Page 10 of A Very Titan Christmas (Titan #14)

Nothing would come out of Rachel’s mouth. Run. Hide. Go with the story. Every possible warning caught in her throat.

Eloise studied his face as if she wasn’t pleased to be left out of their private business. “When did you two plan on telling me?”

Uncertainty clouded Bryce’s expression.

“I, um—We—” Rachel stammered. Come on. Say anything.

Eloise zeroed in on her apprehension and read the situation as a load of crap. “I see.”

Her mother wasn’t an idiot. Rachel had to pull it together, or the entire month of December would be spent on setups and first dates.

Also known as hell. She hinged forward and grabbed Bryce’s forearm.

His gaze dipped to her iron grip and then to Roman as if he had absolutely no idea what was happening.

“This is my boyfriend.” The words had come out of her mouth, but she heard her voice as if she were listening to an audiobook, as if someone else had made this outrageous claim, all the while sounding very unsure.

Roman snorted, then coughed to cover his reaction.

Bryce stepped back, but Rachel stayed with him. There was no way she would let him run away without prying off her fingers because, at this point, she would rather die than face her mother with the truth.

His muscles tensed under her grip, but she refused to let go. “Bryce, you remember my mother.”

“We met earlier,” Eloise pointed out. “When it seems he wasn’t your boyfriend.”

“Can I have a word with you?” he whispered under his breath, but they were all close enough that everyone heard.

Rachel still didn’t let him go and decided to ignore him. She addressed her mother. “You remember we dated in high school?”

Eloise slowly blinked. “And, in the course of two hours, found yourself dating again?”

“Yes, absolutely, we’re so happy.”

“Can I talk to you for a minute?” Bryce asked again. He laid a hand on top of the one digging into his jacket but must have realized she wouldn’t let go without making more of a scene than she was already causing.

Eloise and Roman stared as if she were unraveling before their very eyes.

The two-hour courtship didn’t make any sense.

The hot chocolate debacle had ensured that everyone knew Rachel hadn’t been aware Bryce would be in Silverberry Ridge.

Her panic quadrupled. “We’ve been talking for a while, and when I found out he was assigned to this detail, I decided to make the trip home. ”

“I thought your boyfriend just dumped you,” Eloise said.

Oh yeah. She wasn’t thinking straight.

“Excuse us,” Bryce growled, then looped his free arm around her waist and practically carried her through the milling crowd of holiday shoppers until they were far enough away that she couldn’t see her mother. “What the hell are you doing?”

“I’m so sorry.” She released her grip on his arm. “I panicked.” Now that she wasn’t in the same vicinity as her mom, she could breathe easier. The more oxygen that returned to her brain, the bigger her mistake seemed to be. “Oh God. I’m so sorry. She makes me feel so out of control.”

“Rachel, do you understand what you just said?”

“Yeah, I’m sorry.”

“So you’re going to fix it.”

“I can’t.”

“Rach, this is my job.”

“I know. I’m sorry. I just—”

“No, you don’t seem to understand. Even if this wasn’t my first assignment with a new company, the situation doesn’t work.” He squeezed the bridge of his nose and let out a frustrated breath. “Not to mention that I didn’t disclose my connection to your family.” His eyes squeezed. “Shit.”

“We’ll just tell them—”

“What you said has consequences.”

She bit her bottom lip. She hadn’t thought about that and still didn’t know if he was even single. She quickly checked his hand. He wasn’t wearing a wedding ring, but that didn’t mean he was available. “Are you dating someone?”

“No. Not that it matters.”

“Okay, please. I’m begging. We don’t have to do anything. You go about your business, and I go about mine. I’ll just tell my mom we’re dating.”

He folded his arms across his broad chest and didn’t look convinced.

“She tried to set me up twice today. I can’t do this, and I can’t leave. I finally have the chance to write a cover story for my magazine, and my editor is foaming at the mouth for Silverberry Ridge.”

“That’s not my prob—”

“She keeps talking about grandkids, Bryce. You have to help me. Please.” Tears welled in her eyes. “I just want to do my job and spend some time with my parents without the constant pressure of being set up.”

“I can’t—”

“You owe me.” Panic took over because pleading wasn’t working.

He balked. “What?”

“You do,” she added, leaning into her absolute panic. “You broke my heart in high school without warning and—”

“That’s not fair, Rach.”

“Yeah, it is. I was so in love with you, and then just—bam—you were done.”

“I was moving.” He scrubbed a hand over his face. “Hell, I was seventeen and dumb as a box of fuckin’ rocks. I was trying to do the right thing.”

He’d never said he didn’t love her. The strangest, most inappropriate flash of nostalgia flickered. “That was an excuse. You owe me.”

“First,” he snapped, ticking a finger, “I was trying to do the right thing, and second”—he ticked another finger—“it was years ago.”

Rachel pressed her hands together and pleaded, “Please, Bryce.” She looked at him through her eyelashes and prayed she could win him over. “I will do anything if you help me out on this.”

His mouth twisted as though he was considering her crazy idea. “On one condition.”

“Anything.”

“You explain to my boss what you’re up to, so I don’t lose my damn job.”

“Sure, of course. Easy. How hard could that be?”

He snorted. “I’m sure it’ll be a piece of cake.” Bryce took a deep breath. “All right. If I don’t get fired, what’s the worst that can happen?”

Rachel tittered, suddenly nervous. What was the worst thing that could happen? Falling in love with the guy—again?