Page 94 of Christmas with the Elkin Billionaires

Scott lay there on the floor.

“Just perfect,” Rachel said to no one. The last thing she needed was for him to go into a full-fledged temper tantrum. Not in here. She stood close by, using the attentive but calm expression she’d learned from one of her prenatal parenting classes, and waited.

“What’s going on?” Jonas’s voice broke into her attentive waiting, and she wanted to sink down onto the floor next to her son. Everything was already fraught with tension, and the last thing she needed was Jonas, wearing a worried expression on his face, and slightly out of breath. “Are you having trouble with the landscape photos?”

“No,” she lied, then thought better of it. “Yes.” It was always a fine balancing act, talking about her son with people who hired her. Usually, things weren’t so last-minute. Usually, she didn’t take jobs that required overnight stays, let alone a week. And usually, she wasn’t trying to wade through the supreme awkwardness of having just revealed her son’s parentage to his father and sticking around to deal with the emotional aftermath.

Jonas’s eyebrows knitted together. “You are?”

“I am,” she admitted, glancing down at Scott to make sure he was all right. Looking like a snow-suited starfish lying in the middle of the carpet in the lobby, he made her wish she was anywhere but here. “Lisa was an absolute godsend yesterday, but she wasn’t available this morning, and it’s too hard to keep Scott entertained while I get the shots. I don’t feel like I’ve gotten more than a couple that do this place justice.”

Rachel braced for his response, fully expecting him to fire her.

Instead, Jonas stepped around so that the two of them were forming a protective barrier around Scott. “I can help,” he said, his words surprising her speechless.

* * *

Jonas

The frustration was clear on her face, obvious to him from all the way across the lobby. Jonas hadn’t been able to see Scott lying on the floor until he was closer, but it made perfect sense. She looked as tense as he felt. When he woke this morning, he’d every intention of speaking with his grandmother about Rachel and Scott, until he saw the text from Gabe, letting him know that she was overtired from the Christmas Day festivities and needed to rest. So, he decided to wait, which wasn’t helping his own stress level. In a way, it was perfect that Rachel hadn’t been able to get the shots. It would give them more time to figure things out.

“Let me take you on a tour,” he said, registering her surprised expression. Was this the first time she’d asked a client for help? “I’ll go with you to help keep Scott entertained, and you can get some good photos. And we can spend some time togetherwithScott.”

“If you’re sure,” Rachel said, leaning down to brush a lock of hair off Scott’s forehead. “I don’t want to take up too much of your time.”

“I’m completely sure. I can go right now if you still want to do the photos.”

She straightened up, fire in her eyes. “Of course I do. Why wouldn’t I?”

Jonas waved at Helen, who was at the check-in desk, signaling for her to bring his coat out from the back room. He kept coats in several places around the resort in case he needed them. His brothers called it overkill. They were both wrong. “You really don’t have to do the photos,” he offered in a quiet voice. He was trying to do the right thing by her.

Rachel lifted her chin. “No, Idoneed to do the photos,” she said, her voice tight. “I signed a contract, and I need the money.”

“I’ll pay you anyway. Name the amount. It’s no object, Rachel.”

She blinked, and Scott stood up from the floor. Crouched down. Stood up again. He toddled toward the tree and plopped himself down in front of one of the wrapped boxes, patting gently at the gold ribbon wrapped around it.

Rachel moved toward him, taking her eyes off Jonas at the last moment. She bent down close to Scott, not touching him, just ready, he realized, to stop the boy from ripping open the gift.

Jonas wouldn’t mind if he did. At this moment, he wouldn’t mind if the little boy opened every one of the remaining gifts under the tree. Rachel’s shoulders were tense, but it couldn’t be because of Scott—she was used to this, she was prepared.

It could only be because ofhim.Maybe she thought his offer was a bribe. It might have come off as an offer to keep her quiet about Scott, and once he thought that, he knew it was true by the set of her jaw and the thin line of her lips.

“Forget I said that. You’re right,” Jonas said, trying to backtrack a bit.

Rachel’s eyes met his, wary still. She put one hand down on Scott’s chubby one, guiding him away from the edges of the wrapping paper. “Am I?”

“I hired you to do a job. Let’s focus on getting it done right, which means I’ll help entertain Scott while you take the pictures. Deal?”

She let out a visible breath. “Deal.” She scooped Scott up into her arms, and he put his arms around her neck, burying his face in her shoulder. “About that tour...”

“How about a sleigh ride? With horses?”

Scott perked up at that. Jonas got a thrill from his excitement, something he’d never experienced before. Some of the tension in the air dissipated as Rachel smiled, sending a wave of heat through his body and his heart racing. Jonas tried to ignore it as he put his coat on and told Scott about the horses, leading them both outside to a spot near the ski shed.

While Jonas held Scott in his lap for the ride, the sleigh took them down the trails near the resort. Rachel marveled at the decorations on the trees and leaned forward to get photo after photo. Jonas found himself at the opposite end of the lens more than once, and the thought of the photos squeezed at his heart. His first memories with his son.

By the time they returned to the lodge, Rachel was breathless and pink-cheeked, excited about her photos, and Scott was more than ready for a nap. But Jonas didn’t want to watch them walk away.

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