Synopsis: Riley Matthews needs to get out of New York, after her parents advised her to go to her great grandmother’s house in Texas she’s on the first plane to the Lone Star State. Lucas Friar is a single father trying to live up to his family’s legacy but he knows he’s overworking himself to please his mother. The moment the two of them meet they realize what they had been missing all along, but family and their past will threaten their relationship.
[Previous Chapters]
A/N: This chapter got a little heavy very quickly, but the two of them are talking so that’s the start of something. I’m trying to build their relationship a little better, while moving the story along. Also if you want a preview of the next chapter.... read the tags
Chapter Four
“Wake up sleepy head,” someone said next to Riley. Someone she wanted to kill for waking her up because she was having a particularly dirty dream about having her way with Lucas. Riley opened her eyes to see her very pregnant friend sitting on the edge of the bed.
“What do you want Maya,” Riley said yawning as she turned over to face her. “Do you have any idea what time it is?”
“Yes, it’s after 2 in the afternoon, geez Riles what time did you go to bed last night?” Maya said as she stood up.
“I think it was 10 in the morning when I crawled into bed,” Riley sighed sitting up and moving towards the edge of the bed. “I need some freaking coffee.”
“Let’s go get you some, and you can tell me about your date with Lucas that the whole freaking town is talking about but I have no idea what happened because my best friend didn’t think to send me a message about. What did I do to deserve this Riley?” Maya said acting fake hurt.
Riley rolled her eyes as she brushed her teeth. “Not my fault Maya, I kinda stayed up all night writing, but you’re welcome to read it if you want.”
“Oh my god you wrote the night into a novel didn’t you, I was just joking about that, but you went and did it. Give it to me now,” Maya said walking out the door before Riley could stop her.
By the time Riley had showered and changed into clean clothes, Maya was waiting in the study reading through what Riley had written, with a cup of coffee waiting for her. Riley sat down on the soft couch next to the desk and waited until the blonde had finished reading.
“Shit Riles, is this all true?” Maya said looking over at her. “I only know the part of the plan was for you to get ideas from Lucas for your books.”
“I talked to Charlie about this,” Riley sighed thinking about her earlier conversation with her other best friend. “And I know he told you about this crazy plan to use what happens in real life in my novels but seriously I think I may have added more than usual into that story.”
“Riles did Lucas go down on you on the front porch,” Maya said bluntly, and Riley knew that there was no way she could lie to her best friend.
“Yes he did, and he didn’t ask for anything in return either.”
“Wow, and according to this you think that the reason why he didn’t do anything more is because he thought you were drunk, Riley you’re literally writing your encounters with him. Everything else is made up unless he came to the house on a white horse, but yeah you’ve written everything else down. By the way where did the horse come from?”
“He works on a ranching business, I think I just let my mind get away from me on that one,” Riley felt herself sink in the couch as she looked at her very pregnant best friend. “Is this okay, I mean the writing about our almost sex life in the book.”
“I think it is because this is hotter than anything you’ve written before, and you’re writing better smut now than before. God I could kick myself for letting you date Evan at all because apparently he never inspired you to write literal porn.”
Riley groaned at what Maya was saying before standing up. “I’m going to get some food, and while we eat we need to discuss the possibility of me seducing a certain cowboy and how to do it because I was just winging it last night.”
Maya smiled at her and followed her out the door, the two of them gathered bagels and donuts in the kitchen before settling on the porch to take in the summer breeze and so that Riley could clear her head. She needed to get the image of Lucas out of her head but it was permanently trapped in her mind.
“You and Josh aren’t really friends with him,” Riley said as they started eating.
“We’re kind of outsiders here, we only moved here because they offered Josh the job so we only know a few people, anything personal about Lucas that I know comes from what Josh hears at the station but the man is a very private person.”
“What do you know?”
“Only that there’s a family who wants to marry into the Friar family, that everyone loves him, and that he was divorced but that’s it. For some reason he’s very private and makes sure that his business stays his.”
“Wait he’s divorced? For how long?”
“According to some of the ladies in town it’s been nearly eight years, he married young but got divorced a year or so later.”
“That’s something new, but I did meet the girl whose family wants to marry into Lucas’ family, she’s nice and engaged to someone else so that’s never going to go anywhere.”
Maya sighed. “Why does this feel more complicated than it should be?”
