Fitting The Pieces (The Riverdale Series Book 3) (26 page)

           
Ava wrapped her arms around his
waist as he walked into the kitchen. “Daddy we finished baking and Cara said we
can leave Santa a note to take some back to the North Pole since we made so
many.”

           
Luke laughed slightly and bent down
to press a kiss to the top of Ava’s head. “That’s a good idea baby.” He lifted
the takeout bag he was carrying and rose to his full height and his eyes fell
onto Cara’s. “I picked up dinner.”

           
Cara stared at him, noticing there
was something different in his face. His eyes were bloodshot but he didn’t look
upset. He looked, relieved and almost happy.

           
“What’d you get?” Ava asked.

           
“Chinese.” He said, moving through
the kitchen and placing the bag on the table. He moved next to Cara to grab
plates in the cabinet behind her, but bent down and kissed her lips softly.
“Hi.” He murmured against her mouth.

           
“Hi… is everything okay?” She asked
as her arm wrapped around his neck.

           
“Yeah, Spunky. Everything is better
than okay.” He winked and gave her lips another peck before reaching around her
for the plates.

           
Together the three of them set the
table and dug into the Chinese food. It wasn’t a traditional Christmas, but it
was shaping up to be the perfect one for the three of them. After they finished
dinner they sat around the Christmas tree and watched Christmas movies. At
least, Ava and Cara did, Luke was too busy watching the two girls in his life.
Ava was snuggled next to Cara, when she began to yawn the three of them set up
cookies for Santa, and left him a note. Luke carried Ava to bed and he and Cara
tucked her in. She fought sleep for a good half hour trying to catch a glimpse
of the magical man in the red suit. Exhaustion overcame her, though, and she
fell asleep dreaming of Christmas morning.

           
Cara was watching Luke put the
finalizing touches on the Barbie Dream house with a smile on her face. He felt
her stare and looked up as he clicked the final piece into place.

           
“What?”

           
“She’s going to be so excited
tomorrow. I can’t wait to see her face.” She said softly and took a sip of her
hot cocoa. “Thanks for sharing this with me.”

           
Luke stared at her for a moment,
finding her eyes. Jake was right, he could definitely see forever in them. The
funny thing was he wasn’t freaked out by it. He reached under the tree and
pulled out a perfectly wrapped box.

           
“C’mere.” He said gruffly and
crooked his finger. She set the mug down on the coffee table and sat down
beside him on the floor. He wrapped his arms around her and pulled her onto his
lap. “Thank you for making this Christmas perfect.” He said as he brushed her
hair out of her face.

           
“Me? All I did was bake cookies.”
She said with a laugh and wrapped her arms around his neck.

           
“That’s not true. You turned this
house into holiday central. You didn’t just bake cookies. You gave my daughter
a real glimpse of Christmas. She’s never had that in her own house.”

           
Something in his voice made her melt
and it wasn’t just the words he spoke it was the emotion and honestly laced
with those words. She leaned into him and pressed her mouth to his.

           
“Merry Christmas, Luke.” She
whispered against his mouth.

 
          
He
pulled back slightly and leaned his forehead against hers. “Merry Christmas.”
He watched her take the gift in her hand and with a smile on her face she
started to tear at the corners. Jake was right again, her face would be the
best gift he ever received. She pulled the rest of the paper off the black box,
glancing up at him with a bright smile before she opened the box.

           
For a moment, he worried about the
present and if she would like it, but her face softened as she took the locket
out of the box. It was a beautiful gold heart, and on the back of the heart
engraved was “Always in my heart.”

           
She lifted her gaze to him before
she opened the locket with trembling fingers. Cara gasped at the two pictures
that shared the heart. One side held a photo of her mother and the other side a
photo of Jake. Her eyes watered with tears as she stared at the two people she
lost.

           
“I’m sorry I didn’t mean to upset
you.” He said softly and she raised her head instantly throwing her arms around
his neck. She sobbed into his neck as he wrapped his arms around her waist.

           
“Thank you.” She murmured into his neck
between her sobs. “Thank you so much.”

           
“You’re welcome, baby.” He said as
he rubbed her back softly, letting her cry it out in his arms. They stood like
that a few moments before she pulled back and wiped her eyes.

           
“I love it.” She said with a small
smile. “It’s the best gift I ever got.” She said honestly and looked down at
the locket she still held in the palm of her hand. “Will you put it on me?”

