Page 63 of Pigeon

“He’s right, as much as it hurts to admit it,” Axel murmurs.

“I appreciate the help, Craig, really I do. But that’s going too far,” Ivy insists.

“Why is that too far? I’d marry you tomorrow if you’d say yes,” I blurt, surprising Ivy, myself, and every person in the room.

Holy fuck, what did I just say? I think I just proposed! Watching Ivy’s eyes widen, I realize that I didn’t lie to her. I would marry her tomorrow and not look backward once. I jerk in surprise when I also realize that I would do that whether the ranch was involved or not.

“Pigeon! No, I’m not letting you do that just to help me out of a tight spot!” Ivy shouts while standing.

“Ivy, you like Pigeon, right?” Craig asks in a reasonable voice.

“Well, yeah, I do. A lot, in fact, but that’s even more reason not to let him do this to himself,” Ivy answers with a small amount of panic in her voice.

“Almost a good answer, Ivy. You need to work on it a little bit, though. Pigeon, you like Ivy too, right?” he continues his questions.

“Fuck yeah,” I answer immediately and sincerely.

“Then I pronounce you biker and rancher. Ta-da!” Craig says with a laugh before walking away.

“The kid’s not wrong. Get married, fulfill the will’s requirements, get Ted out of Ivy’s life, and see how married life treats you. You want to part ways? It’s your choice. You decide not to, better yet,” Ava encourages with a small smile.

“You have something against marrying a biker?” I ask Ivy.

“I have nothing against marriage or bikers, but I’m not marrying one that feels pressured to help me out!” she shouts while running her fingers through her hair in a nervous gesture.

“Pigeon doesn’t look pressured to me,” Gunner says. “Don’t know of many bikers that would allow themselves to be pressured into a marriage they didn’t want.”

“Should we start making wedding arrangements?” Trudy asks with a hopeful smile.

I answer yes, loudly and firmly. At the same time, Ivy all but screeches no. Everyone in the room laughs and walks away, leaving us alone. Standing, I pull Ivy’s tense body against mine and hold her there. After a few moments, using my hands, I tilt her head back, so I can see her face. It’s white, drawn, and I feel a moment of concern that she’s going to be stubborn about this. I’ve never forced someone into marriage, so I’m not confident of the method needed.

“Please say yes,” I implore.

“You don’t want to marry me, and I’m not going to steal your freedom for a ranch,” Ivy whispers in a tortured voice.

“I do want to marry you. I just hadn’t thought about it yet. You’re not going to steal my freedom. I’m not giving that up for a ranch. I want to share my freedom with you, honey. When you have time to think about everything, I’m pretty sure you’re going to realize that eventually, marriage was going to be in our future anyway. I already told you that I wasn’t going anywhere in this world without you. I meant that then, and I mean it now. You’re mine, Ivy. Have been since that first kiss. I’m yours, and that’s not changing. So, the marriage license does nothing to change us or who we are to each other except to get Ted out of our lives. Say yes, Ivy. I can propose in a lot better way, and I will if that’s something you need, but I need your answer to be yes,” I beg softly.

“Pigeon, I—” Ivy starts.

“Do you see me when you look to your future?” I ask.

“Of course, I do. I can’t even envision what my life would look like without you anymore.”

“Will it help if I tell you a secret? One I shouldn’t have kept but have because I’m an idiot sometimes,” I question with a grin.

“What secret?”

“That I’m in love with you. Have been for a while now. Probably before we even officially met, but I’ll explain that another time. Will you marry me, Ivy?”

Ivy’s eyes grow soft, and she leans her body further into me.

“Pretty sure I love you too, but since I’ve never been in love with anyone before, I’m not positive yet,” Ivy responds.

“Is that a yes?”

“Will you promise to divorce me if you hate being married to me?” Ivy asks in a tiny voice.

“Not going to happen, but yeah, I promise.”

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