The Billionaire's Christmas Son - Leslie North Page 0,36

interest in talking to anyone right now.

Rachel patted behind her, trying to find the elk. It was huge. How could it be so difficult to find right now? She finally grasped one of its legs. “Here you go, buddy,” she said, putting it in Scott’s lap. He quieted down instantly. Rachel pulled her arm forward, the awkward position causing her to cramp. She stretched and massaged the muscles, trying to get relief, accidentally bumping her phone in the process.

“Hello?” her mother’s voice burst from the phone’s speaker.

Why me? If Rachel had been parked, she’d have put her head down on the steering wheel and had a good cry.

“Rachel? Are you out driving in this storm?”

The smallest thud came from the backseat—Scott’s elk hitting the back of the seat. His scream was instantaneous as it fell out of his reach.

“What’s wrong with Scott?”

“Yes, I’m driving. His elk just fell on the floor. Mom, I can’t talk right now,” she shouted above the noise. “We’re fine. I’ll be in touch soon.”

“Rachel, we need to discuss this vacation you’ve taken.” Her mother didn’t notice that she’d said anything at all. “It’s not right of you to keep Scott from his grandparents at the holidays. We need family pictures. I want family pictures,” she amended. “It’s important for me to spend time with you, and—”

“I can’t talk right now,” Rachel cut in. “I’m hanging up the phone. Please don’t call back.”

“I’ll call back, sure,” her mother said. “It must be patchy service. I’ll hang up and then—”

“No,” Rachel shouted. “Do not call again.”

“There’s no need to shout,” her mother scolded. “I’m only trying to talk to you about—”

“I just can’t talk right now. I’m driving, and it’s dark, and whatever you want—”

“It’s not about anything that I want,” her mother continued, going on and on.

Rachel was on the verge of screaming herself. What did she have to do to get her mother to stop? A moment’s peace, that’s all she needed. Scott’s wails got louder. The stuffed elk wasn’t in reach this time, and Rachel felt a certain panic at her core. The snow fell thicker, whipping up and across the windshield, and it was getting harder to see.

“I’m hanging up, Mom.” She reached down, keeping her eyes glued to the road, and hit a switch on the phone, cutting her mother off in the middle of whatever it was she was going to say. Rachel waved a hand in the air, trying to get Scott to pay attention to her. Now was not the time to lose her mind.

“Row, row, row your boat,” she sang, trying to distract him. What she needed was a side road to turn off on so she could pick up his toys. They were approaching an intersection, and Rachel sent up a quick wish for the light to stay green.

It turned red.

Rachel tapped the brakes to stop, watching as an oncoming vehicle slid into the intersection. She pumped her brakes harder, fear lodging in her throat as her vehicle didn’t respond, the tires slipping instead of gripping the road.

It all played out as if in slow motion, the car heading straight toward them, headlights glaring. Rachel turned the wheel sharply, trying to avoid a collision.

The screech of metal and the force of the impact seemed to take forever. Rachel’s head went to the side, and she gripped the wheel tightly like she could stop all of this through willpower.

Scott stopped screaming. It was eerily silent in the car as it spun around several times. And then her car slammed into something hard and unyielding. She let out the breath she’d been holding, immediately turning to check on Scott.

He appeared okay—mostly terrified.

But they’d survived.

15

There was no way Jonas could live with the waiting. Not anymore. He finished up the last of the mashed potatoes on his plate and wiped his mouth with his napkin. His brothers watched him, a habit that was becoming more than slightly irritating. “Are you two done?”

The waiter came to clear away their dishes, and the three of them stood to leave. Jonas had decided it was past time to tell his grandmother the truth. Waiting like this was going to give him an ulcer. He couldn’t afford the stress and all the mistakes that came along with stress. Letting Rachel and his son leave, the biggest one yet.

Outside the restaurant, the three brothers paused. “I’m headed home,” Chase said. He lived in one of the properties near Jonas’s place with Tana and Lindsey. “I’ll