Page 89 of Christmas with the Elkin Billionaires

Jonas hoped that the rest of his family hadn’t noticed how unbelievably tense he was—how sweat prickled at his hairline. How he couldn’t stop looking at the photographer he’d hired. She was utterly professional and charming, and everyone loved her. The problem was that Jonas had loved her, too.

Well. He’dmadelove to her, almost three years ago. An unforgettable one-night stand, showing up today as his last-minute photographer. How did something like this happen? He knew the broad outlines of how—the man he’d hired bowed out because of a family emergency, and he’d suggested Rachel Alexander. Someone local enough to make the trip to the resort at the last minute. Jonas had been relieved when a replacement was found, so much so that he’d asked her to stay through the New Year to photograph the family events over what could end up being his grandmother’s last Christmas.

He hadn’t recognized her name.

But he would never forget her face, or her eyes, or her body. They’d never told each other their names, which was something so out of character for Jonas that he’d been delighted at the idea of it. Elk Resort had been through a precarious year, and the primary reason they pulled through was due to sheer force of will and a heavy influx of his own money. Neither of which he shared with the rest of his family. His brothers were off living their best lives and he didn’t want to stress out his grandmother. Jonas wanted, needed one night for himself. When he wasn’t Jonas Elkin, hotelier.

They’d shared one night of bliss and the next morning, she was gone. He’d thought of her. Often. He’d even checked reservations, in the hope of learning her name, but she’d only been there for the New Year’s Eve party. He told himself that chasing down one-night stands wasn’t his role as the oldest Elkin brother and the one in charge of the resort.

Until now.

The rest of his family was ensconced in the living room of his grandmother’s apartment, a fire crackling merrily in the fireplace, and the room staged to perfection by the interior decorators they hired every year to assist with the holiday decorating, when Jonas reached the end of his patience.

Rachel—her name was Rachel—stood quietly at the side of the room, capturing the memories of this Christmas day. He approached her in what he hoped looked like a relaxed manner, but the muscles across his shoulders were tight as could be.

“Mr. Elkin,” she said, shifting to put space between them and looking down at her camera. “Was there another photo you wanted? I can—”

“Stop pretending,” he said in a low voice.

Her head snapped up to look at him, her smile faltered, and her eyes widened.

“You never told me your name,” Jonas ground out.

Rachel blushed a deep scarlet and pulled her camera close to her body. “And you never told me yours,” she said quietly. “I thought you wouldn’t recognize me. It was a few years ago.” Her glance cut down to the side. “Maybe it’s best if I leave.”

“Can we talk about this? Because I don’t think—”

“I didn’t know it was you when I agreed to take this job.” She waved him off. “You don’t have to worry. Your family is lovely, and the photos will be wonderful. I’ll have them to you as soon as I can.” She gathered up her camera bag, waved at his family, and hurried for the door, only stopping briefly to glance back at him. “Thank you for hiring me for the job.” The front door of his grandmother’s apartment opened and shut, hiding her from him again.

Jonas’s heart wouldn’t settle down. This was how the one-night stand had ended—with a door opening and closing and Rachel disappearing. Wait—had she just ended the job? He’d hired her through the New Year.

“Do you like the new sweater?” Chase’s hand came down on Jonas’s arm, causing him to jump. “Wow. Tense, much?” his brother asked, frowning.

“The sweater is great,” Jonas said. “I can’t wait to wear it.”

Chase looked him in the eye. “Is something wrong? You look like you’ve seen a ghost.”

“You know what, no. No.”No, I can’t let her walk out of here. Not again and not like this.“There were other photos I wanted. I’ll talk to the photographer about it before she calls it quits for the day.”

“It’s Christmas,” chided Chase. “Aren’t you going to let her have a little time with her son?”

He’d forgotten about her son. Rachel had needed to bring him along for the job since it would be over the holiday, and Jonas had agreed, not thinking twice about it. Well, he’d catch her before she and the boy took off. There was plenty for a kid to do at Elk Lodge.

“Of course I am,” Jonas said. “I’ll be back in a minute.”

He felt Chase’s eyes on his back as he went out into the hall. The expanse of plush carpet was empty, the elevator humming at one end, and he stabbed at the button impatiently. It was too slow. He couldn’t bear the wait. After fifteen seconds, he hustled for the stairwell, taking them down two at a time. There was a separate elevator for the guest rooms, and she was more than likely headed there.

He burst into the vaulted lobby a few moments later, into the swirl of elegant Christmas decorations and soft music. Glancing around, he caught sight of Rachel by the enormous Christmas tree, tucking a length of jet-black hair behind her ear. She was grinning down at something he couldn’t see because of a huge leather sofa blocking his view.

Another woman stood close by, her red hair piled on top of her head in a loose bun. Lisa, the resort’s in-house nanny, who was on call for any family who needed childcare. He blinked, moving closer without thinking.

And then he came to an abrupt halt.

The little boy had come into view, and—he was a miniature version of Jonas. Rachel had black hair and blue eyes, but this little boy had Jonas’s dark blond hair and his chin, too.

Her son. The little boy couldn’t have been much more than two, and he pulled gently at Lisa’s hand as they stood, swaying toward the tree and back again.

Oh, God. No wonder she wanted to leave. If what he suspected was true—if this washisson.

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