Briana POV
I went to my desk to pull out three large books and handed them to Noah.
Without a word, he accepted them.
I watched while he opened the book at the top and was silent, seemingly engrossed with its contents.
“It’s the children’s baby book. From birth up to their birthday last year.” I informed him.
He nodded absent-mindedly. His eyes never left the page as he scanned it.
It seemed like he was lost in what he was seeing and had forgotten about me, but I didn’t mind.
It gave me a sense of satisfaction watching Noah as he let his eyes roam around the pages. Sometimes, he would caress a page w
Noah POV“She has moved on,” I told Brent. We were back at the Blue Canyon, A VIP membership club overlooking the sea, and I was getting liberal with the booze. “What do you expect? She is married. Marcus Ford is a good man for taking responsibility for your children and raising them as his own. Briana would be a fool to let a man like him go.” I sighed. Between us, Marcus Ford is a better man, but I can’t shake this resolve that if only Briana would give me a chance, I would show her that I could be the best man for her and the triplets. Brent tapped my shoulder. “Give it a rest, dude. At least, be thankful that she is willing to introduce you to the children.” That sobered me up. I remembered Briana would be introducing the children to me tomorrow. It was supposed to be today, but she told me something came up, and she has an emergency meeting. I had no choice but to leave hurriedly then. After meeting with Brent, I drove straight home. When I left the car, I took out the
Noah POV“She is your fiancée. She had every right to escort you wherever you go. Besides, she’s well-known. What you did embarrassed her. The press had a field day. Fortunately, I intervened on her behalf and nipped a huge scandal in the bud.”I smirked to myself, but to Uncle Matt, I said dispassionately.“That was unnecessary. You could have let Britney be. She brought it upon herself. Let her suffer the consequences of her actions.”I have coddled Britney a lot of times in the past. Now, she is on her own.
Noah POVI parked my car outside the Ford’s mansion and took deep breaths.Then, I pulled the overhead mirror and checked my face.I rolled the windows down, breathed fresh air to calm my nerves, and waited for any activity inside the house. I do not want to come out as overly excited when in truth, I was.I kept rubbing my palms in anticipation when I heard the sounds of children.My heart skipped a bit. Checking the time, I heaved a sigh.I opened the driver’s door to get out.From the backseat, I pulled out several bags and walked to the house in front of me.I rang the bell, and instead of a maid, Marcus Ford greeted me.“Good morning!”He opened the door wider to let me pass. From the entrance, I could hear the boys. It looks like they were playing.“Forgive the chaos, but my other brothers are here as well.”I nodded and took a deep breath.Instead of one adult male and Briana, I have to meet Marcus Ford’s brothers, too.“Thank you for allowing me to get to know my children.
BrianaI couldn’t be prouder of my youngest. Mason was the first to introduce himself to their father without any barriers.I thought it would be difficult since the triplets didn't have a good impression of Noah, but my children are intelligent.When Riley and Brixx followed Mason’s lead, my chest felt stuffy.
Briana POVThe triplets were speechless, but it was Noah’s reaction that actually had me flummoxed.His mouth parted, and his jaw hung open in shock.“Briana.” He mumbled under his breath.We stared at each other. I don’t know what made me blurt it out like that.I had planned on doing it after this day. When the children got to know him a little, but seeing how overwhelmed Noah looked when the triplets sounded unsure about spending the day with him, I had to do something.In order to allay the children’s apprehension, I told them the truth. It was just that I had not counted on the revelation to backfire on us.
Noah POVI could not explain the sudden sadness that attacked me right that moment.I rue the years lost. If only I had taken the time to search for Briana after I got back from my treatment abroad. I have not lost so much time.I sighed and stopped outside my car.“We can’t fit into your car,” Briana announced when she saw what I brought.I stopped and realized that my car was not even child-friendly.I mentally knocked my head. In my excitement, it slipped past my notice that my car would be too small to accommodate them.I looked shyly at Briana and rubbed the back of my head in stupefaction.
Noah POVBut that would be wishful thinking.I knew Briana was trying to be civil for the children’s sake.I could sense her detachment when I tried to include her in my conversation with the children.Though there are moments when I get to see a glimpse of the old Briana, I can feel her resistance.She did not want this and was only doing so for the children.
Noah POVIt was getting dark when we started loading the triplets in the car.They kept insisting on a last ride. Briana, and I indulged them.Because the children napped at the park, they were energetic and very much awake on the ride home. The van was full of their laughter.“Let’s do this again,” Brixx announced when Briana asked them if they enjoyed themselves.I smiled because I liked spending more time with them.We passed by the Rosewood Hotel, and the children were pointing their fingers at it.“Mommy, your hotel!” They cried simultaneously.“Do you want to stop for dinner at the hotel?” Briana asked the children.They all answered yes.I pulled to the hotel entrance.&
Charles POVIt was a crazy day.We were having a meeting when I heard that Briana had been rushed to the hospital.“Brie is having our baby,” I told my brothers and friend after I dropped the call.It was Jenna. She, Noah, and Biana were already in the hospital because Briana's water broke.My face contorted as emotions I could not name assailed.A mix of fear, excitement, nervousness, worry, and happiness barraged me.Briana, my baby sister, was going to deliver my and Jenna's baby right now. 
