Page 39 of The Billionaire's Instant Triplets

The more Tristan thought about it, the more he worried he’d made a mistake. He just wasn’t sure how to fix it now. He didn’t even know where Ria was. He had her phone number, but it didn’t feel quite right to call.

One night, after settling the triplets into bed and doing a little work, Tristan took a seat on the couch where he’d spent so many nights chatting with Ria. With a feeling of great anticipation, he dialed the Oh Pear! number. The same overly friendly woman he’d spoken with months ago answered after a few rings.

“This is Eloise Rice at Oh Pear! How can I help you today?”

A wave of déjà vu washed over Tristan, and for a moment, he was certain he’d slipped back in time and that Ria would be arriving tomorrow all over again.

“I’m Tristan West,” he began as he shook off the memories.

“Mr. West.” Eloise’s voice turned from cheerful to sympathetic. “How are you?”

“I’m well. I wanted to ask about a nanny who worked with my family for the last few months. Ria Hampton.”

“Yes, Ria. I’ve certainly heard a lot abouther. How did she work out for you?”

“Very well, actually, but she’s now moved on, and I forgot to get a forwarding address for her.”

“Well, she’s moved on from our agency as well. Last I heard, she took a job with Child First and gave us her notice. I’m sorry I can’t be more helpful, dear.”

“That’s quite all right.”

“Would you like a new nanny?” Eloise continued. “We have several new joiners who could be a perfect fit for your family. I can?—”

“No, it’s all right,” Tristan interrupted. He got the feeling Eloise was about to go into a whole sales pitch, and he didn’t have the energy for that. “Thank you for your time.”

He hung up and tapped the phone against the edge of the couch as he considered. Maybe he should just call Ria. In thirty seconds or less, if she had her phone with her, he could be speaking to her again. Yet something held him back. After the way they’d left things, he wanted to know, at the very least, if she was still in San Francisco before he reached out.

It felt like Ria had disappeared. Tristan had no way to get ahold of her except her phone number. She wasn’t even registered with the same agency anymore. In just a few weeks, Ria had completely vanished from his life, leaving a gaping hole behind. He missed her terribly and might never see her again. Maybe she was out there somewhere, with a new family, missing him, too.

Tristan sighed. Perhaps he was being silly. There was every chance that Ria just didn’t want to hear from him at all. He got up, stretched, and walked slowly back to his office to work. Reaching out felt too complicated. He didn’t want to impose on Ria if she didn’t want to hear from him — he’d never wanted that. Yet the thought of never seeing her again was equally unimaginable.

A few days later, Tristan picked the triplets up from preschool. They were skipping, happy and chatty, because one of their classmates had had a birthday party with cake — at least Tristan wasalmostcertain that’s what they were saying.

“Chocowate and chewwies,” Jasmine explained, her green eyes wide as her small arms gestured broadly. She was wearing a pink gown and fairy wings today — Tristan had tried to dress all the kids in more standard clothing at first, but he’d decided that as long as they were happy and their clothes were clean and fitted well, they could wear what they wished.

“Sing happy birfday,” Jacob added, skipping alongside his sister. He was wearing a pair of jeans and a dinosaur T-shirt, while Jamie had on black pants, a blue shirt, and a superman cape.

“No skuls,” Jamie finished with a sad expression. All the talk of birthdays reminded Tristan that the triplets’ third birthday was coming up in a few weeks. When the triplets had first arrived, the thought of organizing a birthday party would have sent Tristan over the edge, but now he found he was looking forward to celebrating his kids on their special day.

When they arrived home, he set them up with a snack and got his laptop. Once again, Tristan wished that Ria were here — she’d know how to throw a wonderful birthday party for the three little ones.

Then an idea sparked. He could invite Ria to the triplets’ party. It would be a clear sign that he was asking her back as someone who cared about the children (even though Tristan cared about Ria, too). It would also be more relaxed than him calling her up and asking if she missed him as much as he missed her, which he was still half-tempted to do.

Things began to fall into place. During the kids’ nap time, Tristan spent a few hours mocking up invitations to the party and making a list of kids to invite from the preschool and daycare, as well as a few of his colleagues. He also placed orders for cake, finger sandwiches, and drinks from a local bakery. Tristan knew there was more to a birthday party. There would need to be games, for sure, as well as balloons. He cast his memory back to his own birthday parties as a child, but they’d often been staid affairs with just his parents and their colleagues. He wanted to do better for his kids.

Over the next few days, between work and spending time with the triplets, Tristan stopped by a local party store for balloons and decorations, looked up party games, and handed out invitations. His employees had a few laughs at his expense when he brought a large piñata in the shape of a squirrel into the office, but Tristan needed a place to store it where the triplets wouldn’t stumble across it.

“You really love those kids, don’t you?” one accountant asked as he squeezed into the elevator with Tristan and the squirrel piñata.

“I do.” Tristan smiled. “They’re my kids, after all.”

And they were. All the time Tristan had spent with Ria made him feel comfortable claiming the triplets as his own. He would never erase the role their mother had played in their lives, but that didn’t mean they didn’t deserve a parent now.

Two weeks before the party, almost everything was in place. There was only one important task left to do — invite Ria to the party. Tristan had gone back and forth about the best way to ask her. In the end, he settled for sending her a text with a PDF of the party invitation attached. His heart raced as he clicked send. Would she come? If she did, what would he say to her?

That night, as Tristan tucked the triplets in, Jamie looked up at him with big eyes.

“Where Ria?”

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