           
“Turn around.” He said with a nod.
She turned in his lap and he spread his legs so she could nestle between them
comfortably. She lifted her hair with one hand and he reached around her and
took the necklace from her hands. He undid the clasp after two tries and
brought it around her neck. He couldn’t help himself and pressed his lips
against the back of her neck. His lips grazed over her tattoo before he brought
the chain around and fastened the clasp.

           
Cara brought her hand up to the
locket that nestled in between her breasts and looked at Luke from over her
shoulder.

           
“I’m never going to take it off.”
She whispered through her emotions. Then she remembered her present for him.
She jumped up and crawled under the tree and pulled out the box she had for
him. “It’s nothing in comparison.” She said as she sat back down and handed it
to him.

           
“I hope its socks. I really needed
socks.” He said with a wink and she cocked her head to the side.

           
“I’ll buy you socks another time.”
She said with a smile. He just held the box as he looked at her. “Luke! Open
your present!” She said excitedly.

           
He laughed at her enthusiasm and
pulled at the wrapping paper. Each piece he pulled off revealed another piece
of a lost treasure. Once all the paper was gone, he looked down at the
collector’s edition G.I. Joe. It was the same one he had been given all those
years ago. The one he had shared with his brother.

           
“I know it’s silly. I mean you’re a
grown man, and I bought you a toy, but I figured it was more of a memory. Like
I was giving you something you shared once with Jake. It’s okay if you don’t
like it. We can list it on Ebay. I bet you can make a pretty nifty turn around
on it.” She rambled nervously until his eyes found hers again.

           
“It’s perfect.” He said with a
smile. “You’re perfect.” He set the box aside and pulled her back onto his lap.
“Thank you.” He said before his mouth came crashing down onto hers. She combed
her fingers through his hair, holding the back of his head as he kissed her.
Luke gave Cara a piece of her broken heart back that Christmas, and she had
done the same for him. Maybe Jake was right. Maybe Cara and Luke could fit all
the pieces of their hearts, together.

           
Nick stood staring out the French
doors at the ocean that spanned the beach. The sun was shining and it was a
beautiful day, a beautiful day to marry the love of his life. Shit, how did
that happen? Hell, what did it matter anyway, he wasn’t going to question God’s
plan, he was just happy the man upstairs had taken to him. He looked over his
shoulder when the door to his suite opened and glanced at his best friend. He
took a moment to be thankful for that day he met Luke Lanza outside of the
elementary school. He may not be standing where he was today if it wasn’t for
him.

           
Luke was dressed in the light gray
suit; Sam insisted he be dressed in. It was ninety degrees and the man who
despised ties more than anything, was fiddling with the noose around his neck.
He cranked his head from side to side, but didn’t utter a complaint.

           
“Man, aren’t you cutting it a bit
close?” Luke said with a nod towards Nick. He was wearing the charcoal suit
pants and nothing else.

           
“It takes me five minutes to get
dressed.” Nick said, sweeping his hand the length of his body. “I’ve got it
like that.”

           
Luke rolled his eyes and looked at
the white button down shirt that was freshly pressed hanging over the back of
the chair. He walked over to the shirt and lifted it.

           
“Right, still it’s my duty to get
your ass in gear.” He sighed and lifted the shirt for Nick to slide his arms
into. .

           
“Did you see her?”

           
“Did I see who?” Luke said, playing
the clueless card and holding back a smile while he did so. Nick slid one arm
at a time into the shirt before turning around and looking at Luke. His eyes
held him steady as he maneuvered the buttons with his fingertips. The man knew
how to dress, that was certain.

           
“Don’t play with me, Luke. Did you
see her?” He said leaving the top button undone as he began to tuck his shirt
into his slacks.

           
“Yeah, I did.” He said with a smile.
“She’s beautiful and I’m not partial because she’s my sister. You got yourself
a beautiful bride, brother.”

           
Nick grinned widely. “I know.”

           
“I can’t believe you’re about to
marry Sam.” Luke said with a quick shake of his head. “Scratch that, I can’t
believe I was so blind all these years.”

           
Nick patted him on the shoulder.
“It’s okay man, if I had a sister, I wouldn’t want you with her either.”

           
“That isn’t it.” Luke said and
watched as Nick walked to the dresser and grabbed the silver pair of cuff
links, Jake had left for him. “I owe you an apology. If I ever made you feel
inadequate, it was wrong of me. Sam’s a lucky girl, Nick. Jake was right, there
isn’t anyone better for our sister. No one will love her the way you love her.”