Jenna POVThe days quickly passed by.Though we did not talk about it, it seemed as if Charles and I were in tacit agreement to take things slow concerning our careers and concentrate more on each other.We go out of town and do things we had never done before as a couple.It was marvelous.“It’s good that you spend more time with each other because I tell you, once the four babies arrive, you won’t get even a wink of sleep,” Briana told me when I came to her house that afternoon to catch up and to check on her.It’s the baby’s
Jenna POVI turned my head sharply in Beth’s direction to find her busy talking with Brent.They were whispering, and from the blush that tinted her cheeks, I was sure the talk was naughty.“Don’t you want me to be here?” The uncertainty in Charles’ voice got to me.“Of course not!” I denied it, but I could feel my face growing warm because Charles’ eyes were riveted on my packages.I was sure that by just looking at the logo outside the bags, he would know what Beth and I were up to.My guess was not far from the t
Jenna POVWe arrived at our new home much later than expected because I requested the cab driver to drop us off at the nearest florist.After purchasing the flowers I needed, I dragged Beth to the supermarket to buy some scented candles and stuff.“Are you going to sed*ce your husband?” Beth looked confused.I lifted my head from browsing through the label of a scented oil I wanted to purchase to look at her.“What?” I asked since I did not hear her.“If you plan to tempt your husband, you don’t need this.” She told me, looking exasp
Jenna POVAfter Charles left the hospital, I urged Beth to trace our way back inside.We passed the lobby, and I felt weirded out by the looks everyone was giving me. It caused a frown to form on my head. Beth must have noticed my reaction. “Don’t mind them. They just heard about what Gwen did. They all feel sorry for you.” She explained, brushing off the stares I was getting. She even covered her mouth with her hand to stifle a sarcastic laugh. I was surprised not only by the information she shared but also by her reaction. “How?” “Police came here to arrest her. It kind of got messy because Gwen resisted the arrest even when they showed her the warrant. She even tried to run away as if she could escape them. What a d*mmy!” Beth scoffed. It used to confuse me when Beth acted unfriendly toward Gwen. Beth is warm-hearted and is often on good terms with our co-workers, except with Gwen. Now, I know. At first, I did not understand her. Beth admitted that she did not understan
Charles POVAt Jenna’s insistence, I reluctantly left the hospital to go to the office. When I arrived at my office, I was dragging my feet. Whereas before, work had been the boon of my existence.I realized recently that all work and no play made me a very dull person. That’s why it puzzled me why Jenna loved me regardless. “You don’t look too happy reporting for work,” Rowan commented after dragging my feet to my office and finding him, Marcus, and Flint sitting around my conference table. “What are you doing here?” I asked, frowning. “Don’t you have better things to do than loitering around my office?” I asked them when they did not answer my question. My three brothers shrugged their shoulders and simultaneously picked up their coffee mugs to take a sip. My eyes squinted. My brother looked too relaxed for my peace of mind. My eyes narrowed into slits as I pierced them with a glare. Flint immediately rose from his seat to pour my coffee mug and offered it to me. I accepte
Charles POV“Good morning, sir.” The bodyguards posted outside the suite of our surrogates greeted us.“How is everyone?” I asked, stopping to talk to them.Jenna and Beth were still busy in their own world, talking and catching up.Jenna listened in rapt attention as Beth told her about the hardships of first-trimester pregnancy.A smile never left her face, but in my heart, I would always regret that what happened to Jenna denied her the chance to experience pregnancy and motherhood.Still, her talk about forgiveness hit me hard.
Jenna POV“Are you alright?” I asked Charles after some time.He had been staring off into space for a while now. His tears had subsided, but he still looked disconnected from the rest of the world.I realized that Charles needed that. Breaking down is not a sign of weakness, even for a man.I always think it was a release from the pain that bonds us.I stared ahead, in front of the windshield, waiting.Then, I felt Charles’s hand reach out to mine. He squeezed my hand, and I squeezed back, telling him without words that I was there and understood what he w
Jenna POV“Are you here to gloat? Are you here to rub it in my face that you won? That despite your inability to bear him a child, Charles still chose you? You are so naive and inutile.” Gwen lashed out bitterly, head shaking in uncontrollable anger.The extent of her hate was something I could not fathom.“Why do you hate me so much, Gwen?” I asked, clearly not understanding the extreme feeling she displayed toward me.I trusted her.I thought she was a good friend and colleague.It turned out she was a snake out to ruin my marriage and my chan