than ready for a nap. But Jonas didn’t want to watch them walk away.
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’m sure I do.”
“All your meals are on the house,” Jonas said. “Room service—anything. Don’t hesitate.”
Rachel cracked a smile, and he felt like punching a fist in the air and cheering. “I love room service fries.”
“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. “You could have quite the dinner with lots of fries.” And you could 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 den. He laughed to himself on the way back to his office. A man could dream.
4
Jonas fell asleep thinking that the next day would be a breeze, but when he woke up, 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 cure it.
The fact was, today could bring everything down around him. The longer Rachel stayed at the lodge and near his family, the more opportunities there would be for them to find out about Scott. But what other choice did he have? Burst in before the gathering began and spill the news? That would make for great pictures. They just had to get through another day, and then they’d be in a better position to sit down and figure out what to do.
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 the office. The short distance to the lodge 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, it wasn’t easy to focus on paperwork. It almost worked, but Rachel was always at the corner of his mind, never far away. The hours dragged but time didn’t stop.
His phone alerted him to a new text.
Gabe: In the fireplace lounge instead of Grandmother’s apartment. Wants photos there, too.
Jonas gritted his teeth, but he had to admit it made sense—they had photos from her apartment on Christmas Day, and the lounge had an abundance of natural light. That would make it easier for Rachel.
Although nothing would make it easy if his family started asking questions. He had to hurry if he didn’t want her to face the rest of the Elkin family alone. He shoved the paperwork away from him and headed downstairs.
Walking into the room, he realized his grandmother had a good instinct for what would look good for the photo shoot. The lounge had two walls of windows, the morning light shining through and cascading a pretty glow over the room. It gave the whole scene a magazine layout vibe, something he needed to take note of for future advertising campaigns. Rachel stood in one corner, adjusting the settings on her camera. Scott was nowhere to be seen. More than likely with the in-house nanny, which was the best possible solution.
Seeing as everyone had arrived, it was time to get this over with.
“Brothers first,” Jonas announced, loud enough for Rachel to hear. Her head snapped up, her gaze seeking him out. Her surprise quickly turned into a smile, making his heart beat faster.
One by one, they each took turns in separate groups, sitting by the window and pretending to have conversations. Jonas laughed at Gabe’s jokes, the knot in his chest loosening with every moment that passed. Maybe it would all be fine.
No sooner had he started to relax than two figures appeared in the doorway. No one else noticed the new additions as they worked on rearranging themselves, his grandmother sitting down, and everyone falling in beside her.
Except for Jonas, that is. He noticed.
Lisa had arrived,