Page 38 of The Billionaire's Instant Triplets

“Thank you.”

She took his hand for a quick, firm shake. As always, when they touched, a surge of electricity ran up her arm, but she ignored it.

“Thank you, too.” She let go of his hand and turned to the door. Her feet went into her shoes, and her hand grabbed the handle of her suitcase, but in her mind she was miles away. As Ria opened the door, she heard Jacob start to cry. Jasmine joined in, then Jamie’s voice added to the chorus of sadness. Ria turned back.

“It’s all right. I love you, kiddos. It’s all right.” She blew a kiss to each of them.

But the triplets cried on. Ria couldn’t help them, not without going back and scooping them into her arms, and she couldn’t do that. She had to leave.

Without looking back again, Ria slipped out the door and shut it behind her. The warm summer air played across her face as a single tear broke past her defenses and rolled down her cheek. It was always hard to say goodbye to her young charges, but this was on another level. The modern house had felt like home. The triplets had felt like her own kids. And Tristan had felt like a real partner, a confidant, and a man she could have loved.

Ria walked down the path towards the bus station. It was the reverse of the route she’d taken that first day, when she’d been nervous but excited for a new job. Now, she didn’t feel excited about her new work. Not at all. All she wanted to do was climb into bed and cry — or run back to the house that was slowly disappearing into the distance.

On the bus ride home, Ria pressed her face against the window and watched the city roll by. Everyone seemed to be with their families, walking hand in hand with loved ones as small children frolicked ahead. It was a relief to pass through downtown, where most pedestrians wore suits and ties and walked alone.

Ria returned to her studio apartment. It was dark and quiet and smelled a little stale. She opened the windows, letting streams of light and fresh air in, and saw that her plant had died. Of course it had. She hadn’t been back to the apartment in months.

Ria fetched a glass of water and perched on the edge of her couch. There was no point unpacking — she’d start her new job in a few days anyway. Instead, she dialed her sister and spent an hour or so on the phone. She didn’t talk about Tristan or the triplets. She just asked about Nora’s life and listened to her sister talk, and that was enough. For now.

* * *

A few days later, Ria stepped off the airplane in Los Angeles. Even though both cities were in California, she was always surprised by how different LA looked. The air smelled different, more tropical, and palm trees seemed to line every road. A cab took her to the new family along broad boulevards and past a stretch of gleaming sapphire-colored ocean and white-sand beaches. Ria had always wanted to live in LA, but she could barely enjoy it. Her thoughts kept drifting back to Tristan, Jamie, Jacob, and Jasmine. How were they faring without her? Did they miss her? Would she ever hear from them again?

The new family, the Robinsons, lived in a sprawling ranch house with tasteful orange stucco walls and a yard of local drought-friendly plants. The mother, Chrissie, met her at the door.

“You must be Ria!” she beamed. “Welcome, welcome. We’re so glad you could start right away — Callum’s au pair had to go back to France to be with her mother, and we had a bit of a scramble for childcare.” She pulled Ria into a hug.

The welcome was the polar opposite of what Ria had experienced at Tristan’s home. Chrissie led her on a tour of the house, focusing on Ria’s beautifully decorated bedroom and Callum’s room. A few minutes later, the door opened, and young Callum arrived, along with his father. The little boy was friendly and had good manners. Even at just five years old, he smiled up at Ria as he held out his small hand for a shake.

“Welcome,” he said adorably.

The rest of the day was spent getting to know the family and playing with Callum. That night, Callum’s parents insisted on doing the bedtime routine — “We always do,” Chrissie said. “It’s our family time.” While they took care of baths and stories and tucking in, Ria slipped off to her room.

This was the kind of job she’d always dreamed about. Callum was a sweetheart, his parents clearly loved him, and the house was gorgeous. Ria knew she could settle in and be happy here. Yet all she wanted to do was book the first flight back to San Francisco to be with the Wests. Eventually, surely, her heartache would pass, and she would move on. Until then, though, it was hard to accept that she would never again see the little family she’d come to love.

CHAPTER18

TRISTAN

Tristan had expected things to fall apart after Ria left. After all, before she’d arrived, he and the triplets had existed in a state of total chaos most of the time. Instead, though, everything continued much as it had before. Tristan enrolled the kids in one of the preschools Ria had found and secured a spot for them in a local daycare for a few more hours a day so that he could go to the office. The triplets enjoyed making friends and playing with all the toys at daycare and preschool, and Tristan was able to work.

At home, things went smoothly, too. Each time something came up, from Jacob turning his nose up at a stray leaf of spinach to Jasmine crying in the night to Jamie spilling his juice all over himself and his car seat, Tristan knew how to handle it. He knew because Ria had taught him, patiently and caringly, everything he needed to know.

So, when Jacob raced towards the wall with a marker in his hand, Tristan thought of Ria.How had she handled this?Then he grabbed Jacob a piece of paper and set him up at his small toddler table to color. As Tristan watched his little boy happily drawing a picture of an elephant, his thoughts stayed with Ria. He remembered her encouraging Jacob’s drawing and always making sure he had a notepad and crayons with him. He remembered Ria with her arm covered in scribbles of green marker after she’d let Jacob try out his coloring skills on her. He remembered wanting to trace one of those green lines from her fingertips to her shoulder.

When Jamie woke one night in tears, Tristan scooped him up and took him down to the rocking chair. There, he stroked his back and talked to him softly, just like Ria had shown him. In the predawn light, he remembered sitting with Ria in this very spot, talking and laughing and staying up the rest of the night.

When Jasmine told a story, Tristan remembered Ria texting him on her first day about the “skuls.” She’d been so confused, and Tristan had been, too. Now they both knew about the triplets’ love of squirrels — and Jasmine’s language skills had greatly improved.

Without hesitation, Tristan handled potty time and bathtime. He fed the kids and played with them. He took them to the park and read them books. He kissed them goodnight and again each time he dropped them off at preschool. He was alone now, but it didn’t feel like it. Every time Tristan turned, he half-expected to see Ria standing beside him with her infectious smile. Every time he heard a crash, he half-expected it was Ria who’d knocked something down. And every time one of the triplets asked about her, which was almost constantly, he wished she were here.

Slowly, days piled into weeks. Tristan was truly a single father, but he still thought of Ria often. So did the triplets.

At first, he felt angry with her for leaving. But soon, his anger melted into just missing her. He appreciated all she’d taught him, and he wished she were there. Then, both faded, and Tristan realized that he’d acted in haste, too. Ria was always going to leave, but he could have handled it better. At least for the triplets’ sake, he could have suggested that they stay in touch.

The more time went by, the more Tristan realized that he didn’t just miss Ria for the triplets’ sake, though. He missed the way she always lit up a room when she entered. He missed the way her eyes would widen when she was worried that she’d gone too far in something she’d said. He missed the feeling of her slight hand in his and the sparkle in her eyes when she laughed.

Ria had left because she wanted to, but Tristan certainly hadn’t made matters any easier by asking her to go the very next day. He also hadn’t helped by not asking to stay in touch. Slowly, it dawned on him that Ria had never said shewantedto leave him and the triplets — just that she had a new job offer.

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