Needing Happily Ever After - Elena Aitken Page 0,14

likely to be fine at all.

“You’re right.” He might as well fake some optimism. “Thanks again for doing this. Really. I mean it.”

“I know you do.” Her smile was so sweet that it once again made Damon feel badly for the way he’d behaved the day before.

“And Katie?” He flicked his glance between her and the mountain road.

“It’s okay, Damon,” she said, reading his mind. “You don’t need to apologize again. Really.”

Damon inhaled deeply as they pulled up to the gate of ElkView. He turned to look at her. “I mean it, I’m sorry. Please believe me when I tell you how sorry I am.”

“I know.” She chuckled a little. “And I do. Now, please believe me when I tell you it’s okay. I’m not mad anymore. We’re good.” He opened his mouth to object again, but she cut him off before he could. “I mean it, Damon. But we won’t be good if you keep trying to apologize.”

He couldn’t help but smile at her faux sternness.

“Okay, okay,” he conceded. “But I really do appreciate all of this.”

“It’s all good.”

There was something so genuine about her that there was no other choice but to believe her. Katie was really okay with all of this. He hated asking her to lie for him, but it would be easy. A quick meeting; his dad would agree to the deal and everything could go back to normal. No big deal.

“Okay.” Spontaneously, he picked up her hand and kissed the back of it. “Let’s do this.”

He punched in the code and waited as the heavy timber gates swung slowly inward to give them passage.

They drove slowly up the windy drive, through the pine trees until finally the thick tree coverage opened up to ElkView. Just as it always did, the view over the valley took Damon’s breath away. There was a brief time when he was a kid when he hadn’t appreciated the view, but it had only lasted a few years. Even as a teenager, he’d never failed to stop and take it all in.

“It’s so gorgeous,” Katie whispered next to him. “I don’t think I’ll ever get sick of it.”

Damon couldn’t agree more with her. He parked the truck along the side of the house next to the garage and moved quickly around the side to open Katie’s door, but she’d beaten him to it. She gave him a strange look. “Don’t go acting all weird on me now that we’re engaged, Banks.”

“Who, me? Weird?” He winked and extended his hand, helping her down from the cab. “Have I told you how pretty you look today?” He knew he had because she did. She was dressed in a simple summer dress, white with pink flowers on it. She had on strappy sandals that made her taller, but still so much shorter than he was. And her dark hair fell in soft waves over her bare shoulders.

“You have,” she said. “And thank you. You look very pretty, too.”

They were both laughing, her hand still in his when Damon heard his father’s voice. “Welcome home, son.”

Home. Son.

It was crazy that two simple words could evoke so much emotion in him. Katie squeezed his hand in support and it was just what he needed to be reminded as to why they were there. Damon swallowed hard and nodded. “Dad. It’s good to see you.”

Together, they walked across the yard and stopped short in front of Anthony Banks. There was an awkward moment where Damon wasn’t sure whether he should shake his hand or hug him. When was the last time he hugged his dad? Still, it felt strange to do either.

Katie saved the moment by smiling brightly and holding her arms out. “Mr. Banks, it’s so good to see you. You’re looking well.” He matched her smile and they shared a quick hug. “When was the last time I saw you?” Katie was still chatting. “It must have been at the bakery.” She pretended to think and finally nodded and grinned. “Yes, it was definitely at Sweetie Pies. A few months ago now, wasn’t it? You were trying to decide between the rye bread and that new sunflower flax that they’ve been making.”

Anthony chuckled. “I went with the rye, of course. Seeds have no place in bread.”

“Oh, but they do, Mr. Banks. You really should give it a try next time. I think you’ll be pleasantly surprised.”

“Well, maybe I will, Katie.” Damon looked between the two of them, his gaze landing in wonder on the