Page 35 of The Billionaire's Instant Triplets

The email went on to lay out more information about the salary and the family, ending with,Please confirm as soon as possible if you’d like to accept this match. The family is hoping for a start date in the next few weeks.

Ria’s first instinct was to reply that she wasn’t interested. After all, she wanted to stay with Tristan and the triplets. She wanted more warm hugs from tiny toddlers who smelled like baby shampoo. She wanted more late-night chats with Tristan. She wanted to find out if Tristan reciprocated her feelings.

Yet, she hesitated before replying. Maybe sheshouldconsider taking this new job. After all, her stay in the West home was always supposed to be temporary, and Tristan was clearly ready to be a father on his own. He understood that as well as she did, even if they hadn’t talked about it much.

If Ria stayed, her feelings for Tristan and her love of the triplets would only grow. Each day, she found it harder to imagineeverleaving this beautiful family. She wanted to be there for their trip to the beach. She wanted to see the kids off on their first day of school, and cook dinner with Tristan every night. She wanted to finally find out how it would feel for him to take her into his arms and kiss her.

Leaving now would be almost impossible, but leaving in a few months, when she’d grown even closer to the West family, would be much more heartbreaking. Maybe it was better to leave now, on her own terms.

And maybe… Ria’s heart began to beat faster. Maybe Tristandidshare her feelings, at least some of them. Perhaps, instead of either accepting or rejecting the job outright, the best thing would be to talk with him about it. If he told her to accept the other job, well, she would know once and for all that he didn’t feel the same way about her. And if he told her to stay, that would be a clear sign that he did care about her. Maybe, being reminded of her temporary role would be enough to encourage him to act on any feelings he did have.

Ria bit her lip. She didn’t like the idea of giving an ultimatum, but this wasn’t one. At least, she didn’t think it was. After all, she was just discussing a job possibility with an employer. This was the kind of thing she would do with any family she was nannying for when it was clear that the time was coming for her to move on.

A peal of laughter sounded from outside, and Ria quickly tossed her phone away. Whatever she was going to do, now wasn’t the time to do it. She’d enjoy the rest of the day with Tristan and the kids. Once the children were in bed, she would decide what to do.

Ria hurried down the stairs and back into the yard. Tristan was lifting each toddler over his head and spinning them around, one at a time, as they shrieked with laughter. When he saw Ria, he grinned at her.

“I think I can officially get rid of the home gym,” he said with a wink as he lifted Jamie into the air. The toddler squealed joyously as Tristan spun him around. “There’s no weightlifting like toddler-lifting."

Part of Ria wanted to just stand here, watching Tristan play with his kids and seeing the happiness on all their faces. Yet she knew she should join in.

"I couldn’t agree more.” She lifted Jasmine up, balancing her on her hip and tilting the toddler back. Jasmine giggled uproariously as Jacob ran over, hands raised.

“Me too! Me too! Hold me!”

Ria set Jasmine on the floor and did the same trick with Jacob. Her heart felt light. When she glanced at Tristan and saw him looking back at her, it was easy to forget all about the job offer and imagine that this was her life.

Which, perhaps, was all the more reason to consider the offer.

CHAPTER16

TRISTAN

Ria seemed a little distant, though Tristan couldn’t put his finger on why. She cooked lunch for the triplets, spent a few hours with them while he got a little work done, then perched on the side of the table, chatting with him and the kids, while he cooked dinner. It was all as it usually was — except that there seemed to be a shadow on Ria’s lovely face.

Over the last few weeks, Tristan and Ria had fallen into a routine — a routine he enjoyed more than he wanted to admit. There was something wonderful about spending time with Ria, whether it was the emotionally charged moments they often shared in the evenings, or simply the quiet glances they exchanged while playing with the kids. Tristan never knew he could be so happy outside of work. Of course, despite how wonderful everything was now, Ria would leave eventually. He knew that.

And eventually, Tristan would have to tell Ria how he felt. If he wanted her to stay, of course.

Yet that moment felt far in the future. Tristan didn’t want to ruin the wonderful times they shared now by questioning the future. He was happier than he’d been in a long time, with Ria and the triplets, and he didn’t want to lose that.

“Shall we tag-team bedtime?” he asked Ria as the triplets finished their dinner.

“Let’s do it.”

Like a well-oiled machine, Ria and Tristan carried the kids upstairs, ran them through the bath, and tucked them into bed. They each read two stories with the triplets snugly tucked into their beds. Then Tristan went to each of his kids, kissing them lightly on the forehead and making sure the sheets and pillows were just right. He flipped on the nightlight and the white-noise machine, checked the baby monitor, and slipped out of the room.

Ria was already in the hallway. She nodded towards the stairs, and they went down to the kitchen side by side. Tristan poured them each a glass of wine while Ria dished up salad and pasta. As she turned to set the plates on the table, she stubbed her toe against a chair, winced, and accidentally tilted one of the plates. A few lettuce leaves cascaded onto the floor, and she winced again.

“Are you okay?” Tristan took the plates from her and set them on the table, his gaze drawn to her foot.

“Yes, I’m just clumsy.” She shrugged. “As always.”

“You’re notthatclumsy.” Tristan pulled out a chair and helped her into it, then bent down and took her ankle in his hand. She was barefoot, as she often was around the house, and Tristan found his fingertips brushing across the sensitive skin around her ankle. He looked up at her and saw she was watching him, her green eyes bright, her lips slightly parted. The band of connection tightened between them until Tristan’s breath caught.

“What’s the prognosis, doc?” Ria asked, her tone joking but her expression serious.

“I think you’ll live.” Tristan set her foot down on the floor and straightened up, his eyes never leaving hers. He wanted to reach for her hands and draw her to her feet — and into his arms. It finally felt like the time was right to tell her how he felt. He didn’t want to wait any longer.

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