Page 90 of Christmas with the Elkin Billionaires

“Rachel,” he called out, before he’d thought about what to say.

She straightened, turning to meet his gaze.

“Mr. Elkin.” Lisa gave him a nod and said something he couldn’t hear to Rachel, and then turned to leave. “Merry Christmas,” she told them all, waving until she was out of sight around the corridor.

Jonas had wanted to talk to Rachel about the one-night stand, but that seemed insignificant now. Laughably so. He went to where she stood with the little boy, irresistibly drawn to them both. It was an awkward moment and he stuck his hands in his pockets to cover any sign of nervousness.

Rachel bit her lip.

The little boy stared up at them, small lips pursed.

Outside, the Colorado snow came down in gentle flakes, the cool light tempering the golden glow from the hundreds of lights inside the lobby. It was as though time stood still.

“I was going to tell you—” Jonas racked his brain for what he’d come to tell her. “I was going to say that I didn’t want you to leave on account of what happened between us. Before.” He dragged his eyes from the boy’s and back to Rachel’s, which were a lighter blue than his own. “But I think there’s something else we need to talk about. Something more important.”

The rest of the room disappeared. It was only the three of them and the Christmas tree. Everything else—the music and the chatter of the other people in the lobby—they were gone, and Jonas braced for the words that would change his life. One way or the other, things would be different.

“He’s yours,” Rachel said, her voice calm and matter-of-fact.

Yours.The word echoed in his mind until it was big enough to fill the entire lobby of Elk Lodge, bouncing around in a thousand echoes of itself. “Mine.”

“Yes.” Rachel was at ease with her son, letting him step from side to side, but her shoulders were tensed up to her ears. Her cheeks went a deeper red. “When I met you at the party, I thought you were another guest. I didn’t know you were Jonas Elkin.”

“And I never told you.” It had seemed like such a good idea at the time. The night had lifted the weight from his shoulders long enough for him to catch his breath. Jonas wasn’t in the habit of asking—he was used to telling people what to do as part of his job as CEO. Nobody wanted a CEO without leadership ability. But Rachel didn’t technically work for him, not for Elk Lodge, anyway. “You don’t need to leave.”

She raised her eyebrows. “Are you sure? Because this is a huge thing to find out, and I’m sure you’re…” Her voice softened, the sentence petering out. “I’d understand if you didn’t want me here at a time like this, given your grandmother’s health.”

His emotions were so huge he thought he might burst. Guilt. A flash of anger. A lightning bolt of fear. Over it all, a layer of shock. He had a son, and the son was this boy, and his mother was Rachel. “What’s his name?”

“Scott,” Rachel offered. “Scott Alexander.”

There was too much to decide at that moment. He hadn’t been there to take care of his own child. Neglected his responsibility. It didn’t matter that there was no way he could have known. Jonas felt like he was falling. It was a terrifying sensation. But he wasn’t going to let her walk away—no way.

At the same time, the photography job she was working on was his gift to his grandmotherandhis brothers. The last time they’d had photos taken of the whole family, his grandfather had been alive, and this could be the last time they’d all be together. He swallowed hard, attempting to squash the continual grief and worry over Elin Elkin’s cancer diagnosis, and took control of his emotions. If he sent Rachel away now, there would be no replacement photographer. And then he’d have to explain to his grandmother why she left, and he wasn’t prepared to make that announcement yet.

Decide.

“Let me take you back to your suite.”

“Are you sure you don’t want us to leave?”

“I’m sure.” There. Decision made. “Let’s walk together.”

He could almost feel time ticking by. Up in his grandmother’s apartment, his family would be wondering where he’d gone. They might try to call down to the front desk to see if something happened at the resort that demanded his attention. They might try any number of things if he didn’t return to the Christmas celebration soon.

In the elevator, Rachel lifted Scott up to push the buttons, guiding his small finger with her hand. “Floor number three,” she told him.

“Tree,” Scott repeated, his son’s baby voice striking straight to Jonas’s heart.

They rode the elevator up, questions crowding Jonas’s mind. How was he going to fix this situation? Scott looked happy, oblivious to the fact that he was seeing his father for the first time. It didn’t change the problem they faced.

Rachel slipped the key card into her door, and the lock clicked, driving home the reality of the situation.

What had he been thinking? That he’d go back to her room with her and they’d hash everything out while his family waited upstairs? It would have to wait a little longer. He didn’t want his family to come looking for him. And he didn’t want his son to disappear while his back was turned.

Before they did anything, he needed to get his thoughts in order. There were so many variables in this situation. So many people to consider. So many factors. He’d always been proud of the way he could make decisions, keep things moving. Now Jonas felt like he was treading water in the middle of the ocean.

Scott toddled into the suite, and Rachel turned back. “Thank you for letting us stay.” It sounded hopeful, like a question—one last chance for him to change his mind.

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