The Sweetest Mistake

by Layla Valentine

  “Now that sounds interesting,” she teased. “The tying me down part.”

  “Don’t tease like that when I’m at work,” he said, but she heard a rough promise in his voice.

  “Sorry, I’ll be good.”

  “I didn’t say that,” Dominic replied, then changed the subject before they got too carried away. “How is Tami adjusting to her new place, by the way?”

  “She loves it,” Juliette said with a smile. “Of course, Jason made sure that she would. He probably would have moved the walls of his house around if she’d asked him to.”

  She was happy that Tami had finally stopped protesting that Jason was just a friend. She’d taken the bull by the horns and asked him out, even though she’d been seven months pregnant at the time. They’d moved in together a week ago.

  “Any news on your screenplay?”

  Juliette sighed. “No, but I didn’t really expect to hear anything. I only shopped it around because you made me.”

  Albert Price had never replied to her email. But that hadn’t mattered. Her agent, Chris, had been inundated with calls after a sterling public recommendation from Edward Ainsworth, and Juliette had read her fair share of scripts, though nothing had grabbed her interest of yet; she was spending more and more time on her own writing.

  “There you go again, failing to appreciate the beauty of our love. Hurts me every time, but I push through it because you mean so damn much to me.”

  She laughed. “Get back to work, you lunatic.”

  “Fine, fine. I’ll see you tonight.”

  Juliette went back to shopping. She might not have found the perfect new project yet, but her Sunset Island paycheck had come through. She’d kept her word to herself and paid off her parents’ house, despite their protests. With no mortgage to pay, her mother was finally able to quit the job in fast food.

  Rob, meanwhile, was doing better than he had in years. It had been a tense, emotional conversation when Juliette, along with her parents, had finally sat down with him and expressed their concerns, and their hopes that he would seek help.

  There had been tears and revelations, but ultimately, Rob had accepted that it was time for him to get some professional help with tackling his addiction. With Juliette’s support, he had entered a rehab facility, and had come out the other side with a new outlook. He had just celebrated his three-month-sober milestone.

  A ding from her phone alerted Juliette to an email. Assuming that it was the usual spam, she checked the preview and saw a well-known studio’s name in the “from” field. She clicked the message with shaking fingers.

  Dear Ms. Dietz,

  We read your screenplay with great interest and would love to have you in for a talk about optioning it for a movie. Would next Monday at four p.m. work for you?

  Regards,

  Anna Wilson

  Suddenly, Juliette couldn’t seem to catch her breath. Anna Wilson? She’d sent the screenplay to her studio at Dominic’s urging, but she’d never in a million years expected to hear back. Anna was one of the most powerful people in the industry!

  She started to type out a response agreeing to the date and time, but then her phone rang, and Juliette knew instantly that she’d have to reply to the email later.

  She needed to answer the call. It was her doctor’s office, which meant they probably had her test results. She’d been feeling a little off for a few weeks now. Some answers to the nausea and exhaustion would be nice.

  She really hoped it wasn’t the gluten intolerance that she’d self-diagnosed a few days before—half her life revolved around bread.

  “Hello?”

  “Hi, this is Anita with Dr. Blake’s office. Is this Juliette Dietz?”

  “This is she,” Juliette confirmed, picking up an adorable onesie printed with blue teddy bears.

  “Hi, Juliette. We have your test results back.”

  “Oh, great. Can you tell me over the phone?”

  “Your record says that you were concerned about a gluten intolerance,” the nurse said. “I can confirm that is not the case.”

  “That’s fantastic!” Juliette said, already planning to reward herself with a slice of cake at dinner tonight.

  “I can also confirm that you are pregnant.”

  Juliette let the onesie fall back onto the table. “I—wait, hang on! I’m pregnant?” she asked.

  “That’s correct,” the nurse said. “We’ll be able to discuss things further at your next appointment. Would tomorrow at two work for you?”

  Juliette barely remembered if she responded. She walked outside and dropped down onto the bench that stood on the sidewalk. She was pregnant?

