Binding Agreement- Book 1 of the Tipton Dynasty

We're Better Than Ever

We flew home from Chicago early the next morning after the club incident. We had taken Saturday to just relax and it was now Sunday. There was a dinner at Martin's tonight that Damon wanted to make sure we were able to attend. He wanted to show Ava that despite her efforts we were still a couple.

I didn't bring up his punishment to Justin any further. Part of me felt like after everything Justin put me through he deserved to be that scared. Justin disregarded everyone else's feelings and only used people to get where he wanted. If it wasn't Damon who would teach him a lesson it would eventually be someone else. He had it coming, it was only a matter of time.

I was still processing mentally the Damon I had seen that night though, he had caught me off guard with what he had done. I knew he wasn't a monster and that he had acted the way he did because he had been provoked. From the time I had spent with Damon I knew he wouldn't act like that without a reason. I was still slightly apprehensive and careful with my words though, I didn't want to do anything that would make him upset with me.

There was a knock at the door as I finished getting dressed to leave for the dinner. "Kaydence?" Rose's voice came through the other side of the door. "Mr. Tipton has brought the car around and is waiting for you."

"Okay. Just a moment please!" I responded as I strapped on the silver heels to go with the lace black dress I had chosen to wear.

"Okay, I'll let him know." I could hear Rose's footsteps fade as she walked away. She had returned from seeing her children while we had been gone on our trip.

I looked myself over in the mirror to make sure I didn't miss anything. Once I knew I was satisfied with my look I exited the room and made my way down the stairs. I reached the front door and as Rose had told me, Damon was already waiting. I hurried out to the car and took the seat on the passenger side of the black BMW.

"You're going to make us late." He spoke as he began to drive.

"I'm sorry." I apologized in a low tone.

He pulled over to the side of the road and looked in my direction. "Stop that."

"Stop what?" I asked.

"It's like you've been walking on eggshells around me since the nightclub. Stop it." He addressed. His hand went to the back of my head and gently brought my face close to his. "You're going to be my wife, I will never do anything like that to you."

"I know." I nodded.

"Then stop it. Be yourself because that's the woman I love. Stop being careful around me." His eyes looked into mine lovingly.

I nodded once more. "Okay."

"I love you Kaydence." His words sounded so sweet.

I gave him a slight smile. "I love you too."

His lips lightly pecked mine. "Good. Now let's go and get this dinner done and over with. It'll be a nice plus to see how much we can make Ava sweat tonight." He smirked as he pulled away from me and placed his hands back on the steering wheel to drive again.

We remained in silence for the remainder of the drive. We approached Martin's mansion where there were two other cars, Justin's and Ava's. The thought of seeing them wasn't exactly thrilling to me. I didn't know if Justin had told Ava what happened and if he did she would not hide how pissed she was.

We exited the vehicle and Damon put his arm around my waist as we made it to the front door. Martin's butler let us inside and we walked to the living room where everyone else was sitting. A pleased smile came across Martin's lips as he saw me in Damon's arms. However when Ava saw us together her jaw practically fell to the floor, Justin must've kept his word on being quiet about the incident. Ava tried to give him a glance but all Justin could do was look down at the ground, he dared not lock eyes with Damon.

"Kaydence, Damon! So glad to see you two in a better mood with each other!" Martin spoke with enthusiasm. "Sit, let's talk while the cook finishes with the food."

Damon continued to hold me close as we made our way to a couch across from Justin and Victoria. "Yes, it was just a little misunderstanding. We're better than ever after our little trip away." Damon spoke as we sat down. "Nothing can come between us." He stared Ava down as the last sentence left his lips.

Ava tried to look at Justin again but he ignored her still as he refused to look up from the ground. I think he just didn't want to draw any unwanted attention from Damon. Ava shifted uncomfortably in her chair as Damon stared her down.

"That's great!" Martin responded. "Did you ever get more information on the man who tried to attack Kaydence?"

"Yes, he's been dealt with. And I've gotten to the bottom of who sent him as well." Damon looked coldly at Ava. "That'll get taken care of as well."

The color drained from Ava's face. She knew that Damon had uncovered who the culprit was. She did the same thing Justin did and refused eye contact with Damon. She seemed to get even more uncomfortable than she had been before.

Martin's butler came in and informed him the dinner was ready. Everyone went into the dining room where there was a heavy silence. Martin knew Ava had been the one who caused the fuss over the picture so it seemed he expected this. He didn't think anything else of the two people who were too afraid of looking in Damon's direction.

"So, what's the news on the store opening?" Martin asked as he took a bite of the meal we had been served.

"Kaydence will be opening it on Friday. I've got security watching and the best staff to make sure nothing, absolutely nothing goes wrong." Damon shot warning glances at Justin and Ava. He must have suspected that the store would be the next target instead of our relationship.

"That's amazing! I'm so proud of you Kaydence!" Martin beamed with delight.

"Thank you sir. I'm very thankful to have been given this opportunity." I smiled back.

"Good. We have the black and white event the week after, it's going to be a busy two weeks!" Martin stated.

"Nothing we can't handle." Damon responded dryly.

After the meal had been finished we didn't stick around long. Damon and I made our way to the car quickly and left. My mind was stuck on the way he looked at Justin and Ava when the store was brought up. "You don't think they'll actually sabotage the store right now do you?" I asked Damon.

He thought for a moment. "I don't know. They seem pretty scared right now but that won't last forever. I wouldn't put it past them to try something. They may leave our relationship alone but I'm sure they'll be up to something else."