Page 24 of The Boss's Triplet Surprise

“So, not to push, but when will we get to meet her?” Jane slid into her seat across from Dan as his father put the last few platters onto the table.

“Soon.” Dan hesitated. He and Leah had discussed a meeting the following weekend, but he was worried about putting a specific timeline on it. Still… “How about next weekend?”

“That works for us.” Richard’s smile widened. “Shall we have her over for dinner?”

“I’m sure she’d love that. I’ll just check in with her about a specific time.”

“Surely you can tell us something about her,” Jane suggested. “Even just a little bit.”

Dan had been hoping not to give any details about Leah until their meeting, but he could tell them a few things. It would help to sell the story.

“Well, her name is Leah Adams. She works for RMA Pharmaceuticals in the research-and-development wing, where she just finished heading up the development of a new fertility drug. She grew up in Wisconsin.” Dan hesitated as he tried to decide what else to say.

“What’s she like?” Richard prompted. Dan hesitated a moment longer, then gave an internal sigh. He’d just have to go for this.

“Well, she’s, um, nice. But not in a fake way; just a genuinely kind and considerate person. And she’s incredibly thoughtful. Whenever she says something, it’s worth listening to, because she’s always looking at things in a new or interesting way. Even when we disagree, I still want to listen to all her points. She makes me smile, even when I’m in a bad mood. I think—” Dan broke off his sentence. His parents kept shooting each other funny looks. “What are you guys doing?”

“Nothing, nothing.” Richard waved him off. “Tell us more.”

Dan was missing something, but he couldn’t quite put his finger on what.

“All right… I think that’s most of what you need to know about Leah. But you’ll see all of this for yourselves next week. She’s really something special.”

His parents’ grins were even wider than before.

“Okay, come on. What is it?”

“It’s really nothing. Just hearing how you talk about her, I can tell that you care about Leah a lot. She must have really made an impression on you. You’re smitten!” Richard was beaming.

Dan opened his mouth to say something, then closed it again. The plan was working even better than he’d expected it to. He’d planned to spend months convincing his parents that he and Leah were serious about each other, but maybe it wouldn’t be necessary. They seemed to believe him after just a few sentences.

So, instead of pushing back as Dan felt compelled to do, he just nodded.

“I am smitten.”

“I’m so happy to hear it.” Jane put a hand on Dan’s. “I know you were hesitant to get into a serious relationship for many years, but I think you’re starting to see how worthwhile it can be. Waking up to the face of the person you love every morning, planning a future together, raising children, supporting each other… it’s truly like nothing else in this life.”

Despite himself, Dan pictured Leah in each of these situations. He thought of her face the morning they’d woken up in bed together, from the soft curve of her lips to those bright green eyes, to the feeling of her in his arms. He thought of the appointment at the fertility clinic and how it would be to watch her grow round with her child — their child. He thought of holding her hand when she was nervous and of how she’d made him feel better when he was upset about his father’s ultimatum.

Dan knew he and Leah didn’t have a future together. Yet he couldn’t stop imagining a future, either.

“I think I know what you mean.” He smiled at his parents. “And I really can’t wait for you to meet her.”

“Neither can we. Now, let’s eat before the food gets cold.”

The three of them dished up and dug into breakfast. Dan enjoyed the meal, and his conversation with his parents, but thoughts of Leah were never far from his mind. They’d had several “meetings” since their evening of dinner and a movie. All of them had revolved around getting to know important facts about each other and settling the fiction of how they’d become a couple, but they’d always ended up chatting about other things, too. Those evenings with Leah were quickly becoming the highlights of Dan’s days.

Perhaps he should have created more space between them. Yet when Dan left his parents’ home, he still went directly to the park where he and Leah had planned to meet. She was already there. Dan spotted her sitting on a park bench, reading a sheaf of printed papers. As he walked towards her, he saw her stifle a yawn.

“Hey.” He took a seat beside her, and she looked up, those green eyes sparkling with happiness.

“Hey!”

“How are you?”

“Not bad.” Leah slid the papers into her purse. “I’m just peer-reviewing some studies. How are you? How was breakfast with your parents?”

“Good. They were pushing for more information on you, so I told them a few things. And we agreed to meet next weekend, if that’s okay with you.”

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