Page 7 of The Billionaire's Instant Triplets

Ria took in the duo. The man was, well, handsome, though in more of a hipster way than Ria’s usual type. He had black hair, cut short, and green eyes reminiscent of Ria’s own. A head or so taller than Ria, he appeared both strong and confident. He wore wide, circular glasses with thick rims and a T-shirt with a picture of a heavy-metal band on the front. This must be her client, Tristan West.

The child looked like a miniature version of his father. He had wispy black hair and green eyes, as well as the soft, lean limbs of a toddler growing into a preschooler. He smiled at Ria hesitantly, his chubby cheeks pink. Ria noticed that his T-shirt was spotted with something that looked like apple sauce. This must be her new charge, though she didn’t know his name yet.

“Hello.” Ria smiled her best meeting-new-people smile and stepped inside, her suitcase in her left hand. She extended her right for a handshake. “I’m Ria Hampton, your new nanny.”

“Thank goodness you’re here.” Tristan handed the toddler over to Ria in lieu of a handshake. More than a little surprised, she adjusted her weight to balance the little boy on her hip. “I’m late for a meeting.”

Just then, another little boy, the replica of the one in her arms, came charging into the hallway. He had a red crayon clutched in his fist and a mischievous smile on his young face. Ria knew that look well.

“Oh, twins!” Ria said.

“No.” Tristan frowned. “Triplets. Didn’t your boss tell you?” His phone began to ring, and he backed away slowly. “I really need to go. You’ll be all right?”

The last sentence clearly wasn’t a question, because Tristan didn’t wait for the answer. He just turned and strode off towards the back of the house, already answering his phone as he went. Ria stared at him, open-mouthed, as he disappeared. In all her years of nannying, she’d never had a parent rush off so suddenly after she’d arrived.

Ria set down her suitcase, which she’d still been holding, then pivoted to shut the door gently with her hip. Next, she turned her attention to the child in her arms.

“What’s your name?” she asked.

“Jamie.” The little boy popped his thumb into his mouth.

“Nice to meet you.” Ria gave him a little hug. It wasn’t this child’s fault that his father had rushed off so suddenly. She bent down to the other boy’s level. “And what’s your name?”

“Jacob.” The boy’s smile widened. “Juice?”

“I’m sure we can find you some juice.” Ria scooped the boy into her other arm. “But we should find your brother first.” The third triplet was still nowhere to be seen.

As though Ria’s thoughts had carried, a cry came from the adjoining room. Ria hurried after the sound, Jacob and Jamie each perched on one of her hips, to find a third child lying on the floor in a starfish pose, wailing. The third child wasn’t a little boy at all, though, but a girl with the same dark hair and bright-green eyes. She wore a tutu, a race-car shirt, and a pair of jean shorts. This was clearly a child who had dressed herself.

Ria wanted to scoop the little girl up, too, but she didn’t have any more hands. She smiled to herself slightly. She literally had her hands full with this new job.

The little girl’s wailing intensified, and Jacob wiggled to be let down. The moment his small feet touched the floor, he ran to the wall, which already bore red marks from the crayon in his hand. Simultaneously, a distinctive smell rose from little Jacob’s pants — he needed a diaper change, right away.

Ria looked from the little boy scribbling on the wall to the little boy with the dirty diaper to the little girl lying on the floor wailing, then sent a slightly reproachful glance in the direction their father had disappeared. It was clear that this family needed her help. Desperately.

Taking a deep breath, Ria began formulating a plan for where to start.

CHAPTER4

TRISTAN

Tristan closed the door of his home office and sank into his desk chair. For practically the first time in three months, he could get some work done without one of the triplets needing him.

There was little time to savor his freedom, though. His computer was already sending him notifications that he was late for the all-hands meeting he was supposed to lead. Tristan clicked the link for the meeting, put on his noise-canceling headphones, and focused on the task at hand.

Part of him felt guilty for running off without properly talking to his new nanny. Ria, she’d said her name was. But Tristan had already been late to a meeting — a meeting he’d had to miss or cancel last-minute several times in the past three months, and he just hadn’t had time to talk to her. Plus, Ria was supposed to be the expert, wasn’t she? Surely she knew better than he did how to calm a crying child, make a meal the kids would actually eat, or head off a sibling argument.

Now, his new nanny could do her job (hopefully), and he could focus on his job. Anyway, he needed to make the most of the time she was here in case she quit within a few days, like the other nannies he’d employed.

That was another reason Tristan hadn’t stopped to chat. Getting to know Ria would probably be a waste of both their time, since she’d likely leave in a week or so, and he would be on his own with the triplets again.

“—and the merger is going well,” one of Tristan’s employees continued. He tuned back in to the meeting, tearing his thoughts away from the kids and his beautiful new nanny.

Because she was beautiful, wasn’t she? Even just a few moments by the door had been enough for him to see that. With her curly red hair and her green eyes, she looked like more like an Irish princess from a fairy tale than a dowdy nanny. A smattering of freckles across her pink cheeks and a bright smile made her look young. She’d been wearing a black T-shirt and blue jeans and carrying a suitcase — Tristan should have offered to take her suitcase. He hadn’t even shown her the room he’d prepared for her.

Well, it wouldn’t do anyone any good to regret his actions now. He needed to work.

The next few hours were spent attending meetings, reviewing documents, and wading through the pile of work that had been building up since the triplets arrived. Tristan barely stopped to drink water, let alone check on the new nanny and the kids. Around four in the afternoon, he sat back in his desk chair, stretched, and heard his stomach grumble. Cautiously, he pricked his ears for the familiar sound of a toddler wailing, but the house was quiet.

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