Cook Brothers: The Whole Flipping Family Read online

  When he doesn’t say anything, I cover his hand with mine, giving him a gentle squeeze. “Pull off the Band-Aid, Jax.”

  He swallows hard but doesn’t make me wait any longer. “So first, the reason I had to stay behind had to do with both me and you.”

  “Okay…”

  “The final grades for the entire intro to photography class were being held back due to a complaint made about me showing favoritism toward you.”

  I freeze for barely a second as his words sink in before I explode, jumping off the bed and out of reach. I walk toward the bathroom. The old Ronnie—the pre-Jax, pre-breaking free me—would lock herself behind the door and hide her emotions until she was composed enough to come back out again. But that’s not the me I am now. This version of Ronnie stops halfway across the room, spins back around, and storms to the edge of the bed.

  “Look, beautiful. I’m sorry—”

  “You said first.”

  His head jerks back and his eyes widen even farther. “What?”

  “You said ‘first.’ As in, more than one thing. You only said the first thing. What’s the rest?”

  “Sit down. I’m gonna tell you everything.”

  “Damn right you are, Jaxon Cook. But first, you’re going to tell me everything, then you start the mammoth job of groveling.”

  “Mammoth, huh?” he asks, his lips quirking, which is normally hot, but not in my current state of mind.

  “Huge,” I say holding my arms apart to show him just how big we’re talking here.

  Of course, I’m probably being completely dramatic, and I don’t even know what he did or didn’t do. Maybe I should sit down—away from him—and actually give him a chance to explain.

  I lift my hands up, not caring if my towel decides to take a flying leap. I’m too annoyed to care. Maybe it would be the best kind of punishment to make him confess his sins while staring at me naked. It would serve him right.

  I tighten my towel, deciding against giving him a show right now and take a seat in the chair facing the mattress and the end of the bed, crossing my legs and not missing the way his eyes track the movement. When I clear my throat, his gaze jumps back to meet mine.

  “You were saying,” I prompt.

  “Damn. Is it wrong that you might be even hotter when you’re pissed off?”

  I actually growl. “Jax…”

  He holds his hands up in surrender, but the grin that was there when we first woke up is now nowhere to be found. “Okay. Can I at least touch you while I talk?”

  “I’ll take your request under advisement,” I say, matter-of-factly. I cross my arms over my chest and lift one eyebrow expectantly.

  “Damn, you’re a tough nut to crack.”

  “It won’t be my nuts getting cracked in a minute.”

  He visibly winces, and I notice his legs closing slightly under the sheet. “Okay. I’ll talk. Just don’t threaten the boys again.” When he gets no further reaction from me, he sighs and pulls himself up so he’s leaning against the headboard. “A complaint was made against me, accusing me of favoritism toward you. I didn’t want to worry you if your grade was delayed, but it wasn’t until Wednesday night, when Joey called me, that I knew that this complaint was the reason.”

  “That’s who called you when you went outside last night?”

  He nods and keeps going. “I changed my flight, and Bryant offered to come with me to be my witness. We met with the vice president for academic affairs and Joey yesterday. After hearing from Joey, and then me, and being told about everything we’d done to avoid any semblance of nepotism, she was more than happy to close the file and not proceed any further with the complaint. So now the grades have been released and Joey gave you an A-minus, which means—”

  “I passed?” My shoulders slump as I release a huge breath. I did it.

  “Yeah, beautiful. I never had a doubt,” he says, his eyes blazing with pride, and it’s all for me. Jax didn’t help me; he had my back and let me fly all by myself. Could I love this man any more than I already do?

  Wait, aren’t I supposed to be making him work for it?

  “Who made the complaint?” I ask.

  He sighs. “The student must remain anonymous, but I think it was that girl Chelsea. She’s the one who—”

  “Came to your office and wanted an extension and even offered to make it worth your while?” He nods as another realization hits me. “She saw us at the cafe that day,” I say.

  “Yeah, and was probably watching us in class.”

