Cocky Genius: Ethan Cocker (Cocker Brothers of Atlanta, #8)

by Faleena Hopkins

Not only was I excited to see her again, I was feeling pretty proud of myself for having figured out who she was to this company. “Ms. Reed…so I was right! You are Charlie Reed’s daughter.” Her eyes flashed and she crossed her arms too, slowly walking to stand in front of my desk. “No, I’m Charlie Reed, you sexist slob.” I froze. My mouth dropped open. I blinked a couple times. “You’re the C.E.O. How old are you? I thought you’d be a man!” As soon as the words fell off my tongue, I regretted them. Especially after the sexist jokes I was throwing at her yesterday. None of them I meant. What a fucking idiot us geniuses can be. That was why most of us are introverts. We say the stupidest shit in public.

“Would you like a drink?” “It’s not even noon,” I muttered. “Fuck it. Yes, please. Something…not too strong.” I’d almost said, something strong, but that made me sound like a lush. If he handed me a Valium right then I would have chopped it up and snorted it just to get it in my bloodstream faster, and I didn’t want him to know that’s how nervous I really was.

“You shut down,” he chuckled, forking a pile of salad into his mouth with very little couth. “You eat like an animal.” He swallowed. “I eat like a guy who doesn’t have a stick up his ass.” Then he glanced down, his package sleeping between his legs. “Nothing’s up there, actually. Never will be. Exit only.”

Pulling her to me, I kissed her, murmuring against her soft lips, “I think so, too.” She laced her arms around my neck and stood on her tiptoes to kiss me again. Relishing the feel of her I deepened the kiss and heard a whistle behind us. We separated and smiled at an older couple, clearly tourists. They looked to be in their eighties, eyes bright in heavily wrinkled skin, another gorgeous vista behind them. “How long have you two lovebirds been together?” the woman asked. I glanced to Charlie and saw her cheeks flush. She was about to deny it, so I interrupted, “Couple of years.” The husband pointed at Charlie’s naked left hand. “Better make an honest woman of her if you’re going to be kissing her like that.” “Ah, come on,” I joked. “You’ve gone and ruined the surprise. Now I’m going to have to find a new place to propose!” Their eyes widened and his wife asked, “You were going to do that today, right here?” “Well, now I can’t!” I grinned. Charlie hit my shoulder and quickly told them, “He’s messing with you. He wasn’t going to do that.” Shoving my hand in my jacket pocket I made a fist like I’d grabbed a ring box. “Oh yeah? What’s this?” To the couple I shrugged. “We’re going to Edinburgh Castle next. Guess that will have to do.” I hit my forehead. “Damn! I went and spoiled the surprise.”

They didn’t know what to think, which was fucking hilarious. Charlie shook her head and began to confess to them that we weren’t a real couple. So I grabbed and shut her up with a kiss. She resisted at first, but then when they started clapping she gave in and didn’t want to ruin their fantasy of what we were to each other. Hell, it probably gave them a reminder of what they used to have. But what did I know? Maybe they were still going at it like rabbits after all these years. They had to have some form of exercise to keep them in shape so they could negotiate that crazy, winding staircase we all had climbed up. Charlie and I said goodbye to them and I guided her to the railing to enjoy the view of the city spread out before us. She pointed at the castle, its highest point shrouded in low clouds in the near distance. I was behind her, and she leaned into me, asking in a quiet voice, “You know a lot about the city.”

I quietly confessed what I’d seen when we were in bed that morning, “You have flames of gold in yours. I think that’s why they always look so warm.” A quick, sexy smile flashed over his handsome face and his fingers traveled my cheek in a tender caress. His voice was throaty as he said, “I’ve been waiting for you.” “What do you mean?” “There was this one night right after Hannah met her husband. I saw how he looked at her and I was so fucking jealous that I told her I wanted to find someone I loved to stare at, too.” Ethan leaned in and murmured against my parted lips, “I love staring at you, Charlie. I could stare at you forever.” I wasn’t breathing. My heart had stopped. “Oh God, kiss me,” I whispered. He didn’t hesitate and his lips felt perfect. We melded and I felt the pounding in his chest as we kissed. The two beats seemed in sync. Ethan’s voice was husky as he pressed his forehead to mine and said, “I want to make love to you, but it’s not right.”

