Elkin Brothers Christmas The Complete Series - Leslie North Page 0,63

thought you weren’t coming until today, and the receptionist let me know you checked in in the middle of the night. You should have told me.”

Gabe rolled onto his back and groaned. “I didn’t want to wake anybody up.”

“Well, if you’re up now, we’re waiting for you in the lobby.”

He stared at the ceiling, trying to make sense of this. “Waiting in the lobby for what?”

“For you.” The bed rustled next to Gabe, and a painfully sweet awareness shuddered through him—Anna, stretching and yawning, her dark hair spread out over the pillow in gentle waves. “We can all sit down to breakfast together.”

“No,” Gabe said quickly. Too quickly. “I don’t know if we’re ready for breakfast.” Oh, God. The word we’re slipped out before he could stop it, and now it was time to put his plan into action. And all without a cup of coffee.

“We?” Jonas did an extraordinarily bad job of hiding the surprise in his voice. “I didn’t know you brought a guest.”

“I did. But we need some time before we make introductions. Meet you after breakfast?”

“Sure. See you then.”

Gabe dropped the phone and rolled back over to find the bed empty and the door to the ensuite bathroom closing. He could hear the water running a minute later.

Anna, in the shower. In the shower. After sleeping in bed with him all night.

That’s what a fake fiancée did, right? It was no big deal. It was nothing. He brushed by her once she’d gotten out, wrapped in several towels. “Go like that,” he joked.

Her beautiful smile was reflected in the mirror as she dried her hair and put on her makeup. Gabe showered, trying to eradicate the freshly showered and still wet image of Anna from his brain.

Gabe emerged a few minutes later dressed in a button-down shirt and pants that wouldn’t have been out of place at a fancy dinner. He never knew what to do with himself here. Should he play the tech mogul, too suave to get out on the slopes? Or should he switch into ski gear and head off into the snowy distance? There had to be a middle ground and a button-down shirt was it.

For now.

Anna followed him out to the elevators, and they got in, sharing a collegial silence. This isn’t another expo. But Gabe couldn’t help treating it like one.

“So, my family is downstairs,” he said. “They’ll be headed out from breakfast soon, and we’ll have introductions.”

“All right.” Anna didn’t seem particularly bothered by this. She was dressed in a pair of gray slacks and a matching jacket that had the shape of business wear but in a softer fabric. It made him want to slide his palms over it and pull her close. She watched him intently. “Are you thinking about a change of plans? We can always say I’m a business associate.”

His stomach turned over. “No. This is for the best.” But the high he’d ridden for the previous day had melted. The last dregs seeped away as the elevator let them out into the lodge’s grand lobby, with its soaring ceilings and enormous Christmas tree decorated to its last inch. All that, and his family, standing at the foot of the Christmas tree in a tight circle.

Oh, no. This hadn’t been a good idea at all. Gabe had brought home a stranger, and now what? Jonas caught sight of him and waved as if they were in a crowded room and not a mildly busy lobby. And then they were all looking at him—Chase, Jonas, and his grandmother.

He grabbed for Anna’s hand, relieved when she squeezed back. A stolen glance at her revealed nothing but a confident smile. She was so good at this, and they hadn’t even started to talk.

They joined his family, Anna’s ring pressing against his own fingers, and Gabe couldn’t wait to break the news. “Grandmother.” He bent down to embrace her and kiss her cheek. She seemed smaller and frailer than she had before. It twisted at his heart. “I’d like you to meet my fiancée, Anna Waters. I brought her with me for the holidays.” He introduced both his brothers and his grandmother.

Jonas blinked at him. “Your fiancée?”

“You got engaged? Good for you, man.” Chase stepped forward and pounded his back with an open palm. “Nice surprise for the holidays.”

“It is surprising,” his grandmother said quietly. “Why would you keep this from us, Gabe?”

Abort mission. This wasn’t what he wanted—not more disappointment for his grandmother. He searched for a way