Page 45 of The Billionaire's Instant Triplets

Together, they walked down the stairs towards the kitchen where they’d shared so many meals. Tristan’s heart beat a quick rhythm in his chest. Once again, he mentally replayed Jamie’s words. He just needed to speak from his heart. Everything else would fall into place… if Ria felt the same way as he did.

CHAPTER21

RIA

What are you doing?The question replayed in Ria’s mind with every footfall as she followed Tristan towards the kitchen. She’d been firm with herself when she’d decided to come to the party. She was here for the triplets, nothing else. She would stay for the party and perhaps a little longer, but then she would go. She couldn’t hesitate. She couldn’t let herself be drawn in by this beautiful little family.

Yet now, she had agreed to join Tristan for dinner. It was a mistake — clearly. For Tristan, dinner was just dinner, but for Ria, it was yet another glimpse into the life she’d had to leave behind. Seeing him and the triplets today had been difficult enough. Ria had enjoyed the party and her afternoon with the kids and Tristan more than she could say. Yet each smile, each piece of cake, each toddler hug, and each glance she exchanged with Tristan, had been tinged with the knowledge that this was just temporary. At the end of the day, she’d have to leave all of it behind again.

“I may have made a mistake,” Tristan said, and Ria blinked as she flew back into the present moment. What did he mean bya mistake? Could he possibly be referring to the way they’d ended things a month ago? Her heart began to race — until she saw that he was looking in the refrigerator. This must be a culinary mistake.

“Oh?”

“I didn’t know if you would come, so I didn’t prepare anything for dinner. We have toddler snacks or leftovers from their dinner.” He made a face. “Groceries are coming tomorrow morning.”

“Maybe it’s a sign that I should just head out.” Ria smiled, though her heart had begun to ache again. “After all, I didn’t tell you I was coming — I don’t want to be an intrusive guest.”

“You aren’t.” Tristan closed the fridge and stepped closer. “Let’s order something.”

“Are you sure?” Thiswas Ria’s mistake. She should leave now — she should have left right when the triplets went to bed. Or, better yet, she should have left when the other party guests did.

“I’m sure. Come, sit. How about that Chinese place?”

“All right.” Ria crossed to the table and gripped the back of a chair. They’d ordered from the local Chinese restaurant several times in situations like this. “I’ll have the usual.”

Tristan took a seat across from her, tapped at his phone for a few minutes, then set it face down on the table and looked at her with those intense green eyes.

“Ria…” He smiled slightly. “Please, sit.”

“All right.” Ria pulled back the chair she’d been gripping and slid into it. “But I can really only stay for dinner.”

“When’s your flight back?”

Ria hesitated. She didn’t want to admit the truth to Tristan — that she’d booked a last-minute, one-way flight when she’d finally decided a few days ago that she wanted to be here. The Robinsons had given her a week off, so she had a loose plan of seeing some of her siblings and hanging out in San Francisco for a little while before going back down to LA.

“I have a bit of time,” she said.

Tristan nodded. He took a sip of water before bringing his gaze back to Ria.

“I made another mistake, too.”

“Did you?” It was probably another culinary crisis. Ria wouldn’t let herself get her hopes up.

“I shouldn’t have asked you to leave so quickly. And I shouldn’t have spoken to you so harshly when you told me about your new job. We both knew you were going to leave eventually.”

Ria nodded and cleared her throat. “I’m sorry for springing the new job on you. I didn’t apply for it, but I was registered with the agency. I’d expressed interestbeforeI took the job with you. And just to be clear, I wasn’t announcing that I was going to take the job. I just wanted to know how you felt about it.”

Tristan looked down at his hands. “I understand that, now. I know you would never have done anything that wasn’t in the kids’ best interests. I was the one who made things difficult for them by asking you to leave so quickly.”

“Well, it’s water under the bridge now.” Ria’s heart was aching so hard that she was tempted to press her palm to her chest. Finally, she and Tristan could resolve the misunderstanding that had led to such an abrupt and tense end to their time together. But the resolution had come weeks too late. Perhaps she and Tristan could still be friends, but there was no way she’d ever have the kind of closeness with him that she’d dreamed of.

“That’s the thing, Ria.” Tristan leaned forward. “I don’t want it to be water under the bridge. I don’t wantusto be water under the bridge.”

“What do you mean?” Ria bit her lip. One of her hands lifted to tug on a loose curl.

“What I should have told you, back when we talked about your new job, is that I didn’t want you to leave. That’s why I reacted so poorly — because I wanted you to stay.”

“I didn’t want to leave, either.” Ria folded her hands. “But there was always going to be a time when you didn’t need me as a nanny anymore. You’re a wonderful father, Tristan. You don’t need my help.”

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