Lexi’s, “Dad?” has the same confused shock, his appearance at the bistro on Peachtree even more surprising than mine.
Mr. Cocker greets his eldest daughter, “Hey beautiful,” kissing her forehead before turning to his wife, “Hello mouth.”
Sarah laughs, “Stop eavesdropping,” rising to greet him with a brief kiss and a bewildered stare.
The skin around Mr. Cocker’s ice-green eyes is crinkled more by time than amusement. “Eavesdropping? Stop talking about our sex lives loud enough where everyone can overhear you. You’re lucky my job is surrounded by bad reputations, so I don’t have to protect mine. And that you didn’t marry my brother.”
“There are many reasons I’m lucky I didn’t marry Justin, but maintaining the sanctity of his political stature isn’t one. What’re you doing here? Sit! Sit!” She motions to our waiter, circling her hand over the table. “Would you mind bringing two more set-ups for us when you come back? Thank you!”
Lexi is frowning through her grin, over a quinoa salad and glass of white wine, still seated. “Did you guys run into each other outside or something? And why are you here?”
Her mother repeats, “Sit, Jason, sit. Gage, sit!” gesturing to the two empty chairs, but not yet seated herself.
But he stands where he is, and rests his hand on her shoulder as I kneel in front of Lexi, presenting the black velvet box I’d been holding behind my back, heart racing with excitement as she covers her shocked mouth.
“Cherry, I want you and me to take one more risk. The biggest one. I know that a lot of people have a hard time believing love lasts, so why tie the knot, but I think we’ve got a foundation that will. And we’ll take it from there. Forever.” I open the box and show her a slender silver band, and on it, the perfect emerald that I knew would, when the light catches it as it’s doing now, exactly match her bright green eyes. “Marry me?”
Leaping off the chair, “Yes!” Lexi kisses me until I topple over, laughing as the restaurant goes up in applause.
Jason helps us up, and Sarah’s round cheeks are drenched.
Lexi hugs her mom, and over Lexi’s shoulder her mother locks eyes with me. “Thank you for letting us be a part of this!”
She runs into her dad’s arms next and he whispers in her hair something I strain to overhear, “I like the kid. He’s a good man and he gets you. That’s all a daddy can ask for his wild little girl.”
Hearing that is all a man who lost his father long before he got married, can ask for, too.
Chapter Thirty-Nine
LEXI
Bonus Scene 4
A s we stroll toward my favorite part of the Botanical Gardens, I shout to our sons, “Emmett! Landon! Release your cousins right now!” before muttering to my sister who’s walking by my side, our husbands far behind us since they stopped to grab bottled waters. “I’m sorry, Sammy, they’re out of hand.”
Shading her eyes on a head tilt, blonde ponytail hitting her haltered shoulder, Samantha says, “I dunno, Lex. I think Mia started it. She dared them. And Liam backed her up. Which he knows better than to do since Mia takes after you.”
Ignoring that last compliment, I shout, “Emmett! Do not throw Mia in that lily pond or I will throw you in after her!”
Ten-year-old Crocodile green eyes narrow on me, and since he’s no dummy, he lets the little nine-year-old spitfire go.
His three-years-younger brother does the same, even though I can see by Landon’s disappointed face he’d rather follow through with their threat.
Sam grabs my arm, “Oh no!” as Mia grabs hold of Landon and pushes him in, pond water splashing with my nearly disappearing child.
Breaking into a run, “I’ll show her.” I cause Mia and Liam to go wide-eyed. I can hear Samantha behind me.
Landon gasps for air, unsure if he should laugh or get angry.
Emmett cries out, “Mom!” pointing to his thwarted brother. “I’ve gotta get revenge.”
“No, I do.”
“Lexi, don’t!” my sister cries out.
I snatch a shocked Mia from the grass and, gently, toss her sneaky little butt in.
Emmett shouts in jubilation and darts after his cousin, Liam, next. But the seven-year-old one-ups my son and jumps in.
Samantha starts laughing, hard, and behind us we hear her husband shout, “What is going on over there!?!!”
I look back in time to see mine sprinting toward me.
So I jump in.
It’s only knee deep.
But I can make a splash when I wanna.
Emmett follows me in, screaming, “Yay!!!”
Sammy says, “Oh, fine,” and jumps in, too.
Now it’s a full-on water fight our husbands wouldn’t dare miss. Suddenly both families complete in the war, everyone drenched, lily pads askew, dragonflies rolling their beady eyes, and normally very bored security guards running toward us for what might be the most exciting thing that’s happened to them all month. Maybe all year.
“Stop! You can’t do that!”
“Get out of there!”
Do we stop?
Nah.
Even with different last names now, we’re all Cockers, through and through.
The End of the Free Bonus Scenes
What’s a Bonus Scene?
Since the series began these free companions are available for every book. They’re random moments from the family’s futures that take place after “The End.” They introduce family members, and keep the timeline of events and celebrations going, giving you even more.
I decided to include these in Lexi’s book since some of my readers got upset about their ‘final’ ending. I saw Cherry and Crocodiles being together until the very end as a great thing, something I hope for myself some day, where I never have to miss my man.
But others got sad — and times are rough enough right now in summer of 2020 — so I thought that including their Bonus Scenes would brighten your day, dear reader, and give you the smile you deserve.
I hope you enjoyed their
