Chapter 30

AMBER'S POV
The moment I got out of the car, Maddie flew into my arms and I wrapped her closely as tears slid down my cheeks. I had allowed a moment of weakness made me attempt to make the greatest mistake of my life but as I held on to my children, I realized I had so much more than I had thought.
Mrs Carol said her good nights, gave Jay a little kiss on his cheek and walked out of the house with some of the pie she had made earlier for the kids. According to her, Mel had arrived about two hours after we left for the party and left with her children. I couldn't even feel anger or betrayal, I was too exhausted and I wanted to sleep for hours unending.
"How was the party, mum?"
"How did you meet Jay Harley?"
"Did you bring anything for me from the party?"
"Did something happen to Aunt Mel?"
"Why are you quiet, mummy? Did something happen at the party?"
"Mum, talk to me. Are you alright?"
The questions started trooping in as soon as we were all seated but I wasn't in the mood to answer any of them, I was still in shock as I stroked Maddie's hair quietly. For the third time that night, Jay Harley came to my rescue again. The kids directed their attention to him as he raised his hand and I was grateful for the gesture.
"I'm Frankie, the eldest and asides being your biggest fan, I'm good with art. I'd show you one of my drawings sometime" Frankie introduced himself with so much pride I smiled slightly in my seated position. He pointed to Danny and did his own introduction,
"That's Daniel but we all call him Danny and he's a genius with mathematics" Frankie said and Danny gave Jay a toothy grin that mirrored the one on Frankie's face. My little boys looked anything but little as they stood in front of a very interested Jay Harley and gave a well detailed but brief introduction any interviewer would be proud to hear.
Never to be caught lacking, Maddie detangled herself from my hold and proceeded to make her own introduction,
"And I'm Maddie, the youngest but you'd think I was the oldest with the way I take care of my two elder brothers" the boys shot her look but I knew it was true. Maddie was the glue that kept the triplets together even though she was the youngest.
I was still coming to terms with the fact that I had attempted suicide and Jay Harley that had been the cause of most of my problems to begin with, even if it was just from the beginning, had dived into a body of ice cold water to save me from drowning.
While I was sinking deeper into the water back at the waterline, memories of the night my life had changed, had flashed before my eyes. I saw the dress I had worn to prom as Peter waited at the bottom of the stairs for me with a bouquet of flowers. Mum had the brightest smile on her face as I took Peter's hand, she had cried also, it was a beautiful day.
The limo had been so beautiful I was sure I took over a hundred pictures inside it and when Mel won prom queen, I was so excited you'd think I was going to get paid. Prom was supposed to be the best night of our teenage years and it lived up to its expectations until I found out three months after that I was pregnant.
Mel had sat on the floor with me in her bathroom as I spent hours crying, I couldn't even tell her who the father was cause even him wash aware of what had happened. After disclosing the news to my mum and facing disownment, I had picked up my L and left Los Angeles.
While tackling menial jobs with my growing pregnancy, I had cried everyday for the disappointment I had caused myself and the change I was going to have to go through raising my children up all by myself without a father or a family.
"Where's your dad?" Jay Harley's voice pierced through the world of my daydream as I drifted back to the present. The question I had been dreading ever since I heard about the reunion had finally been asked by the person I least expected it from. My chest felt tight as I stood and stumbled out of the living room headed for the stairs, my room was a safe haven and I had to get there.
Before I got to the door of my room, I overheard Maddie answering Jay,
"He died while we were babies or so mum says" I could almost see her shrug as I heard her response. The addition at the end of her statement meant she didn't believe the tale I've told them ever since they were children and it bothered me more than I had words to say.
Maddie wasn't just the more mature one amongst the siblings, she was very smart and never let anyone she was curious about go without getting an answer on it. I feared I wouldn't be able to keep the identity of the triplets father away from them as long as I initially planned but that wasn't even my main concern. With Jay's newly established connection with the triplets, it was only a matter of time before the truth came out.