Page 26 of The Billionaire's Instant Triplets

Ria paused, as though she were trying to formulate the right answer. “I do, of course, although the time has never been right. I wouldn’t want to be a single mother — I saw how hard that was for my mom. Plus, since most of my jobs are live-in, it would be hard to have a baby. At the same time, I always feel like the kids I nanny foraremy kids, in one way or another. I make a difference in their lives, and they make a difference in mine. Kids don’t have to be my blood to feel like my kids.”

“I understand that,” Tristan said — and he did. “I’ve tried to fight it, but the triplets do feel like my kids, even though they aren’t.”

“You tried to fight it because of your sister?” Tristan nodded, so Ria continued. “I know it must be hard. But remember, you being the kids’ father doesn’t mean that your sister wasn’t their mother. Kids need so many people to love them.”

“I know.” Tristan sighed. “I do love them.”

“I love them, too.” Ria smiled, though her expression was a little distant, now. “They’re such good kids.”

Tristan wanted to ask if it would be hard for her to leave the kids, but he didn’t want to remind her that the job would eventually come to an end. He didn’t want Ria to leave. At least not yet.

“They are good kids,” he said instead. “And they have so many hobbies.”

Ria giggled. “I know! They draw and swim and run and play and help with cooking and put on little plays together. I must have been the same way, though I can’t remember.”

“Me neither. Before the kids came, I used to have hobbies, too — I did yoga and meditation as well as exercise. Now I’m lucky if I can get in half an hour in the gym around everything else.”

“I run, or I try to, but that’s it,” Ria said. “That’s one of the good things about the kids, though. When I play with them, I get to draw and play and swim, too, and that reminds me how much fun those things can be.”

“You’re a real Mary Poppins, aren’t you?” Tristan felt his mouth lift into a smile as he imagined Ria pirouetting around his home in a Mary Poppins-style gown, singing about sugar and fun and charming the kids and him alike.

Ria grinned. “Thanks. I like the idea of that. Maybe, someday, I’ll start my own nannying agency — Ria Poppins, Inc.”

For some reason, the idea of Ria going off and starting a nannying agency made Tristan’s heart clench. It was probably the thought of losing her, which was inevitable. He didn’t voice his sadness.

“That’s a great idea,” he said, instead. “Do you like working for Oh Pear!?”

“No.” Ria chuckled at the abruptness of her answer. “It’s… not a great fit. Remember, I told you after I broke the vase that I couldn’t afford to be fired on the first day? Well, it wasn’t just about how bad that would look on an employment record. My boss told me that this job was my last chance.”

Tristan sat back, surprised. “How can that be? You’re a wonderful nanny.”

Ria sighed. “Apparently, not so much — at least, not according to her. And, well, it’s my own fault.” She blushed. “I may have… inflated my credentials… to get work with them. They pay so much better than the competition, and I was sure I could do a good job.” She looked down into her mug.

“What credentials did you inflate?” Tristan asked. “As far as I’ve seen, you’re everything that was advertised, and more. You care about the kids, you’re great with them, and you even cook and keep the house clean. What more could anyone need?”

“That’s what I thought, but apparently I should also be an expert in French cooking, speak at least three foreign languages, and be able to instruct my charges in extracurricular activities from karate to embroidery.”

Tristan whistled. “That’s alot.”

“Yeah.”

“But for kids as young as the triplets, surely you wouldn’t be expected to do all that?”

Ria laughed drily. “You’d be wrong about that. I worked with one client who wanted me to teach her three-month-old Mandarin. The kid didn’t even speak English yet!”

“Well, with or without French cooking or foreign languages, you’re a wonderful nanny, Ria.”

“Still. I know I shouldn’t have padded my résumé.” She sighed. “It’s just, well, my last sibling, Nora, is in college now. If I can just push a little, I can get her through, and the extra salary was exactly what I needed to support my family.”

“I understand.” Tristan smiled at her. “I guess we both put on a different face at work than at home.”

“True.” Ria’s lips quirked into a genuine smile. “But those poor toddlers are stuck with us.”

“I don’t know how they’ll live without a nanny who can make cream puffs in the shape of swans while singing to them in Flemish and sewing clothes for them out of handmade lace,” Tristan said.

“Exactly. And what will their childhood be like with a father who doesn’tactuallyneed glasses?”

They smiled at each other, then Tristan added, “I don’t wear the glasses anymore, you know.”

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