“When is my life not complicated, I’m the middle child of the power couple of the world.”
Before Maya could say anything else a white car pulled up to the house, and Missy got out smiling at the two of them, before going to the side of the car and grabbing something.
“Hi Missy,” Riley said smiling. If she needed any information on Lucas why not ask the woman that was supposed to be his wife. “What brings you over today?”
“Well I made some sangria and thought I would share, and also I don’t have a lot of girlfriends, mainly because this town is small and everyone judges me because of my family so I thought you would be the best person to talk to… um about… well about wedding stuff.”
“Wow, well I’m honored,” Riley said smiling at the woman. “Missy this is my best friend Maya, her husband is my Uncle Josh, you know the sheriff.”
“Oh, wow I guess I should have introduced myself to you a long time ago,” Missy said as she walked towards them. “The sangria is non-alcoholic, because I’m driving so Maya you can have some.”
“Oh thank god, I miss drinking, and I miss girl time, being pregnant is a blessing and all but it’s depressing when I can’t have a drink,” Maya said making Riley laugh.
“How about I bring out some cheese and crackers and we can talk about your wedding,” Riley said standing up. “And maybe you can help me with my own problem.”
“What problem is that?” Missy asked as she sat down.
“The Lucas problem,” Maya answered. “Riley likes him, and well they’re getting close but he sometimes gets really quiet around her so it’s hard for them to form a connection.”
“I can definitely help with that because you’re helping me even more by being with him. My dad is dead set on marrying the two of us and as much as I love Lucas, well it’s more like a brother sister thing.”
Riley couldn’t help but laugh at what Missy said, it reminded her of Charlie and how she had tried to force herself to stay in that relationship because everyone had once told them that they would be perfect for each other, but she saw him as a brother and nothing more. Now they were the best of friends and she was happier than she had ever been. Except Evan had happened. Riley set the food around the patio table and brought out cups for them to drink out of, she grabbed the speaker she had brought with her from New York, and hooked it on to her phone. The music was soft, classic summer songs so that they would be able to talk and have a little fun while they were at it.
“So,” she said once everything was set up. “What can you tell me about Lucas.”
“He doesn’t like liars, or people who think it’s okay to use someone, blame his ex-wife for that. She ran off and sent him the divorce papers like it was nothing,” Missy said. “He found out afterwards that she had used him to get some money from him.”
Riley felt like scum all of a sudden, because in a way she was using her experience with him to help her out. One to get over what happened with Evan, and second to help her with her book. She wasn’t meant to deceive people.
“Well that’s interesting, I hadn’t known about that,” Maya said looking at Riley. Maya knew so well how her mind worked and of course she was trying to divert anything Riley was thinking but it was already in her head. She didn’t like to lie to anyone, her pen name was more for her career than anything else.
“Tell me something about yourself Riley,” Missy said interrupting Riley’s rampant thoughts. “I heard you’re a write but I don’t know if I’ve read your stuff. Then again I’m not the most avid reader.”
“I write fiction, both of the books have been on the Times Bestseller list, but I’m on a break right now trying to figure out what to write next,” Riley said which was technically the truth since her next big fiction book was still being plotted out. “My mom suggested I come down here because this was my great-grandmother’s house, and well Maya and Josh lived here.”
The three of them talked about Riley’s books but her heart wasn’t in it, she was tired and she couldn’t help but feel like she had lied to Lucas even though he didn’t know about it. She wondered if she should come clean but after Missy left Maya had tried to convince her to keep it a secret for a little while longer. The only thing she learned from Missy about Lucas was that he was incredibly hardworking and had done so much before turning thirty.
When she was alone that night she poured her heart into her writing, and giving her story’s protagonist the same dilemma she was facing. Whether to tell the truth about who she was, about what she was hiding. At this point Riley was hiding a lot, not only from Lucas but from her friends and family and she didn’t know how long she could hide it from them.
Lucas had a rare Saturday off, his mother had taken Liliana to the city for a ballet that was in town, and they were going to stay the night over there. He finished his rounds in the stables early and was trying to find something to do, but all of his thoughts went to Riley. It had been three days since he last saw her, and his skin was itching to run over there and ask her out again. Instead he grabbed a cold shower and finished up the last of his paperwork before he found himself in his car driving into town, only to turn the car around and drive towards Riley’s house. She was a drug and he needed her so badly.
