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.
“Me and Daddy got you a surprise! It’s at Grandma’s.” She said enthusiastically.
Cara’s eyes moved from Ava to Luke, but he gave nothing away with his expression. He opened the back door and deposited Ava into the seat before glancing back at Cara.
“You got me a surprise?” She asked quietly.
He shrugged his shoulders sheepishly. “You’ll just have to wait and see.”
* * * * *
Nick and Sam opened the door to her parent’s home and were greeted by her parents shouting.
“I can’t believe you let that son of yours leave that demon creature in this house!” Joe bellowed.
“Joe, if I remember correctly, you were the one who begged me for years to get the kids a dog!” Deb shouted back.
“Mom? Dad?” Sam called.
“Do you honestly think they can hear you?” Nick asked her as he wrapped his arms around her waist.
Sam bit down on her lip as her father started shouting again. “I’m afraid to go inside.”
“Why don’t we sneak back out, squeeze in a quickie and come back.” Nick offered.
“A quickie is why we are late to begin with.” She reminded him with a smile.
“That’s it! Lock it up! Throw it out! I don’t care what you do with it, but I draw the line!!” Joe yelled.
“What is it now?! You do realize he’s just a puppy.” Deb said exasperated.
“He ate my salami!”
Nick burst out laughing and then before Sam could say anything a cute little beagle sniffed her feet, wearing a T-shirt that read “If you think I’m cute, you should see my master.” Her eyes widened as she knelt down to pet the puppy.
“Oh my god! Where did you come from?” She asked the puppy as she scooped him up and the puppy showered her with kisses.
Nick grunted. “Get your paws off her.”
Sam laughed as she buried her nose into the puppy’s fur.
“Great! Now you lost the dog, Joe!” Deb said frazzled. She started making cute noises trying to lure the puppy back as she walked through the house trying to find him. “Come here puppy… come to Grandma. Grandpa didn’t mean it, but you can’t eat his salami. That’s a no-no.”
Nick raised an eyebrow as he listened to Deb. “No one would believe this…”
Deb walked into the entryway and sighed in relief when she saw Nick and Sam holding the puppy. “Oh, thank god.”
Nick walked over and wrapped an arm around Deb’s shoulders as he planted a kiss onto her cheek. “Rough day, Deb?”
“You have no idea! I’m glad you kids are here. Can you watch the dog so I can finish cooking?”
Sam looked over at her mom. “Sure, but care to explain why there’s a dog here in the first place?”
“Luke dropped him off this morning at the crack of dawn before he went to pick up Cara.” She paused for a moment and looked at the puppy trying to figure him out. “I don’t think he likes your father very much. He ate your father’s favorite pair of loafers, two of his Patsy Cline vinyl records and now his salami.” She frowned.
“Luke got a dog?” Nick asked absurdly.
“He bought it for Cara.” Deb said with a faint smile.
Nick’s eyes widened as he rubbed his hand over his head. Oh shit, he thought. Luke was far more gone than he thought.
“That’s so sweet!” Sam exclaimed. Nick shook his head, if she only knew….
Joe joined them carrying a shoe box. He growled at the dog. “Here put him in this until they get here!”
“Dad! I’m not putting the dog in a shoe box!” Sam exclaimed, looking at her father as if he lost whatever sense he had left.
“Why the hell not?! He likes the scent of Italian Leather. I have the proof in the garbage.” He shouted defensively.
Nick glanced out the window as Luke’s truck pulled into the driveway. “They’re here.” He said, wondering how this would play out.
“Well sound the trumpets!” Joe said sarcastically and then smiled at his little girl and offered her the box again.
She rolled her eyes and looked at Deb. “Where should we put the dog? I’m sure he wants to give it to her.”
Joe turned to Nick. “Didn’t I just offer a place to put the dog?”
“You did.” Nick said and patted him on the back.
“Just put him down and maybe he’ll run to her.” Deb said as she shrugged her shoulders.
“This isn’t a Budweiser commercial, woman!” Joe said as he threw the shoebox on the floor, giving up. He shook his head. “What are you all going to do? Stand here, like a bunch of clowns when they walk in?” He mumbled as he walked into the living room.
“I can’t believe I’m saying this… but he’s right. We should pretend to be doing something.” Deb said.
Sam turned and looked at Nick with a frown. “I think it’s finally happened.”
“What’s that baby?” Nick said as he leaned against the banister, wondering if that was sufficient enough in the pretending to do something category.
“They’ve finally lost their minds.” Sam said sadly as she watched her mother pull out the vacuum from the hall closet.
Sam and Nick followed Deb into the living room and Sam bent down and let the puppy run free as Deb plugged in the vacuum. Nick sat down on the sofa beside Joe and glanced over at the front door as the doorbell rang.
“I hate to point this out. But if we’re all pretending to do something who is going to answer the door?” Nick asked pointedly.
