"Hey Momma, are you done for the day? We are back." The triplets chorused their normal question.
Sophie turned and looked at her boys in surprise, she had not heard them come in.
As always, when she looked at her babies, she felt fulfilled , yes, very fulfilled. At least she could give them almost everything, almost, that is….
Sophie quickly put away her musings and allowed her boys to hug her. "Hello babies, what took you so long? Why are you late?"
She asked them running her hands through their chestnut brown hair. She brought Cam closer and took a good look at him.
"You tell me, what happened? Why are you late?" She asked in a whisper and the other two laughed. It was always the habit of Cam and Mom to whisper behind their backs. They understand and forgive them because Cam was the youngest, so they felt he should be closer to mum.
"Mom, I think we might have just found our daddy." George the oldest said calmly. Looking nonchalant as if he has not just dropped a bomb on Sophie
"What did you say?" Sophie asked, looking at all three identical faces.
They looked back at her nodding their heads in unison.
Sophie gave a dry laugh, and went forward to adjust their jackets.
"Come on, don't joke around. Let's go home.
"We are serious Moma, we found him." Win, who hardly talked, said with a serious expression on his small face.
"How would you know who your father is if I have not shown you even a photo? "
Sophie asked the children knowing that they were serious and have never joked about such a thing. She had just explained that they didn't have a father and they had accepted it without further questions. But for them to bring up this topic today …
"Hey boys, what's taking you so long? I am still waiting! " Drew called from the other side of the door. Since the cabin door was closed, Sophie could only hear the baritone voice without a face to go with it
She raised her brows at the boys asking silently, who that was.
"That's Daddy!" The boys chorused as they always do when they were in agreement.
"What did you say?" She asked in shock,
"What the hell! You brought a stranger home?
"Language Moma," they chorused, with a mischievous glint in their emerald green eyes.
Sophie looked at the triplets wryly and went to open the door, "
"You all will be the death of me ," she muttered in low tones.
"We can hear you Momma," the boys laughed in glee and followed their mother to the door.
"Who are you… "
The question died on her lips immediately she sighted the most handsome man she had ever seen in her whole life. She swallowed audibly.
She looked him over leaning on the door to the cabin, in a navy blue suit that contrasted starkly with his emerald green eyes... Wait a minute, emerald green eyes?
Sophie took one good look and at the handsome man and her heart slipped a bit. Could it be? No, its impossible, she dismissed the thought.
While Sophie had been assessing him,
Drew had also been sizing her up. My God, this lady looked beautiful. From the crown of hair all the way down to her booted feet.
She looked perfect.
Drew's lower body gave a jump which surprised him so much that he nearly went into shock. For almost four years ,he had not reacted to any woman but the mere sight of this lady and his body began to jump.
He nearly gave out a shout of joy. Wait, let's not frighten the lady and the boys who have all come out of the cabin to take a protective stand with hands folded over their chest in front of their mother.
"So are you the mother of these little guys?
"Yes and you are?" Sophie replied and asked in one breadth .
"I am Andrew Anderson, call me Drew," he extended his hand for a shake which
Sophie took. As their hands touched, both of them could not believe the current that passed through them.
They were so shocked that everything faded to the background. The noise, the children ….
"So Momma, do you believe us now?" George asked, looking at the two adults who seemed somehow lost.
Andrew and Sophie moved their hands away from each other in a jerk and moved further away.
"What are you saying? Please don't embarrass Mr Anderson as I don't know him and have never seen him before today." Sophie said, almost crying with embarrassment.
"Come, get your things, let's go." She ordered the children who all went back to the cabin to get their backpacks in sullen silence. They had been so sure that they had finally found their daddy.
"Sorry Mr Anderson, for the kids' behavior. They've never behaved like this. I apologize on their behalf."
"There is nothing to be sorry about. You have lovely children and they are well-behaved. But are you really their mother? "
"Why? don't I look like a mother?"Sophie asked, taking offense. What did he mean?
"No, I don't mean that at all. They look nothing like you. Don't get me wrong, you are beautiful but the children look so different." Drew said quickly.
"They must take after their father." Sophie said looking wishful with a far away look in her gold flecked eyes.
"What do you mean you think they must take after their father, don't you know?" Drew asked with a puzzled frown on his handsome face
Sophie looked at this man she had never met before , who already knew her children and had no look of condemnation on his face, rather a puzzled look .
Will anyone understand her story? Will the judgment stop?
How can she tell anyone that she didn't know the father of her beautiful babies? How in the world will anyone understand that?
Sometimes she herself does not understand how she could have been so careless .
What had really come over her? So she looked at the empty space , thinking about the man who is the father of her children.
Where was he? She regretted that night but not the joy and what it had brought her, her beautiful children.
Looking sad, and refusing to meet the beautiful man's enthralling eyes, Sophie remembered how it all started….