Inside the waiting room, Grams was seated on the cushions she brought with her everywhere. Grandma Nance sat beside her, holding her hand. They were waiting for me and when I finally reached them Grandma Nance broke down in my arms. “Oh, Ethan, I’m so scared!” she sobbed while everyone around us was quiet. They knew how much time I spent with our grandparents, more than any of them now that none of us were children anymore. You turn into a teenager and all you want to do is hang out with kids your own age, and that happened to me, too. But after I graduated from M.I.T.

and returned to Georgia, I vowed to stay close to the family, and those two were the trunk our branches hung off of. I bought my mansion a stone’s throw from their home, the one my dad and all his brothers grew up in, and where all of us cousins had spent so much time as kids, too. I’d hang out with Grandma Nance every Thursday morning, and she’d share with me all kinds of stories from her women’s club meetings. And since Grandpa Michael was retired he had a lot more time than when his sons were kids. I got to know him better than my own father did. Even though he was a hard nut to crack at first, he opened up and I saw him belly laugh so many times that Thursdays became Mondays, Tuesdays, and Thursdays. Unless I had somewhere work-related to be, I had brunch with the two of them. We’d play board games, cards, croquet. Others joined us sometimes, especially Zoe and Samantha, but they weren’t consistent. It was always me, Grandma and Grandpa at the core.

She shook her head and called out to the room, “Will one of you grandkids please become a doctor? We need someone on the inside!” Uncle Jaxson walked up and pulled her into a hug. “Mom, come here.” “Oh Jaxson!” She wilted on him. “What do I do if I don’t have my husband? He’s my best friend! What will I do?” Over her shoulder he let me know, “She ate something this morning but threw it up. Nerves are shot.” I nodded and Grandma Nance called out, “Jett, see if I can go back in there! Make the doctors let me!”

Uncle Jett nodded and headed off. I locked eyes with his daughter, Sofia Sol, and Aunt Luna, her mom. Wordlessly we all agreed that if anyone could make the doctors bend, it was Jett, by any means necessary. That’s why he was picked for the job which meant Grandma Nance really had lost all patience. I bent to hug Grams. Even though she was ancient she always had a smile. It was absent that night and her normally bright eyes looked hollow. “Hey Grams, how you doin’?” She whispered, “The Lord is in control even when we wish we were.” “Do you need anything?” She waved a frail hand. “With all these Cockers, you think I want for anythin’?” I chuckled, “No, I guess not.” Patting my hand she smiled, but it didn’t reach her eyes. I looked over at Emma and Eric who stood by Ben, Tobias and Hannah. The twins Gabriel and Elijah were with them, too. I crossed to them and squeezed sweet Zoe’s hand on the way. When I got to my closest friends in the world, I nodded and asked my sister, “Where’s Dad and Mom? Uncle Justin and Jason? And Uncle Jeremy? I don’t see them.”

“Dad exploded at one of the doctors and his brothers literally carried him away,” Emma explained. “It was awful, Ethan. I haven’t seen him lose his temper like that before. They’re in the cafeteria getting some food in him. Aunt Jaimie and Aunt Sarah are with them. You know how Sarah can really tell it to you straight.” “Yeah.” Ha...

I croaked over its jagged edges, taking his hand, “Grandpa? It’s me, Ethan. You didn’t think I’d make it, did you? I told you to never underestimate me, didn’t I?” He just lay there, his big hand limp in mine, the age spots strikingly darker than I remembered them. I swallowed hard and wiped my eyes. “Remember when you told me about how you fell in love with Grandma. How you looked into her eyes one day and you just knew?” I paused to catch my breath, grimacing. He needed my strength not my tears, so I took a minute to gather myself and croaked, “I met her, Grandpa. My girl. I found her. I’m telling you first, even though Emma’s going to kick my ass when she finds out. She’s beautiful. Her name is Charlie. You better not try to make a move or I will fight you.” I laughed through my blurry vision, my thumb caressing his clammy skin. The sounds of Uncle Jett refusing to be told no, and a doctor trying to get him to leave, got louder and suddenly the curtain ripped back. Jett started at the sight of me, and his anger melted. He rasped to the doctor, “Just give me a fuckin’ break here, would ya, Doc?” Hesitant footsteps retreated until it was just us three Cocker men alone. Jett jerked his chin at me. I nodded to him. He walked to the other side of Grandpa and took his other hand. “Dad?” Jett’s voice cracked and he closed his eyes, gathering himself. He was a biker, a tough motherfucker who loved with all his heart and fought with it, too.