  My head jerks back. “But we didn’t do anything in class. We were always on our best behavior.”

  “I don’t think I ever did a good job of hiding how I felt about you, Ronnie. I don’t think I ever could if I tried.”

  Again, that feels so damn good. “So all this—almost stopping me from graduating—was because she couldn’t sleep her way into a better grade?” I shriek. Then it hits me. She couldn’t blow Jax to pass the class. I have blown Jax and didn’t need to for a grade; it was purely voluntary on my part.

  I start giggling. It begins as a snort but ends up as me almost rolling around in uncontrollable laughter. Jax watches me, a careful, amused expression on his face.

  “With that one out of the way, I’ve got one more confession to make, then my conscience will be completely clear,” he says.

  I tense up, my limbs turning to stone. My body had thought it was time to relax; I must be giving myself whiplash.

  He winces and turns away, a muscle in his jaw ticking as he looks out the window. “I went to see your father.”

  I don’t freeze at that. I jump out of the chair, not believing what I’m hearing. “You what?”

  “I made a last-minute appointment with your dad.”

  “Oh no, he’s not Dad. He stopped being Daddy when I was four years old.”

  “Vincent. I met with him at his office yesterday afternoon.”

  “Why on earth would you do that?” I ask, staring at him in disbelief. This is the man who stood at my back after having enough of my parents talking down to me—and him—and who supported me in my decision to leave the dinner and their house and never look back.

  “I wanted to make sure he knew just how spectacular his daughter was.”

  I scoff and start pacing back and forth beside the bed. “And why did you ever think he’d care about that, given I no longer—and will never again—work for the family firm?”

  “Because he needed to know just how wonderful, and talented, and absolutely amazing his youngest daughter is, and how she owns whatever she puts her mind to, having just completed another degree, this time doing what she has always wanted to do.”

  I don’t realize that I’ve stopped pacing until I find myself standing next to Jax, looking down at him.

  “You stood there, in front of the coldest man I’ve probably ever met, and said that?”

  “I did, and I’d do it all over again in a heartbeat if I thought it would change anything.”

  “But why?” I whisper, my heart beating impossibly fast.

  He doesn’t say anything. Instead, his arms shoot out, whip off my towel and pull me down so I’m lying on top of him.

  “I wanted his blessing, not that he gave it to me,” he says softly.

  I frown. “Why on earth would you need his blessing?”

  “Because I want you to be my wife.”

  My breath hitches, my heart jumping into my throat. Of all the things I thought he might say, that was not even in the top one hundred.

  Not even fucking close.

  “Say what?”

  24

  Jax

  “Are you proposing to me while I’m naked and lying on top of you?” she asks.

  “Just continuing in the same way we began,” I say with a grin.

  “And how you plan to keep going?”

  “You bet your ass.”

  “What would you do if I said no while naked and lying on top of you?”

  My heart jumps i
nto my throat. “You’re saying no?”

  She shakes her head. “I’m asking what you’d do if I did say no.”

  “I’d switch to plan B.”

  “Which is?” she asks, lifting a brow.

  I smirk. “Using my masculine wiles to persuade you to change your mind.”

  “Masculine wiles?”

  I shrug. “It sounded good in my head.”

  She dips her chin and brushes her lips against mine before whispering, “So does being called Mrs. Jaxon Cook.”

  I freeze, unable to move. Then her words sink in. Holy fuck, she said yes.

  “Yes?” I ask, wanting to make absolutely sure.

  “How about fuck yes,” she says, her huge smile blinding me with its brightness. I wrap my hand around her neck and I crush her lips to mine, holding her in place as I pillage and plunder her mouth, not ever wanting to let her go and knowing now that I’ll never have to.

  An hour later, we lie in bed, Ronnie still naked on top of me. I’ve worked out her hangover in thoroughly enjoyable ways.

  “Wait there,” I say, gently moving her off me and getting up. I find my discarded jeans at the corner of the room and rummage through the pockets, wrapping my hand around the black velvet box I put there last night before arriving at the airport.

