Triplets Make Five

“Thanks. You guys will get along just fine,” he said flatly.

I giggled and reached out for him, finding his hand as our fingers intertwined. For the past few weeks he had been the perfect gentleman. He made no moves to get me in bed, he didn’t make any snarky comments about my body, and he had ceased all of his outside activities with other women. He was no longer making the news for his latest conquests and we were spending our weekends getting to know one another instead of exploring each other with our tongues.

Though I had to admit, my want for him hadn’t waned.

“Why haven’t you told your parents?” Preston asked. “Is that an okay question to ask?”

“I mean, I grew up with my mom. I watched her and my father have a very rocky relationship. On again, off again. He serially dated during their off moments and Mom would always find a reason to take him back. She wore her heart on her sleeve for him, and he always found a way to bludgeon it,” I said.

“I’m so sorry.”

“It’s fine. I have a decent relationship with both of them, but they don’t really with one another. They’re together now, but things are always tense. I think they stayed together for me, thinking they had to have a romantic relationship in order to have a productive one to raise me. I think they would’ve been better off platonic and raising me. Sure, I would’ve bounced between two homes, but they would’ve been happy. That’s all I’ve ever wanted from my life and theirs.”

“You said you have a relationship with them now. Is it a good one?” he asked.

“I mean, yeah. It got better as I got older. But during the formative years of my life? It was rough. They’re kind of reserved now. Mellowed out with their old age. But sometimes the air in the room gets tense with past memories and they sort of curl in on themselves. Don’t get me wrong, I’m going to tell them what’s going on. I’m just…waiting for the right time. When things are okay between them.”

I felt Preston tugging on my arm, drawing me closer to him.

“Preston…what are you-?”

His lips descended onto my forehead, pressing a warm, comforting kiss into my skin. I shivered, electricity ricocheting down my spine as I sighed into his touch. His lips lingered for longer than they should have, drawing tears to my eyes as he comforted me.

“We’ll have a better relationship than that with our children. I promise you,” he said.

“That’s all I’m asking,” I said. “I’m not asking for anything else.”

He pulled back from me as a tear fell onto my cheek. He released my hand, his thumb wiping away the trail it left behind. I nuzzled into his touch, unable to resist any part of him I could have.

I cursed myself for laying down the rules. For listening to my rational mind.

“The baby shower will be this weekend. I could fly us out Friday after work. Are you okay with that?” Preston asked.

“That sounds just fine,” I said.

“I’ll let my parents know then to make the arrangements. I take it you won’t want to fly with me on my jet?” he asked.

“You have a jet?”

“I do. I would fly us both on it, but I don’t know how you would feel about that.”

I sighed as his hand dropped from my face, falling into my lap as he found my hand again.

“If we stagger our leave times, I don’t see why we couldn’t fly out together,” I said.

And the smile that crossed his face warmed my heart.

“I’ll call and make the arrangements then,” he said. “I can leave for lunch and do a ‘business thing’, then you can leave around three for an early weekend and meet me at the tarmac.”

“Sounds good,” I said.

“I’ll make sure you have directions on how to get there. Or would you rather one of my drivers pick you up?”

“I think I can get there just fine, as long as I have a place to park my car,” I

said.

“Perfect. You’re going to love my parents. And they’re going to love you.”