Fitting The Pieces (The Riverdale Series Book 3) (12 page)

           
“It
was good. I finally found the courage to speak with the group. Oh, and I got
this nifty little pin symbolizing that I’m thirty days clean.” She said as she
fingered the silver pin she had pinned to her shirt.

           
“That’s
great.” He said as he took a seat on the edge of his bed. “Are you looking
forward to coming home?”

           
“Yeah,
I’m just about finished packing. I packed my favorite sweatshirt and thought to
call you. You’ll be here tomorrow to pick me up, right?”

           
“No,
I was thinking I’d let you hitch a ride, since you robbed
my
favorite sweatshirt.” He said jokingly.

           
“Luke,
robbed is such a harsh word. Why don’t we use borrowed instead?” She smiled as
she relaxed against the pillows. She was going to miss these phone calls. “Yes,
I think the word borrowed is so much nicer, don’t you?” She said teasing him.

           
“Fine,
you borrowed my shirt. So you’re planning on giving it back?” He asked as he
dropped his upper body against the plush mattress. He stared up at the ceiling
as he waited for her to answer.

           
“Well,
no I didn’t say that. I tell you what, I’ll make it up to you… I’m getting the
hang of this amends thing.”

           
He
closed his eyes briefly pushing out the thoughts of how he’d like her to make
it up to him, out of his demented head. “Just keep it.” He said roughly.

           
“Ah,
there’s that change in your voice again. Are you going to fall asleep on me,
Luke?” She asked softly recognizing that gruff sound she became used to.

           
He
let out a shaky breath and shook his head. If she only knew what her voice did
to him. “No, I’m fine. “ He didn’t want her to hang up. If he was being
completely honest, he didn’t want this conversation to ever end. For the last
few weeks Luke had grown accustomed to having these moments with Cara all to
himself. After tomorrow he’d have to share her with the rest of the world and
he didn’t know how he felt about that. The idea of not being able to talk to
her like this made him feel a little unsettled.
   

           
“Don’t
hang up.” He muttered.

           
“Okay.”
She whispered.

           
“I
dropped Ava off at my mother’s for the night so I could leave first thing in
the morning. I’ll probably be there by ten.”

           
“You
sound excited to break me out of here.” She said half teasing, half wondering
if it was true.

           
“I’ll
tell you who’s excited to see you… Ava.” He said and then eyed the puppy who no
longer chewed on his shoe.
 
Luke cringed
imagining the possibilities of all the damage the wild thing could be causing.

           
“Is
she really?” She smiled, thinking of the little girl who almost was her niece.

           
“Did
you tell her where I was all this time?” She asked sheepishly and was almost
afraid to hear the answer.

           
“She
thinks you were on vacation.” He said lightly.

           
“Some
vacation…” She murmured. “I’m horrible. Who goes on vacation and doesn’t even
send a postcard?” She joked.

           
“Don’t
sweat it. She’s a good kid, she’ll understand.” The puppy found his way back
into Luke’s bedroom this time the little devil was tugging on the roll of
toilet paper, dragging it into his bedroom. Luke sighed, tomorrow couldn’t come
fast enough.

           
“You
know I remember the night you and I watched Jake race. You were going through a
tough time with Ava’s mom not being around. I’m sorry I never asked until now,
but, did that wind up getting better for the two of you?”

           
He
took a deep breath and thought about his answer for a moment. “I guess so. I
try not to think about what I can’t give her and just focus on what I can. It’s
hard sometimes, but I’m lucky. She’s really a great kid and even when things
are hard for her to understand because she’s just a child she makes the best of
it.”

           
Cara
smiled as she listened to Luke talk about Ava. “You know one thing I always
thought about you, was that you’re a great father. Not a lot of men could do
what you’ve done and do it as well as you have.”

                       
“Thank
you.” He said hoarsely. He wasn’t good at accepting a compliment yet, listening
to her talk about the kind of father he was, made him proud for some reason
unknown to him.

           
“You
know it’s not fair.” She said softly. “I feel like you know much more about me
than I do you. You should fix that.”

           
“Excuse
me?”

           
“Tell
me something, Luke. If you really want to get buck wild, then make it something
no one else knows.” She basically dared him.

