15. Ria
CHAPTER 15
RIA
“W hat a beautiful family you have.”
Ria sat on a bench at the park, the warm June air lifting her spirits. She had her book in her hands, but she’d been watching Tristan push the triplets on the swings instead of reading. The toddlers were sitting in baby swings as Tristan ran back and forth down the line, pushing each one in turn. The kids were laughing uproariously, especially when he made faces or tickled a foot when they swung forward. Tristan was beaming, too, as if he was completely in his element.
And it seemed that he was.
Ria had been so caught up in watching the heartwarming sight that she hadn’t noticed an older woman sitting down beside her. The woman wore a flowered dress, and her gray hair was knotted into a neat French twist.
“Sorry, what did you say?” Ria tore her eyes away from Tristan in his shorts and rock-band T-shirt, pushing Jasmine then pretending to be kicked by Jamie as he swung forward. The toddlers burst into laughter.
“I was just complimenting your family.” The older woman nodded to Tristan and the toddlers.
“Oh, they’re not… I mean… I’m just the nanny.” It was hard to say, even though it was true. Ria was just the nanny. At times, she found herself imagining that she was more than that, that she was a mother to Jamie, Jacob, and Jasmine, a partner to Tristan. She just couldn’t admit that — even to herself.
“Really?” The woman looked surprised. “My apologies, dear. I just saw how you were looking at them. And those kids have your eyes.”
“They do, don’t they?” Ria smiled a little distantly. Tristan had just grabbed the chains of Jacob’s swing and was holding him in the air while the little boy kicked with joy.
The older woman patted Ria on the shoulder. “I’m sure you’ll have a family of your own one day.” Then she pulled out a book and began to read.
Ria sighed. She’d always felt resentful of strangers telling her she’d have a family one day — how could they know if she even wanted one? But today, she just felt a pang in her heart.
The longer Ria spent with this little family, eating dinner with Tristan, teaching him how to parent, meeting his eyes over the toddlers’ heads when one of them said something funny, the more she could feel herself falling in love with him. And it wasn’t just Tristan, either. She loved little Jacob’s artistic enthusiasm, Jamie’s bold and often hilarious leadership, and the way Jasmine would slip her hand into Ria’s as she told a story or asked how something worked.
It was only a matter of time before Ria toppled head over heels into love with this whole family. And that could only mean heartbreak because, at the end of the day, she was just the nanny. Nothing she did would change that.
Although… at times, she felt that Tristan might feel something for her, too. Maybe. Just then, Tristan caught her gaze and grinned, waving her over. Ria got up, nodding a goodbye to the older woman, and joined him by the swings.
“So,” he said, “we were thinking of a little treat after the park.”
“Oh?” Ria turned to the triplets, gently pushing Jamie’s swing. “What would that be?”
“We want ice cream!” Jasmine half-shouted. Her speech had improved in leaps and bounds over the last few months, but Ria was still impressed by how well she was talking now.
“Ice cream, huh?” Ria grinned at Tristan. “That sounds great.”
So, they helped the triplets down from their swings and walked the few blocks to the nearest main street. Ria held Jacob’s hand on one side and Jasmine’s on the other. In turn, Jasmine held Jamie’s hand, and Jamie held Tristan’s. They walked in a chain, swinging their hands back and forth as the kids chanted, “Ice cream, ice cream, ice cream.”
Ria caught Tristan’s eye, and they smiled at each other. Ria had the fleeting thought that she and Tristan were almost holding hands, several kids removed.
“It’s a beautiful day, isn’t it?” Tristan took a deep breath of the fresh June air.
“It is.” Ria swept her gaze across the blossoming flowers and leafy trees that had taken over the streets. When she’d arrived, buds had barely been sprouting, but now the neighborhood resembled a forest. Had several months really passed? Several months of quiet dinners together and loud days with the kids?
“I was thinking of taking the kids on their first vacation towards the end of summer,” Tristan continued.
“Really?” Ria’s heart beat a little faster in her chest. She wasn’t sure if she was invited on this vacation.
“Yeah. Just a short trip to the beach, I think; maybe a night or two in a nice hotel with a pool and a view of the sea.”
“I think the kids would love that.” There was a pause, then Ria decided it was time to change the subject before she said something she might regret. “Have you thought more about preschool in September?”
