Page 40 of The Billionaire's Instant Triplets

The question had come up many times over the last few weeks, and each time, Tristan had given the same answer.

“She had to go.”

“Why?”

“Because.” Tristan kissed his son on the forehead. Usually, that was the end of the exchange — it was hard for a toddler to argue with something like “because.” But today, Jamie frowned. He bit his lip in thought, and Tristan had another wash of déjà vu — Ria did the exact same thing. The triplets had learned a lot from her.

“I wuv Ria,” Jamie said. “You wuv Ria?”

Tristan’s heart constricted, but he smiled down at the little boy as if all was well. “Yes, I do. I love Ria.”

“We family.” Jamie yawned. “Wuv Ria. Ria come home.”

Then he rolled over and snuggled down under the blankets. Tristan patted his shoulder, kissed Jacob and Jasmine good night, and slipped out of the room. As he went down to the kitchen to find some dinner, Jamie’s words replayed in his mind, over and over.

We’re family,the little boy had said, in his own way.We love Ria. Ria should come home.

And it was true, wasn’t it? Tristan had wavered so much about how to tell Ria what he felt. He’d been so hesitant, in fact, that Ria had left. Even when she’d told him she had a new job, he’d just told her to leave instead of trying to put into words how much he loved her. Now, he was ruminating about what to tell her if she came to the triplets’ party.

Talking to little Jamie had made everything so much clearer. There was no need for Tristan to overcomplicate things. If he ever saw Ria again, he would simply say what was in his heart.You’re part of my family. I love you. Please come home.

There was still every chance that Ria wouldn’t want to see him again, that she wouldn’t want to hear that he loved her, and that she wouldn’t want to come home. Perhaps she’d never thought of Tristan and the triplets as anything more than her clients. But at least Tristan would have tried everything he could to let Ria know how special she was. That had to be enough.

Of course, it all depended on whether she came to the party. Tristan would just have to wait for her answer to his RSVP.

CHAPTER19

RIA

Ria jogged through the winding suburban streets of the Robinsons’ neighborhood. Sprawling ranch houses, towering palm trees, and expensive cars rolled by as she picked up the pace, her heart rate rising. The air smelled fresh and citrusy, with just a tinge of salt, and the sky was still streaked with early morning pink. Despite the early hour, it was already hot. July in LA was a scorching time of year.

It had been a few weeks since she had relocated to LA, and so far everything had gone very smoothly. Callum was a sweet and intelligent little boy who loved to draw, play with toy cars, and go for bike rides around the nearby park. He went to a morning kindergarten session, so Ria had a lot of free time when he wasn’t home.

Callum’s parents were wonderful, too. They were incredibly welcoming, often offering to have Ria join their family for dinners out or weekend trips to the mountains or the beach.

When Ria was building sandcastles with Callum on the beach or trying hibachi for the first time with the family, she could stay present. Yet in the quiet moments, when Callum was in school and his parents were at work, or after bedtime, her thoughts always drifted back to Tristan and the kids. She wondered how they were doing and if they missed her.

As more time went by, Ria felt like her questions were answered. Tristan and the kids must not miss her. After all, she hadn’t heard anything from them, even though Tristan had her phone number. She could have called Tristan too, she knew that, but after the way they’d left things, she didn’t think he wanted to hear from her. The more time passed without him reaching out, the more certain she was about that.

Ria’s time with the Wests began to feel like a dream. It had been a beautiful dream, certainly, but it couldn’t have been real. Sometimes, she remembered dancing with Tristan in the kitchen or sitting with him on the stoop while the kids played. She thought of the way he smelled, like aftershave and peppermint, and those silly glasses he’d worn when they first met. She thought of his morning turmeric-and-lemon drink, which the Robinson parents had each morning as well. She thought of how he’d grown into his role as a father, and what a joy it had been to watch that happen.

And then she remembered that her time with Tristan and the kids was in the past. Dwelling on the past wasn’t going to help her. It wouldn’t help anyone. Ria picked up her pace again, her feet flying as she raced down a slight hill.

After all this, after almost a month had passed, Ria had gotten a text from Tristan last night. Her heart had skipped a beat when she saw his name pop up on her phone. Was he asking for parenting tips? Was he, just maybe, telling her that he’d made a mistake and that he wanted her to come back? Or was it a pocket text?

But it hadn’t been any of that. Instead, the text had an attachment. It was an invitation to the triplets’ third birthday party in two weeks’ time. Ria had been confused when she’d seen it, and she was still confused now.

Ria slowed to a stop, her heart pounding, and put her hands on her hips as she recovered. With her thoughts on Tristan, she’d pushed herself too hard. She needed to get her heart rate down again.

Ria wanted to go. Ofcourseshe wanted to go. She wanted nothing more than to see the kids again and make sure they were all right. And she wanted to see Tristan, too, despite how they’d left things. Her heart ached at the mental image of him opening the door and welcoming her inside.

The problem was that she wasn’t sure she was strong enough. Seeing Tristan and the triplets might break her heart all over again. If she set foot back in that house, she wasn’t sure she’d ever be able to leave.

Ria started to walk back towards the Robinsons’ house, breaking into a light jog once she’d recovered a little. The other problem was that she didn’t know what Tristan had meant by the invitation. Had it been a peace offering? Did he even expect her to come? Did he want to see her again as much as she wanted to see him? Had it been an accident? Had he just sent the invitation to all his contacts? There hadn’t been a message with the invitation, so there was no way for Ria to know. Since she’d first seen the message last night, it had been all she could think about.

The Robinsons’ house came back into view. Ria had another few hours before she needed to pick Callum up from kindergarten, so she took a shower and put together some lunch for herself and her young charge. As she did so, she kept thinking about the invitation.

It would be hard for her to see the little family again. And it would be silly to fly all the way back to San Francisco for a one-day event. She’d need to take time off from her brand-new nannying job. Worse, she’d need to walk back into the house she’d called home as a guest. And worst of all, she’d have to shake Tristan’s hand as though he’d never been anything more than her boss when, at one point, she’d imagined a future by his side. More than once, she’d pictured him taking her into his arms for a slow, deep kiss. She’d imagined him lifting her onto the counter in the kitchen, forgetting everything else in his desire to be near her. She’d imagined simpler things, too: evenings curled on the couch with her head on his arm; holding hands while walking with the kids; or waking up beside him in the morning.

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