Page 34 of A Very Titan Christmas (Titan #14)

Investigators returned to ask Rachel what seemed like a million questions.

They knew who had taken her but didn’t know who was behind the big picture.

Their questions indicated a narrowed field of billionaires who might have a dog in the mineral-and-metal rights fight.

But after she answered their questions, the agents disappeared.

She knew that wasn’t the end of the ordeal.

There would be a more thorough investigation, and, eventually, a trial.

But for now, Rachel didn’t have to deal with it.

She was just happy she hadn’t frozen to death in a garden shack.

What a weird thought.

Almost as weird as running into her ex-boyfriend and falling in love with him while writing her first cover article. December might have become her favorite month.

Her father’s summit went on, and she never saw any of its accompanying hoopla.

Rachel didn’t leave her cabin. She didn’t watch television or listen to the news.

Bryce didn’t leave her side. Titan Group promised she would be safe, and Jared Westin asked her if Bryce was worth all the trouble.

She thought he was joking, but the Titan boss was hard to read.

His wife, Sugar, was not hard to read.

Neither were any of the other Titan Group members and spouses who dropped by with care packages or just to talk. Rachel couldn’t explain why they were enveloping her into their world—unless someone had sent out a Bat-Signal.

It might have even been that they were folding both her and Bryce into Titan Group.

From what she’d learned, he had known several of his teammates for years.

They’d worked on joint operations together, and some of them had also known Montana.

The way this group absorbed them as their own made her heart sing.

“Mia dropped off gingerbread cookies and cinnamon bread.” Rachel set the basket on the counter and peeled back the linen so they could peer at the goodies. “Wow. That smells amazing.” She examined the baked goods. “I’m pretty sure the cookies and the bread are homemade.”

“We’re going to eat like kings this week.” He plucked the cinnamon bread from the basket and set it on a cutting board. Bryce portioned out two generous pieces and took a bite of his. “You’ve gotta try it.”

She did. It was as good as his eyes rolling to the back of his head showed. “You know, I don’t bake like Mia.”

“I don’t either.”

“I can’t speak a hundred languages like Nicola.”

“Same,” he said with his mouth full.

She tore a corner off her piece and nibbled it. “I’m not like any of them.”

“Any of who?”

She raised a shoulder, reluctant to say she was talking about the wives.

It wasn’t like she was comparing herself to them.

She and Bryce had just started dating again.

Then again, their relationship had gone from zero to one hundred.

They had a past. They were living together temporarily. “Some of the people you work with.”

“I don’t work with them,” he said, missing her point—thankfully—by a mile. “And you are like Cassidy. You’re both journalists.”

Rachel snorted. “There’s a pretty big difference between an investigative journalist who has literally gone to prison to protect her sources and a travel writer.”

He paused mid-chew. “Why are you talking about yourself like that?”

“I just want to make sure you know what you’re getting yourself into.”

“Babe, I have literally been on every part of you. I know what I’m getting into.” He swiped her cinnamon bread. “Are you going to eat this?”

“Yes.” She swiped it back.

He laughed and cut himself another piece.

Her phone, which was on the counter, rang. Kimberly Nashe’s name and picture lit up the screen.

“That’s the call you’ve been waiting on?” he asked.

She nodded.

“Then answer her call and collect the accolades,” Bryce said. “You know you nailed it.”

Rachel hoped he was right. She crossed her fingers and then picked up the phone. “Hello?”

“Congratulations, Rachel,” Kimberly sang into the phone. “Your article will be next December’s cover. You killed it. Just absolutely rocked it out. Even the photographs slayed. I was ready to supplement with stock photos, but there’s no need.”

“Really?” Rachel gave Bryce an ecstatic thumbs-up.

“Really. So, now, here’s the question for you. How do you feel about a trip to Miami? Your angle could be something along the lines of a vacation from winter. Seventy-degree days. No spring breakers yet. Just a little South Beach and vitamin D. What do you think?”

“I’m in.” No questions. No hesitation. The Silverberry Ridge article was exactly what she’d needed to kick her career to the next level.

After working out a few details and expectations, Kimberly promised to set up the agenda the week after Christmas.

“Good news?” Bryce asked after Rachel disconnected the call.

“The best.” Well, she thought it was the best news. But the sudden arrival of the real world shed a different light on the moment. “I’m headed to Florida in a couple weeks.”

“Congrats.”

“Thanks. Do you know where you’ll be?”

“Nope. And I won’t know until a problem comes up and Boss Man says go.”

Rachel pursed her lips.

“What’s that look for?” he asked then seemed to understand. “Real life is knocking, huh?”

“Guess so.” After he’d taken her home from the hospital, they’d talked in generalities about the future.

They had jobs to do. They would be in different places.

But they could also meet in the middle. They could find each other.

They could travel. The possibilities were endless.

But now, they had specifics. “What do you think the chances are for an assignment in Miami?”

“Slim to none, but we’ve worked there before.” He registered her disappointment. “Come here.” She stepped closer, and he gripped her hips. “You know how many women I’ve been in love with?”

She rolled her eyes and tried to pull away.

“I’m serious. Take a wild guess, Rach.”

“No.”

“One woman. Twice had the privilege to fall for her.”

Her heart squeezed.

“You think a little distance will change what I’m doing with you?”

“No.”

“It won’t change a damn thing. I’ll come to you. If I’m off assignment, I’ll be with you. If you’re working somewhere, I’ll be there. If you’re at home, I’ll be there. It’s simple.” His gaze narrowed. “It will only be complicated if we make it complicated.”

She should ask him to move in with her. It could be simpler.

And she would.

She’d ask as a Christmas present. Things between them were happening so fast, but everything felt so right. In only a few days, they might share the same home. A flutter whipped through her. Their whirlwind romance had been years in the making. “I love you, Bryce.”

“Put your arms around my neck, Rach.”

She did. He hiked her legs around his hips and took off for their loft with a promise not to get out of bed until all her concerns about them were gone.

They stayed in bed long, long after he’d erased the last of her worries.