Page 30 of The Billionaire's Instant Triplets

“Well, when they’re a little older, I’m sure you can all travel together.” A sudden image bloomed in Ria’s mind — the triplets, age eight or so, with matching backpacks and luggage, standing on the tarmac of a private airport somewhere. She could almost see Tristan, in his usual rock-and-roll T-shirt, taking their hands as they climbed the steps and took off on some adventure. The longing in Ria’s chest intensified.

“I’m sure. And I’m sure you’ll get a chance to travel sometime, too. Where would you most like to go?”

“Hmm…” Ria bent to wipe a little rice out of Jamie’s hair. “I’ve always wanted to visit Hawaii. Perhaps it isn’t the most exotic of locales, but I always loved the beach and the mountains, and I’ve heard so many wonderful stories about Hawaii.”

“I’ve never been there, but it’s on my list, too.” Tristan grinned. “I’m sure the kids would love it. There’s lots of space to run and play, and I think they’d like swimming in the ocean. When they’re a little older, of course.”

“Of course.” Ria turned to fill Jasmine’s sippy cup with a little more water, trying to ignore how much she suddenly wanted to be a part of that future trip to Hawaii. She’d like to be there when the kids first dipped their feet into the warm turquoise waters and tasted a cone of shaved ice. She wanted to help them shower the sand off, then slip off to the terrace with Tristan to watch the sunset and?—

Ria cut herself off. There was no point thinking like that. She was just the nanny.

“Well, it looks like everyone’s finished.” She put her hands on her hips, surveying the triplets. “Who wants a bath?”

She and Tristan carried the triplets upstairs and got them into a warm, soapy tub. As they played with their flotilla of rubber ducks, Tristan leaned against the counter.

“I hope I’m not intruding,” he said.

“Oh, not at all.” Ria was sitting on the floor beside the bathtub on the bathmat, as she usually did when the triplets were bathing. His presence was deeply distracting, but she wasn’t going to say that. “The kids like having you around.”

As if to punctuate her point, Jasmine grinned up at Tristan and waved.

“I hope so.” Tristan smiled and waved back. “So, tell me, where else would you like to go?”

Ria considered changing the subject. Imagining future trips that would never happen with a family she wouldn’t ever be part of was too hurtful. Perhaps it was better to face things head-on, though.

“Lots of places. My family did a lot of camping when I was younger, since it was a cheap way to have a fun vacation with a big family, so I’d enjoy doing more of that. I’d happily take a tour of Europe, or go on safari in Kenya, or cruise to Alaska to see the whales.” She paused to hand Jasmine a duck. “What’s the best place you’ve been?”

“Probably Italy, though there were a lot of places I loved. Ireland was gorgeous. I was in Japan for a while, and I liked that a lot, although I didn’t get much chance to explore since I was working on that trip. I once went to India.”

“India.” Ria smiled. “When I was a child, I had a book of photography taken in India. I used to flip through it before going to sleep. I loved the colors and how everything looked so… alive.”

“I loved India, although people are right when they say it’s a land of contrasts. The traffic is so busy, the temples are so peaceful, the skyscrapers are so tall, and the food is so spicy. It’s everything all at once.”

“That sounds like parenthood.” Ria poured a little water onto Jamie’s hair. “If India really is a land of contrasts, I think the triplets must be the very best preparation for going there. They’re always either at a hundred or at zero.”

“True,” Tristan replied. “The other day, I was taking Jamie up to bed, and he was wiggling and dancing and chatting in my arms. I put him in bed, and he just flailed and sang. Then, I stroked his hair for literally thirty seconds, and he was out like a light.”

Jamie beamed up at Tristan. He clearly understood that he was being discussed, even if he didn’t know exactly what they were saying.

After bathtime, Tristan and Ria carried the kids into their room and tucked them into bed. Tristan read a few stories while Ria stood by the door. Her heart warmed as she saw the way Tristan smiled at the kids and kissed their foreheads before slipping out.

“It’s been less than a day, and you’re already getting the hang of this,” she said. Then she hesitated. Usually, she’d ask if Tristan wanted to join her in the kitchen for a shared dinner, as they had several times, but she wasn’t sure it was appropriate after their near miss this morning. She should probably go back to her room instead.

As though he could read her thoughts, Tristan spoke up. “Would you like to join me for dinner? We can get takeout from that Chinese place.”

Ria’s heart soared at the invitation, even though her logical brain repeated that she should just slip off to her room for a quiet evening. In the end, her heart won out.

“Sure. I’d love to.”

Joining Tristan for meals, talking about travel plans with him, and going through the triplets’ routines by his side wasn’t going to help her get rid of her crush. Yet Ria also couldn’t stop herself from soaking up every moment that she felt like a real member of this little family.

To an outsider, she thought, as she followed Tristan downstairs, they’d look like a real family. If someone peered through the windows of Tristan’s mansion now, they’d see two parents in the kitchen, sitting at the table, chatting about travel. They’d see the kids, sleeping peacefully upstairs.

They’d never know that Ria didn’t really belong.

CHAPTER14

TRISTAN

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