Page 53 of The Sweetest Mistake

Connor visibly backed down even though he didn’t look happy about it in the least.

“There are two perfectly comfortable couches in here, and you two can arm wrestle over them if you want to, but I’m going to bed!” With that, she turned on her bare feet and stomped out of the room, leaving the men standing there, flummoxed.

When she reached her bedroom, she slammed the door with a flourish and locked it before flopping back onto the bed. It took awhile for her heart rate to slow and the blood to stop ringing in her ears, and then she was hit with an unexpected bout of laughter. Burying her face in a pillow, she laughed hysterically for a few minutes until she got herself back under control.

If only she had a spy cam to see what Connor and Alec were up to. Just the thought of it had her laughing again, but then she heard voices coming up through the vent beside her bed. The men were talking without bothering to keep their voices down, unaware that she could hear them.

Quietly crawling off the bed, Julia sprawled out on the floor and put her ear to the vent. Yep— it still worked, just like when she was a kid. She and her best friend, Karen, used to do this when they wanted to hear what Karen’s older brother and his girlfriend were saying. What they’d usually heard had been a lot more kissing than talking, but this was better. This was her ex-boyfriend, the man she’d almost married, and her current boyfriend talking about her. This was juicier than spying on Karen’s older brother by far.

“I’m on to you, Alec,” Connor said. “You might be fooling Julia, but you can’t fool me.”

“I don’t know what you’re talking about,” Alec replied.

“Don’t play dumb. You’re going to be a doctor, for Christ’s sake.”

“It’s just like I said. Her parents were worried, and they asked me to check on her. That’s all there is to it.”

“So, you don’t have feelings for her anymore? You really expect me to believe that?”

“What about you?” Alec countered, his voice sounding more venomous than she’d ever heard.

“What about me?”

“I heard that you’re living with your ex-girlfriend and that she had your baby.”

Julia’s fingers clenched the carpet. So, Alec did know the whole story. But what was surprising was how he wasn’t backing down. She would have never expected that from him.

“I’m not living with her. Cam spent one night because our baby was sick and she needed my help.”

“Let me get this straight. Julia’s supposed to believe that you don’t have feelings for Cam, the mother of your child, yet you can stand there and accuse me of still having feelings for Julia?”

Julia’s heart pounded while she waited for Connor’s reply. Not that she needed Alec to fight her battles, but she had to give him some credit for standing up for her like that.

“My situation is different. Cam cheated on me, and I left her and never looked back. Yes, she had my baby, but I have no interest in reconciling with her—ever.”

Julia breathed out, and it was so loud she wondered for a moment if they’d heard it. But after a few seconds, they continued talking like nothing was amiss.

“And what about Julia? What are your intentions with her now that you have a child?”

“That’s really none of your business.”

“I’m just asking because I don’t want to see her get hurt—again.”

Again? Is he referring to himself? A moment later, she got her answer.

“I loved her, but I hurt her pretty bad,” Alec said. “I’ll always regret that.”

“Well, I don’t plan on hurting her,” Connor said, his voice softer now.

“We don’t always plan on hurting the people we love, but it can still happen,” Alec said.

Love? Connor never said anything about love.

“Julia means a lot to me. She’s important to me. I’m not going to lose her.”

Connor hadn’t used the word love, but there was no mistaking the emotion in his voice, and it made her throat constrict. It was the closest he’d come to sharing his feelings about her. Too bad he was sharing them with her ex-boyfriend instead.

“You seem pretty sure of yourself.”