           
“Are
you always this spunky?” He asked amused.

           
“Did
you really just call me spunky?” She laughed. “I’ll tell you what. I’m going to
pretend you didn’t call me that and that you’re not trying to stall.” She said
pointedly and waited for him to laugh because it was beginning to be one of her
favorite sounds.

           
“I
sleep naked.” He confessed.

           
Her
eyes widened and then she quickly recovered. “That doesn’t count! Anyone you’ve
ever slept with would know that.”

           
“You
didn’t.”

           
“No
comment.”

 
          
He laughed and then so did she.
“Alright, Spunky, if I’m going to get up at the crack of dawn to bring your ass
back home. I better get some shut eye.” He didn’t want to cut their
conversation short but the damn dog disappeared again.

           
“Okay
and Luke? You should know that I’ll be thinking about a nickname for you. I’ll
make sure it’s just as horrid as Spunky, if not worse. Goodnight.”

           
“Goodnight
Spunky.” He crooned into her ear before he ended the call and went in search
for the little beagle that was bulldozing his house.

Dear
Jake,

I
can’t sleep tomorrow I am going home. I did it. I completed my stint in rehab.
I packed my bags. I double checked all the drawers and now I’m just laying
here. Every time I close my eyes, I feel as if I can’t breathe. I’m pretty sure
it’s an anxiety attack. I’m rambling aren’t I?

The
truth is I am a nervous wreck! What am I going to do when I get home? I mean
this is kind of like my second chance at life. I can’t screw it up. I should
probably rethink some of my life choices. Like for instance, do I really want
to be a bartender forever? My counselor thinks it might be too much of a
temptation for me, even though alcohol wasn’t really my problem. She thinks it
goes hand in hand, that it will start off as just one drink and escalate from
there. One drink will turn into two, which will turn into me having the urge to
get high.

Maybe
she’s right. All I know is that I’m going to do everything I can to take this
chance and make it worth it. Not everyone is given a second chance right? I’ll
make it worth it for the both of us.

Love
always and forever,

Cara

           
Cara
stood in the lobby of Lakeview looking out the large glass windows, waiting for
Luke’s truck to pull up in front.
 
She
looked down at her watch, noting that it was almost ten in the morning. Any
minute she told herself before she glanced around the lobby of the place that
she had spent the last month trying to find herself. A horn, let out a stream
of honks from a distance and she turned around to look back out the window. A grin
spread across her face as she saw Luke pull up. She took a deep breath and
grabbed the handle of her suitcase, wheeling it behind her as she stepped
through the automatic doors.

           
He
had pulled his truck right in front, not bothering to pull into a spot. Luke
shifted the truck into park and jumped out, leaving the engine running. Her
eyes followed him as he walked around to the tailgate of the truck and leaned
his arms over it. He lifted his head and his eyes met hers. He smiled casually
in her direction.

           
“You
ready, Spunky?” He asked as he pulled down the tailgate and stepped towards
her. He was wearing the same hat he had the day he dropped her off, only this
time it was backwards. She could see the ends of his hair peeking out and
curling around the back of his neck. He was clean shaved and dressed casually
in jeans and a Henley. He added a down vest over his Henley that was zipped
halfway up his chest. He looked good, she thought, and then it came to her. She
had been obsessing over a nickname for him since they ended their call last
night.

           
“I’m
ready.” She said with a smile. He grabbed her suitcase and hauled it into the
truck, closing the gate. She walked towards the passenger door, but he got
there first, and opened it for her. She climbed into the truck and then turned
around to face him before he shut the door.

           
“Thanks,
Stud Muffin.” She said sweetly, and waited for his reaction to her nickname.

           
“Stud
Muffin?” He asked and raised an eyebrow at her questioningly. Cara bit her lip
and watched as his cheeks reddened. She reached over and pinched his cheek. “Oh
yes, definitely. And you’re blushing. I love it!” She said as she leaned
closer. Yep, he was definitely blushing.

           
Luke
placed his hand delicately on her wrist as she squeezed his cheek he could feel
her breath on his face. He slipped her hand down from his face and shook his
head.

           
“You’re
not calling me Stud Muffin.” He said gruffly and her eyes narrowed and she
pointed her finger at him.

