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.
CHAPTER 34
Sofia SOL
T he ring fit my middle finger only, but he bought it anyway, saying I could give people the bird with style. I laughed and as we head out of the store now, he stashes the receipt in his pocket and says with pride, “This is a stand-in for the real deal. Didn’t plan to be rushed like that, but my Mom spilled the beans.”
“Give me the phone now, Luke.”
We pause on the sidewalk, his lips going grim. “Here we go.”
There are so many missed calls and texts, if I wanted to see them all I’d have to scroll the lock screen. Instead I just call back the first one who called. “Hi Dad.”
Ciphers are shouting in the background, throwing every question they can at my silent father. “You been with Luke this whole time?”
I take a deep breath. “Pretty much, yeah.”
“When you wouldn’t take my calls, Honey Badger told me what went down. About Tyler, and Melodi plotting.”
“Luke wanted to be the one to propose first, before you guys told me he was going to.”
Under his breath, Dad says, “Word travels fast here. But not fast enough when it should, huh, Mel?”
In the background Melodi firmly tells him with all the attitude she’s known for, “Someone had to be sensible and give the kids their shot!”
“Dad,” I interrupt, bringing his focus back.
“No, Sofia, let me talk,” he mutters before calling out, “Alright, all of you shut up a second. Sunshine, come listen in.”
Mom’s voice comes through, “We’re holding up the phone between us, honey.”
Honey?
Encouraged, I rest my hand on Luke’s chest, pull him by his t-shirt closer to me, and tuck my head in his neck so he can listen, too. If we’re a team, then I want him in on this.
“Luke’s listening, too.”
Dad clears his throat, “Good. Luke, I hope this isn’t a knee-jerk reaction to prove something.”
“No, sir. I’m in love with Soph, have been for years. Just didn’t think…well, you know.”
“Sofia, you love him?”
“You think I’d latch a ball and chain to my ankle if I wasn’t crazy about him?”
Dad laughs.
Mom’s quiet, but I know she’s smiling. I can feel it.
“He asked me to marry him, and I said yes. We can live somewhere else if you want, or…”
“That’s ridiculous,” Mom mutters, “You’ll stay here. We’ll find some way to have a new bedroom even if we have to build onto the house. We’ll move Sage into Celia’s room. Denita’s girls are growing fast and three in a room is too much now.
I hear Sage balk, “Now? How about five years ago?!”
They ignore her.
“When are you coming home, Sofia?”
Gazing at my fiancé as the sun dances on his copper skin and shiny black mane, I whisper, “I think we need another week.”
Dad barks, “Don’t you dare elope!”
With patience Mom reminds him, “We did, Jett.”
“And now I know how my family must have felt. No fuckin’ way.” His voice changes to tell us with authority, “You better not rob me of walking my only child down the aisle, Luke Martinez, or I will kick your ass until you beg for mercy.”
Laughing, Luke reassures him, “No need for threats. I wouldn’t do that to you. And sir?”
“What the fuck is this calling me sir,” Dad grumbles, but
