Page 82 of Christmas with the Elkin Billionaires

All the way to Vegas he tried to keep his thoughts positive regarding the outcome of the meeting with Anna. He couldn’t let her walk out of his life, and he’d do everything in his power to convince her, but the scary part was not knowing if she’d agree.

Anna left Elk Lodge believing a person could never overcome their mistakes. And the fake engagement had beenhismistake, not hers. And her family? No. A person’s family wasn’t what mattered. Anna’s family was a part of her, but they weren’t all of her.

Gabe’s heart beat hard with all the love he felt for her. And that was what mattered the most.

The plane landed and he instructed the crew to remain on standby and then hustled into the waiting car. He gave the driver the address to her apartment. The closer they got, the more he wished he’d been able to get through to her by phone. Was she even going to be home when he got there?

Gabe’s heart was in his throat by the time the car pulled up in front of the building. “Wait here,” he told the driver. The afternoon sunshine in Vegas belied the cold temperature this time of year, but it was a far cry from the snow and chill of the resort in Colorado, and the breeze stroked his face as he made his way to the main entrance. A list of names and numbers decorated the call box, and he used a knuckle to press the one next to Anna’s name. The deep buzz came from far away. Sweat pricked at the back of his neck as he waited. Gabe Elkin was nervous about talking to a woman. A first.

“Hello?” Anna’s cautious voice made him wince, but just knowing she was home helped calm his nerves.

“Anna,” he said. “It’s me. Can I come in?”

He thought he heard a sharp intake of breath, and then the door buzzed, letting him in. He breathed a sigh of relief. She was going to talk to him. Gabe took the stairs two at a time to the second floor, not bothering to wait for the elevator. At the top of the landing, he spotted her in the doorway of her apartment. Hope and fear were reflected in her dark eyes. Her hair had been pulled back in an elegant twist at the back of her head, and though she wore soft pants and a loose top, she still looked like she could take on the world.

“Gabe,” she said. “You’re here,” her voice low and breathless. Gabe closed the distance between them like nothing existed except Anna, his name on her lips the best sound he’d ever heard.

“Hi,” he smiled, hoping to earn one back from Anna. Anything to put them on even ground.

She looked up at him and folded her bottom lip between her teeth. “Hi.”

His heart squeezed, then thundered, heat whispering across his skin. “I made you something.”

“What is it?” Her eyes flicked down to the box in his hands, then came back up to his, surprise dancing there. “Did youbake?”

“I did.” He lifted the top of the box and held it out to her.

Anna took it, wonder shining in her eyes. “You made me a cake?” A little laugh escaped her. “All by yourself?” And that was when he saw it. A smile. A beautiful smile from the woman he loved.

“Yes.”

She moved into her condo and set the box on the counter, pausing to gaze down at it with a pose that made him want to pull her in close. Anna turned to him as he stepped closer. “Explain,” she said, her voice a little wobbly with confusion.

“I love you.”

Anna gasped, a hand flying to her mouth.

“I love you,” he went on, “and I will do anything you want, give you as much space as you need, but I want this fake relationship to be real because I’ve fallen in love with you. All of you. Even the parts of your past you’d rather not think about. I want you with me and I baked you a cake to show you that I don’t care about being perfect. All I care about is loving you.”

* * *

Anna couldn’t believe this was happening.

Gabe hadshownupat her condo with the ugliest cake she’d ever seen. Anna burst out laughing, joy flooding through her like sunlight after a long night. Tears gathered at the corners of her eyes and spilled out. “I love you too,” she said. “I can’t believe you did this.”

She could not believe that he’d spent so much time doing something he didn’t like—and all for her. Gabe was the kind of man who’d prefer to show up with jewelry glittering in a box than a cake that looked like it had been decorated by a child. But she knew he’d tried. And more than that, she could see the faint embarrassment on his cheeks. Gabe didn’t doembarrassing things for just anyone. It meant the world. It was the most personal, caring thing she could imagine him doing.

Anna flew into his arms, wrapping her own around him and holding him tight. His arms tightened around her, and she felt the tension drain out of him. Gabe’s hand slid down to her jaw and he tugged her face up to his, kissing her as though each kiss were priceless.

“I’m sorry,” she said against his mouth. “I’m sorry I ran out like that. I shouldn’t have done it.”

“I don’t care.” He kissed her again, firm and unyielding, and her lips parted for him instinctively. Their tongues met and danced together, warmth shooting down her body to her knees, making them weak. Gabe held her tighter. “I love you no matter how you react. You put up with my antics, after all. It’s what makes us so good together.”

She ran her fingertips down the lines of his body, feeling like he’d lit her soul aflame in the best possible way. “Wearegood together,” she agreed, and some of the weight of her past fell away. Anna had been carrying it for so long that she felt a strange emptiness for a heartbeat, but the emptiness was soon replaced by another kiss from Gabe and a low sound in the back of his throat that spoke of relief and desire all at the same time. She was no longer empty but filled with Gabe’s love.

“I missed you,” she whispered.

“I missed you so much I baked,” he whispered back, and she laughed through her happy tears. Gabe pulled her in for another hug, then lifted her higher, and then he was walking through her apartment to the sofa. He sat down and arranged her in his lap, arms around his neck, the two of them as close as possible. Her pulse felt fluttery and delicious joy moved through her again and again. “I wanted to ask you something,” he said, a careful note in his tone.

---