  She was pregnant! Dominic would absolutely lose his mind with happiness.

  A bubble of joy rose up in her causing a quick laugh to burst from her throat. Should she call him right now or should she wait?

  Her phone was out of her bag before she talked herself out of making the call. No, she should wait. They were going out to dinner tonight to mark their four-month anniversary, and it would be much better to give him the news in person.

  Instead, she finished her email response to Anna Wilson.

  Just after she’d hit send, her phone rang again, and she glanced at it. Tami’s name flashed on the screen.

  “Hey, Tami!” she said cheerfully. “What’s going on?”

  “Juliette, it’s Jason,” a male voice said in her ear. “I’m at the hospital. Tami’s in labor!”

  “Oh, my God! Is there anything you need?”

  “She wants to you to come now,” he said. “If you can, that is. Things are getting pretty close here.”

  “I’ll be there as soon as I can!”

  After about an hour of pacing around in the waiting room, Juliette was finally allowed to go back and see her friend. Tami was lying in her hospital bed, cradling a small form against her. She looked exhausted, but she was smiling from ear to ear. Jason stood by the head of the bed, beaming down at the pair of them with pride.

  “What’s his name?” Juliette asked softly as she stepped up.

  “Wyatt,” Tami said, stroking the baby’s soft, plump cheek. “And, I wondered if you’d like to pick his middle name?”

  “Me?” Juliette asked in shock. “But you had so many lists.”

  “Sure, I did. I actually brought them with me,” Tami said with a quick grin. “But, it’s just that picking the middle name seems like a fitting responsibility for his godmother?” She made the statement a question. “Would you?”

  Tears welled in Juliette’s eyes. “I’d be honored,” she said, dashing away the tears that had spilled down her cheeks. “Now, let me see those lists.”

  Jason handed them over, and Juliette looked through them. There were four pages, all writing in Tami’s best cursive. All of the names had their meanings inscribed beside them. Wyatt meant “guide.”

  “How about Donovan?” Juliette asked after poring over the lists for several long minutes. “It means strong fighter.”

  “Just like his mom,” Jason said.

  Tami smiled. “I love it. Thank you, Juliette. For every single thing that you’ve done since I first found out that I was going to have a baby.”

  Juliette could see the exhaustion in her friend’s eyes, so she stood up. “Of course,” she said. “I’ll let you get some rest, hon, but let me know how I can help you when you’re heading home.”

  “We will,” Tami said, handing Wyatt off to Jason and snuggling down into her bed. “I’ll see you later.”

  Even though she hurried as fast as she could, Juliette was a little late to meet Dominic. He gave her a kiss and a smile when she rushed into the Italian restaurant where they’d had their first date. She knew that he wasn’t upset—and how could he be? It’s not every day your best friend has a baby.

  “Guess what?” Juliette said once the waiter had poured their drinks and taken their orders. It would be a while before the food would be out, and she didn’t want anything to spoil her good new
s.

  “What?” he asked gamely.

  “I have a meeting to discuss optioning my screenplay.”

  “Really?” he asked, putting down the drink he’d been about to take a sip from. “Who’s it with?”

  “Anna Wilson!” she said, working hard not to squeal.

  Dominic gave a low whistle. “Juliette, that’s fantastic,” he said. “I’m so proud of you!”

  “But,” she said, holding up her hand. “That’s not all.”

  “Oh? What else is there?”

  “I got a call from my doctor today while I was out shopping.”

  “Oh, are your test results back? From the amount of fettuccine you just ordered, I’m going to assume that it’s not a gluten thing,” he teased.

  “Nope, it’s not a gluten thing.” Her voice trembled slightly, but not with nerves. No, she could barely keep it together from nothing more than pure excitement. “Dominic, I’m pregnant.”

  For a moment, he sat perfectly still in his chair. Just staring at her. Then a smile broke over his face and he let out a whoop that made all of the other diners turn and stare.

