Page 21 of The Boss's Triplet Surprise

“I hope it’ll be good. Do you mind if I drop some paperwork off at your desk tomorrow? I’m working on scheduling an intake appointment, and they want medical information on both the, um, parents.”

“Yes, of course,” Dan said. “Just let me know what you need. Do you know when the first appointment will be?”

“I’m not sure yet. I need to get the registration process started first.”

“You can let me know the dates, and I’d be happy to come with you.”

“No, no.” Leah waved a hand. “That’s quite all right. You’ll need to come eventually, but there are going to be a lot of appointments, and I know that you’re really busy. I can handle some of them on my own.”

Dan was disappointed. He wanted to be involved in the IVF process as much as he could be, both to support Leah and for his own interest. But he didn’t want to push if she’d rather do it alone.

“Whatever you’d like. Just let me know.”

“I will.” Leah smiled, a dreamy look crossing her soft features. “I can’t believe that this time next year I could actually have a baby of my own.”

Dan’s heart softened. This was a huge moment for Leah. He reached for her hand and gave it a quick squeeze before letting it go. “I’m so happy for you.”

“Thanks. And this time next year, you’ll probably be fully in charge of RMA.”

“Let’s hope so. Speaking of which, shall we start talking about what you need to know?”

“Sounds good.”

They walked for another hour or so, talking about things his father might want to know. It was mainly dry biographical information. They memorized each other’s birthdays and the names of childhood pets. They also went over their parents’ names again, and swapped allergies and medical history. Dan suggested that they’d need to plan what to say about how they’d fallen in love and what they liked to do together next time, and Leah agreed.

Finally, Dan dropped Leah off at home. After she went inside, he drove home and parked in the driveway, his hands resting on the steering wheel. The evening with Leah had given him a strange ache in his chest. Even though it would be a terrible idea, some traitorous part of his heart kept wishing that this were a real relationship. He wanted to go on dates with Leah and talk for hours, not about their agreement but about their interests and points of view. He wanted to kiss her again. He wanted to be with her, truly.

And then… what? Dan could imagine dating Leah, spending more nights with her, and getting to know her. But he couldn’t imagine marrying her or even moving in together — none of the things that normal couples would do. Dan was just too busy, too focused on his work. It wouldn’t be fair to her.

On top of that, as much as he was okay with having a child and being a co-parent, he couldn’t imagine being a real father to the baby, either. Babies required care all the time, Dan knew. That wouldn’t work with his hectic schedule.

He sighed. This was all getting so complicated. He never should have let himself develop feelings for Leah. Now, it might be too late.

CHAPTER 9

LEAH

Leah stood outside the broad glass doors of the clinic and took a deep breath. How was this going to go? What if the other clients judged her for being alone? What if there was some problem that would keep her from having a baby at all?

You’re getting ahead of yourself, Adams.

The appointment she had today was going to be fine. It was just an intake appointment. There was nothing to worry about.

She took another deep breath and strode inside, as confidently as she could. She checked in with the receptionist, then took a free seat in the lobby to wait for the doctor to call.

Leah looked around the lobby as she waited. There were quite a few people here already, all of them couples. Couples holding hands and talking. Couples sitting beside each other, arms crossed. Couples in which the woman was visibly pregnant. There was even one couple holding an infant.

Leah was ready to do this on her own. She was strong and independent and prepared. But seeing all those couples together made her feel very, very alone.

Maybe she should have asked Dan to come with her. At least then she’d have someone to sit with and talk to in the lobby. But she hadn’t wanted to impose on Dan or his time. More than that, she worried that if she began to rely on him, she would be sad when their agreement ended and she was on her own with the baby. It was better to keep her distance now than feel betrayed later.

Leah waited. And waited. She tried not to look at the other couples. In retrospect, maybe she shouldn’t have gotten here so early, but she had worried about being late or getting stuck in traffic.

“Is this seat taken?”

Leah looked up from her phone. Her eyes widened. Standing above her was none other than Dan.

“What are you doing here?” Her hand flew to her mouth. “I mean hello — welcome. And what are you doing here?”

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