Page 77 of In League with Ivy

She tilted her head with a questioning frown. “Okay.”

I blew her a kiss and drove off.

Instead of going home, I needed to talk to someone about what I was about to do. I chose Ben because Alex hated marriage. Just that word alone made him rant and rave. Whereas with Ben, it was always a gentle landing. Because not marrying Ivy wasn’t an option.

I had to get married. Period.

Predictably, at the mention of the word beer, Ben sang, “I’m on my way.”

He was the only person I knew who could drink leftovers for breakfast guilt free. That had been in our college years, when the sport of killing brain cells was all the rage.

Twenty minutes later, I was perched on a stool at our favorite daytime bar, which was tucked away in a quiet alleyway.

Just as I ordered a beer, Ben waltzed in, wearing his life’s-good smile.

“Hey, dude. Long time,” he said.

“I know. It’s been—what? A week?” I asked. “Between Ivy and my new job at the agency, I just haven’t had much time. How’s Alex?”

“Cynical as usual. But he’s met a girl,” he said, nodding with eyebrows raised.

“Like, a girl?” My fingers mimicked quotation marks.

“Yeah. He’s got it bad. He even called me last night for a late drink after she couldn’t see him.”

“Alex in love.” I whistled. “Who would have thought?”

“I know.”

“Speaking of which,” I said.

“Ivy?” He sipped from his bottle.

“How did you guess?”

“You always talk about her.”

I pulled a tight smile. “I’m going to pop the question tonight.”

“Marriage?” He looked horrified.

“I’m not about to skydive in a blind person’s chute.”

He laughed. “You might as well.”

“Do you think I’m jumping to my death?” I asked.

“Maybe. When did you last have a girlfriend?”

I stared down at my drink. “I haven’t got a good track record. But Ivy’s different. I like being with her. She’s as close to a soulmate as I think I’ll ever have.”

I couldn’t blame drinking for that extraordinary admission.

“But didn’t your father lay down an ultimatum? Marry or be cut off?”

I nodded slowly. “But I also like her.”

“To have and to hold forever and ever, though?”