           
“There
it is… that sound your voice makes.” She pointed out. Luke blew out a breath
and shook his head.

           
“You’re
killing me, Spunky.” He said before he pushed her legs into the car and shut
her door. He walked around the truck and got into his seat stealing a quick
glance at her. She was trying not to smile as he shifted the truck and pulled
away.

           
As
Luke steered the truck down the pathway, she glanced out the window and her
smile escaped as she silently bid farewell to Lakeview. She watched Lakeview
disappear through the side view mirror as Luke accelerated down the road and
drove away. When it was completely out of her view she turned around to face
him.

           
Luke
felt her eyes on him, but he kept his eye on the road. “I stopped off and got
you coffee.” He pointed to the cup holders between them, indicating the one to
his right was hers.
 

           
“You’re
the best Sugar Plum!” She said and took the coffee.

           
Luke
groaned. “I think I liked Stud Muffin better.”

           
She
smiled before she took the first sip of coffee. “So…” She said as she placed the
coffee back in the cup holder. “I liked the game we played last night and was
thinking since it’s such a long drive, we could play it again.”

           
“What
game was that?” He asked almost frightened. He was slowly learning that Cara
got a kick out of teasing him and seeing how far she could push him to react.
He wasn’t sure if he liked it or hated it.

           
“It’s
called getting to know Luke Lanza and what makes him tick.” She said and
shrugged her shoulders. “So you’re going to drive and I’m going to poke and
prod to my heart’s content.”

           
“You’re
going to poke me?” He said clearly amused.

           
She
leaned her head back and laughed. “I bet you’re ticklish.” She looked over and
watched his face grow still and she laughed harder. “You are ticklish! That’s
great. Relax Stud Muffin I’m not going to tickle you while you’re driving.”

           
“Thank
God for small favors.” He said as he swiped his hand along his brow that
perspired at the mere mention of her tickling and touching him.

           
“Okay,
are you ready?”

           
“If
I said no, would it make a difference?”

           
“Probably
not,” she answered honestly. “I’ll start with simple questions.” She said with
a devilish grin on her face.

           
Three
and a half hours later and they were an exit away from Riverdale. Luke looked
exhausted and not from all the driving, but from all the questions. She now
knew that he could cook, but only three dishes. He was a pro with the barbeque
though. His longest relationship was with Ava’s mother, Marie, and that was
when they were kids. He hates dating and feels uncomfortable in fancy
restaurants. He wasn’t only a baseball fan, but he loved all sports. Football
season was his favorite and he was Jets fan. He prefers cotton sheets and
didn’t even know they had flannel or satin ones. He likes to work out and since
he rarely has time for it, he put a small gym in his basement. Friday night is
date night with Ava. Then there was the thing that squeezed her heart. When she
asked him what he likes to do for fun, he said rollerblading with Ava and then
he invited her to come the next time they go to the roller rink.

Yeah, she thought that was adorable.

           
Luke
turned left when he should’ve turned right, and she looked over at him
confused.

           
“Where
are you going?” She asked curiously.

           
“I
need to make a detour.” He said simply. “It’ll only take a few minutes, but I
have to pick up my Pipsqueak.” She watched as his lips curved at the mention of
his daughter.

           
“Oh,
okay. Where is she?”

           
“She’s
at her friend’s birthday party.” He said as he looked ahead of him. Cara
studied him for a moment and then chuckled. He raised an eyebrow when he heard
her giggle. “What?”

           
“You
must wreak all sorts of havoc.” She said as a matter of fact.

           
“I
don’t follow.” He said confused.

           
“Oh
come on!” She said and nudged his arm playfully. “I can just picture all the
single teachers swooning over you when you go pick up Ava. I’d be willing to
bet you fuel a lot of dreams from single moms too.” She said with a big fat
grin.
 
His cheeks reddened again, which
only caused Cara to grin wider. Her eyes widened with mischief. “Maybe even the
happily married ones too.”

           
Luke
groaned and turned an awful shade of crimson. “Okay, you’re not allowed to talk
anymore until we get to my parent’s house.”

           
“I
think it’s adorable how embarrassed you get when I talk about your devilish
good looks.”