“Come in!!” Joe shouted into Nick’s ear drum.
“How’s that?” Joe asked his future son-in-law.
* * * * *
Luke sighed and rang the doorbell again just as Ava started to knock on the front door.
“What’s taking them so long?” He asked in wonderment.
“Why don’t you try the doorknob? They never lock it.” Ava said, looking up at him. Luke shrugged his shoulders and did just that. Of course it wasn’t locked and he pushed open the door, Ava ran underneath his arm inside.
“We’re here!!!” She called out.
Luke held open the door for Cara, and stepped inside behind he
r. “Where is everybody?” He asked as he closed the door. Ava took her jacket off in a hurry and handed it to Luke.
“We’re in here!” Deb called from the living room and Ava ran inside.
Cara stood in the entryway frozen. The people she loved most were just a few feet away from her and she hadn’t seen them since they sat beside her hospital bed, begging her to get the help she needed. She felt Luke’s hand on her shoulder and she looked up at him.
“You okay?” He asked softly searching her eyes.
She looked into his eyes and wished he could read her thoughts, and understand her fears. She had avoided them for months because she was afraid of the reminders of Jake and what they would do to her. She accepted that being around the Lanza’s would cause her to think of Jake and she was okay with that. She learned she could embrace the happy memories as a great part of her life and let go of the sadness. It would be a struggle but she was prepared to do just that. She was afraid she would be the reminder to the Lanza’s and that she’d cause them pain by being there.
“Cara!! Look!” Ava said, causing Cara to break eye contact with Luke and look down at Ava. Her eyes widened when she saw Ava cuddling a little puppy in her arms that were extended to Cara. “Surprise!!” She exclaimed happily.
Chapter Ten
Cara’s eyes grew wide and she stepped closer to Ava, bending down to her level. She reached out carefully to pet the top of the puppy’s head, he leaped out of Ava’s arms and into Cara’s. She couldn’t hold back the giggle that escaped her when the puppy started licking her face, showering her with kisses.
Ava looked up at her dad with a big smile. “I think she likes him Daddy!”
Luke watched as Cara rocked back and sat on her legs that were now tucked underneath her as she continued to caress the puppy. A big smile adorning her beautiful face. He shifted his eyes towards his daughter and winked.
Cara looked between the father and daughter, settling her eyes back on Ava, she exclaimed “I love him! Does he have a name?”
“Nope!” Ava said as she began to pet the puppy too.
“Name the damn thing Demon, that’s what he is anyway.” Joe said from the entryway of the living room, causing Cara to lift her head. Joe winked at her when their eyes met. She heard Deb’s breath hitch as she took a good long look at her. Cara placed a small kiss to the puppy’s head and handed him back to Ava before standing to her full height. “We’re going to have to work on a name for this little guy.” She said to the little girl and then turned back to Joe. “Demon just won’t work.” She said softly with a small smile.
“Wait, you just wait until he eats your finest pair of shoes.” He said and then smiled. Deb came up beside him and went to take a step towards Cara, wanting desperately to pull her into an embrace, but she stopped herself. She took a retreating step back and smiled at Cara.
“It’s so good to see you sweetheart.” Deb said, hoping she sounded nonchalant.
Luke accessed his mother’s mannerisms and leaned into Cara’s ear and whispered. “She’s afraid to hug you.”
Cara looked over at him and saw the smile on his mouth as he looked at his mother, daring her to tell him he was wrong.
“Don’t be silly, Luke. I just don’t want to bombard her.”
Cara looked at Deb and cocked her head to the side for a moment. Deb was clearly trying to struggle to keep her cool, but her glistening eyes told her that Luke was right. She walked towards her and wrapped her arms around the woman who was the closest thing she had to a mother.
“I was waiting for you to hug me.” She whispered softly and closed her eyes as Deb held back a sob and hugged her with vigor.
“Oh, sweetheart, we missed you.” Deb whispered hoarsely into her ear. Cara knew the hidden meaning behind the words Deb spoke. They had missed the real Cara, not the damaged one they had last seen.
They broke their embrace and Cara turned around and her eyes met Sam’s. She smiled at her friend as she walked over to her placing her palm against her belly. “I heard all about the great debate as to whether or not you’re showing.” She glanced up at Sam, seeking permission to see for herself. Sam smoothed her loose shirt over her slightly rounding tummy and Cara’s eyes lit up, noticing the tiniest bump. She grinned and found Sam’s eyes. “Oh my God, Sam!”
Sam smiled and then looked away from Cara, not wanting to cry, but it was no use. She turned around and wiped away at her tears. “I’m so glad you’re okay.” Sam admitted.
“Me too.” Cara said softly and wiped the rest of Sam’s tears as they rolled down her cheeks. “I’m so happy for you.” She looked over at Nick, who was standing behind Sam. “You too, Nick. You guys are going to be great parents.”