           
Nick looked at his friend for a
moment. “So you’re okay with it?”

           
“I’ve always been okay with it.” He
took his arm and helped him with the cufflinks. “I’m happy for you.” He lifted
his head once he was finished securing the cufflink. The heat and the tie got
to him for a moment or maybe it was the sincerity of his words, Luke tugged at
the tie again.

           
“Thanks Luke.” Nick said, while he
grabbed his suit jacket. “I love Sam, and she is the silver lining in
everything, but another perk of marrying her is that I get you as a brother. I
always secretly wished that we were and now we will be.” He shrugged his jacket
on and avoided meeting Luke’s eyes. These damn romance novels were turning him
into a sap. The next thing he read was going to be about gore and guts. Hell
yeah.

           
“You have always been my other
brother.” Luke said simply and grabbed the rose boutonnière and pinned it to
Nick’s suit. Nick lifted his head and looked at Luke before grabbing him into a
manly embrace, one that required several firm pats on the back.

           
“Okay, you’re starting to get
emotional. Better get you to the gazebo.” Luke said with the hint of laughter
in his voice.
 
“Rings?”

           
Nick reached for the black box that
was on the dresser and handed them off to Luke.

           
“Vows?” Luke asked, raising an
eyebrow.

           
Nick pointed to his heart. “That
shit can’t come from a piece of paper. It’s all right there.”

           
“Good answer.” Luke said with a grin
and patted his back one more time. “Let’s go get you hitched, brother.”

* * * * *

           
Deb’s glasses dangled on the tip of
her nose. She was struggling to secure the last of the pearl buttons on the
back of Sam’s wedding gown, but couldn’t see through the tears that were
cascading down her face. Thank God for waterproof mascara and all, this family
was going to need it. Cara stilled Deb’s trembling fingers.

           
“Deb, why don’t you let me finish?”
Cara said softly. Deb lifted her head and pulled her glasses off her face. Cara
finished the delicate buttons, when she was finished; she looked over Sam’s
shoulder at the reflection in the mirror. Sam was staring at the glass with a
blank expression. Her mother fitted her veil behind her, trying her hardest to
pull herself together to dress her only daughter. Cara’s hand touched Sam’s
bare shoulder.

           
“You’re beautiful.” She whispered
with a smile.

           
“I’m getting married.” Sam said in a
hushed tone.

           
“Yeah, you are.” Cara assured her as
she admired what a beautiful bride Sam made.

           
“I’m marrying Nick Foti. I’m going
to be Samantha Foti.” She said with wide eyes.

           
Deb let out another sob at her
daughter’s exclamation. Sam turned around and faced her mom. “Don’t cry mom.
Please don’t cry.” She said taking her mother’s hands in hers.

           
“They’re happy tears, dear.” She
said and lifted her hand to her daughter’s cheek. “Wait until your father sees
you.” She said smiling through her tears.

           
“Aunt Sam, you look like a
princess!” Ava exclaimed as she wrapped her arms around Cara’s waist and looked
up at Sam in awe. “The prettiest princess ever!”

           
Sam turned and smiled at her niece.
“No, baby girl, that would be you.” She said and winked at the little girl
dressed in a replica of her own wedding dress.

The
color drained from Sam’s face when Cara handed her, her bouquet. “Oh my God!
Where is the pin?”

           
“Calm down, honey.” Deb said and
handed the pin to Cara. “Can you put it on, Cara? I can’t do it with these
trembling fingers.”

           
Cara took the pin from Deb’s shaking
hands and looked down at Jake’s picture, a smile captured her face and then she
took Sam’s bouquet and pinned it to the handle. “There, now you just need your
dad and you’re all set to be given to the man of your dreams.” Cara said and
leaned in and kissed Sam’s cheek.

           
Tears shone brightly in Sam’s eyes
and she lifted her bouquet to inspect Jake’s photo. She pressed her lips to his
picture and bit down on her lip so she wouldn’t cry. God, she wished he was here,
wiggling his eyebrows.

           
A knock sounded on the door and they
all turned around as Mallory poked her head into the suite. “Are we ready?” She
said with a beaming smile.

           
“Where’s Joe?” Deb asked, with her
hand to her chest as she took a deep breath. The woman was having an anxiety
attack or something… typical Deb.