           
“Cara…”
He said in that gruff voice.

           
“There’s
no reason to be uncomfortable. We’re friends, right? Maybe we should set
boundaries.”

           
He
slowly drove up a block glancing at the addresses, trying desperately to
pretend they weren’t having this conversation.

           
“For
instance, if you get this bent out of shape when we’re talking about you being
a Stud Muffin, then how are you going to react when you tell me you had sex
with someone?”

           
Luke
slammed on the brakes and looked at her as if she lost her marbles along with
his patience. “Are you kidding me right now?”

           
“No.”
She said innocently. “Friends talk about sex, Luke.”

           
“Okay,
first boundary. I don’t talk about sex with you… ever.” He said frustrated.

           
“So
does that mean I can’t talk about sex? I mean not that I’m having any. I
actually don’t have any desire too, it’s just too soon. But I mean one day I’d
like to again.”

           
Luke
decided to get out of the car at that moment. He couldn’t listen to her
anymore. Cara quickly climbed out of the passenger seat jogging after him. Damn
him and his long legs.

           
“Luke!
You didn’t answer me.” She said as she caught up to him, and walked alongside
him towards the door of Ava’s friend’s house. He stopped in his tracks and turned
around to face Cara, abruptly. Her eyes widened when he stared at her with a
hooded gaze.

           
“Boundary
number two, I definitely don’t want to hear you talk about sex.” He raised an
eyebrow. “Not now, not in six months from now, not ever.”

           
She
leaned closer to him and whispered. “It’s not like I’m going to dirty talk or
anything, Jeez.”

           
He
looked at her for a moment, letting his eyes travel to her full lips. “That’s a
shame. I bet that’d be something.” He said huskily, referring to her dirty
talk. He shook his head as if to shake away the thoughts that clouded his mind
and mumbled under his breath that she was going to be the death of him.

           
She
cocked her head to the side and crossed her arms against her chest. “That’s
basically saying you want me to dirty talk, and that means I would have to talk
about sex. Maybe you should rethink your boundaries.”

           
He
forced himself to turn around and ring the doorbell. He couldn’t believe he was
walking up to a kid’s birthday party, to pick up his daughter, with a semi-hard
dick.

           
The
door swung open and Nina’s mother greeted them. “Hi Luke.” She said with a
smile and turned around. “Ava, your dad is here!” She called out.

           
Luke
smiled warmly at Nina’s mom, and then chuckled when he heard the little girls
running around inside. “Sounds like you have your hands full. I hope Ava was no
trouble.” He said politely.

           
“Please,
I wish all twelve of them were as good as Ava.” She turned when she heard
little footsteps bound down the steps behind her.

           
Ava
gave Nina a quick hug and then turned around to greet her dad, but her eyes
connected with Cara’s first. Her blue eyes widened and she grinned happily and
ran straight for her. “Cara! You’re back!” She said as she wrapped her little
arms around Cara’s waist.

           
Cara
was taken back for a moment from the forceful hug Ava gave her. She leaned down
and wrapped her arms around her. She didn’t know why, but her eyes filled with
unshed tears as she realized she couldn’t remember the last time she had seen
Ava.

           
“Hi
baby girl.” She said hoarsely and closed her eyes relishing in the embrace.
When her eyes opened, she felt Luke’s eyes watching the two of them closely.
She glanced in his direction and met his gaze, offering him a small smile.

           
Luke
cleared his throat and turned to Nina’s mother. “Thanks again for having her,
Jennifer.”

           
“Anytime,
bye Ava.”

           
Ava
pulled away from Cara and turned to Jennifer and gave her a small wave goodbye
before she turned to her dad. “Hi, Daddy.” She said with a big smile.

           
He
kneeled down and pointed to his cheek and she wrapped her arms around his neck
and pressed her lips to his cheek. He took the opportunity to lift her into his
arms and started to walk down the walkway towards his truck carrying her.

           
“Hey
Princess, did you have a good time?”

           
“Yes,
can we give Cara her surprise now?” Ava asked excitedly.

           
“Surprise?”
Cara asked as she walked next to them. Ava pulled back from Luke and looked
down at Cara with a smile.