Anyone in the family would have paid money to see Jett holding Grandpa Michael’s hand. I didn’t take it lightly that I was seeing a miracle, and I knew they had to be alone. I nodded to Jett and stepped outside the curtain, closing it for their privacy, but I couldn’t bring myself to leave when I heard him croak, “Don’t fuckin’ die on me, Dad. I know you and I haven’t seen eye-to-eye on much of anythin’ but I’ve done great things. They might not have been what you would’ve done, but I idolize you. Did you know that? Nah, you’ve got no fuckin’ clue, huh, how much I’ve got you on a pedestal, old man. But I couldn’t be like you, Dad. I had to be me.” He paused. I was holding my breath when I heard him rasp, “I love you, Dad.”

My eyes closed and the dam broke, aching tears streamed down my cheeks. I started walking, but then Uncle Jett cried out, “DAD!!!” I yanked open the curtain looking for a flat red line on the screen. Uncle Jett was on his knees, holding my grandfather’s hand to his head, sobbing silently, shoulders shaking. Grandpa’s eyes were open and he was watching his son, their fingers gripped together. Grandpa’s eyes drifted to me. He gave me the tiniest nod to leave them alone. I headed off and heard Grandpa Michael whisper in a feeble voice, “I love you, too, Jett. I always have.” I broke into a run and didn’t stop until I’d barreled past everyone to grab Grandma Nance and shout to our family, “He’s awake and he called Uncle Jett, Jett!!!” The waiting room and outside hallway exploded with every kind of reaction you could think of. There was cheering, tears, laughter, al...

Vanessa’s the only one who went to jail. The trial will go on for a long time because the penal system sucks. I don’t think it’s an accident that its name makes you think of dicks. After giving it very little thought I chose not to press charges against the dominatrix, bi-sexual, pool table gyrating, computer hacking intern, because in real life she wouldn’t hurt a fly. Plus, Charlie wanted to hire her at Wyntech before some other company snatched her up and used her powers for evil. We both knew Stacy could fix the servers to protect from further breaches far better than I could, blow to my ego or not. Ms. Reed sat her new employee down and let her know that I was off limits. Stacy agreed to put her ‘love’ for me on hold, because computers were her greatest passion anyway.

Her nails are dug into my back as she whispers in my ear, “I’m pregnant.” We lock eyes. “What? You sure?”

Nodding she grins at me. “Yeah. I’m two months along. It happened in Scotland.” “Fuck that! It happened over the Atlantic!” I brush red hair back from her shining face. “Ms. Reed, you’re everything I’ve always wanted.” She goes quiet with tears in her eyes. “I’m so lucky I met you.” “No shit, right?” She hits my chest. “Cocky jerk.” “Cocky jerk who loves you very much.” Her arms slide around my neck. “That just makes you a cocky genius.” “Oh yeah? Only a smart guy would love you, is that it?” I start tickling her. Wriggling away she cries out, “You have to be very smart to love this chick!” “We’ll see about that!”

She cracks up, yelping and pushing me back. “Stop it!” But I won’t give up that easily. It’s just not how I’m made. And this kid is going to be born int...

Eric takes Kaya from my arms and holds her high in the air. “Hey little beauty! You wanna stay with Uncle Eric while Mommy and Daddy have dinner on a floaty?” Laughing I tell him, “It’s not a floaty.” Eric smiles at my two-year-old daughter. “It’s a floating pontoon, which is the same thing to you, Kaya, huh?” She’s riveted by him, reaching for his face with little to no dexterity, just waving her hand at him. He leans in and nibbles on it. “Got you!” She giggles and that lights his face up. “She loves me.” “She barely knows who you are,” I mutter, rolling my eyes as I head to my wife.

