her shoulder. “What do you say?”
As he twirled her hair around his fingers, he wondered what it would look like splayed on his pillow with her naked and writhing beneath him. Once again, he wondered what she was thinking and why she hadn’t stopped him. He’d taken a few liberties tonight, and he’d kept waiting for her to throw the hammer at him, yet she hadn’t. Maybe she was warming up to him after all.
Looking up at him in the darkness, she said, “Yes,” but added, “I guess so,” as though she wanted him to know that she wasn’t one hundred percent sold on the idea.
The Sweetest Mistake (O'Brien Brothers #2) Page 3
