Page 67 of The Billionaire's Most Unexpected Triplets

We continue to the backyard, which is just as impressive as the rest of the house. There’s a pool, a hot tub, and a built-in grill area. I’ll need to put up a childproof fence around the pool, but other than that, the spot is great. There’s plenty of shade from the trees and lots of room to run around in the grass.

As we walk back inside, relief washes over me. Having this house will provide stability for my children and me. No matter what life throws our way, we’ll have a place to call our own. A place that no one can take away from us.

Thinking about it brings tears to my eyes. I didn’t realize how much something like this matters.

“Thank you, Jack,” I say, turning to him. “This means a lot to me.”

He smiles, and for a moment I see the man I used to be enamored with. But then the smile fades and he looks away.

“Maybe you can get back into cooking.” He nods at the kitchen, which has a pizza oven and a large island with a built-in stove.

Truthfully, the kitchen is getting me really excited. It’s been too long since I lost myself in an afternoon of trying out new recipes, and my fingers are aching to roll up my sleeves and get in there.

“I’ll have to make the first dinner here a special one.” I nod.

“It will be sooner rather than later. You can start moving in this week. I’ll have one of my assistants send some movers to your apartment.”

I bite my bottom lip. This is too much. I should turn him down…

But it’s also incredibly welcome.

I still don’t trust him, but I can’t deny that having this house is a game-changer for me and my kids. Jack hasn’t shown up in the way I wanted him to, but he has done something important for us.

“I should cook you the first dinner,” I say. “To celebrate.”

The words are out of my mouth before I even have time to think about them, and I end up pressing my lips together hard.

Shit. Did I really just say that?

Jack raises an eyebrow, and I can feel my face flush with embarrassment. But then he chuckles, a low rumble that sends shivers down my spine.

“Sounds like a plan,” he says, and I can see that familiar spark in his eyes. It’s the one that used to make me weak in the knees, the one that made me fall for him in the first place.

But I’m not that naive girl anymore. I know better than to get sucked in by that smile. I swallow hard, suddenly feeling very conscious of my body. It’s been so long since I’ve been intimate with anyone. But being here, in this house, with Jack, it’s like a part of me is waking up.

And it’s wrong. I can’t think of him that way. It would only set me up for disappointment.

Maybe inviting him to dinner was a bad idea, but it’s too late now.

He checks his phone. “I need to get back to the office. Take your time looking around. Hell, stay if you want. It’s your home.”

I nod.My home.It’s still such a strange thought.

“I’ll have my lawyers send over the paperwork tomorrow,” he says over his shoulder. “And congratulations on your new place.” He grins.

As soon as he leaves, I take a deep breath and make my way into the kitchen. The island is calling to me, and I can’t resist the urge to run my fingers along the cool marble.

I’ve been dreaming of a kitchen like this since I was a little girl. My grandma used to say that a good kitchen is the heart of the home, and I can already feel my heart swelling with gratitude.

As I open drawers and cupboards, I can’t help but feel a sense of awe. This is all mine. All of it.

I have three beautiful children on the way. The finances that I need to care for them. A home to die for. A career that is booming.

I should feel on top of the world, and yet something is still missing.

I want someone to share it all with.

Because I’m only human. I don’t want to go through this journey alone.

---