“Yes, and I think you’re right. The nature preschool I tried didn’t work, but that was probably just because the kids weren’t feeling very settled yet. A few mornings a week at a nice preschool would probably do them all good.”
They’d talked about preschools a few nights ago after dinner, long after the triplets were in bed, while they’d sat on the couch in the living room, teas in hand. Ria had been the one to suggest that the kids might benefit from more socialization and a little introduction to academics. What she hadn’t said was that, if the kids were ready to spend time at school, her role would slowly disappear.
“That’s great. I’ll have a look around for a few good options and show them to you later.”
“Wonderful.”
They arrived at the ice cream store, where Jacob and Jasmine both ordered scoops of vanilla, while Jamie went for the more adventurous chocolate. The kids were getting excited and boisterous, so Ria took them outside to wait while Tristan paid for and got the ice cream. She corralled them around an outdoor picnic table.
“Shall we play a game?” she asked.
“Yay!” the kids replied in chorus.
“Okay, what animal am I?” Ria held up two hands beside her ears and snuffled her nose.
“Rabbit!” the kids replied.
“And me!” Jasmine announced. She folded her hands into paws and pretended to wash her face, letting out a dignified “meow.” The answer was easy, since she was always the same thing.
“Cat!”
Jamie stuck out his front teeth and mimed eating a nut. All together, Ria, Jasmine, and Jacob chorused, “Squirrel!” Jamie laughed with delight and nodded.
Tristan reappeared a few minutes later, ice cream balanced on a cardboard carrier. He handed the kids’ cones to them, then gave Ria a cone of Rocky Road.
“My favorite,” Ria beamed as she accepted the ice cream. “I didn’t know you were getting anything for me.”
“Of course I was.” Tristan winked. He’d settled on a lemon sorbet with a scoop of dark chocolate, which Ria thought was pretty impressive for a man who’d refused to eat sugar at all until a month or so ago.
The treat turned into a calamity as rivulets of dripping ice cream ran down the kids’ cones and onto their hands. From there, it dripped onto their clothes, smeared across their faces, and covered every inch of their tiny bodies in sticky goo. Ria and Tristan glanced at each other, smiling, before grabbing napkins and starting the clean-up process. The triplets were just happy to be eating ice cream — they didn’t care that they were also wearing it.
On the way home, the triplets ran ahead, stopping before each street as Ria had taught them. Tristan and Ria walked in the back, keeping a close eye on them. When they entered the yard, the kids ran straight for the slide Tristan had bought them a few weeks ago as Ria and Tristan sat on the steps up to the front door to watch.
“Oh, it looks like you didn’t escape the ice cream massacre unscathed,” Tristan said.
“What do you mean?”
“You have some on your cheek.” He grinned. “Don’t worry, I’m an expert.” He reached out and, with the tip of his thumb, swiped away the streak of ice cream. Ria’s breath caught at his nearness. He had that masculine peppermint-and-shaving-cream scent he always carried. She could see the faint line of five o’clock shadow already forming across the sharp curve of his jaw. Shivers ran across Ria’s cheek and down her spine, pooling in her stomach, at Tristan’s fingers on her face.
“Did you get it?” she asked, her voice coming out a little higher than she’d expected.
“I think so.” Tristan swiped his thumb across her cheek once more, then let his hand fall. They were sitting on the steps, leaning towards each other like magnets. Ria’s hand lifted, almost of its own accord, to rest on Tristan’s. The whole time, their eyes never left each other’s. Ria wanted, more than anything, to close the few inches of distance between them and kiss Tristan. She’d imagined, all too many times, how it might feel if he kissed her.
“I got a stick!”
Tristan and Ria pulled apart as Jasmine ran over to them, brandishing a small twig with a V at the end.
“It’s beautiful,” Ria said. She avoided Tristan’s gaze. She needed to bring her heart rate back to normal and banish her thoughts of his lips on hers.
“Thanks.” Jasmine ran off again and left Tristan and Ria alone. This wasn’t the first time they’d shared a tense moment. In fact, over the last few weeks, it seemed that they could barely spend time together without Ria’s cheeks beginning to heat and her imagination running wild. Each time, she hoped that Tristan might lean forward and kiss her, or at least give some indication he shared the attraction she felt, but he never did. She didn’t, either. After all, Tristan was her employer, and this was her job. She couldn’t risk everything she’d built here over a crush that could be entirely one-sided.
