Needing Happily Ever After - Elena Aitken Page 0,50

graduation, when she’d completely forgotten to buy a dress and had gone down to the local thrift store to find anything that would fit. It hadn’t been a total disaster, though, because she’d lucked out with a simple black sheath dress that had actually looked quite glamourous.

It wasn’t that she didn’t care; it was more that she didn’t think it was important to spend her time worried about what she was wearing.

Which was why it was so strange that she’d developed some sort of paralysis when it came to picking out an outfit just to go to the pub with Damon.

But it wasn’t just a trip to the pub. Not really. It was their first official outing as a married couple and even though that shouldn’t feel weird or that it was a big deal—it did.

Maybe more so because in the last few days since their wedding, everything had changed.

It was so much more than a game to get ElkView. It was way more than a deal to get the startup capital for the Hub. Things between Damon and her were…real. Well, mostly real. They hadn’t actually discussed their relationship beyond that one time after they exchanged vows, but something between them had definitely shifted. And it wasn’t just the sex. Although the sex was pretty damn amazing.

Things with Damon felt both easy and complicated at the same time. They’d largely spent the last few days hidden away from everyone, having what they called a honeymoon, alone in the cottage. But Katie couldn’t shake the feeling that they’d been hiding. If they weren’t around other people, it would be easier to believe that their wedding had been real. And maybe their feelings as well. Would it be different around other people?

She didn’t know what to expect. Everything was starting to feel more and more out of control. Katie had hoped that a few days’ distance from the actual wedding would give her clarity, and a way to justify what they’d done and the giant lie that she’d been telling everyone she cared about.

Of course, now with the lines between fact and fiction blurred even more, things had only become more confusing. And easier than trying to figure it out had been for her to stick her head in the sand by immersing herself into a business plan for the Hub, the store she wanted to open as soon as possible. If everything went according to plan, she might even be able to close on the space she’d found on Main Street in a day or two. Damon was handling the purchase negotiations at the same time as the paperwork for ElkView.

The same flicker of guilt that she felt every time she thought about how she’d gotten the capital to open her store flashed through her body. And just as she always did, she pushed it away. After all, did it really matter how she got the money, as long as no one was getting hurt? And no one was getting hurt.

Except maybe you.

The thought slammed into her so hard, Katie took a step back and plopped on the edge of the bed.

Only a week ago, Katie would have felt very differently. The plan had been a marriage of convenience. Nothing more. No feelings beyond friendship. Sex had a way of changing things.

But it wasn’t just the sex, and she knew it.

No one is going to get hurt.

She squeezed her eyes as she repeated the thought to herself one more time, willing herself to believe it. But no matter what she told herself, Katie could not help but shake the ominous feeling that had taken hold.

“You look nice.”

Her eyes flew open when Damon walked into the room.

“Sorry.” He gave her a kiss on the cheek. “Did I interrupt something?”

Katie forced a smile to her face and stood. She glanced in the mirror at her simple white sundress. She hadn’t intended it to look so bridal, but she was out of time to change.

“Nothing at all,” she said with a brightness she wasn’t sure she felt. “Are you ready to go?”

“Cheers to the happy couple.” Sarah raised a glass in yet another toast and everyone followed suit. They clinked glasses and drank deeply once again.

“I don’t know if we need to keep doing that.” Katie shook her head and pushed her glass away. “I’m out. Someone needs to drive home.”

Under the table, Damon slipped his hand over her thigh and squeezed gently. She offered him a smile, but it didn’t quite reach