           
“He’s at the bar with Phillip
waiting.” Mallory said as if Joe and Phillip shooting shots were a normal
occurrence. “Joe needed a little liquid courage to give the bride away.”

           
“Did you see him?” Sam asked
hoarsely.

           
“Of course I did. You don’t think
I’d miss doing a shot with Joe do you?”

           
“Nick, did you see Nick?” Sam
clarified.

           
“Oh…” Mallory’s smile got even
wider. “Prince charming is waiting and he looks absolutely swoon worthy. I mean
panty dropping to a whole new level.” She exclaimed and shook her hand as if
she was scorched for a dramatic effect to her words.

           
“Panty dropping?” Deb asked
confused.

           
“What’s panty dropping, Cara?” Ava
looked up at her with questioning eyes.

           
“Nothing, sweetheart.” Cara said and
silently hoped for Luke’s sanity, she didn’t repeat the question. Ever.

           
“I’m ready.” Sam said and pressed a
hand to her slightly rounded belly.

* * * * *

           
Nick stood beside the priest as the
organ sounded with some whimsical music. He removed his hands from his pockets
and dropped them to his side. Phillip groaned beside him as the sun beat down
on them. He slipped his sunglasses on and Nick held back a chuckle. He looked
around the few rows of white chairs that surrounded the gazebo on the sand. He
nodded towards his mother, who smiled in return. His heart warmed, a foreign
thing, when it came to his own mother. Then he lifted his gaze and watched Luke
walk his mother down the aisle. Deb held onto her son for dear life as she
cried uncontrollably. Nick smiled at her, warmly. That woman would always be a
mother to him. Christ, he really was a lucky guy.

           
Luke bent down and pressed a kiss to
his mother’s cheek before he took his place next to Nick. They watched as
Mallory made her way down the aisle. Her hair was pulled up in a twist and the
short lilac dress flowed around her knees, the wind hiking it just a bit.
Phillip shook his head.

           
 
“Scandalous, even at a wedding.” He muttered
under his breath as she took her place across from the men. Nick smiled at her
and then he felt Luke go tense beside him. He glanced at his friend and watched
as he swallowed. His eyes fixated on the end of the aisle. Nick turned and saw
Cara. Her hair was swept up in curls, her dress the same as Mallory’s. She
clutched her bouquet with one hand and her other hand held Ava’s. The two girls
looked at each other and smiled before they walked down the aisle.

           
Luke’s face broke out into a smile
as they moved closer. Ava blew a kiss to her dad before sitting beside her
grandmother. Cara’s eyes found his and he winked at her.

           
“You’re beautiful.” He mouthed.

           
“Thank you.” She whispered back.

           
Nick cleared his throat. Luke
elbowed him. Cara laughed. The music changed, and the wedding march began. The
guest stood from their seats all turning towards the aisle to catch their first
glimpse of the bride. Joe and Sam rounded the corner, standing at the end of
the aisle. She lifted her eyes and though they were shielded by her veil, they
found Nick’s.

           
Nick inhaled sharply. She smiled at
him and his heart clenched. There was nothing more beautiful in the world, than
the woman that stood just a tad out of his reach. She began to make her way
towards him, and his throat closed. Nick’s eyes never left those blue eyes that
began to shed tears of happiness. His smile blossomed and he took a step out of
the gazebo. The years flashed before him, remembering her as just a girl he
knew, and how that girl became the woman he loved with all his heart. Sure, it
took a while, but right then and there he looked into her eyes and he knew his
search was over. She was with him all the while, maybe always just a tad out of
his reach, but never to be again.

           
Joe and Sam stopped at the gazebo
and Nick’s eyes diverted to Joe. He watched as the man cried while lifting his
daughter’s veil. He pressed his lips to her cheek and Sam leaned into him,
cementing the feel of her father’s lips to her cheek. She would never forget
that moment, not as long as she lived and she was sure neither would her
father.

           
“I love you, Samantha.” Joe croaked
taking her hand he turned to Nick. Nick nodded as Joe took his hand with his
free one. He joined Nick and Sam’s hands together and squeezed them lightly.

           
“Who gives this woman’s hand in
marriage?” The priest asked.

           
“I do.” Joe said hoarsely. Nick held
Sam’s hand and wrapped his free arm around Joe. He hugged the only man who was
ever really a father to him.