Three Little Words

The next morning, Reeva woke up to the sound of giggles. The tinkling laughter of her babies, carried softly through the baby monitor, is the most enchanting sound imaginable. She smiled despite the lingering tension from the previous night. Her boys were her world, and their laughter was the best way to start the day. She got out of bed and made her way to the babies' room. She found Caleb and Liam in their crib, and Noah was lying beside them, looking at her with his big green eyes, just like his fathers'. It was crazy how much her kids looked like Julian. She noticed then that the crib was starting to look small for them. She'd have to think about getting them their own beds instead of keeping them in the same crib, but how would she manage? She couldn't do it with her virtual assistant's salary. She'll think about it later.

"Good morning, my little troublemakers," she said, ruffling Caleb's hair as he zoomed past her. "Who's ready for breakfast?"

She took them out of the bed one by one and sat them in their high chairs in the kitchen. Then she started to prepare their bottles. As she prepared their bottles, her mind kept drifting back to Julian. She had to figure out how to handle his sudden reappearance. She couldn't deny that he had a right to know his children, but she also couldn't forget the pain of his absence. She needed to protect her boys, but she also wanted to give them the chance to know their father. She also needed to think about herself. Julian could help her with the financial burden of raising the children. Three young children are expensive, and it will become even more so as they grow older. How would she manage when they reach preschool age?

Later that day, as the boys napped, Reeva sat down with a cup of tea and her thoughts. She knew she needed to talk to Julian again, to set some ground rules and figure out how to move forward. She took out her phone and dialed the number written on the card Julian had given her the day before. She hesitated for a moment before deciding to send him a text message instead of calling: "We need to talk. Can you come over tonight?"

Julian's response was almost immediate: "I'll be there, Love".

That evening, after the boys were in bed, Reeva waited for Julian. When he arrived, she let him in and led him to the living room. They sat down, the silence between them heavy with unspoken words.

"Thank you for coming," Reeva began, her voice steady. "We need to set some boundaries if you're going to be a part of their lives."

Julian nodded, his expression serious. "I understand. I just want to be there for them, Reeva. Whatever it takes."

Reeva took a deep breath. "First, you need to understand that this isn't going to be easy. They've never known you, and I don't want them to get hurt. We need to take this slow."

"I get that," Julian said. "I'll do whatever you think is best."

They spent the next hour discussing how to introduce Julian to the boys, agreeing to start with short visits and gradually increase the time he spent with them. Reeva laid out her expectations clearly, and Julian listened attentively, his determination evident.

As Julian left that night, Reeva felt a glimmer of hope. Maybe, just maybe, they could make this work. For the sake of her boys, she was willing to try.

The following days were emotionally charged. Reeva introduced Julian to the children who, to her surprise, immediately took to him. She felt a sense of abandonment, as if her children were distancing themselves from her to be closer to their fathers. What did she expect? That they would reject their fathers? Her children are only one year old, they are not yet aware of the situation. One evening, after returning from the park, Reeva wanted to put the children to bed, but Caleb refused. He cried and refused to be separated from him. Finally, Julian stayed with him in his arms until he fell asleep, then gave him back to Reeva who put him to bed.

Reeva and Julian sat in the living room, the air between them charged with unspoken tension. Julian broke the silence first.

"Thank you for letting me be a part of their lives, Love. It means more to me than you know."

Reeva nodded, her gaze fixed on the floor. "I just want what's best for them."

Julian leaned forward, his expression earnest. "I do too. And I want to be there for them, for all of you." He paused, the intensity of his gaze making her breath catch in her throat. Then, his voice husky with emotion, he whispered, "Marry me, Love."

The world seemed to tilt on its axis. Petrified, she stared at him, her mind reeling. Every instinct screamed at her to run, to flee this intoxicating pull, yet she was strangely rooted to the spot. He took this moment of stunned silence as an invitation, leaning closer, his eyes gleaming with a possessive hunger that both terrified and exhilarated her. He reached into his pocket and produced a velvet box. As he opened it, a flash of dazzling light caught her eye. A magnificent diamond, the size of a dove's egg, sparkled within, its facets reflecting the light in a thousand mesmerizing ways.

Emeralds, the same vibrant green as her sons' eyes, the eyes of their sons, the eyes of their father, Julian Kole... the image flashed through her mind. A chilling realization washed over her. This wasn't just a proposal; it was a declaration of ownership, a claim staked over her life, her children, her very soul.

His touch, when it finally came, sent a jolt of electricity through her, making her whole body vibrate. The attraction he exerted on her was as potent as the day they first met, a raw, primal force that threatened to consume her. She looked up at him, her gaze locked with his, and as he drew closer, she felt his breath on her cheek, hot and heavy.

"No," she thought, her heart pounding a frantic rhythm against her ribs. "I'm not going to let him play with my mind. I'm not going to let him destroy what little peace I have left."

But his gaze, hypnotic and all-consuming, held her captive. The distance between them shrank, inch by agonizing inch. He was about to kiss her, to seal her fate, when a wave of icy resolve washed over her. With a sudden burst of strength, she pushed him away, her hand instinctively withdrawing from his grasp. The air crackled with the aftermath of their near-collision, the silence that followed deafening in its intensity.

Julian laughed, a crystalline, sexy laugh that sent shivers down Reeva's spine. The kind of laugh that would make any woman's head spin, a sound that seemed to echo through her very soul. "I know you want me, Love," he declared, his voice husky with a confidence that both terrified and exhilarated her. "The attraction between us is as strong as it was on day one. You try to hide it, but I can see it. I see it in the way your eyes flicker towards me, the way your breath hitches when I get too close."

Reeva pulled herself together, the trembling in her hands a stark contrast to the steely gaze she directed at him. "Yes, I desire you," she admitted, her voice firm despite the tremor. "But desire isn't a good enough reason to marry you, Julian. What about love?"

Julian's brow furrowed. "I'm not going to lie to you and promise you eternal love, Reeva," he said, his voice low and intense. "Love... it evolves. It changes. Sometimes it fades. What I'm proposing is a better future for you and our children. A marriage based on trust, on respect, on mutual support. A partnership. That, Reeva, is ten times stronger than one built on fleeting feelings."

Reeva felt a flicker of something akin to respect for his honesty. He wasn't trying to sweep her off her feet with romantic promises. He was offering her stability, security, a future for her children. But could she, after everything, truly trust him? Could she risk her heart again, only to have it shattered once more?