“Oh, for heaven’s sake,” Marta interjected. “You’re identical triplets. It doesn’t matter.”
She was right. DNA wouldn’t tell us anything. And it didn’t matter.
We were all the father.
Orion was reading the legal documents with the intensity he usually reserved for hostile takeover attempts. Leo had moved to Tashi’s side, his hand finding hers.
“These are parental rights agreements,” Orion said. “For all three of us. Joint custody, financial responsibility, medical decision-making authority… Tashi, this is?—”
“Necessary,” she finished. “Because legally, only one of you can be listed as the father. But this way, all three of you have equal rights, responsibility—everything.”
Smart. She’d thought this through and covered every angle.
“You’ve been planning this,” Leo said softly.
“For two weeks. Since I found out.”
Two weeks. She’d known for two weeks and hadn’t told us.
“And you didn’t tell us?” I asked, hearing the edge in my voice.
“I wanted to have everything figured out first. I wanted to make sure you had options. That you could choose—” Her voice caught. “To participate in this. Or not.”
Choose?
She was pregnant with our child. And she’d thought—for even one second—that we might not want that?
I crossed the room before I could think about it, pulling her into my arms. “Are you insane? Of course we’re choosing this. We’re choosing you.”
“All of us,” Leo added, wrapping around her from behind.
Orion set the papers down and completed the circle, his hand finding her stomach. Still flat. There was no visible evidence yet of life growing inside her.
Our life.
“I’ll sign the papers,” Orion said. “We all will. But Tashi—” His hand pressed gently against her abdomen. “Why are you leaving?”
She sighed, leaning into us. “You don’t expect me to carry triplets without a babymoon, do you?”
Triplets.
The word hit like a flash-bang.
“Triplets?” Leo’s voice cracked.
“Yes.” Tashi was smiling now, radiant. “I understand it runs in the family.”
Three babies.
Three.
My brothers and I had been a unit our entire lives, united against the world in running this hotel, now in love with the same woman.
And now three more.
“Oh my God,” Orion breathed.
“Three babies,” I said, testing the words. Making them real. “Three.”