Zay had told him that he needed to just go with the flow when it came to Riley, she was a city girl and in the end she would leave. So he shouldn’t get too attached to the brunette, but he craved her. It was a strange feeling, he wanted to give her everything without taking anything in return.
So now he was sitting in his car outside of her house trying to gain the confidence to knock on her door. He took a few deep breaths before getting out and walking towards the front door, he noticed once he was there that the door was wide open which was normal for people who lived in town because everyone knew one another, but for Riley he thought it was strange, because city people always locked the doors even when they were home.
“Riley?” he said out loud but when no one answered he walked inside to look for her, worried that something had happened.
He found her asleep on a couch in the study, with the air conditioner on full blast, Riley curled up into herself as if she was trying to keep the warmth in. The air wasn’t freezing cold, since the air conditioner wasn’t a large model, and the door was open so the heat from the rest of the house was keeping the room from cooling down. For some reason he saw her as vulnerable in that instance, and not the confident woman he had come to know. They had barely known one another for two weeks but this was the first time he felt as though he were seeing the real person.
“Riley,” he whispered trying to wake her but she whimpered next to him and mumbled something he didn’t understand. He placed his hand on her shoulder and slightly shook her, “Riley.”
Instead of waking up she leaned into his touch, and he thought it was the sweetest thing he could ever see. Her eyes began to flutter open and his were met with a familiar brown.
“Lucas,” she said looking at him confused before sitting up to realize that he was real and in front of her. “What are you doing here?”
“Well I had some free time, and was trying to figure out what to do so I thought that maybe we could have another… well another date,” he said not knowing why he felt so nervous asking her out. “But we can stay in and watch movies, and maybe get to know one another a little better.”
She smiled at him in that moment. “That would be nice, and maybe we can order some take out because I’m starving. I was working all night and I took a walk this morning only to crash right here.”
“Alright, the only good take-out in this two is from the taco place run by the Diaz family so I can put in an order, so why don’t you freshen up and I’ll get to ordering our dinner.”
“Give me ten minutes, and can you order some nachos for me, if they have,” she said as she rushed out of the room and ran upstairs.
Lucas thought it was adorable the way she went from flustered to determined, he couldn’t understand this attraction they had to one another but he didn’t mind pursuing. Riley had made him feel alive for once and not the person he had become. He loved being a father but for some reason it didn’t make him feel whole, and it made him feel like a bad father because he couldn’t give Liliana what she needed. He could blame his parents but in the end the blame was his for what had happened when he got divorced.
He ordered the food and sat around in the warm living room watching as the sun streamed through the curtains. This was a beautiful house, one that he had always admired growing up because it looked so loved, unlike the monster of a house he had inherited from his family. His mother didn’t live with him because of all the memories the house held, but it always felt more like a shrine to his family than a home. It was yet another reason he felt that he was a failure as a father.
Riley stood in front of him once she changed smiling at him, “We should eat outside, it’s a nice day. Plus, it’s hot in here and I don’t think I can stand to be in the heat any longer.”
“Whatever you say milady,” he said gesturing with his hands before leading her out to the porch.
“I’m amazed you didn’t go snooping around while I was washing up,” she smiled as though she would have done it if she was at his house.
Lucas laughed at what she was saying, “If you were at my house would you have snooped around.”
“Well considering from what I can anyway, your house is the biggest in town so I’m thinking there might be a secret room somewhere and I would want to find it because maybe on the inside I could find a secret gold stash or something.”
“There’s no secret room in that house, but I swear the ghost of my ancestors haunt the place.”
Riley laughed at him, it was sweet how he humored her and she liked it. She had also thought about her conversation with Missy and Maya, and since she didn’t want to tell him about the romance novel she was writing, she did want to be more honest with the man. She couldn’t deal with having a bad relationship with Lucas of any kind. So while they waited for their food she set the table on the porch, and thought about how to talk to him.
It was strange in a way, she had kept most of her deepest secrets from everyone, but if they were going to start a relationship of any kind she wanted to be truly honest with him about it. Once they sat down, with some left over sangria that Missy had left behind Riley knew that it was the right decision.
“So I thought that we should be up front with whatever this is,” she said staring up at the green eyes in front of her. “I’m only here for a short time, and while I like what’s happening between the two of us I think that you should know that there’s well a time limit.”
