Page 6 of The Billionaire's Instant Triplets

“I’m glad to hear it. I’ll let you go now, but please reach out if you have any questions.”

“I will,” Tristan promised. He hung up and set the phone on the counter before turning his full attention back to the triplets. As one, they smiled at him, and his heart melted. Perhaps he didn’t exactly have the paternal feelings that most people did — he didn’t want to step fully into the role of “parent,” not when his unknown sister should be here to do that. He did want the best for them, though. The triplets should grow up happy and healthy and in a world full of love. Tristan just wasn’t sure he could make that happen on his own.

Once the triplets finished their dinner, Tristan got them down from their high chairs and carried them upstairs for their bath. He didn’t manage to get them in the bath every day, but today a bath was nonnegotiable, since Jasmine was practically coated in her dinner, and Jacob was sticky with apple juice. He ran the water while the triplets opened the drawers that were their height on the bathroom cabinet and started throwing things on the floor. All the while, they chatted with each other in their secret language of half English and half something Tristan was sure they’d invented.

He finally got them all in the bath and clean. Then he wrapped them each in their towels and led them like a trail of ducks to the room they shared. He’d wanted to get each child his or her own room, but they cried when they were separated, so Tristan had ended up letting them share. He tucked the kids into bed, wished them goodnight, and quietly left.

A moment later, the wailing began again, and Tristan felt like wailing himself as he reentered the bedroom to see what the matter was. Help couldn’t come soon enough.

CHAPTER3

RIA

Ria sat at her dining room table, a steaming cup of coffee with plenty of cream and sugar in front of her, and clicked through nannying advertisements on one of the job boards she frequented. She hadn’t heard anything from Eloise since their meeting the other day, which meant that she needed to keep applying for jobs. She’d already followed up with a few agencies she’d worked with before, and a few replies had come in saying that they didn’t have anything at the moment but would keep her in mind for the future.

With a sigh, Ria clicked on a job that paid less than half of what Oh Pear! did and began putting in her contact information. Even a smaller paycheck was still a paycheck.

Just as she was about to click submit, her phone began to rang. Ria flipped it over to check the caller ID. Her eyes widened as she saw that the call was coming from Oh Pear! — this was almost certainly Eloise calling to tell her that her services were no longer needed. Her heart pounding in her chest, Ria swiped to accept and pressed the phone to her ear.

“Hello, this is Ria Hampton.”

“Dear, I have a job for you.” Eloise’s voice was brisk and rather more pleasant than it had been during their disastrous last meeting.

“Really?” Ria blurted before she could think better of it. “I mean, that’s excellent, thank you. I really appreciate you giving me another chance.”

“Alastchance,” Eloise corrected pointedly. “It’s a live-in job with a wealthy and respectable client who doesn’t have many requirements. It begins today. I’ll send the address as soon as we’re off the phone, and I’ll need you to head over right away.”

Ria was already on her feet, pouring out the last of her coffee in the sink and hurrying to the bedroom to get her suitcase, the phone sandwiched between her shoulder and her ear.

“How old is the child — or children?”

“Two and a half,” Eloise said.

Ria nodded to herself. Two and a half could be a difficult age, but with only one child, it would likely be a cakewalk compared to Ria’s last few jobs.

“And what’s the client’s name?”

“Tristan West. You might have heard of him — he’s the founder and CEO of Limex.”

Although Ria hadn’t heard of Tristan West, she had heard of Limex. It was a huge tech conglomerate with everything from social media to data aggregation to database management under its purview. Ria tossed T-shirts and jeans into the suitcase as a picture of her new client came together in her mind. He probably worked a lot. He probably had plenty of money to throw around. He probably wanted a nanny who could actually speak foreign languages and play instruments.

“Is there anything else I need to know?” Ria asked as she reached for her pajamas.

“Yes.” The seriousness in Eloise’s tone made Ria freeze, pajamas in hand. “This is your last chance, dear. Show me that you can do better, or this will be your final job with us.”

With that, Eloise hung up, leaving Ria standing in her bedroom with her pajamas in one hand and the silent phone against her ear. Taking a deep breath, she tossed the phone onto the bed and resumed packing. A few minutes later, her phone dinged with an email showing her new client’s address and phone number. Ria glanced at it, nodded to herself, and continued packing.

Within twenty minutes, she was out the door, her rolling suitcase in one hand and her purse flung over the opposite shoulder. She double-locked her apartment, unsure of when she’d be back, and headed towards the bus stop. A glance at her navigation app showed that it would take fifty minutes and three buses to reach Tristan West’s wealthy neighborhood across town, but that was all right. The bus ride would give her a little time to calm down and prepare for her new job.

She was in luck; the bus arrived after she’d been waiting for about five minutes. She lugged her suitcase onboard and found a seat with space to keep it near her feet. As the bus pulled out, Ria dug her headphones out of her suitcase and put on one of her favorite playlists. Humming to herself, she settled in for the ride.

The apartment buildings and small shops outside slowly gave way to skyscrapers. By the third bus, Ria was passing enormous houses that looked more like mansions than single-family homes, and sprawling, leafy parks full of blossoming cherry trees. At her stop, she got off and checked the map. The route showed that her new client’s home was just a few blocks away.

When Ria arrived, she had to double-check to make sure she was in the right place. This house made the neighboring mansions look like dollhouses. Ria was sure she could fit her whole apartment in the Zen garden outside, and the path to the front door looked like it was a quarter-mile long. The house itself was very modern, with sleek gray walls, towering glass windows, and a sloping side. It looked more than a little foreboding.

As Ria made her way along the wide, paved path towards the house, she couldn’t help feeling that this wasn’t exactly the placeshewould have chosen to raise children. Not only was it a little too modern, but the yard was devoid of play structures or children’s toys. Perhaps her new client just kept a very clean house. Anyway, it wasn’t for her to judge other people’s choices — she was just here to look after the child.

Ria climbed the three concrete steps onto the front stoop and rang the doorbell. It sounded a loud gong somewhere deep within the house, followed by the sound of running footsteps. A moment later, the door opened to reveal a man holding a small child.

---