Page 39 of The Boss's Triplet Surprise

When they pulled up outside her apartment building, Leah turned to Dan once more. She opened her mouth, hesitated, then closed it again.

“Bye, Dan.”

“See you later.”

Leah got out of the car and went inside, alone. Dan watched until she was safely inside the building before he drove away. His heart was heavy. Some part of him wanted nothing more than to pull over and run after her. He wanted to wrap her in his arms and kiss her and tell her that everything would be all right. He wanted to reassure her that they could raise three babies together and that he would be by her side every step of the way.

But Dan wasn’t sure any of that was true. He had no idea how he was supposed to be a father to triplets, a partner to Leah, and CEO of RMA Pharmaceuticals without messing anything up. And if he were being honest with himself, it felt better to prioritize his career. He’d worked on it for years — and if he messed up at work, he might lose money or his reputation, but he wouldn’t break anyone’s heart.

If Dan assured Leah that he could help her raise their babies and that he could be a real partner for her, failure wouldn’t be an option. Messing up would mean disaster for those precious children and for the woman he now realized he loved. And he would mess up. Today had reminded him that he was incapable of dealing with emotional situations. When the going got tough, he would run to the office.

Leah deserved better. Their children deserved better.

Maybe the best thing for him to do now was to take a step back. Leah had always been confident that she could raise children, and Dan believed that. She would be the best mother. Dan could contribute what he knew — money. He would work hard and make sure Leah had more than enough for nannies and babysitters and the best schools; everything she would need to give their children the best possible future.

He needed to stop fooling himself. And he needed to stop leading Leah on. He’d known from the beginning that he was a career man, not a husband or a father. That was why he’d resisted having a relationship for so many years, despite the urgings of everyone around him.

These last couple months, he had given in to the appeal of having a family of his own. He’d enjoyed being with Leah. Spending time with her, he had felt like a different, better version of himself. He’d felt more alive, more present, more hopeful. But it had been a delusion. Dan knew that, now.

For the second time today, he felt a wave of unfamiliar emotion. He’d felt almost teary seeing the heartbeat of his baby on the ultrasound. Now, he felt empty.

It was going to be hard to walk away from Leah, but it was the right thing to do. The only thing to do. If he stayed, he would only disappoint them both.

CHAPTER 15

LEAH

Leah sat on her couch for a long time, just staring into space.

The fact that she was having not one, not two, but three babies was certainly a surprise. Leah had always known that twins weren’t out of the question, since multiple births ran in her family, but triplets felt like a lot. Yet her worries about how she would manage three infants at the same time quickly gave way to a different emotion — love.

Leah had always wanted to be a mother, and now she would be, three times over. She would be at the beginning of three little lives. She’d see three infants begin to smile, three toddlers learn to crawl. She’d share in the joys and sorrows of three elementary schoolers and guide three college students into their futures. This was what Leah had always dreamed of — times three.

But her excitement and hope were tempered by a different worry. Dan seemed to have taken the news of the triplets very poorly. He wouldn’t even talk to her, and he’d run away to work, which he hadn’t done in a long time. Leah could only hope that he would come around. As a co-parent, a friend, or a partner, Leah wanted Dan by her side through this process. These were their children, not just hers. They needed their father, and she needed Dan.

She sent him a quick text, letting him know that she was ready to talk when he was and that everything would be all right. Then she stared at her phone, hoping to hear back from him right away. After a few moments, she realized that she was being silly and put her phone away. Instead of worrying about Dan and what he was thinking, she should focus on what she could control.

So, Leah got to work. She began researching the best strollers, cribs, and changing stations for triplets. She’d wanted to babywear, so she looked at articles on babywearing with multiple children and started developing a strategy. She ordered a bulk package of pastel-colored onesies on Amazon and looked into industrial-strength bottle sterilizers. She downloaded a book on raising triplets to her e-reader for later.

Logically, Leah knew that she was still only three months pregnant. She was barely at the beginning of her second trimester and had a lot of time to buy things and prepare for her babies. Yet she also knew that if she didn’t keep busy, she’d worry about Dan. It was better to feel like she was in control.

As evening rolled in, Leah’s worries about Dan resurfaced. He still hadn’t called or texted, even though his meeting must be over by now. Leah got her phone and looked at the last message she’d sent, telling Dan that everything was going to be all right and that she was ready to talk.

Looking at the message, annoyance bloomed inside her. It didn’t seem right that she was the one who needed to be strong and reassuring and accommodating in this moment. She was proud of being a kind person, but today she was stressed, overwhelmed, and fragile herself. Yet Dan hadn’t made any effort to reach out to her.

Logically, she knew that Dan needed some time to process what was going on. She hadn’t needed time, but it was different for her. Emotionally, however, she was thrown by his silence and by his cold manner when he’d dropped her off. What if Dan didn’t feel differently in a day, a week, a month? What if this was emblematic of how he was always going to handle problems?

Leah needed a co-parent and a partner. She needed someone who would always put their children first, even when it was hard. Over the last few months, it had seemed like Dan could be that guy. He’d been attentive, thoughtful, and willing to reschedule his work to make time for appointments. Yet now, at the first sign of difficulty, he’d run away.

Leah hesitated, her finger poised over the message. Then, decisively, she deleted it. She still wanted to talk to Dan. She wanted to work things out between them. Yet she also knew that Dan needed to be the one to reach out to her. She couldn’t force him into fatherhood, kicking and screaming. It wouldn’t be fair to him, to her, or to their babies.

From now on, the babies had to be Leah’s first priority.

With any luck, Dan would come to his senses soon and would reach out to her. They would need to talk all this through and come up with a sound way to move forward, but she had faith that they could do it. But only if Dan reached out.

If he didn’t… Leah didn’t want to think about that.

She put her phone away and picked up her e-reader. She needed to put all thoughts of Dan out of her mind for now and focus on her babies.

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