Shaking my head on a lopsided grin I stroll up to Hannah, Emma, Sofia Sol, and Charlie, all in beautiful sundresses with tropical, fresh flowers pinned in their hair. On this trip to Fiji for Charlie’s birthday I brought Emma, Eric, Ben, Hannah, Gabriel, Elijah, and Sofia Sol — the group who grew up together. Who played on Uncle Jaxson’s farm on hundreds of occasions. Who vacationed at Myrtle Beach together, the only time Sofia was able to join us when we traveled. Who I could trust with my life, and have. These people are the ones who if anything happened to them, it would happen to me, too. Since falling in love and having a daughter, with a son on the way, I’ve opened up more. I now believe that soulmates

aren’t just romantic relationships. They exist in friendships and family, too, because I’ve felt it with these guys. I’d do anything for them. Anything. And when they are in pain or joy, I feel it with them. A couple have found their better halves and they’re here, too. A couple of them are searching for love, and a couple aren’t looking at all. Elijah brags about having no interest in settling down, much like his Senator father did. Sofia Sol insists she will never marry or have children, but she’s the first to reach for Hannah’s baby, Clara.

“You having fun on your birthday, Mrs. Cocker?” The sweetest smile appears as she caresses my open palm. “There was this moment, Ethan, when you were asleep last week. Kaya was between us and the two of you were on your backs, her little hand over your ribs. She adjusted her weight and made this little soft lip smacking sound. And then you did the exact same thing.” Charlie pauses, emotion in her voice. “I can’t describe the love I felt as I watched you guys. And now that we have a little boy coming, I don’t know how my heart is going to take it. So, my real birthday isn’t today, Ethan. It’s the day I walked into that break room. That’s when I was born.” Speechless I stand up and walk around the table, bringing my wife to her feet. Cupping her chin I kiss her and pull her close, murmuring, “I’m going to spend the rest of my life making you feel like that.” Burrowing into me, she whispers, “Then we can throw away that candle because I don’t need to make a wish.”

Oh, and if you saw Vanessa’s ‘crazy’ before I did, please forgive me for being so obtuse. I wanted a good girl friend. They’re hard to find. I wanted to laugh more. I wanted the kinship that women share, that men can never truly understand or replace. I know I’m lucky to have found that friendship in Ethan’s sister and cousins. Between you and me I vow that over the upcoming years I’ll do everything I can to make those friendships grow. Women need each other. And I need those girls. They’ve had a head start, but they’ve taken me in anyway. And now that Gabriel has gotten married, she’s becoming a part of our circle, too. So many days I’ve awoken next to Ethan thinking I don’t deserve to be this happy. But then I realize those are just the demons whispering in my ear. We all have them. And they’re liars. Every single one of us deserves to be this happy. Especially you. That may sound strange that I’m singling you out to say, especially you, but is it? Because it’s you who Ethan picked to share our love story with. I guess there are only two words left to say… THE END.

This series has been an amazing ride. It’s not just one book, but a whole family of characters with lives that of course intertwine in beautiful and often hilarious ways. To bring back characters as the years go on and see how they react as they grow older, like the tender moment Jett had with his father, it melted me. Literally had to stop typing I was crying so much. If you haven’t read Cocky Biker, Jett’s book, you’ve gotta. My fans helped me choose parts of this story, like some things in Ethan’s mansion from the contest we had about posting things a billionaire could own. They helped me pick the name Charlie. Total coincidence that Ethan’s dad (Jake Cocker from Cocky Roomie, Book 1) had also mistaken his future love for a guy since her name is Drew. Kismet story-telling for kismet soulmates. They helped me choose Turtle Island by posting pics of fabulous vacations spots in our FB Group when I asked for suggestions. These images had us all visualizing ourselves in exotic locales. It was a blast. They offered up crazy girl names from their lives. “My husband had a stalker named…” etc. And for the BBQ, they helped me pick the side dishes. Soooooo many said corn on the cob that I had to include it even though it didn’t fit with the sneaking… heheh. They didn’t know the characters were sneaking these tasty morsels. Writing can be an isolated art form so to involve readers made me feel beyond great. We became a stronger community, which is one of the best ways to use the in...