Page 131 of Christmas with the Elkin Billionaires

The email confirmation of delivery assured Jonas that Rachel had received his letter. He resisted the temptation to call, since he’d promised he wouldn’t do it. And he’d honor that promise no matter how difficult it was. Focusing on work, he went through the motions, doing anything and everything not to watch his phone—waiting for it to ring or a text to come through.

Jonas sat at a computer in the meeting room behind the front desk, checking on VIP records. This was, technically, a task he delegated, but it required total focus and was therefore perfect for him. Normally. His mind wandered away from the words on the screen and back to Rachel at every opportunity.

And now he was hearing her voice.

He clapped both hands to his face and rubbed hard. Hearing things—that was beyond anything he’d ever expected. He should just go home before he made a costly mistake.

Jonas stood, knees cracking, and made his way out toward the front reception area. “I’ll be at home,” he said softly to Helen, who was prepping the drinks station, so they’d know where to find him. “If you need anything—”

“Thank you so much,” a woman who sounded like Rachel spoke from the other end of the desk. “The room will be perfect, I’m sure.” This was no sound-alike. It was Rachel.

His heart stopped. His breath stopped. He blinked—once, twice.

“Dada,” Scott squealed when he spotted Jonas, reaching for him.

Jonas moved out from behind the desk in a daze and took Scott into his arms and hugged him tightly. “Rachel,” he said, wanting to reach for her, but afraid that if he touched her, she would turn into a hallucination and be gone. “You’re—”

She slipped the key card into her coat pocket and smiled. “Yes. I’m here. I mean we are here.”

“But how? Annabeth? You don’t—your car—”

“I’ve never seen you this speechless before.” Her eyes glittered with pleasure. “I took an Uber.” Her radiant smile deepened.

“You took an Uber fromDenver?” Scott patted the sides of his face, nuzzling Jonas’s cheek with his nose.

“It was the most expensive Uber of my life.” Rachel laughed, but when she finished, her expression turned serious. “But it was worth it.” She patted the handle of a single suitcase at her side. “There’s something I need to say to you.”

“What’s that?” he asked, never taking his gaze off her.

“I love you.” The words sounded so sweet coming from her lips, that it felt like champagne in his veins.

“I love you, too,” he said raggedly, not particularly caring that this scene was playing out for the front desk staff.

“I’m willing to give you a chance.” Relief. Complete relief.

“You are?”

“Yes. But if you get pushy or bossy, I’ll flatten you,” she said, poking her finger into his chest for emphasis.

Scott laughed. “Flat,” he said, clapping his hands.

“Flat,” Jonas agreed. “As a pancake.” He winked at his son.

“You gave me the respect I asked for, and now I’m giving you my trust. I’m not going to walk away again, Jonas,” Rachel said, her voice low and soft, every word meant solely for him.

“Good. Are you really planning to stay here in the lodge?”

“I didn’t know if you’d want me at your place.” She glanced down at the suitcase. “After—you know. After I left.”

He drew her to him, kissing her forehead, breathing in the scent of her hair. Rachel tilted her face up and caught him on the lips. She let out a sigh as she did so, and it struck him that she’d missed him, too. Jonas hadn’t been the only miserable one. The proof was there in the lines of her body, in the way she simultaneously pressed against him and relaxed like he was the only person she trusted to hold her upright.

“Come home with me,” he insisted, as Scott tugged at the collar of his shirt. “I want you there more than anything.”

“Anything?” She crooked an eyebrow.

“One step at a time,” he warned, and then he grabbed the handle of her suitcase, pulling it quickly across the lobby. Rachel did her best to keep up, huffing a laugh. “First things first, I’m driving you back to my place. And then—”

“Anything could happen,” said Rachel.

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