Cocky Secrets (Cocker Brothers #29)

118. Luke

ONE HUNDRED EIGHTEEN

Luke

“ D ad, you put away money for our family, right? How much?”

As a community we had a big Ciphers pot, but people had their own bank accounts for savings, cash went in and rarely went out since everything was paid for and we live humble lives. We came by the cash from grateful people, or from taking from sick fucks who no longer needed it, where they were going…

Some would call that stealing, but it was just another way of making the bastards pay. Our consciences were clear.

“I’ve saved enough,” Dad gruffly answers. “You get yourself in a scrape?”

At my nightstand I lift Sofia’s lacy bra by the strap and smile, “Kind of.”

“How much do you need?”

“Dunno. How much is a wedding ring?”

Dad goes silent before he grumbles, “You knock someone up out there?”

Laughing under my breath I sit on the unmade bed. “No, Dad, it’s Sofia Sol.”

“What the fuck!?” he explodes, but this time with happiness behind his shock. “You gonna go find her?”

“She’s with me. I mean, not right now. She just left, went back to her room to get fresh clothes, and probably poop in private.”

“Okay, whoa whoa whoa, back up. Tell me how this happened.”

I launch in, giving him the basics, then end it with, “We’re in love. Real love, Dad. I want to ask her, but you can’t let it get back to her that I’m going to.”

“Why the fuck would I do that?”

“You tell Mom, she tells the moms, Luna finds out, Jett finds out. You know the chain it’ll travel down and how fast, too.”

“Your mother will want to know!”

Standing as I hear her knock, I whisper, “Hang on. She’s here. I’m going to get rid of her.”

I sweep the door open and find Sofia Sol with both hands on the doorjamb. “Who’s on the phone?” She starts to come in.

“It’s my dad,” I whisper, covering it before she spoke. “Come back in ten.”

She nods, runs her hand down my abs and grips my jeans, giving ‘em a tug toward her, with sex in her eyes. “Tell him I said thank you.”

Cocking an eyebrow I ask, “For what?”

She pokes me in the chest. “You.”

As I lean out the door to watch her walk away, Soph glances over her shoulder, messes up her hair and shakes her ass for my benefit. Sucking on my cheek I disappear inside. “Dad? Still there?”

“I heard every bit of that, you dummy. Forget I’m trained in surveillance? Think muffling your voices confused these ears?”

Laughing I run a hand over my head as I walk to the window, perfect view of sandstone under a clear blue sky behind the glass. “Then you heard how she loves me, too.”

“Luke, fuckin’ hell,” he sighs. “I’ve gotta tell my Meg. Where’s Tyler?”

“Took off a week ago to be back home with his kids. Said his work was done.”

Razzing me, Dad demands, “You’ve been in the sack the whole time, couldn’t take a breath to call your old man?”

“Not gonna deny it.”

He laughs, and it grows until he’s catching his breath, and I’m grinning. “Luke, I gotta admit, this makes me more happy than I woulda thought.” His tone sobers. “I miss ya, kid. We all do. I uh…hate to say it, but I think we made a mistake.”

A lump edges in my throat, and I try clearing it, but that just makes it worse. Never heard my father apologize to me before. Not that he needed to for anything before this, but to hear him own up, have the guts to say he’s sorry, brings up emotions I rarely use.

“Thanks, Dad. I missed you, too. It was tough, I won’t lie.” Coughing again I straighten my hunched shoulders. “But it brought Soph to me for good, so let’s just drop it.”

“Done.” A pause, then, “I’ve gotta tell Meg, Luke. I’ve gotta.”

Sighing, “Get her on the phone. I’ll tell her.”

“MEG! Oh, fuck, you eavesdropping, baby? Looks like I taught you right,” Dad laughs to her. To me he says, “Whatever you need, I’ll wire it. Here’s your mother.”

“Luke?” Mom snatched the phone so fast I didn’t have time to thank him. “Luke? I just overheard that last part about the mistake, that mean you’re coming home? You need money to come back?”

“That all you heard, Ma?”

“Yes, but tell me everything. I haven’t seen Antonio this happy since…oh, who knows! What’s going on?”

Resting my forehead against the glass, I close my eyes to picture my mother’s face as I say, “I’m going to ask Sofia Sol to marry me, Mom. I love her, and she loves me back.”

“Oh my goodness!” she cries out with joy. “That’s amazing!”

“Thanks, Mom, but don’t tell?—”

She shouts to the whole house, “Luke’s asking Sofia to marry him, everyone!”

“Fuck,” I rasp, rushing out the door.

Dad’s voice in the background saying, “Meg! Come on!”

“What?”

Then the voices.

An overlapping explosion.

Questions.

Confusion.

Surprise.

“I’ll call you later,” I mutter before killing the call and racing down the stairs to Sofia’s room, banging on her door. “Soph! Soph! Open up!”

The door swings open, confusion in her eyes, phone ringing in her hand with the name, DAD, on the screen. “What’s wrong? You okay?”

Snatching the cell from her hand I send Jett Cocker to voicemail. Eyeing me, his daughter says, “Okay…What. The. Fuck.”

I grab her hand, pull her through the lobby, moving so fast she’s jogging to keep up.

“Luke, what’s wrong?”

“Everything’s perfect, but only if you trust me.”

“I trust you!”

“Good.”

In the first New Age shop we come to, just around the corner from our hotel, I open the door for her and then speed past inside, for the rings. Our phones are in both of my pockets and they won’t shut up. The Ciphers, and our President, are not taking voicemail for an answer.

Soph watches me, totally in the dark, waiting for me to shine light on her. And boy am I about to.

Snatching up a silver ring with a smoky-blue stone in it, the closest I can find to her eye color this quickly, I bend my knee and hold it up.

Her hands fly to cover her mouth as it makes an O.

To the clerk I mutter a hasty, “I’ll pay for this in a second,” then take Sofia Sol’s left hand. “Your dad was about to ruin the surprise, and I couldn’t let that happen. I want to be the one who surprises you from now on. I love you, you know that, but you don’t know that I want to love you for the rest of my life. Just us. You and me. A team within the team. Our own club within the club. I want to escape into your arms every night and use these arms, my arms, to hold you up whenever you need them. Or if you break another leg,” I grin.

She laughs, tears brimming in her eyes. “I’m never dropping my bike again.”

“If you do,” I shrug with a crooked smile. “I’ll carry you into forever.”

Soph melts to her knees, cups my face and kisses me, murmurs, “Will you marry me, Luke?”

I laugh against her soft lips, “You can’t beat me to the proposal!”

With a smirk, grey eyes shimmering, she kisses me again. “Is that a yes or a no?”

Pulling her to me, I sit on the floor with her straddling me, my arms around her, her fingers stroking my head with sensual caresses.

“Yes, Soph, I’ll marry you.”

She laughs and the tears spill out. Wiping her eyes, she mumbles, “You’re the only man who ever made me cry.”

We’ve forgotten we’re in a public place. Didn’t notice we accumulated a small audience, until they start clapping.

We deepen the kiss and give them a show.