Page 39 of Cocky Choices: Zoe Cocker

“Um… I’m engaged,” I blurt out.

There’s a long pause on the other end.

“Engaged?!” Dad booms.

Mom whispers, “What in the world?”

Dad speaks over her, “Zoe, when did this happen? Who are you engaged to? Is it Ryder?”

“No…” I glance to Nicholas, filling him in. “They think I’m engaged to Ryder.”

He mutters, “Well that would have been more believable.”

“For you maybe.” I roll my eyes.

“Zoe, who’s with you?” Mom says.

Dad asks, “Is that Nicholas? Are Wyatt and Nate there, too? Who else knows about this? Wait, I’m talking too fast.”

“It’s okay, Jeremy, I can’t get my head around it either. Zoe, honey, please explain what’s going on. And are your brothers all there with you?”

“Just Nicholas is here, but Wyatt and Nathan know about it, too.”

Mom cries out, “Why am I the last to know?!”

“And me,” Dad reminds her before demanding, “Zoe Cocker, who are you engaged to?! And how come we didn’t even know you were dating someone!”

“Is it all these trips we’ve been taking?” Mom worries, crying out, “Did we miss out on our daughter falling in love?!”

“No no no! It’s a marriage of convenience,” I rush to explain, my cheeks hot. “I just met him, you couldn’t have known! Please don’t be so upset, Mom.” I hurry to inform Nicholas, “Mom thinks because they’ve been out of the country so much, she missed out on my getting a… fiancé.”

Nicholas leans toward the phone and raises his voice slightly to be heard by them. “It’s not because of you guys!”

“Zoe! Stop talking to your brother and focus on us now,” Dad grumbles, “Your mother is losing her mind over here, and I need to know what the heck is going on.”

“A marriage of convenience?!” Mom groans in the background.

“I really think it could work! I mean, I’ve been feeling so lonely, and this way, I won’t be alone anymore.”

“Wait, wait,” Mom interjects, her voice rising slightly. “Is this for real? You’re marrying someone you don’t love?”

“Meagan, we’ll get to the bottom of this,” Dad reassures Mom before returning to me. “Zoe, why are you…howare you…whois this guy?!”

Trying to sound upbeat, I explain, “It’s just practical. I need a companion, and he needs one, too. It just makes sense!” I share a look with Nicholas at my omission of the trust fund detail frommy reasoning. He purses his lips and doesn’t rat me out. At least not yet.

“Who is he?!” Dad demands.

Feeling backed into a corner I stammer, “I’m tired of waiting for someone to like me back! You know how it’s been for me. I’ve been single forever. I’ve never had a boyfriend! I don’t want to wait around for love, in case itnevercomes. He asked me — he’s a good person, I could tell — so I said yes. I just want to have someone by my side, even if it’s not the fairy tale I dreamed of.”

Silence hangs in the air, worry radiating from the other end of the line.

Mom softly says, “Zoe, sweetie, we want you to be happy, but not like this.”

“Who is this guy?!!!” Dad explodes. “Put Nicholas on the line!”

I hand the phone to my brother. He frowns, but accepts it. “Hey guys, it’s me.” Nicholas pauses to listen and I can hear Dad shouting the same question again. “From what Zoe’s told me he’s very complimentary to her, very good looking, comes from money, and…” He pauses as I violently shake my head, silently telling him not to reveal the trust fund detail. “…and he thinks Zoe will bring light into his life.” He pauses, listening, and hands the phone back. “They want to talk to you.”

“Zoe,” Dad begins, “How long have you known him?”

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