Page 9 of The Boss's Triplet Surprise

Dan leaned towards her. His interest was piqued. “What else do you want?”

Leah hesitated, then sighed. “I want children. I’ve always wanted children. I always felt like I’d eventually meet a guy, fall in love, get married, and get pregnant, but that’s looking less and less likely. I’m starting to think I’ll need to develop a whole new drug so that I can get pregnant on my own!”

Dan chuckled at her joke, but inside he wanted nothing more than to take Leah’s hands in his own and tell her not to give up on love. It would be a ridiculous thing to say, since Dan had already given up on love for himself, but Leah was such a wonderful woman with so much to give. Dan found it heartbreaking that she didn’t know that.

“There are other ways to have children,” he said instead. “Adoption, a sperm donor…”

“I know, I know.” Leah nodded. “I am interested in adoption, but, as selfish as it might sound, I also want to experience pregnancy. My mother always spoke about how magical it was to carry me and feel me move for the first time. I’d like to feel that for myself.”

“That isn’t selfish at all.”

“Thank you. And as for a donor, you make a good point. But I’d like the father of my children to at least be someone I’ve met. Plus, getting pregnant that way can have a lot of costs attached.” Leah blushed again. “I’m so sorry. We’re supposed to be having a professional meeting, and I just dropped my worries right on your lap.”

“Please don’t be sorry.” Dan’s mind was racing. “I think… This might sound a little strange…”

Leah looked at him, her expression open. Dan took a breath. He couldn’t believe he was really doing this. Yet it was absolutely perfect — so much so that he couldn’t believe it was only occurring to him now.

Dan needed a girlfriend — but it didn’t have to be a real one. If Leah were willing to pretend to be his girlfriend, just for a short time, it would be enough for Richard to believe that Dan was ready to inherit the company. After all, she was just the kind of person Richard would have wanted for his son.

And Leah could get something out of their fake relationship, too. A baby. She wanted to be a mother, and Dan would happily cover all the costs for her to become pregnant via fertility treatment — which would also help sell their fake relationship to his father. It was win-win.

Still, Dan found himself hesitating. Leah might think that he was off his rocker.

“Yes?” Leah prompted. “What were you thinking?”

“I’m thinking we can solve each other’s problems. It’s very simple, really. All you need to do is agree to be my girlfriend — my fake girlfriend.”

Leah’s eyes widened. “What?”

CHAPTER 5

LEAH

Leah couldn’t believe this was happening.

One moment, they’d been practicing the presentation. The next, she’d been spilling all her worries and wishes about becoming a mother, which had been more than a little ill-advised, yes, but didn’t explain what had happened next. Could her boss really be asking her to be his girlfriend? His fake girlfriend?

“Let me explain.” Dan leaned forward, hands clasped. “My father is still technically the head of the company, like I told you on Saturday. Last week, he told me that he won’t hand over the company until I’ve, quote, fulfilled my personal life as well as my professional one. And apparently, the only way I can possibly do that is by starting a family.”

“That’s what you meant when you said your father was old-fashioned,” Leah said slowly. Things were clicking into place — though she was still spinning at the thought of dating Dan, even if it wasn’t for real.

“Exactly. Meanwhile, you want to become a mother but are facing certain roadblocks. I can help you. All we’d have to do is pretend to date for a little while, long enough for you to meet my father and for us to convince him that we’re seriously dating and that I’m personally fulfilled, whatever that means. Meanwhile, we can use a fertility clinic to help you get pregnant, with me as the biological father. What do you say?”

“I mean…” Leah was struggling to answer. Of course she wanted to get pregnant. She’d always wanted to be a mother. And she could admit that Dan would provide good genetic material to her children, with his good looks, athleticism, and clear intelligence.

This just wasn’t how Leah had imagined becoming a mother. Pretending to date Dan was one thing. But having a baby with him was something completely different. She knew she should say no, yet she hesitated. It was a kind of perfect offer.

“How involved would you want to be in… I can’t believe I’m saying this… the life of our child?” she asked.

“I would provide for both you and the baby in every way possible — full financial support. You’d want for nothing. As you probably know, money isn’t an issue for me. As far as emotional involvement, I would of course like to play some role in the child’s life, but I would leave that completely up to you. If you want an involved co-parent, I’d be there. If you want the money and nothing else, I would understand that too.”

“I’m just a little confused by how you see this going.” Leah bit her lip. “We’d pretend to date, I’d hopefully get pregnant, and then, once you got the company, we’d… what?”

“I’d imagine we could stage an amicable breakup and continue as friends.” Dan spoke calmly, almost casually, as though this were the kind of conversation he had every day. And perhaps he did make deals like this all the time. Leah really didn’t know him that well, as this conversation was proving.

And yet. The thought of a baby of Leah’s own, a baby that would inherit Dan’s attractive traits and never want for anything, was very appealing. Perhaps she was diving in at the deep end, but she found herself nodding slowly.

“Um… okay.”

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