“Are you okay watching the kids for a minute?” Ria asked. “I think I have some ice cream on my clothes from helping the triplets. I need to change.”
“Of course.”
She hurried into the house, which felt quiet and very spacious after the bright energy of the kids outside. Upstairs, Ria stripped off her shirt, which was still relatively clean despite what she’d told Tristan. She swapped it out for a different shirt, ran her fingers through her hair, and was about to head back downstairs when she caught sight of her phone. Ria tried not to be on her phone around the kids, which meant that she barely checked her messages. Now might be a good time.
Ria saw a few texts from each of her sisters and one from her brother Thomas. There were a couple of checking-in messages from friends and a bunch of emails asking her to donate money, subscribe to a new nannying agency, or read about the day’s news. There was also one email from a company called Child First. Ria had worked with the agency a few years ago and had reached out to them during her frantic flurry of applications when she’d thought Oh Pear! was going to fire her. Curious, Ria clicked on the email.
Dear Ms. Hampton,
Thank you for your interest in working with Child First again. We’ve matched you with a new family looking for a long-term, live-in nanny. The family has one child, a five-year-old boy, and is located in Los Angeles. They are willing to pay a small relocation bonus, as well as a higher salary for an experienced nanny such as yourself.
The email went on to lay out more information about the salary and the family, ending with, Please confirm as soon as possible if you’d like to accept this match. The family is hoping for a start date in the next few weeks.
Ria’s first instinct was to reply that she wasn’t interested. After all, she wanted to stay with Tristan and the triplets. She wanted more warm hugs from tiny toddlers who smelled like baby shampoo. She wanted more late-night chats with Tristan. She wanted to find out if Tristan reciprocated her feelings.
Yet, she hesitated before replying. Maybe she should consider taking this new job. After all, her stay in the West home was always supposed to be temporary, and Tristan was clearly ready to be a father on his own. He understood that as well as she did, even if they hadn’t talked about it much.
If Ria stayed, her feelings for Tristan and her love of the triplets would only grow. Each day, she found it harder to imagine ever leaving this beautiful family. She wanted to be there for their trip to the beach. She wanted to see the kids off on their first day of school, and cook dinner with Tristan every night. She wanted to finally find out how it would feel for him to take her into his arms and kiss her.
Leaving now would be almost impossible, but leaving in a few months, when she’d grown even closer to the West family, would be much more heartbreaking. Maybe it was better to leave now, on her own terms.
And maybe… Ria’s heart began to beat faster. Maybe Tristan did share her feelings, at least some of them. Perhaps, instead of either accepting or rejecting the job outright, the best thing would be to talk with him about it. If he told her to accept the other job, well, she would know once and for all that he didn’t feel the same way about her. And if he told her to stay, that would be a clear sign that he did care about her. Maybe, being reminded of her temporary role would be enough to encourage him to act on any feelings he did have.
Ria bit her lip. She didn’t like the idea of giving an ultimatum, but this wasn’t one. At least, she didn’t think it was. After all, she was just discussing a job possibility with an employer. This was the kind of thing she would do with any family she was nannying for when it was clear that the time was coming for her to move on.
A peal of laughter sounded from outside, and Ria quickly tossed her phone away. Whatever she was going to do, now wasn’t the time to do it. She’d enjoy the rest of the day with Tristan and the kids. Once the children were in bed, she would decide what to do.
Ria hurried down the stairs and back into the yard. Tristan was lifting each toddler over his head and spinning them around, one at a time, as they shrieked with laughter. When he saw Ria, he grinned at her.
“I think I can officially get rid of the home gym,” he said with a wink as he lifted Jamie into the air. The toddler squealed joyously as Tristan spun him around. “There’s no weightlifting like toddler-lifting."
Part of Ria wanted to just stand here, watching Tristan play with his kids and seeing the happiness on all their faces. Yet she knew she should join in.
"I couldn’t agree more.” She lifted Jasmine up, balancing her on her hip and tilting the toddler back. Jasmine giggled uproariously as Jacob ran over, hands raised.
“Me too! Me too! Hold me!”
Ria set Jasmine on the floor and did the same trick with Jacob. Her heart felt light. When she glanced at Tristan and saw him looking back at her, it was easy to forget all about the job offer and imagine that this was her life.
Which, perhaps, was all the more reason to consider the offer.