Page 80 of A Very Titan Christmas
“Slim to none, but we’ve worked there before.” He registered her disappointment. “Come here.” She stepped closer, and he gripped her hips. “You know how many women I’ve been in love with?”
She rolled her eyes and tried to pull away.
“I’m serious. Take a wild guess, Rach.”
“No.”
“One woman. Twice had the privilege to fall for her.”
Her heart squeezed.
“You think a little distance will change what I’m doing with you?”
“No.”
“It won’t change a damn thing. I’ll come to you. If I’m off assignment, I’ll be with you. If you’re working somewhere,I’ll be there. If you’re at home, I’ll be there. It’s simple.” His gaze narrowed. “It will only be complicated if we make it complicated.”
She should ask him to move in with her. It could be simpler.
And she would.
She’d ask as a Christmas present. Things between them were happening so fast, but everything felt so right. In only a few days, they might share the same home. A flutter whipped through her. Their whirlwind romance had been years in the making. “I love you, Bryce.”
“Put your arms around my neck, Rach.”
She did. He hiked her legs around his hips and took off for their loft with a promise not to get out of bed until all her concerns about them were gone.
They stayed in bed long,longafter he’d erased the last of her worries.
CHAPTER TWENTY-EIGHT
Titan Group’s annualChristmas party spilled through the large party room onto the wraparound deck. Outdoor heaters kept the group toasty, and the view of the snow-covered mountains was more than enough to garner oohs and aahs. Bryce had to give Mia Winters and her crew credit. They could throw one hell of a holiday party.
The indoor space roared with laughter and holiday music. Bryce wandered from the bar with two mistletoe margaritas in hand and watched as Jared and Jax side-eyed their teenagers, who were fully immersed in making social media videos. Brock, Cash, and Winters feigned the same skepticism but allowed themselves to be pulled into the videos. Actually, Brock was all about the videos, even offering suggestions that most of their teens deemed still on trend and relevant to their viral hopes and dreams.
Rachel moved to Bryce’s side, wearing an off-the-shoulder sweater dress that made him drool. He handed her a mistletoe margarita. “I never would have paired cranberry and tequila together, but here we are.” She sipped from the sugar-edged glass. “Oh, that’s pretty good.”
One of Parker’s kids raced by, bumping against Rachel’s arm, turning around with a quick “sorry!” before ducking a stream of flying Nerf bullets.
Ace Winters ran by, pumping the Nerf gun. “Don’t think he’s sorry!”
They laughed. Bryce remembered being Ace’s age and pelting Montana with foam bullets anytime he could. Remembering made his heart smile.
“There are a lot of kids here.” Rachel rested her head against his arm as they took in all the moving parts of what made up the Titan Group. His teammates, their spouses, the kids, the noise, the fun. If Bryce ever doubted that joining Titan Group was the right decision, the camaraderie solidified it.
She sipped her drink. “I’m surprised all these manly-man types do so well with kids.”
“I’m not. The more you get to know them, the more you’ll see this is exactly what makes them tick.” These women and kids were their world. Bryce kissed the top of Rachel’s head. He might not have really understood the dynamic if he didn’t have Rachel. But this was the life he wanted; they were the people he wanted to be around.
Little kids clung to hands and darted between legs. Mia held Lexi’s baby. Nicola rested her hands on her pregnant belly. Sugar and Caterina were trading gossip as if they were making nuclear-level deals. Cash and Roman had Nerf guns too. It was Christmas madness in a way that made Bryce never want to leave Silverberry Ridge.
Bryce and Rachel moved through the room. They were the two newbies. But it wasn’t uncomfortable. It was cheesy as fuck to say it out loud, but this was the first time in his life—after years of moving around, either because of his parents or because of deployments—that he felt settled. Like he was where he was supposed to be, even though this was, essentially, a vacation. Things would settle down even more.
“Hey.” Jared clapped him on the shoulder and grinned at Rachel. “You survived the antler ring toss without losing an eye?”
“Barely,” Rachel said with a laugh. “Cassidy was my partner, and we discovered that we both have truly horrible aim.”
Beth walked over to them with a small pad of paper. “Are you guys in for Christmas karaoke? Guys versus girls.”