“Thanks Cara.” Nick said and leaned over to kiss her cheek. “Glad you’re home.”
She winked at Nick knowing very well that this house has been just as much Nick and Cara’s home as it was the rest of theirs.
“Touching, truly it melts my heart to see this, but can we eat now?” Joe said, clasping his hands together and rubbing them anticipating the meal he had been smelling cook for the last few hours.
Deb rolled her eyes. “You always know how to ruin the moment!”
“What moment? I waited for everyone to profess their love.” He said innocently and began to make his was into the dining room.
“Wait! You can’t go in there!” Deb exclaimed in a hurry.
“Don’t you think it’s better if we eat in the kitchen?” Sam said, eyeing her father with a warning glance.
“Yeah, it’s so much more comfortable in the kitchen.” Nick said when Sam nudged him to play along.
“We don’t all fit in the kitchen.” Luke said, trying desperately to figure out what his family was up to. Joe rolled his eyes and stepped into the dining room, flicking the chandelier on as he did so.
“Joe Lanza I am warning you…”Deb shouted desperately as they all hurried after him, stopping short when he glanced at the empty dining room table. The table the family had avoided for the last three and a half months.
“Why isn’t the table set?” Joe asked, turning around and facing his family. They all remained still, no one able to admit the sad truth. “Oh for the love of God, I can’t go on like this anymore.”
“Dad…” Luke started.
“No, it’s enough Luke. I am not eating dinner in the kitchen on a stool or outside again for that matter. Five minutes before the two of you walked in this house we all had to pretend to be doing something because no one knows how to act normally anymore.” He walked around the table and pulled out the seat Jake would sit in at family dinners. “Now all of you pick a goddamn seat and sit the hell down.” He sat down in his son’s chair and looked up at their wide-eyed faces. “Yeah, I did it. Who’s with me?”
Cara stared at Joe for a moment and then across at the chair she used to sit in. She walked over and took the seat beside Joe and sat in it instead.
“I never liked sitting on that end.” She nudged Joe with an elbow.
“I hated sitting in front of that damn china closet. I was always afraid I’d break something.” Joe admitted as he draped an arm around Cara’s shoulder and kissed her cheek. “You’re the only normal one.”
“Can I sit next to Cara?” Ava asked. Luke looked over at Cara as she patted the seat next to her signaling for Ava to sit.
“Go ahead.” Luke said and took the seat on the end near his daughter, placing him at the head of the table.
Joe looked up at Nick and Sam. “Are you two going to join us?”
Nick shrugged his shoulders and sat on the other side of Luke, patting the seat next to him for Sam. She followed Nick’s lead and sat down. All eyes turned towards Deb and she stood with her mouth gaping open in shock.
“If you can’t beat them join them.” She muttered and took a seat beside her daughter.
“Now that that’s settled, who else is starving?” Joe said quite proud of himself.
“I’ll set the table.”
Sam offered.
“I’ll help.” Cara said and rose to help Sam as Deb went into the kitchen to bring the food to the table. Joe watched the women scurry into the kitchen and then turned to the two men.
“And that boy’s is how it’s done.” He said making his way towards the liquor cabinet and pouring himself a glass of wine.
Luke shook his head and watched his daughter run off chasing the dog. He felt Nick staring at him.
“What?” He exclaimed.
“You bought Cara a dog.”
“So?” He said shrugging his shoulders, refusing to make a big deal out of it.
“You’re playing with fire.” Nick whispered, making sure Joe didn’t hear them.
“It was Ava’s idea. You’re reading too much into it.”
“Somehow I don’t think I am. You forget I know you better than you know yourself sometimes.”
“Leave it alone, Nick.” He said warningly and decided at that moment he was better off helping the ladies serve dinner than sit at a table and get lectured by his best friend.
* * * * *
“Dinner was delicious.” Cara said, walking back into the dining room with two freshly brewed espressos. She placed one in front of Joe and took the other for herself.
Joe took the first sip and then grinned up at Cara. “You’ve got the magic touch.”
She laughed and sat down beside him and looked over at Sam. “Okay, so where were we?”
Sam bit her lip and hesitated for a moment. “We were talking about the wedding.”
Cara nodded and took a sip of her coffee. “You’re not going to make me wear a dreadful frilly satin dress with bows are you?” She shuddered at the idea of bows.
“I actually had some dresses picked out that I wanted to show you. I’ve been making a scrapbook of things that I like.”
“Do you have it with you?” Cara asked.
“Yeah… are you sure?” Sam asked, knowing it was a touchy subject.
Cara smiled at her. “It’s okay. I want to see.” She said genuinely. Sam smiled and hurried to grab her scrapbook in the living room. Cara turned around and looked over at Ava and Luke, who were playing with the dog. Luke lifted his eyes towards her.
Fitting The Pieces (The Riverdale Series Book 3) Page 12