  Juliette laughed and nodded, and he shoved his chair back and stood up. He yanked her out of hers and into his arms, kissing her lips and her cheeks and then her lips again. The other diners watched unabashedly, but she didn’t care.

  Dominic cupped her face in his hands and looked down at her, his eyes shining in the low lights of the restaurant. “Juliette, are you serious?”

  She nodded. “One hundred percent serious,” she confirmed. “I have an appointment tomorrow.”

  “What time?”

  “Aren’t you working tomorrow?”

  “Who the hell cares?” he said as he took his place at the table again. “I’m not going to miss this for anything.”

  “It’s at two,” she said. “And I’d love it if you could be there.”

  “I’ll be there.” Dominic looked across the table at her. “This kind of works out, actually,” he said. “Because I had something that I wanted to ask you tonight.”

  “Oh really?”

  He pulled something out of his pocket and slid it across the table to her. It was a silver key.

  “Would you move in with me? You don’t have a roommate anymore, and I have three bedrooms in my place. We can turn one of them into a nursery really easily and—”

  “Yes,” Juliette said with a laugh as she held up one hand to halt his words. “I would love to live with you.”

  He grinned, leaning over the table to press his lips to hers. “I was smoother when I asked in my head,” he said when he sat back down.

  She grinned. “You usually are, aren’t you?”

  Dominic raised an eyebrow. “You’re going to have to tone down the sass,” he said. “I don’t want our baby picking up these bad habits.”

  “I’ll work on it,” she said, trying to hold back her smile.

  Chapter 22

  Eight Months Later

  “How are you doing?” Tami asked when Juliette answered the phone.

  “Are you kidding me?” Juliette demanded. “I’m almost nine months pregnant, my parents are on their way here to meet Dominic’s family, and I am one hundred percent sure that everything I’ve cooked today is trash.” She glanced into the oven with a worried expression. “What if his family hates potato casserole? Maybe they hate it.”

  “If they hate potato casserole, they’re insane,” Tami said firmly. “I didn’t even know what it was until you made it for me, but if they have a problem with it, I am more than prepared to defend your honor—and eat the leftovers.”

  Juliette leaned back against the counter and sighed, pinching the bridge of her nose as she tried to calm down. She’d had a pain in her lower back all day, and it was only getting worse over time. Of course, this far into a pregnancy, it was rare to find a body part that didn’t ache at one time or another.

  She was going to blame it on the lack of sleep. When she wasn’t lying awake at night tossing and turning and visiting the bathroom more than she’d ever thought possible, she’d been working on the movie. They had asked her if she wanted a part in the film, and she’d agreed to a small cameo. It wasn’t as if she could play herself—at least, not without giving away the ending.

  She rested her hand on her belly and felt the baby kick. It was tight quarters in there now. She could understand the baby’s frustration. Juliette could barely remember how good it felt to take a deep breath.

  “How is Wyatt doing?” she asked, realizing that she didn’t hear him babbling in the background. Tami’s baby was a talkative little fellow, but this conversation had been strangely devoid of any baby-related noises.

  “Oh, Jason had to run to the studio, so he took Wyatt with him,” Tami said. “I’m up to my shoulders in bubble bath at the moment.”

  “Smart woman,” Juliette said with only the slightest edge of envy. “Everything’s still going well in that department, then?”

  Tami paused for a second, and Juliette could hear the ear-to-ear grin in her voice when she said, “He asked me to marry him last night.”

  Juliette caught her breath so suddenly that Dominic stopped on his way to vacuum the living room and looked at her with concern. She smiled and waved him away.

  “Oh, Tami, that’s fantastic!” she said happily. “I was wondering when you two were going to make it official.”

  Anyone could have seen how much Jason loved Tami. It was in his every look and gesture. Looking back, Juliette realized that he always had loved her. It had taken Tami a bit longer to see how he really felt, but he’d never pushed it on her. He’d simply waited for her to heal and then caught her when she was ready to fall again.

