Page 43 of Triplet Babies for the CEO

“Actually, Brody…” I say, the words catching in my throat, “It’s…it’s not Gemma. I’m…I’m the one who’s pregnant.”

The silence that follows is deafening.

His face goes completely still, the warmth in his expression dissolving into something unreadable, his gaze fixed on me like he’s trying to process what I just said.

There’s no joy there now, just an immobile, frozen shock.

The silence wraps around me like a fog, thick and suffocating, and I feel my heart splintering, one painful crack at a time with each second he doesn’t respond.

It’s all too much.

I can’t stand here and watch his expression change, see whatever’s hiding behind that unreadable look come to the surface.

My breath catches, and before I know what I’m doing, I snatch up my phone, my hands trembling as I turn away from him, slipping out of the bathroom as fast as I can.

My footsteps echo in the hallway, and I practically run, the walls around me blurring as I rush to the front door.

The moment I step outside, the fresh air hits me like a slap, but it’s not enough to ease the panic gripping my chest.

I stumble to my car, fumbling with the keys, my fingers shaking so badly it takes two tries before I finally manage to unlock the door. I slide into the driver’s seat, my hands gripping the wheel as I struggle to catch my breath, my mind racing in a thousand directions.

Tears prick my eyes and spill over as I wind my way through the quiet morning streets, grateful to have a working car againandthat there’s no one around to see me falling apart.

Even in this fucked up headspace, I can't help but feel grateful to Brody for having someone look at my car.

The drive to work feels like an endless, aching stretch, and I’m barely holding it together.

Brody’s reaction keeps replaying in my mind. He’d looked stunned, paralyzed almost, and not in the good way I’d been secretly, desperately hoping for.

I’d watched his expression change, the warm excitement he’d had for Gemma draining away the moment he realized I was the one carrying a baby.

Brody had been so genuinely thrilled when he thought he was going to be a grandpa.

How easily that joy shifted to…whatever that unreadable look was.

It hurts so much that it’s physically painful, like there’s a weight pressing down on my chest.

A part of me had thought, maybe, that he’d be just as excited for me. I wipe a stray tear as I steer onto the winding back roads that snake their way into town, choosing the long route just to give myself more time to pull it together.

Outside the window, autumn colors blur by, rich reds and golds muted by the morning mist. Normally, I’d love this view. It’s calming, grounding.

But today, even the trees and rolling hills seem somber, like they’re sharing my heartbreak.

My stomach twists with fear and nerves, and I have no idea if it’s from the pregnancy or just my gut-wrenching sadness.

Chapter Sixteen

Brody

I wander through my job sites, trying to focus on the conversations swirling around me, but everything feels hazy. I’m here, but it’s like I’m not.

My mind is stuck on her and the million questions that keep spinning through my head.

Tasha is avoiding me, dodging glances, staying out of my path, and it gnaws at me like nothing else.

Today’s one of our busiest days of the quarter. There are projects in every direction: site supervisors rushing by with updates, architects calling to verify last-minute changes, and a half-dozen contracts on my desk waiting for review.

I’m supposed to be making decisions about material orders, reviewing bids for upcoming projects, and checking in with Josh on the new high-rise in the Loop.

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