Page 40 of The Boss's Triplet Surprise

It was probably for the best to create a little space between them, anyway. They’d grown very close over the last few months, but Leah had always known there was an expiration date. Maybe that expiration date was now.

She tried to focus on her book and ignore the tears that had sprung into her eyes. When one rolled down her cheek, she wiped it away forcefully and focused on the reading again. She could do this. Even if she was going to be alone.

Some part of Leah was sure that Dan was going to text, but he didn’t. He didn’t write or call that evening. He didn’t reach out the next day, Saturday, even though they had gotten into a habit of meeting at a coffee shop for drinks and a walk on Saturday afternoons. Instead, Leah spent the day organizing her house and making room for three cribs.

Dan didn’t reach out on Sunday, either. Leah felt a strong wave of morning sickness, which had mostly passed by that point, and spent the day lying on the couch, watching old movies and eating baby carrots and lemon sorbet. Every bite reminded her of Dan.

Sunday evening, she began to wonder if she’d made a mistake. Maybe she shouldn’t have deleted that message to Dan. Surely, he would have replied by now if she hadn’t deleted it. Maybe she should try to reach out again…

But Leah shut that train of thought down. Every day that Dan didn’t reach out, he was proving that he wasn’t a responsible parent. It was better to leave distance between them than to hope that he could change. Leah knew who Dan was. He loved his work more than anything.

A small part of her hoped that he would still reach out. Either way, though, she’d see him tomorrow at the office.

A ball of nerves grew in Leah’s stomach. She wasn’t sure how she should act around Dan the next day. They couldn’t fall back into their usual pattern of stopping by each other’s offices and meeting for lunch. Yet she couldn’t just ignore him, either. Once again, she wished that he would just reach out to her.

Leah knew that her thoughts were swirling in a big circular jumble. It wasn’t helpful to dwell on what Dan was doing or thinking when she had no way of knowing. Yet she couldn’t stop herself, either. Hormones and sadness merged into a concoction of stress that she just couldn’t shake.

Finally, around midnight, she had an epiphany. Maybe this was how everything was always meant to be. She and Dan had made a business arrangement. They’d both held up their ends of the bargain. Now, they would return to being colleagues. Leah’s heart broke at the thought, but she knew it was the right thing. Even if Dan wanted to have a bigger part in her life, she would need to say no. She couldn’t let herself be this stressed, not when it could hurt her babies.

It was better to treat Dan as she had before they’d made their deal. It was better to prepare to be a single mother.

The next morning, Leah woke, showered, and dressed. Then she went into the office, ready to face her future. Alone.

CHAPTER 16

DAN

Dan knew that he needed to be strong.

On Friday, Leah had sent him a message letting him know that she was ready to talk and that everything would be okay. He had been too confused and upset to answer. Then, suddenly, the message had disappeared.

Good. If Leah was ready to keep her distance, too, it would make what Dan needed to do easier.

Yet the whole weekend, he struggled with himself. He wanted to text Leah, at least to let her know that he was thinking of her. Yet each time he reached for his phone, he stopped himself. On Friday, he’d decided that he needed to keep his distance from her, and that’s what he would do. Otherwise, he ran the risk of hurting her and their babies even more than he already had. Dan couldn’t let himself do that.

So, instead of reaching out to Leah, he’d spent the whole weekend deep in work. He’d gone into the office both days, from early in the morning until late at night. All his meals had been takeout that he’d ordered to his office. He’d only returned home to sleep — or try to.

The weekend at work reminded Dan of another reason he needed to keep his distance. Over the last few months, when Dan had been spending more time with Leah and moved around his work commitments to be there for her, his work had started to pile up. Tasks that he would normally have addressed right away sat on his to-do list for days at a time. So, he now waded into the backlog and, by Sunday night, he was on top of everything again. To keep his momentum, Dan packed his Monday full of meetings with various departments and contacts. Richard had hinted several times that Dan was almost ready to take over RMA. He needed to be prepared.

Yet nothing could prepare him for Monday morning. By some terrible happenstance, he arrived in the lobby at the very same time as Leah. Leah was wearing her usual blouse and slacks, seemingly oblivious to the summer heat outside. Her hair was pulled back in a simple, neat bun, and she was holding her briefcase. Her stomach curved slightly under her shirt with the beginnings of a baby bump.

As soon as he saw her, emotions welled up in him. Surprisingly, he was annoyed that she hadn’t tried to contact him either — shouldn’t he have gotten a chance to come to terms with the triplets before she cut him off? At the same time, he was angry with himself for not reaching out to her.

But more than anything, Dan felt a deep affection and a sadness at the distance between them. He wanted nothing more than to pull Leah into his arms and ask her to forgive him for his silence. He wanted to tell her that, even though triplets would be a lot, they could work it out together. He wanted to reassure her that he would still be there for her.

The urge to reach for her was so strong that Dan found himself lifting a hand towards hers before he could stop himself. But then, the elevator doors dinged open. Leah stepped inside, then turned and caught sight of him for the first time.

“Good morning.” Her tone was polite but clipped.

Dan stepped inside after her and pushed the button for her floor and his. The doors closed with a whoosh, and Dan turned to Leah. He needed to keep his distance. He needed to be strong. But he couldn’t do it. He reached for her hand.

“Leah, I?—”

“Don’t.” Her voice was cold, now. Cutting. Dan was surprised. Leah was always kind and understanding. He’d never seen her like this. He dropped his hand to his side.

“I think we should talk.”

“What’s there to talk about?” Leah crossed her arms. “Our deal is over, isn’t it?”

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