LUKE

We make the turn onto our plantation’s driveway, and exchange a look that I was right—this feels weird. Twenty-eight years for me in this home with Sofia off-limits. And here we are riding together with plans ahead of us that I never thought possible.

Screen door flies open and the Ciphers pour onto the porch, some walking down to the steps to wait. Sage breaks into a run, red hair swinging as she waves, “Luke! Sofia!”

Celia stands on the porch, grinning at us. She’s got Sean on one side and my brother on the other. I take note of it, because something feels interesting about the trio. “See that?” I ask Soph as we kill the engines.

“Yep,” she quietly says, before shouting, “Guess who’s engaged? Pigs fly after all!”

Applause as they all rush down the steps. Sage wraps her arms around me and keeps holding on as we walk up. “I missed you so much, Luke! So happy for you guys!”

“Thanks sis,” I grin, planting a kiss on her head before releasing her to hug Mom. “Hey Ma.”

“Luke,” she says, breathless with happiness. “Look at your eyes! So bright!” We embrace and I see Dad over her shoulder, give him a nod. He dips his chin.

Atlas eyes me, wary of how I’ll treat him after what he did. From now on I’ll be cautious with him. Our trust is lost. He thumps down the steps and we stiffly hug each other as interested eyes watch.

Sofia calls over from where she’s hearing the story from the moms about their plan. “Luke, they have another surprise for us.”

“In addition to setting us up, you mean?” I smirk, teasing them.

Scythe laughs his deep rumble, “Women always butting in when it comes to love.”

Denita objects, with her ten-year-old twin daughters Shay and Mylar, on either side of her. “I wasn’t a part of this one, so don’t look at me like that!” She joined us later, after Scythe’s first wife passed away. His children from that marriage are grown and gone. Rocking on her heels she mutters, “But I wouldn’t have sent him off in the first place.”

Jett laughs, grey eyes fired up with relief that his daughter is back, “Alright, stop breakin’ my balls! I did what I thought was right.” He strolls over to shake my hand. “Looks like things worked out how they’re meant to anyway.”

Melodi balks, “With a little help from us!”

Jett’s grip is painfully strong with don’t-ever-hurt-her. He surprises me by pulling me in for a hug. “I’m gonna have a son-in-law!” Pushing off he faces Dad and bellows, “Looks like you and me are finally family, Honey Badger, you crazy fuck!”

Dad grins, “You’re just as crazy as I am, you blonde bastard!” and they slap palms in a hand shake that seals our futures.

Soph is chewing on her lip through a wickedly happy grin. Glancing to me she says, “Wanna see the surprise?”

“Hold on now!” Fuse shouts, “You two ain’t getting away without hugging us all!”

Tonk agrees, “Ya think you weren’t missed?”

No arguments from us as we hug one family member after the other. Shay looks at Soph’s ring and frowns, “It’s on the wrong finger!”

“This is to flip off all the men who hit on me from here on out,” she smiles, coming clean a second later, “It’s temporary, just to hold me hostage while he searches for…” Glancing to me, she asks like it’s an after-thought, “What do you want to get?”

“Up to you.”

“I want one like my mom’s, one I never have to take off.”

Celia melts, “Oh my God, who are you guys?” at the romance of it all. They’d talked for over an hour on the phone when Ceels came back from the job the three of them went on. And she called almost every day since, or she would have been the one running to us and not just Sage.

Can’t help but wonder at her attitude though—cool and controlled. Maybe even aloof, but it’s on purpose. What Soph confessed to me, I can see it now. She’s hoping my brother is watching her. But it’s Sean’s eyes that keep landing on her, and sticking.

Tonk Jr. gives me my last hug. “I never said thank you for fixing my Harley, Luke.”

“You never had to.”

“Still…thanks.”

“You ride it?”

“Uh, not yet.” Quickly he adds, “But I will.”

Carmen starts to say something but stops herself.

Soph changes the subject by laughing, “Now can I show Luke the surprise?”

Uproar of cheering and yeses and we file in with Soph taking my hand and pulling me upstairs. “This way!”

“Is it…”

“Shhh, just wait!”

The Ciphers stop on the stairs to watch us, jam-packed, as she paces me in front of all the doors, twice, just to mess with my head. “Alright, enough!” I laugh.

She bites her lip with this mischievous smile, lets go of my hand and runs to the small parlor where she told me about kicking that dickhead Thatcher’s ass when she was fourteen.

Grabbing the antique doorknob she whisper-yells, “Come on! I want us to see it together.”

Under my breath, surprised, I ask, “In here? No way, really?”

She nods, swings the door open to a complete rearrangement of the parlor. And a brand new, walnut canopy bed is pushed against one wall, with white drapes tied at the corners.

Soph stares at it, as stunned as I am. There’s been no new furniture in this house for three decades at least. Her hands float to her mouth and she freezes like that, eyes darting around to the old dresser that used to be in her parents’ room, the table and chairs that were here before, gathered in a circle by the window, the antique art as it’s always been. The closet door open, hangers full with our clothing, mine on the left and her stuff on the right.

Behind us, we’ve got an audience who pours into the room as we walk to the closet, and then to the dresser, opening it to find everything here of ours, too.

Soph is trying not to choke up—nobody ever sees her like that. I have, but I’m different. Turning away, she wipes her eyes before she faces the group, juts her chin up, telling the moms, “Thank you.”

I throw my arm around her and say, “You guys just made us very happy.”

Luna sniffs and clears her throat, hiding her emotions just like Soph is. Jett is another thing altogether. He struts to the center of the room, crosses his arms and says, “It will take me some time to get used to this bullshit.”

Sofia Sol covers a laugh, walking to him and throwing her arms around his neck. “Thank you.”

He hugs her and closes his eyes, rocking her from side to side. “I love you, daughter. Love you to the sun and back. That’s why I named you after it. Always here for you, baby.” He kisses her hair before he releases her, heading out, turning his head to repeat, “Always.”