Page 59 of Secret Triplets for Christmas

She tried to keep her expression from looking disappointed but failed. “That wasn’t for you to decide for him.”

“I tried to call him when I learned I was having triplets, but his number was changed. I had you and Dad, so I left it at that.”

She was quiet for a moment. “So, why are you sharing this now?”

“The thing is, Mira, I’d fallen for Oliver five years ago. By the time Liam died, I cared for him and wanted him to get his life together, but I wasn’t in love with him. I loved Oliver, but he had to go. I knew that. He knew it too.”

“Has something changed?”

“It turns out that he cared for me too.”

“Ah… so now there’s a possibility of something.”

I nodded. “I think so. I mean, he lives in California and I’m here, but there’s something there… but will it still be there if I tell him about the girls?”

“If? There is no if, Lindsay. You need to tell him.”

“I know. But I'm terrified. What if he doesn't forgive me?"

She put her arm around me. “I know what you’re going through. I went through it with your dad.”

I sniffed. “It wasn’t the same. My dad was a jerk to you. Oliver hasn’t ever been anything but wonderful to me.”

She smiled. “Still, your dad is a good man. But I was afraid, like you are. I was afraid of your finding out too. But I loved him. He loved me. We love you. Love wins in the end.”

I rolled my eyes. “That’s not helpful, Pollyanna.”

“If Oliver loves you, he’ll understand and forgive. But you know, even if he doesn’t, he has a right and a responsibility to the girls.”

“That’s my other fear. What if he’s so mad that he takes them away?”

She gave me a chastising stare. “If he’s so wonderful, he won’t. Especially since he knows firsthand what it’s like to be taken away from parents.”

I had to hope she was right. I sighed, my stomach twisting in knots as the reality of my situation settled in. "I just… I can't shake the feeling that this might be unforgivable."

“However he responds, you know that your father and I are here for you, right?"

"Thank you, Mira.”

That night, I lay in bed trying to work out how I would tell Oliver about the girls.

So… remember that night we slept together five years ago? Funny thing… you knocked me up. With triplets.

Or

Oliver… you’re a father to three beautiful girls.

I shook my head. It didn’t matter how I told him. The news would be shocking. He’d feel betrayed. I had to hope Mira was right and that his love for me was bigger than his anger.

18

Oliver

Iwoke up with a start and confusion about where I was. I opened my eyes, noting I was in my hotel room. In my bed. Naked.

Lindsay.

My head whipped to the space next to me as the memory of making love to her came back. Beside me, the bed was empty. I frowned. Had it been a dream?

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