Page 25 of Triplet Babies for the Billionaire
I lean against the doorframe, letting out a sigh. “Great. As long as that’s the only thing they’re talking about.”
Nicole raises an eyebrow, a smirk playing at the corners of her mouth. “You sure? Because I’m pretty sure there’s something moreinterestinghappening behind the scenes, don’t you think?”
I frown. “What do you mean?”
She crosses her arms, eyes narrowing as she takes a step closer. “Come on, Noah. You really think I haven’t noticed the way you’ve been acting? I’m your sister. I can tell when something’s off. What’s going on with you and...who is it? Blossom?”
I stare at her, caught off guard. I didn’t think it was that obvious. But with Nicole, nothing stays a secret for long.
“Yeah,” I admit, the words slipping out before I can stop myself. “I’ve been...seeing her.”
Nicole laughs, shaking her head. “A dog, Noah,” she says, teasing. “You’re a dog. Sleeping with your newest employee? Classic.”
I wince at her bluntness. “Don’t make it sound like that.”
She shrugs, clearly amused. “Hey, I’m not judging. But you’re on your own with this one. Just don’t do anything stupid.” She pauses before adding with a grin, “Well, what am I saying? You already have.”
“It’s not a mess…I don’t think,” I argue, rubbing at my aching eyes.
She tilts her head to the side and looks at me for a moment. “Do you have feelings for her?” she asks me.
I blink at her for a moment. Do I? I’ve been warring with myself so hard lately that I don’t actually know the answer to that question.
“I might,” I temporize, not sure how to answer her.
She nods sagely. “Well, maybe you should examine that aspect of things and figure out how you feel. It’s not really fair to put Blossom in this position if you don’t care about her, you know?”
I nod. She’s right. I hate that she’s right, but she usually is.
“Sorry to be the bearer of bossy tidings,” she quips, and I smile at her in spite of the turmoil tumbling in my chest.
I shake my head. “My little sister, always being wiser than me.”
Nicole laughs as she exits, leaving me alone to stew over the mess I’ve made.
A few hours later, I walk downstairs to find Nicole chatting with Amy, Blossom’s best friend and fellow bartender. Amy has that spark about her, the kind of flirtatious energy that’s impossible to ignore.
Nicole’s laughing, leaning in a little too close to Amy as they share some joke.
Amy smiles back, her blue eyes glinting with something that looks a little too much like reciprocation.
I stop in my tracks, watching them. It’s strange seeing Nicole so...playful. She's always had a sharp, calculating edge, so seeing her in this light is a surprise. But what’s even stranger is the way Amy’s reacting to her. I can see the flirtation, the way Amy's leaning in slightly, smiling in a way that says she likes the attention.
It throws me off, more than I want to admit. It’s not like I care what happens between Nicole and Amy. Hell, they’re both adults, right?
But still, seeing them interact like this in the middle of the hotel, it bothers me.
So many things in my life are changing. I’m grappling with the fact that I’m changing, and here is yet more proof that change is in the air all around me, all the time.
For the past few years, I’ve built up a cocoon around myself, the cottony walls protecting me from seeing that the world moves on, even if we stubbornly refuse to come along with it.
Faced with the chance to join the progression of the world toward new seasons, I feel reluctant, scared, defeated. I’m not sure I’m ready for Nicole to fall in love, or for Blossom and I to become something serious.
I grudgingly admit to myself that I might not be ready to make the most of my life ever again. Whittney’s words float through my mind again. She had known me. She had known I would wallow in my grief. She had wanted me to do better than that.
Yet, here I am, struggling to let go, struggling to evolve, struggling to allow the people I care about to be a part of a happier future with me in it.
Amy finally steps away from Nicole, heading back toward the bar with a playful wave. Nicole watches her go, a satisfied smirk on her lips.
