Page 88 of Secret Triplets for Christmas

The next morning, I woke up and went to wake the girls up, but their beds were empty. I had a moment of panic, worried that someone had come into my home and taken them from me. My first thought was the person who texted, but then I considered Oliver had taken them. He wouldn’t do that, would he?

I rushed to the living room, stopping short when I saw all three girls sitting quietly on the coffee table while Oliver slept on the couch. I watched them for a moment, filled with happiness that the girls now had their father and Oliver had them. I made apsstsound to get the girls’ attention and then motioned with my hand to get them into the kitchen.

"When is he going to wake up?" Georgie said in annoyance.

"I don't know. But you three need to get ready for school. What would you like for breakfast, cereal or toast?"

Each of the girls put in their orders, and I got to work preparing their breakfast. I had just set it on the table when Oliver made an appearance.

He rubbed his hand on the back of his neck. “I was out like a light."

"Daddy!" All three girls shouted and jumped from their chairs, running to hug him.

I gave them a moment and then urged them back to the table. "We don't have a lot of time. You need to finish up your breakfast and get dressed."

I put a pod in the coffee maker to brew a cup for Oliver.

"What can I do to help?" he asked.

I handed him the cup of coffee. "Just help me keep them corralled. We need to be in the car and off to school in twenty minutes."

He took the cup of coffee, his green eyes watching me. I wondered if he was searching for something. I wanted him to find the part of me that loved him, the part of me that wasn't a terrible person for having kept the kids from him.

"Thanks." He turned and went to the table to sit with the girls.

I was sure Oliver thought he was helping, but the girls were especially excited around him, which made getting them ready for school more difficult than usual. Finally, I had them strapped into their seats. We were a little late, but we could still make it to school on time.

Oliver stood beside my car while I was in the driver’s seat. I rolled the window down, realizing he didn’t have a car. “Can I take you somewhere?”

He shook his head. “I’ve ordered a ride. I’m heading to the hotel to wait for Agent Marsden’s call. I’ll hand the documents to her today.”

I nodded. "Keep me posted."

He continued to stand there, and I waited for him to say something. The moment grew into an awkward silence. Finally, I said, "If you'd like, you can come back over for dinner tonight."

"Yay!" the girls all cheered.

Oliver glanced back at them and smiled, and it occurred to me that it was the first time I'd ever seen him smile like that. It was full and bright, like it was emanating deep from his soul. As beautiful as it was, it only served to make me feel even worse. I’d denied him this pleasure.

He stepped back from the vehicle and waved as I pulled out of the driveway and started to school.

In the back, the girls chatted away about Oliver, but my mind was only half on them. Instead, I ruminated on the mistakes I had made and searched for a way to make amends.

I pulled up to a stop sign, stopping, and with no traffic coming, I proceeded into the intersection. A motion to my left had me looking out my side window to find a large black SUV was barreling toward us. Panic surged, and I put my foot on the gas to get out of his way. A nanosecond later, my entire body jerked. Pain shot through me. My head hit something hard, and darkness consumed me.

Light flickered,as did my consciousness. There was movement, but my brain was foggy. Confusion surrounded me.

"You're alright, Miss McKinnon."

I opened my eyes and coherence slowly followed. Looking around, I realized I was in a hospital. "What happened? Oh, God! My girls!"

A hand patted my forearm. "Your girls are fine. They're both with a nurse and a social worker, being treated for a few cuts, but they're fine.

Relief settled in until her words sank in. The woman started to step away, but I grabbed her forearm. "Did you say both?"

She nodded. “They’re fine. A little shook up, but physically fine.”

"I have three girls. Three."

---