Page 69

“Just don’t leave without telling her,” I demanded, my voice harsher than I meant it to sound. “It’ll kill her to lose you like that again.”

“It’s okay, Knox. I’ve already spoken with her. She knows it’s just temporary, a month at the most. I’m hoping if my family take me back, then soon Ivy will have a bunch of new relatives to meet,” she said.

“Okay,” I said. “When do you leave?”

“I’ll stay another week here, still got some catching up to do.” She finished her drink and put the empty glass on the table.

“You gonna join us out back?” I asked.

She gave a weak smile and shrugged. “I don’t know if I’m in the mood to party. Don’t get me wrong, I’m grateful for what you did. It’s just a lot to process. I guess after years of being scared to finally be able to breathe again takes some getting used to.”

Magnolia stood and wrapped me in an unexpected hug. I hugged her back because she seemed like she needed it, and it had been a long fucking time since anyone had hugged me like a mom. “I’m happy for you both,” she whispered. “Be good to each other.” She kissed both of my cheeks and then she walked away without looking back. The set of her shoulders spoke of a woman at peace with her decision.

I sat there with my thoughts, most of them centered on how Ivy was taking the news of her mom’s plans to return to New York. Though seeing how worn down Magnolia was, I think returning to her family was probably for the best. They’d had almost thirty years of no contact, and as she said, it was only for a few weeks.

A boot connected with the leg of my chair. “Come on,” Rook grunted. “There’s a party in your honor outside, asshole.”

I flipped him off and stood.

We walked out back together, and the noise hit me immediately. Loud rock music played as it always did at these things, but there were lights strung around and food already set out as if this had been more planned than I realized. Beer flowed and bikers were everywhere, loud and happy. Exactly how the fuck it should be.

I spotted Ivy instantly and took my time looking my fill of her in those painted on jeans that made my hands itch to grab her ass. She turned like she felt me watching her, giving me a long look at her gorgeous tits in that white tank top. I don’t know if she moved first or I did, but suddenly we were face to face in the middle of the party.

She studied my face carefully. “Everything okay?”

I nodded, enjoying the way her hands skated over my cheeks and along my jaw before they slid down to rest at my chest. “Yeah.” I stepped close, resting my hands on her hips. “Everything’s good.”

She froze when her gaze landed on the new patch. Those green eyes darted up to me and then back down to the patch before a shocked expression crossed her face.

“Holy shit!” she whispered loudly. “You’re the president now?”

I just smiled, but my grin grew with every second that passed.

She surprised me, flinging her arms around my neck and hugging me so enthusiastically I couldn’t help but laugh as I held her close. “Congratulations! I’m so happy for you!”

My arms went around her instinctively and I held on. This was what I was thinking about on the highway, as my bike ate up every mile between me and that fucking bar. This exact thing. My wife’s curvy body pressed against mine. Me smiling at the way she loved me with her whole heart. She was incapable of half measures. What she’d gone through would’ve killed most people, but somehow, she came out bright and happy, and a goddamn delight. She loved hard and loud, and I was the lucky bastard who got to bask in it. “Thanks, babe.”

She pulled back with wide eyes. “Did you know? How long has this been planned? Oh my god, is this what we’re celebrating?”

I laughed at all of her questions.

“Let me grab you a beer.” She stepped back, scanning the area for the coolers I knew were around here somewhere, but I caught her hand before she made it two steps away, tugging her back.

“Beer later,” I growled, holding her gaze. “We should talk first, we got interrupted earlier.”

I pulled her away from the party until the music grew faint and distant. We were close enough that the party vibes still pulsed around us, but far enough away to talk privately.

I turned to face her, my expression suddenly serious because I was a man who had damn near everything he ever dreamed of. “You told me earlier that you love me. Is that true?”

She frowned like she didn’t understand the question, but she nodded. “Yeah, of course I meant it.” She said it like it was the simplest question she’d ever been asked. “I’ve never said it to anyone before, and I wouldn’t just say it.” She looked up at me, and her eyes were steady and clear, her lips curled into the faintest of smiles. “I love you, Knox. You gave me… everything, really, but more than anything, you gave me back me. The version of myself I always wanted to be, brave and fierce and loving without fear. That’s because you were kind and patient from the beginning.” She sighed shakily. “I never stood a chance and honestly, I’m glad it was you.”

My heart raced so hard and so fast it stole my breath. Her words hit me like a goddamn bullet, piercing my heart instantly. I barely recognized the man she described. “I’m just me, Ivy.”

She shook her head, hands fisting in my shirt. “You’re more than you think, Knox. You are such a walking contradiction, this big bad biker with a kind heart and a gentle touch. That’s the you I know and the you I love.”

My heart swelled more than I ever thought it could. “That’s good,” I began and stopped, so fucking overcome with emotion. I opened my mouth and tried again. “That is really fuckin’ good to hear, Ivy,” I said, “because I love you too.”

I took her hands and placed them flat against my chest, right over the patch and my heart underneath. “You were totally fucking unexpected. I expected… hell, I don’t know what I expected, but it wasn’t you. And from the moment you showed up and tried to test me, I knew you were different.” I stared into her eyes because I needed her to hear the next part. “I wasn’t open to love when you came into my life,” I admitted out loud for probably the first time. “But you have this innocence about you that softened me, and this brazenness that told me you were stronger and braver than you knew. That combination? Fucking irresistible.”