Page 84 of Secret Triplets for Christmas

"You can't be upset at him," Lindsay told them. "He didn't know about you until today."

The child she'd called Cassie looked up at her. "Why not?"

"Because I didn't tell him."

I had to hand it to her, she certainly knew how to tell the truth to her girls. Why couldn’t she have done that for me?

"Why not?" Georgie turned from her back to me. "Is something wrong with you?"

"Georgie!"

But it was too late. I felt the child's words like a knife in the heart because I had to wonder if there was something wrong with me. Maybe Lindsay let everyone believe they were Liam's daughters because he’d been the true love of her life.

"There's nothing wrong with your daddy. He's a good and kind and sweet man. And I should have told him about you. I'm not going to go into why, but just know that Mommy regrets it. She regrets it because it hurts him and it hurts you. But that's Mommy's fault, right? That's not your daddy's fault."

Each time she said the word Daddy, it made my heart jump.

"So I know that you're going to be really excited to get to know him.”

The little one she’d called Olivia, who still seemed skeptical of me as she eyed me warily, tapped Lindsay. "What if he doesn't like us?"

"Oh, baby." Lindsay pulled the little girl in for a hug. "He already loves you. Can't you see it?”

Four sets of eyes looked at me, and I had no idea what my expression was, but I hoped it was love. What I felt was awe and a little bit of terror that I would be a shitty father.

"How about we get something to play so you can spend time with your daddy?" Lindsay said.

Despite how pissed off I was at her, I was grateful that she seemed to know what to do.

"Candyland!" Georgie said.

“Yeah, because Grandpa won't play that anymore,” Cassie echoed.

Lindsay looked down at Olivia. "What do you think? Candyland?"

Olivia gave a nod.

I'd only known these girls for a couple of moments, but already, I was weeding out their personalities. Georgia reminded me of Liam, gregarious and outgoing and mischievous. Cassie made me think of Lindsay with her willingness and excitement to go along with others. Olivia made me think of myself, introverted, cautious.

Georgie sprinted out of the room with Cassie following her and Olivia behind. I ran my hands through my hair, blowing out a breath as Lindsay stood.

"I know this doesn't change how you feel about me, but I hope that you won't take it out on them."

I resented her for busting the ball of contentment I had in the moment. "I think you forget that I'm not the cruel one here."

She jerked, but then she lifted her chin. "I'll make sure they're settled and then leave you to get to know each other."

Georgie came zooming back into the room with her two sisters behind her. She put the game on the table and pulled off the box top, tossing it behind her.

"I’m red," she said.

"You always get to be red," Cassie said.

"What color do you want to be, Daddy?" Georgie asked me.

For a moment, I was blindsided by her calling me Daddy. "I like yellow."

"Olivia likes yellow." Cassie reached into the box, grabbing it as if defending it from me. She handed it to Olivia.

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