Page 100 of Christmas with the Elkin Billionaires

A peal of laughter met her at the door. Rachel stopped, her hand poised to knock as she listened.

“Giddy up,” she heard Jonas call out. “Want to keep riding?”

Scott laughed again, and it lit her up from the inside out. She tried the door and found it unlocked. With a burst of courage, she entered in search of the fun and laughter just as they disappeared around the corner.

Jonas’s modern bachelor living room had been transformed. Toys were scattered from one end to the other, and the two of them were playing together on the cream-colored rug. Was that a stuffedelk?It was big enough for Scott to ride, and Jonas was at the helm, supplying the power as he pulled him around. Complete with sound effects.

A pang shot through her like an arrow, so strong she put a hand over her heart. This wasn’t Jonas, the perfect businessman she’d met years before and met again when they first arrived at the resort. There was no buttoned shirt, no crisp slacks. He wore jeans and a heather gray t-shirt, both of which set off his mussed hair, and he was crawling on the floor, playing with Scott.

Their son.

It took him a minute to notice her, and when he did, his face changed—brightened. “Hey,” he said. “How did it go today?”

“It was perfect.” Rachel had the strangest feeling of déjà vu, only they had never been together like this. It felt shockingly natural. Like a family. “I got so many impressive shots. The album should turn out really well.”

Rachel searched for the perfect, casual way to ask Jonas to help pack up Scott’s things so they could head out. There was no uncomplicated way to end the scene she’d walked into.

“One more time?” Jonas grinned down at Scott. Her son reached up to touch Jonas’s face, then whipped around and grabbed the neck of the elk. Jonas swept them both up in his arms and trotted the pair around the rug, Scott squealing the whole time. When they’d completed the round, Jonas looked up at her, a laugh on his lips. “Stay for dinner?”

* * *

Jonas

Jonas wanted to spend more time with his son. He wanted it despite feeling exhausted. Even the luxury of an afternoon nap hadn’t washed away his weariness. But still, he wanted his son to stay. And he wanted Rachel right there with them. It seemed like the natural progression of their day together. It would give him a chance to start over with her after they’d gotten off on the wrong foot earlier that morning.

She hesitated, and Jonas could practically see the thoughts whirling in her head. Rachel obviously had a plan that didn’t involve dinner with him, but she was already inside, looking like she belonged.

“Please,” he added. “I’d love it if you would stay.”

It felt odd to be so vulnerable. Admitting that he wanted her to stay—that wasn’t something he was in the habit of doing. Maybe he should have been, earlier on. Or made an effort to find her after their night together. Well, he could only start with the present. Jonas stood and picked Scott up in his arms. If Rachel didn’t want to join him for dinner, he wouldn’t press the issue, but if she did…

“I’d like that too.” Her shoulders relaxed, and a pleasant pink flush worked over her cheeks. Rachel laid her camera on the table nearby, shrugged out of her jacket and removed her boots, carrying them to the foyer. She returned seconds later looking right at home. “What are we having?”

“Well...” He went through his mental list of what he had in the fridge. He’d been spending a lot of extra time at the lodge for the holidays, so it wasn’t much, but there was enough to make a decent meal. “I’ve got pasta sauce and ground beef for meatballs. Does Scott like spaghetti?”

“Hedoes.” Rachel smiled, huge and genuine. “You have to see him covered in spaghetti. It’s priceless.”

He laughed. “Sounds like a winner.”

“Come here, snuggle bug.” Rachel reached for Scott, and he went to her happily, cuddling down on her shoulder. The three of them headed for the kitchen.

For the first time in a long time, Jonas felt relaxed. He knew his way around the kitchen, unlike the unfamiliar territory of fatherhood. He was good at cooking, too. Rachel and Scott looked over his shoulder as he rolled out the meatballs and coated them in breading, then stuck a tray’s worth in the oven while the noodles boiled.

“Who knew?” Rachel said, leaning in to place a kiss on Scott’s cheek.

“Who knew what?”

“Who knew that men like you could cook?”

Jonas huffed a laugh. “I admit to being spoiled. Our resort chef is amazing. But I like to go through the motions, as sometimes, it’s the only release I get from lodge business.”

“I know about that.” She gestured toward her camera. “There are times when I’m out there, and the rest of the world falls away.” Rachel met his eyes, and he saw a determination there that spoke to something at the core of him. She was tougher now than she had been when they first met.

Every part of him was in tune with Rachel, and with a curl of shock at the back of his neck, he registered how deeply attracted he was to her. It felt like fire. Like lightning. This latest version of Rachel—this independent, mature, tough Rachel—was intoxicating.

He shook his head, reminding himself that he was stirring the spaghetti.

“What was that?” Rachel swayed back and forth, Scott on her hip. “Did something cross your mind?”

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