  Tami sighed, and Juliette heard the water slosh gently around her. “I don’t want to sound too sappy, but honestly, I never thought that I’d ever be this happy with anyone. He’s just…such a good person. And he loves me. And he loves Wyatt, too.”

  Juliette fervently agreed. Jason was the best thing that had ever happened to her friend and the best father that Wyatt could possibly have.

  “You deserve it. You and Wyatt both deserve the absolute best in life,” she said, her voice a little more emphatic than she’d meant for it to be—the pain in her back had returned, sharper than ever.

  She pressed her hand to the pain and moved away from the counter. She’d probably pulled something with the amount of tossing and turning she’d put in last night, and maybe leaning against it was pressing on something she’d aggravated. Walking seemed to ease the pain, so she let her breath out slowly and tried to get back on track with the conversation.

  “Are you okay?” Tami asked, worry creeping into her voice.

  “Sure. Just fine,” Juliette said. “Probably just nervous about today.”

  “Okay,” Tami said doubtfully. “Just try not to have that baby at dinner, okay?”

  “Ha-ha,” Juliette said drily. She was so close to her due date now that she’d just be happy to have the baby any time at all. Although, she had to admit, going into labor during dinner would not be ideal. “I’ll do my best. I’ll call you when it’s over.”

  “Yeah, you do that,” Tami said. “I can’t wait to hear about all of the drama.”

  Juliette laughed, even though drama was the last thing in the world she wanted. It wasn’t really what she expected, either. Dominic’s family was nice. Her family was great. There was no real reason why both sides shouldn’t get along.

  She wished that Rob had been able to make the trip down, too, but her brother had bigger fish to fry, between his new apartment, the job he’d been in for almost a year now, and his two meetings a week. He’d assured Juliette that he’d be flying out the second her baby arrived, which was only days away at this point, and Juliette had been content to wait a little longer.

  She hung up the phone, placing it on the counter, then pulled her casserole out of the oven. The cheese crackers she’d crushed and sprinkled on the top after soaking them in bu
tter were just turning that darker shade of golden brown that told her that they were done. It smelled amazing, and she decided that her friend was right about one thing, at least: anyone who didn’t like potato casserole was crazy.

  “My God that smells good,” Dominic said as he walked by with the vacuum again. “How come you don’t make it more often?”

  “Because it’s southern tradition to have it for special occasions,” she said. “Birth, death, and meeting your boyfriend’s family.”

  “I think we need more special occasions,” he said with a grin.

  Juliette didn’t get to reply because he pulled her against him and kissed her, nipping at her lower lip and teasing her tongue with his. By the time he was done, her knees were weak.

  “You okay?” Dominic asked.

  “Better for that,” Juliette admitted. “But you’re gonna have to get out of the kitchen. I’m in the final stages of my freak-out.”

  “Are you sure it’s just the food?” Dominic asked, his tone growing serious.

  “You don’t know why I’m worried?” she asked incredulously as she stood on tiptoes to try and pull down the serving dish.

  “No,” he said as he came back. He reached easily over her head and grabbed the dish, pulling it down to rest it on the counter. “I really don’t. You and my mom have seen each other a lot lately. I’m assuming you’re equally familiar with your own family?”

  “That’s not the point,” Juliette said as she checked the green beans that were bubbling on the stove.

  “Enlighten me then, oh wise woman.”

  She narrowed her eyes at him, but he was grinning, and Juliette smiled in spite of herself. She walked over and wrapped her arms around him, resting her head against his broad chest. Dominic returned the hug, moderating his grip so that he wasn’t squeezing her belly too tightly.

  “I just want everyone to get along,” she said softly.

  He pressed a kiss to the top of her head. “They will, baby girl,” he said. “My mom loves you.” He tilted her chin up so she could see him smiling at her. “And if the video calls are any indication, your parents love me. Which, let’s be honest, is no surprise because I’m amazing. And if your food is half as good as it smells, my siblings will want to take you home with them.”