  Returning to the bed, I don’t miss the way her eyes roam over my naked body, her appreciation written all over her expression.

  I kneel down and lean my arms on the mattress, crocking a finger and calling her in close. When she moves forward, I reach for her hand.

  “I want to do this right,” I say.

  She looks me up and down. “The man I love is kneeling on the floor, naked in front of me. That’s the very definition of right,” she says with a smirk.

  My lips twitch as I flick the box open and hold it up in front of her. Ronnie’s eyes glisten with unshed tears as she looks down at the gold diamond-cluster engagement ring.

  “Veronica Nelson, will you do me the honor of becoming my wife?”

  She nods furiously and I bring her hand to my mouth, pressing my lips to her knuckles. After pulling the ring out, I slowly slide it onto her finger, a surge of satisfaction and achievement coursing through me.

  Pressing my chest into the side of the bed, I lift my hands up, and run my fingers through her hair, sweeping it away from her face. Her eyes are bright and sparkling as her soft gaze meets mine. She bites her lip, drawing my attention to it.

  “What are you thinking, beautiful?” I ask.

  “I’m thinking that life is short.”

  I nod, my mouth quirking. “It definitely is.”

  “And I’ve already wasted so much of it trying to be what my parents wanted me to be and sacrificing my own happiness for others.”

  I smooth my hands over her shoulders and down her back. “That’s something you’re not ever going to do again.”

  “Never,” she whispers. “Not for a single second.” She looks down, her brows bunching together. “I want to do it today.”

  I frown, not knowing where she’s going with this. “What’s that?”

  When she meets my eyes again, they’re blazing with love and heat and absolute determination. The last time I saw such resolve in Ronnie was the night we walked out of dinner at her parents’ house.

  She braces herself on one arm and leans into me. “I don’t want to wait a single day not being your wife. Let’s get married today. Here. In Vegas.”

  My breath catches in my chest. “What?”

  She lowers her mouth to mine so she’s all I can see, smell, and feel. Everything is Ronnie right now, and everything is perfect. “Marry me, Jaxon Cook. Professor. Ken. Marry me today.” Her grin is so big and bright she could light up the entire Strip with that smile. “I don’t care if it’s Liberace or Elvis, as long as I’m Mrs. Jaxon Cook by tonight.”

  My heart flips. My cup is full to bursting.

  “You’ve given me so much. You gave me hope, you gave me love, you gave me independence, and you gave me your respect. Your family feels like my family now. I want to be tied to you forever. I want to be with you forever. I want—”

  “Fuck yes,” I say, reaching out and flipping her over onto her back, covering her with my body and crushing my mouth to hers.

  When we finally part, I’m breathing heavy and fighting the urge to bury myself deep inside her for a third time today.

  “God, you’re beautiful,” I rasp. Her eyes soften, her hand lifting to cup my jaw. She sweeps her thumb over my lips, her gentle smile my new favorite. I’m gonna work my ass off to have her look at me like this every day.

  “I love you,” she says, and this time when we kiss, it’s a slow, languid one, full of feeling and gratitude. Thank God I followed her upstairs.

  When I lift up and see her this time, she’s frowning.

  “Not exactly the expression a man wants to see after kissing his fiancée,” I muse.

  “We have a slight problem.”

  I roll my hips down against hers. “Some more than others,” I say, earning a giggle and a playful slap against my chest.

  “No, pervert. What I meant was, we’re here for Jamie and April. Getting married would kind of take away their thunder. Don’t you think?” When I don’t answer, she continues on. “We can come back and do it. Maybe after the wedding and—”

  “Do you want to marry me today?”

  “Yes, but—”

  “No buts. We’ll talk to Jamie and April. We’ll make sure we have their blessing.”

  Hope fills her eyes. “Really?”

  “I don’t wanna wait. I wasted a year not chasing you. Now I’m claiming you as mine once and for all.” I dip my head to whisper against her lips, “By the end of the day, you will be Mrs. Jaxon Cook.”

