Page 95 of Christmas with the Elkin Billionaires

He escorted them up to her suite and held Scott while Rachel put away her gear and got herself settled.

“Are you comfortable here?” He kept his voice low because at some point between the lobby and here, Scott had fallen asleep on his shoulder. “Do you have everything you need?” he added.

She put a hand on his elbow. “I do.”

“I know your restaurant meals are part of your contract, but if you need anything else,” Jonas said. “Room service, supplies, a spa service—anything—it’s all on the house. Don’t hesitate.”

Rachel cracked a smile, and he felt like punching a fist in the air and cheering. “I love room service fries.”

“Our chef has a great selection of dipping sauces to go with our steak fries, and don’t forget to try our chocolate cake. It’s fantastic.”

“Now that does sound decadent.”

Scott made a small snuffling noise against his shoulder. “I think this guy might be out for a while.” He transferred Scott over to her arms, managing the fine art of not waking the child. “Enjoy your dinner.”And ask me to stay, and then, and then—“Get some time to yourself.”

“I’ll do that.” Rachel leaned in and kissed him on the cheek. “We’ll see you tomorrow for the candid shots, right?”

Tomorrow seemed like a thousand years away.

“Of course.” Jonas left, closing the door behind him, wishing he could stay. Tomorrow. He would do better tomorrow. No mistakes. No tension. Only family photos in his grandmother’s apartment. He laughed to himself on the way back to his office. A man could dream.

4

JONAS

Jonas fell asleep with high hopes that the next day would go well and he’d figure out a way to share the news about Scott, but his night was plagued with one bad dream after another. His grandmother disappointed with him over having unprotected sex. Her anger over shirking his parental responsibilities, even though he’d only just found out about Scott. His grandmother’s health taking a disastrous turn after being hit with this emotional bombshell after everything else that’d happened with his brothers. When he finally dragged himself out of bed, there was a pit in his stomach and a weight across his shoulders he couldn’t shake off. An hour in the gym didn’t alleviate it.

The fact was, the longer Rachel stayed at the lodge and near his family, the more opportunities there would be for them to find out about Scott in a way, and at a time, he couldn’t control. As CEO of Elk Lodge, Jonas had always prided himself on his ability to create a lifetime of memories for all their guests, and he was determined to do that for his grandmother and brothers. They needed to get through another day, and then they’d be in a better position to sit down and figure out what to do. Right?

Decision made, he showered and changed. With several hours available before the designated meeting time for portraits, he planned to take advantage of the time by working in his office. The short distance to the lodge from his private residence didn’t make up for the cold, crisp air chilling him as he made his way to his office, choosing to use the stairs for the exercise.

Once there, he pulled up the file on Blue Diamond Ski Resort. When they first found out that Colin Forest had signed a contract to buy the nearby resort, Jonas knew that the potential impact on Elk Lodge could be devastating. He was relieved when the McIntyre family began proceedings to terminate the contract, and his grandmother immediately offered to buy the resort. It would be weeks before they had any news about the contract, but Jonas had already started drawing up plans to integrate the two resorts, which had been a dream of his grandparents long before Jonas was born.

His phone rang and when he saw who was calling, he grinned. Answering the phone, he tried to sound gruff. “We’re still not selling, no matter how much you offer,” he told his old friend, Mitch Denton. Mitch laughed, which turned into a wheezing cough. “Damn, you okay?”

“Fine. Getting over a cold. Hey, Josh told me about Elin, how is everyone doing?”

Jonas sat back in his chair, the tension in his shoulders pulling tight. “I don’t know. We’re all still in shock and treating this holiday as if it may be our last with her.”

His phone alerted him to a new text.

Gabe:Gran’s feeling a bit better this morning and wants photosin the fireplace lounge.

“Did you call for a reason? I hired a photographer to take family photos and Gabe just texted me about a change in venue.”

Mitch chuckled. “Uh oh. Are they messing with your carefully constructed plans?”

His phone pinged again with another text.

Gabe: We’re waiting on you.

“You don’t know the half of it and I don’t have time to get into it now. Can I call you later and we can talk about why you called?”

“Absolutely. How about after the New Year?”

“Done.” Disconnecting the call, Jonas gritted his teeth when a third text came in.

Chase: Dude! Where are you?

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