7 - Rose

I have never seen the L-trio get close to another man apart from Silven and maybe their teachers. I stare at Older Leo. He also looks at peace with the children, as if this is where he has always been meant to be.

I head to the table to collect the plates. "How was the food?" I ask Leo.

He looks up at me. "Why not just open a restaurant? I mean, with these culinary skills, you could be at par with Chef R.J. This... I don't even have the words to describe this. Now that I have tasted the food, it seems you are underpricing."

An amused laugh escapes my lips. "You thought it would be horrible, didn't you?"

Leo looks down the way the kids do when they are guilty of something. I don't know why I think it's cute. Taking a deep breath, I shake the thoughts away.

"You can't blame me, now can you?, Many beautiful women I know aren't known for their good cooking."

Leona burps and then laughs. "Just marry Mommy, and you will have all the food in the world!"

"Yes, marry Mommy!" my Leo encourages.

I look at the two and give thanks that Liam is smart enough not to say anything.

"Please don't mind them. They're kids and don't know any better."

"I know, but they don't," Liam says, not helping matters.

We stay silent for some time.

"Look at me! I just ate your food without knowing my host's name?" Leo looks embarrassed.

I smile at him politely and warmly. "Rose." I extend my hand for a formal handshake.

He takes it. "Leonard."

"I'm really grateful. You saved my daughter, and I don't know if I will ever repay you."

Just then, someone comes to the door. It must be the delivery person.

"Leo!"

"Yes!" both Leos respond at the same time, and I look between them.

"This is going to be weird," Leona comments, chewing the cake dessert I just brought.

"What do you need, Mommy?" Liam asks, and I smile at him.

"Collect the package from the runner."

Like the good boy he is, Liam gets off his chair and walks gracefully, as if he has the entire world waiting for him.

Leo looks at the retreating Liam. "What about the package signing?"

I wave a hand at him. "He's got that covered."

I notice that Leo hasn't touched his cake. "You're not having the cake?"

He shakes his head. "I don't like sweet things."

At his statement, Leona pauses and looks at him, a forkful of cake near her mouth.

Her eyes become watery. "Does that mean you don't like me?"

My lips form a straight line.

"Why can't I?" Leo asks instead.

Leona's eyes have turned red. "Mom calls me honey bear and sweetheart. That means I'm sweet, and you just said you don't like sweet things." She sniffs.

Oh, Lord.

Not knowing what to do, Leo looks at me, and I raise and drop my shoulders.

This is gonna be fun.

She starts sobbing.

"Oh, boy."

One good quality Leo has is that he stays silent while eating.

"No. No. No! Don't cry, don't cry, princess!" His words only make her sob louder. Leo looks at the dessert as if it's his worst enemy.

Taking a deep breath like a warrior going to war, he grabs the fork and takes a small bite of cake.

"See? I like sweet things."

I laugh from the side, and Leo looks at me with pleading eyes.

"Sorry, you're on your own."

Leona is now staring at him in silence.

"Finish the cake. That's how I'll know you like me."

Leo fidgets, and another laugh slips past my lips. It's not like me to laugh at another person's misfortune at the hands of my kids, but this feels so normal and perfect that it scares me.

"Princess, I..." Leo starts, but Leona, sensing the rejection, pouts her lips, preparing to cry.

"Okay, don't cry. Look, I'm eating the dessert."

Leo reluctantly eats the cake.

"Here you go, Mommy!" Liam announces as he returns.

Taking the gift, I thank him and then hand a new phone to Leo.

"What is this?" He looks at the box.

"I owe you a phone since yours broke while saving Leona. Don't worry, it's the same model, and I made sure it has the same colour. You do have everything on the cloud, right?"

Leo looks at me as if I'm some foreign creature he cannot understand, then at the box.

"I really don't need the phone."

I take the box, and his expression changes to something like surprise, as if he was expecting me to take the phone away.

I don't pay him any attention. I just remove the phone from the box, turn it on, then enter my number and save it as Trio Mama before handing it over to him.

Leo looks at the name and smiles to himself.

Wow, the guy looks good with that smile.

Shoot! Have I stayed away from men for so long that I'm drooling over one? Technically, I've never been with anyone since that night.

"Call me whenever you need anything."

"Thank you for this." Leo finally takes the phone, and I let out a sigh of relief.

"I'll be heading home now. Thank you for the food. It was amazing."

After Leo leaves and the few people who were left leave the restaurant, we close for the day.

"Did you bathe, Leo?"

I walk into the bedroom from the bathroom.

The triplets have always slept with me in my room since they were born. That's why I told Anna to buy a small apartment, yet she went and bought a whole palace.

I also don't know why these guys were in a rush to select individual rooms when they knew they would never use them.

"Why do you only ask me?" Leo pouts.

"You're the dirty one," Leona responds.

"Mommy, what does this word mean?" Liam points at a word in the storybook.

"That is incredulous. It means something that is hard to believe or that causes surprise."

"Okay, thank you."

He goes back to reading.

"Who is telling the story tonight?" I ask as I settle at the far end of the bed.

The other end has been pushed against the wall because, even though Leo sleeps in the middle, he always finds a way to end up on the floor.

"Leona," Leo answers, pointing at her.

"Once upon a time..."

The next morning

I am preparing the kids for their school interview when Leo walks into my restaurant wearing a dark tuxedo, a white shirt, and shiny black shoes.

The man is handsome.

"Good morning, stranger," I say with a smile.

"Good morning, Uncle!" the kids greet him at the same time, as if they have practised it.

"Good morning."

He ruffles Leo's hair, caresses Leona's cheek, and gives Liam a polite nod. It's like he already knows the kids individually.

"Am I too early for breakfast?"

"Mommy is just serving us," Leo responds.

"I'll get you a plate."

I walk to the kitchen. When I return, Leo has already taken a seat with the kids.

When I put the plate down, Leo gets up and pulls out a seat for me.

"Thank you."

I don't know why him doing that satisfies me so much.

"You're not opening today?" he asks as he begins eating.

"Mommy is taking us to enrol for kindergarten," Leona answers, clearly excited. "I can't wait to make friends!"

"Which school?"

"Valemont School of Excellence," I respond, taking a bite of my breakfast.

"Do you have a ride?"

"Our car is on the ocean, coming here," Leo responds.

"I'll drop you off."

"There's no need. I've called a taxi."

"I insist."

I don't feel like arguing, not at this moment.

The conversation flows so naturally, as if we're a happy family of five. I eat in silence, observing as Older Leo removes the broccoli from Leona's plate and transfers it to his own.

Just then, the door to the restaurant opens, and a slender woman walks in. Her face is covered in makeup, and her heels are too high. She walks in as if she owns the place.

"I'm sorry, but we're not open today."

The woman ignores me as if I have so little value.

"Leo, I was waiting for you."

She hugs his neck.

Leo pulls away.

"Charity."

He calls her name quietly.