Needing Happily Ever After - Elena Aitken Page 0,43

sexy shade of pink, her blush reaching all the way down her deliciously exposed cleavage. But she didn’t have a chance to respond to his comment because their parents chose that moment to join them in a toast.

“It was a beautiful ceremony.” Debbie pulled her daughter into a hug. “And you look absolutely stunning, sweetie.”

“I was just telling her that.”

Katie’s blush deepened and she shot him a look but she focused on her mom. “Thank you, Mom. I appreciate all your help.”

“Of course.”

Katie turned next to his father. “And Mr. Banks, thank you so much for your support. And for letting us use ElkView for the ceremony. It was just perfect.” She gave him a kiss on the cheek, and Damon watched his father react to the attention. The smile that crossed the old man’s face lit him up in a way that Damon couldn’t remember seeing since his mother was alive.

“I couldn’t be happier for the two of you,” Anthony said. “And knowing that the two of you are going to live right here and make ElkView your home, well, it couldn’t be more perfect.”

“You are?” Debbie asked. “I don’t know why, but I guess I thought you might live…well, I don’t know. But I hadn’t thought of ElkView.”

“Of course, ElkView.” His father turned to face Debbie. “And it worked out so perfectly since I wasn’t willing to sell it to a single person. I wanted a family to buy the place ideally, but for Katie and Damon, well, I made the exception that the sale could go to a married couple.”

Anyone else might have missed Debbie Langdon’s reaction to his father’s words, but Damon didn’t, and he knew Katie hadn’t either. She paused, her champagne glass almost at her lips, and she slowly put it down before looking first to Katie, then to Damon, and then finally to Anthony. “I didn’t realize there was any kind of stipulation on the sale of ElkView.”

Katie squeezed Damon’s hand in warning, a signal he got loud and clear.

“It was just a formality.” He jumped in before his father could answer. “And it worked out perfectly as far as timing went for the two of us.”

Next to him, Katie beamed. “Sometimes things just work out perfectly, don’t they?”

Debbie took a long sip of her champagne before looking pointedly at her daughter. “Don’t they, though.”

Maybe it was the champagne that had gone to her head. Or maybe she’d just gotten too wrapped up in everything. Or maybe it was because she was having genuine feelings for Damon. But whatever it was, Katie found herself genuinely enjoying her wedding celebrations. If she’d been able to plan it properly—or, of course, if it had been real—then maybe she would have wanted something a little bit bigger with all of her friends and some dancing. But she was still having fun, and everything had gone off perfectly. Katie couldn’t think of a better way to celebrate a wedding.

Unless, of course, it was real.

She’d forced herself to stop thinking of it any other way and by the time the guests dispersed and Katie and Damon were finally alone back in their cottage, she’d almost started to believe it could be real. After all, why not? She could think of a lot of worse things than being married to Damon for real. Especially considering the sex was…

“Well, that went well,” Damon said the moment they were alone.

“Did you think it wouldn’t go well?”

Damon crossed the room and pulled her into his arms. “Not even for one moment.” He kissed her then and she melted into it. “Have I told you lately how stunning you look today?”

“Not in the last few minutes.” She giggled and he kissed her again.

“You do look amazing, Mrs. Banks.”

Mrs. Banks? She pulled back and stared at him. “That sounds…”

“Good?”

She shook her head a little. “Not bad…”

“It does seem a little strange, doesn’t it?” He released her and moved to the kitchen. “Wine? Or…”

“Just water for me. I think I need to clear my head a little.”

Damon nodded and opened the fridge, pulling out two bottles of sparkling water. Katie watched as he poured them into glasses and rejoined her. She took the glass gratefully and drank deeply.

“Is it really that crazy?” he asked when she’d put her glass down.

“What?”

“You…me…” He gestured between them. “Being married…”

What. Was. He. Saying?

Katie forced herself to stay calm because she felt anything but.

“I mean, I can’t think of anyone else I care about more than you,” Damon continued.

She nodded