Page 77 of A Very Titan Christmas
“Morning, beautiful.” Brycewalked into the hospital room the next morning with a change of clothes for her and a stuffed bear clad in rock climbing gear. “Thought this would be a good keepsake.”
Her laughter washed away his irritation, which had intensified overnight. The doctors had only allowed family members to see her the day before. He hadn’t made the cut.
He set the bag of clothes at the foot of her bed, gave her the bear, and sat at her side. “You okay?”
“Better than the last time I saw you.”
He rubbed the back of his neck. “The burlap bags were quite the look.”
“A lifesaving look,” she joked.
He brushed her hair off her face.
“My hair’s a mess.”
“Nah.” Bryce ran his fingers along her jaw. “Sorry, I couldn’t check on you last night. Family only.”
She held his gaze in a way that made him feel happy and stupid. “They should have let you in.” Rachel bit her bottom lip. “I told my mom.”
“About what?”
“Us.”
His eyebrows raised. “All right, then.”Us. That one little word packed a hell of a punch. Eloise knew, and their gig was up. The fake relationship duty was officially over. This was not how he had envisioned the morning going. “Okay, then. Here are your clothes.” He handed her the bag and stood. “I’ll let youget dressed, and… well, you’re still stuck with me.” He forced a smile. “They’ve told you the summit is still a go?”
“Wait, Bryce.” She fidgeted with her bedsheet like she had more to say but wouldn’t meet his eye. “Yeah, that’s what my mom said. They didn’t cancel it. I’m glad.”
“And the Feds made two arrests this morning. Quick and quiet, but I’m sure there will be more news later.” He rolled his bottom lip into his mouth and headed for the door. “I’ll give you a few minutes to change, and then we’ll roll.”
He paced the hall and tried to empathize with her situation, although his ego was bruised. Eloise and the senator had probably been pissed that he and Rachel had lied. Rachel would have gotten ten kinds of hell from her parents for manufacturing their relationship. But that wasn’t what had gotten under his skin. That Rachel would end their ruse without first clueing him in stung. Then again, he wasn’t the one who’d survived an abduction and nearly freezing to death. She was entitled to tell her parents whatever she wanted.
Her hospital door opened. “I’m dressed.”
She was beautiful but looked tired. Rachel wore the sweater and jeans Nicola Garrison had picked out. She hugged the rock-climbing teddy bear in front of her like a shield. Bryce wanted to tell her that she didn’t need to protect herself from him. He wouldn’t hurt her like he had before. Then again, she wasn’t hurting. He was. “Ready?”
“Can I talk to you for a minute?”
Bryce lifted his shoulders. “Sure.”
She rested her chin on top of the bear and studied him for a moment. “Actually, maybe later. I’m still exhausted.”
He’d been warned that her fatigue would linger. Bryce helped her into her coat and led the way to his vehicle.
The hospital wasn’t close to the resort. Nothing in Vermont was close to anything. The switchbacks on the road required himto concentrate on his driving. Rachel wasn’t talking anyway, and he didn’t know what to say.
Hell, he didn’t know what his problem was. He’d played a role and bitten off more than he could chew—except that was bullshit. He wasn’t overburdened. He was in love. Bryce jerked the vehicle into the parking lot of a scenic overlook.
“Bryce, what the—”
He parked in the middle of the semi-plowed lot. “I didn’t do a good job of this last time you and I were…” He didn’t know what to call it. “I’ve got too much life lived not to say what’s on my mind.”
Her eyes were wide. Her pink lips parted, surprise coloring her features.
“Nothing has been fake with us, Rach. Ever. And I know you know that.”
She nodded. “I know.”
Wait, what? “Then what—What did I miss? You told Eloise about us.”