  Then she kisses me like she owns me, and it’s absolutely fitting because she does, and has done since the day I first laid eyes on her.

  And in a few hours, it’ll be official.

  Mr. and Mrs. Jaxon Cook. It has a nice ring to it.

  A thoroughly enjoyable shower later, we’re both dressed and, having called Jamie and April’s room half an hour ago, we’re on our way to meet them for breakfast.

  We searched up how to get a Nevada marriage license online, and depending on how breakfast goes, we’ll head straight to the Clark County Marriage License Bureau afterward.

  Ronnie and I are sitting side by side, our heads close, my hand holding hers, my lips pressed to her ring when April and Jamie arrive.

  “Coffee. Stat,” April says, collapsing into the chair opposite us.

  “Sure thing, lovely,” Jamie says, taking a seat beside her and waving to a nearby waitress.

  With drinks ordered, I look over to find April studying me.

  “When did you get in?” she asks.

  “Last night. I met up with the guys, then waited in Cohen’s room for Ronnie to get back.”

  My fiancée gasps beside me. I turn my head, my lips twitching as she whacks my arm with her left hand.

  “Oh my God,” April shrieks. “What. Is. That?” Her eyes are glued to Ronnie’s engagement ring. She leans over the table and grabs Ronnie’s hand, jerking it free from my hold.

  “Oh my God,” she says again. I wrap my arm around Ronnie’s shoulders and pull her into my side as she giggles. Jamie’s eyes crinkle as he watches April gushing over the ring.

  He stands and walks around the table. I get up to meet him, shaking his offered hand before he pulls me in for a hug.

  “You sealed the deal,” he murmurs in my ear.

  I chuckle as we move apart. “Sure did. When you know, you know.”

  My brother looks down at April and grins. “Mom was definitely right about that one.”

  “Let’s not tell her that, though. We’ll never hear the end of it,” I say with a laugh.

  We take our seats, joining the girls who are still smiling and giggling.

  I place my arm around Ronnie and pull her back into me. When she tilts her h
ead and looks up, I kiss her softly, my eyes locked with hers.

  “This is so cool!” April says. “We’ll both be Mrs. Cook.”

  Jamie and I just look at each other and shrug. “Ax will probably never speak to you again,” he muses. I laugh at that, remembering the last time Ax was dirty at me for just dating his aunt. Now I’m marrying her, the kid will probably disown me.

  “If we weren’t getting married in four weeks, I’d say we should have a double wedding,” April continues. Jamie frowns at that suggestion, and I don’t blame him. I love my brother and his fiancée but my wedding day is not something I wanna share, and his reaction tells me he’s of the same thought.

  “Lovely,” he says, turning to April. “I love you and I wanna make you happy, but our day will be about me, you and Ax.”

  Her eyes soften and she nods, giving him a quick kiss on the lips before facing us. “Okay, sorry. No double wedding.”

  Ronnie laughs. “Yeah, so about that. We actually have something to ask you both…”

  “Yeah?” Jamie says, quirking a brow.

  Ronnie looks at me and I nod. “We actually want to get married here. In Vegas. Today…” she says.

  Both of their eyes go wide as saucers before Jamie drops his head back and bursts out laughing. April’s eyes fill with tears as she jumps out of her seat and draws Ronnie in for a huge bear hug.

  “This is awesome!” she says as they move apart and grin at each other. “I’ve never been to a Vegas wedding.” She claps excitedly but stops and narrows her eyes. “Wait. You didn’t knock her up, did you? This isn’t a shotgun wedding?”

  Now I bark out a laugh, shaking my head. “No. She’s not pregnant.”

  “It’s an I-don’t-wanna-wait-any-longer-to-start-my-life-with-him wedding,” Ronnie says, looking over at me and giving me a soft smile that makes me wanna do dirty things to her.

  “But this is your weekend, and we wouldn’t ever want to take that away from you.” I glance down at Ronnie. “We’re happy to come back after your wedding to do it at a later date.”