Page 46 of The Billionaire's Instant Triplets

“I know. What I’m saying is…” Tristan sighed. “I’m making a mess of this. Do you know what Jamie said to me the other night?”

Ria shook her head.

“He said that he loved you, and he missed you, and he wanted you to come home.” Tristan met Ria’s eyes, and she felt a spark there, the spark they’d always had between them. “That’s what I want to say, too. I’ve missed you, Ria. I love you. Please, come home.”

Ria’s breath caught in her chest. “I—” But she didn’t know what to say. This was all so completely unexpected that it caught her off guard. She’d hoped that she and Tristan could stay friends, but that had seemed like the best she could hope for. Now, he was saying that helovedher and asking her to come home, and her mind couldn’t process what that meant.

“From the first day I met you,” Tristan continued, his lips quirking in a smile, “you turned my life upside-down. You broke my vase and made fun of my glasses.” Ria winced, and Tristan’s smile widened. “That was agoodthing. Especially since you also taught me how to be a father instead of just a CEO. More than that, you taught me how to love. I’ve always held myself apart from people. I never thought I could truly know someone or truly be known. But with you, I realized that love and family might be closer — and much better — than I’d imagined.”

“Tristan…” Ria felt tears prickling at the backs of her eyes. “Do you mean that?”

“Of course I mean that. Ria, you’re amazing.” Tristan shook his head. “I’ve never met anyone like you. You’re funny, smart, clumsy, kind, thoughtful, gorgeous… You’reeverything. And getting to know you, getting to love you — even if you don’t feel the same way — has been an immense privilege.”

“You love me.” Ria’s brow furrowed. “You loveme.”

“I love you.” Tristan nodded. “And I know you might not feel the same way. That’s all right. I just thought you should know."

Ria was on her feet in an instant. She barely noticed that she’d knocked one of the triplets’ plastic sippy cups off the table as she stood, until Tristan got to his feet and bent to pick it up. He straightened, sippy cup in hand like a peace offering. They were close now, as close as they’d ever been in one of their near-misses. If Ria lifted her hands and leaned forward, they would be touching.

A half dozen times or more, they’d been in exactly this position, and one of them had moved away. This time, neither did. They stood for what felt like both a millisecond and a decade at once, just looking at each other. Ria saw the familiar five o’clock shadow across Tristan’s cheeks, and his neat haircut that had become messy over the course of the day. She saw the flecks of gray in his green eyes, and the curve of his surprisingly long eyelashes. She saw the ripples of muscles beneath his T-shirt, and the way he stood at least six inches taller than her. She smelled his peppermint aftershave and a faint scent of toddler shampoo and birthday cake.

“It broke my heart, leaving you,” Ria whispered. “I wanted nothing more than to stay.”

“Then stay.” Tristan voice was low and deep now, and it made heat pool in Ria’s abdomen. “Stay with me.” He set the sippy cup on the table, his eyes never leaving hers.

“I don’t know.” Ria wanted to say yes. She wanted to jump into his arms and finally get that kiss she’d been dreaming of for months. But as much as her heart was ready to leap into this, her brain told her to hold back. “I have a new job.”

“Forget your new job.” Tristan’s gaze was intense.

Ria laughed softly. “I’d have to go back and quit.”

“Fine, as long as you come back here.”

“I have an apartment.” Ria’s voice grew softer. She could feel her walls tumbling down as Tristan’s gaze pulled her in like a magnet. He felt like the only person in the world right then.

“Forget your apartment.” His head was tilted now.

“Well, then.” Ria felt like she was poised on the edge of a cliff in a pair of manufactured wings. One step forward, and she’d see if those wings would really hold her, or if she’d crash to the ocean below. “I suppose I could stay.”

A smile spread over Tristan’s face like the sun coming out. Ria felt her wings lift her into the air. “May I kiss you, then?”

Ria answered by lifting onto her toes and bringing her mouth to his. At first, the kiss was soft and gentle. Tristan’s lips caressed hers, sending waves of sensation rushing through her. His hands rested on her waist, as light as feathers, as Ria savored the feeling of finally having him so close. She was flying. The wings held. The ocean stretched far below, sparkling and full of possibilities.

Then Tristan deepened the kiss as his hands slid up Ria’s back and into her hair. They were pressed against each other now, her curves fitting perfectly against his muscular chest. As if Ria were weightless, Tristan lifted her and set her on the counter. Ria’s legs wrapped around him to pull him closer as he pressed kisses to her lips, across her cheek, and down her neck. Every place his lips touched felt warm and tingly. Ria lifted her arms to rest on Tristan’s shoulders as she kissed him back.

“Wait.”

The moment she spoke, Tristan pulled away. “Is everything all right?”

“Everything’s perfect.” Ria hesitated, savoring the look on Tristan’s face and the way it felt to hold each other like this. “But before we continue, I wanted to tell you something.”

“Oh? What’s that?”

“I love you, too.”

And then they were kissing again. It was as though they were pouring all the passion, all the love, and all the attraction they’d both been suppressing for so long into each other. Ria’s head spun. The only thing she could think of was that she wanted to be closer. She let out a soft moan as Tristan’s hands caressed her back, and his lips caressed hers, sending waves of sensation washing through her.

Just then, the doorbell rang. Tristan and Ria pulled apart.

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