Page 1 of The Boss's Triplet Surprise

CHAPTER 1

LEAH

Leah yawned, then closed her laptop with a sigh. It had been a long day of work — no, a long few years of work. Half a decade, almost. But it had all been worth it. Leah felt a smile spread across her face.

Years ago, when she’d first joined RMA Pharmaceuticals, she’d dedicated herself to the fertility team. Slowly but surely, she’d risen through the ranks until she was the lead scientist on a new drug, Forenal, that was made to increase a couple’s chances of conceiving from the moment they started trying. A year ago, the drug had been ready for testing. A month ago, Leah had gotten the approval that the drug was ready to enter the market. Today, she had finished creating the presentation for the conference at which the drug would go public. All her years of hard work had come down to this.

Leah sat back in her chair and closed her eyes. The issue of fertility was deeply personal to her, and the thought of all the babies who would hopefully be born because of her hard work and dedication — well, it warmed her heart.

All that hard work had come at a cost, though. At thirty-five, Leah was still single. And she was even further from being a mother. Leah loved children and had always imagined that she’d meet the right guy, settle down, and start a family one of these days. Yet the years had gone by and she had been more focused on her work than anything else. She’d barely looked up from her lab bench and her laptop.

She wasn’t even sure she needed a guy. She was independent and had a great circle of friends and family to support her. The idea of not having children of her own, though… that was harder to swallow.

“You’re getting ahead of yourself, Adams,” Leah muttered under her breath. It was a sentence her mother had often said to her worrywart father when she was young, and it fitted the situation now. This was a happy moment, one in which Leah should be celebrating a huge personal success, not dwelling on her lack of children.

With that in mind, she got to her feet and stretched with another long yawn. The day had run away from her as she’d put the final touches on the presentation. It was already almost seven in the evening. Sure enough, when she poked her head out of her office, she saw that she was the only one still on her floor. All the other offices were dark.

Leah gathered her things, shut down her workstation, and headed to the elevator. She had a strange feeling, the kind she always used to get when she’d finished a year of school and stood at the beginning of summer. Reaching the end of her development of Forenal was exciting, to say the least, but it was a little bittersweet, too. Leah wasn’t sure if she should jump into another project or take time to focus on herself — but what would that even look like? It wasn’t as if she could make a baby all by herself.

She rolled her eyes at her reflection in the elevator’s mirrored wall. She was getting ahead of herself yet again.

In the building’s ornate lobby, Leah caught sight of a familiar face. It was Dan Marley, the CEO of RMA Pharmaceuticals. He was leaning against the receptionist desk, chatting. When Leah had become head of her own drug-development team, she’d met Dan for the first of a series of meetings. Now, as always, she found her stomach filling with tiny butterflies at the sight of the handsome man.

Dan was the kind of guy who radiated confidence. Perhaps that, even more than his athletic build, the way he looked so good in a suit, or the intensity of his gray-blue eyes, was why he was so attractive.

You’re getting ahead of yourself, Adams. As attractive as Dan was, he probably didn’t even know who Leah was. He was the CEO, after all, and although they’d had a few meetings, they’d had very limited personal interactions. Anyway?—

“Leah Adams?”

Leah’s thoughts were cut off by Dan raising a hand in a wave then briskly crossing the lobby towards her. She blinked in surprise. Apparently, Dan did know who she was.

“Hi, Mr. Marley.”

“Call me Dan, please.” He held out one hand for a quick shake. His grip was warm and firm. “I’ve been meaning to track you down.”

“You have?” Leah was more surprised than ever. She wasn’t sure what business RMA’s CEO would have with her.

“Yes. Do you have a moment to talk?”

Leah bit down her confusion. “Sure.”

Dan escorted her to a small seating area in the corner of the lobby. As they walked, Leah’s mind raced through the potential reasons Dan might have to talk to her. Perhaps there had been an issue with her performance — although she couldn’t imagine what that would be. And anyway, the CEO wouldn’t be concerned with that.

Maybe he’s noticed you for another reason. Leah shook off the thought. Even if Dan knew who she was, there was no reason to imagine that he would find her attractive. Leah knew that she was pretty enough, but she usually wore a lab coat and always had on her wide-rimmed glasses. She wasn’t the most beautiful woman in the company by any means. And anyway, dating her boss would be a terrible idea, all else aside. Even if Dan were interested in her.

Together, they entered a small conference room. Dan shut the door behind them, then gestured for Leah to take a seat.

“Our advertising wing has determined that Forenal is likely to be very popular,” Dan told her as they sat across from each other. Leah’s mind cleared — of course, he was here to talk about Forenal. And he thought it would be a success! That was good news. She quickly put aside her attraction to talk business.

“I’m glad to hear it,” Leah said. “If there’s anything I can do, I’d be more than happy to help with the promotion of the drug.”

“Good. You’ll be speaking at the Midwest Medical Science Conference next week — is that right? When we’re announcing Forenal?”

“Yes, I am. I was just putting the final touches to the presentation this evening.”

“Perfect. I know you were intending to go with our head of advertising, but after some discussion we’ve decided that I should speak with you instead. The CEO coming out to announce the drug will help signal to investors and the medical community alike that we’re serious about Forenal.”

“That’s great.” Leah couldn’t hide a rather unprofessional grin. The idea that the advertising wing had decided that her drug would be a success — enough of a success to send the CEO to a conference, which was rare — was wonderful news. She couldn’t help feeling a flood of excitement.

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