Needing Happily Ever After - Elena Aitken Page 0,4

The scruff on his chin and cheeks was new, and it suited him. He looked both familiar and dangerously different than the last time she’d seen him.

Damon crossed the distance between them in only a few long strides and with zero regard to the hot coffees she held in her hand, wrapped his arms around her in a tight bear hug. Somehow she managed not to spill the drinks as he squeezed her, but the paper bag didn’t fare so well.

“You smell good,” Damon said into her hair. “Like honey and…honey buns!” He pulled back from her, his handsome face lit up in such a hopeful smile that Katie couldn’t help but laugh. She held up the crushed paper bag with Damon’s favorite treat from Sweetie Pies and shrugged.

“You really are the best.” He winked as he snatched up the bag and took a coffee from her tray.

“I know it.” She laughed. It was good to see him. Really good.

“And that’s why I love you.”

They’d told each other a million times over the years that they loved each other, but it felt different this time. Katie tried not to dwell on it, or how dramatically their relationship had changed since a simple phone call only a few days earlier.

Together, they walked to an empty picnic table and sat on the top of it, looking out over the falls.

Damon didn’t waste any time digging into the paper bag she’d brought him. “Hey, this is all squished up.”

She shot him a look and he laughed as he shoved a piece of the bun in his mouth. “Still delicious, though.”

They sat in silence for a few minutes while Damon ate his bun and Katie sipped at her coffee. Finally, when he was finished, he licked each of his fingers. “Thank you, Katie.”

She shrugged. “No biggie. I know you like them and I was walking past, so I—”

“That’s not what I meant,” he interrupted her, his voice serious. She turned to look at him, and there was no trace of humor in his eyes. “Thank you,” he said again. “For agreeing to all of this.”

Her stomach flipped as she once again was reminded of exactly just what she’d agreed to when he’d called, desperate and needing a favor. “It’s not a big deal, Damon. You’d do the same for me.”

“I’d do anything for you.” He grabbed her free hand and squeezed. “You know that, right?”

“Of course.” She giggled in an effort to relieve some of the seriousness of the moment. “It’s all good. Really.” She meant it.

“Agreeing to marry me is a very big deal, Katie.”

Well, when he said it out loud like that… Damn.

She shook her head and kept the smile on her face. “Right,” she said slowly. “But we’re not really getting married, Damon. It’s just an engagement.” She couldn’t help but glance at her bare left hand, a move that Damon acknowledged with a raised eyebrow.

“Don’t worry about that,” he said in reference to her empty finger. “I’ve got all the bases covered there. And no, we’re not really getting married. Of course not. That’s crazy! As if we’d ever actually be together.”

He laughed so loud and so heartily that Katie couldn’t help but feel offended. Of course, he was right. They were best friends, always had been. Still, was it really so crazy to imagine that they could actually be together? Maybe it was. Maybe that’s how Damon really saw it. After all, he was ridiculously wealthy, insanely gorgeous, and everyone loved him everywhere he went—which was pretty much everywhere. And she, well…she was a small-town girl who’d never left and didn’t have any aspirations to leave. She was a simple girl, and always had been. Sure, she wasn’t ugly, but she wasn’t particularly special either. Petite, with long brown hair and brown eyes, she largely thought that she was pretty forgettable altogether and not at all like the tall, slim blondes and redheads that Damon usually had on his arm, according to his social media.

“It’s not that funny,” she muttered under her breath as she yanked her hand from his and took another sip of her coffee.

“Katie cakes.” He used her old nickname and tilted his head to one side. “You know I didn’t mean it any way except that we’re best friends. You’re like my sister. That’s all.”

“The sister who’s pretending to be engaged to you,” she said pointedly. “So you better be nice to me.”

When the smile slipped off Katie’s pretty face, Damon instantly felt bad. He