Page 215 of Triplet Babies for my Ex's Best Friend

Triplets.

The word doesn't enter my brain so much as crash-land there and burst into flames.

I start laughing.

Not because it’s funny.

Although, objectively, on some cosmic level, it is hilarious. Of course. Of course I couldn’t just have one surprise baby with my billionaire pilot boss, slash emotionally unavailable widower, slash ex’s former best friend.

No.

My uterus heard the assignment and said,Let’s scale.

“Addy?” Luci says carefully.

“I’m fine,” I say, laughing harder.

No one believes me.

I point weakly at the screen. “That’s… that’s too many.”

Dr. Levin’s mouth twitches, but she remains admirably professional. “It’s certainly a surprise.”

“A surprise is one baby,” I say. “Two is a plot twist. Three is a hostile takeover.”

Luci makes a sound that might be a laugh or a sob.

I look at her. “There are three.”

“Yes, babe.”

“Inside me.”

“That is generally how triplets work.”

The laughter breaks. A sob comes up behind it, sudden and unstoppable.

Luci bends over me instantly, pressing her forehead to mine. “Hey. Breathe.”

“I can’t have three babies.”

“You don’t have to have them today.”

“That is the least helpful thing you’ve ever said.”

“I’m improvising.”

Dr. Levin gives us a moment before speaking gently. “Adeline, I know this is overwhelming. Triplet pregnancies are considered high risk, so you’ll need closer monitoring, more frequent appointments, and a specialist in maternal-fetal medicine. But right now, what we’re checking is location and early viability markers. We’ll take measurements and discuss next steps carefully.”

High risk.

The words land cold.

My hand goes protectively over my stomach again, though there’s gel everywhere, and I immediately regret the texture.

“Are they okay?” I ask.

Dr. Levin softens. “From what we can see today, things are where they should be. It’s still early, and we’ll need follow-upimaging, but there is nothing here that suggests an immediate emergency.”