“I wanted to talk to you about it too, and well I was going to suggest we just go with it until you had to leave. I mean I knew you weren’t going to stay here permanently considering I’ve never seen anyone stay in this house more than a few months,” he said automatically regretting it when he saw her face shift. “Sorry.”
“It’s okay, at least you’re being honest, and as much as I like this house… well it’s not really my style. My office at home has a bay window and I miss it so much.”
“Can I ask something?”
“Sure, since we’re being honest here. Ask away,” she said looking at her drink.
“Why are you here? Other than the fact that you’re here to drive me crazy, and I don’t really mind because I don’t normally ask anyone out, but for some reason you’re the exception.”
Riley knew that she would have to tell someone, no one other than her mother and the NYPD knew about what had happened before she left. She made sure that it never got out because of who she was, but since the conversation with Missy and Maya, Riley knew that she needed someone to know about it while she was in Texas.
“Well… um… it’s a long story, and one that I don’t really like to share and if I tell you,” she could feel her hands shaking as she tried to figure out a way to tell him. “Well you have to promise me that no one else will know.”
“I promise, but Riley why are you shaking?” he asked but she shook her head the moment she saw the food delivery car pull up. Lucas needed to be the only one she told, she didn’t want anyone else involved. She watched Lucas pay for the food and was thinking about telling him to forget about it but her mother had said that she needed to talk to someone.
When Lucas came back and sat down, he gave her a small smile and that’s when her resolve crumbled. She started crying and couldn’t stop, the weight of her life pushing down on her shoulders. Lucas didn’t make a comment, he only wrapped his arms around her waiting until she calmed down enough to start talking again.
“Sorry,” she said to him as she wiped the last of the tears from her eyes. “I’ve been a tough couple of years.”
“I can understand that,” he said to her. “How about I share my story with you and when you’re ready you can share with me what you want to say.”
“Okay,” she said her voice a quiet whisper.
“Okay, well I’m pretty sure someone told you that I’m divorced, especially since I know Missy’s sangria anywhere. I’ve been drinking it at barbeques for years. When I was in college I met my ex-wife, we had been together I think for six months before she told me she was pregnant, and of course being the nice small town boy, I married her. Everyone told me that it was a lie, and a mistake, which I should have listened to them, although the pregnancy wasn’t a lie and I do have a daughter.”
“You have a kid, why haven’t I heard about that?” Riley asked him surprised about what he was saying.
“Let me finish, and yes I have a kid, she’s sarcastic and snarky at times, she would rather stay home and read or climb trees instead of going to ballet classes, and whatever instrument class my mother has signed her up for. Anyway, we moved back here and into that giant house. I thought we were happy, until the day after my daughter was born when my wife disappeared leaving behind divorce papers and a letter stating that since she hadn’t signed a prenup she was entitled to half of everything. I don’t think she realized that we were living in my parents’ house and that none of that was mine, so her got half of my inheritance, which wasn’t huge to begin with and I got to keep my daughter.”
“How can someone just leave their child like that?” Riley was truly astonished at how someone could do something so cruel to a child.
“I ask myself that every day, but I love my daughter and I would leave everything I have to my ex if it meant that I got Liliana.”
“That’s sweet,” she said to him, taking his hand in hers and squeezing. “Okay my turn,” she took a deep breath realizing that this was something she needed to do. “Two years ago, I found my boyfriend in bed with another woman… and another man. He always said I was a prude, because I didn’t do anything with him. But I realized since that night on the porch here with you that, well that wasn’t the case, maybe it was something that went off in my head that I ignored, and well most people didn’t know that he was involved in a threesome because I kept it from them… well anyway, I got angry at him because… well he never really said anything nice to me to begin with. Well at first he did, but after we moved in together he started to chip away at my self-esteem, I didn’t know it was happening.”
Lucas was about to say something but she stopped him and continued. “Let me finish, it’s a little hard to say anything about this and the only people that know are living in New York. Anyway, instead of leaving like I should have, I stayed and tried to make it work, but all it took was one moment between the two of us to change everything. I thought I loved him, you know that real kind of love, but in reality it was just him manipulating me. At the time I was finishing up my third novel, the book never came out because I felt that it was tainted by what happened, you see he took my work and changed it before submitting it to a publisher, the book was going to be published last year but they found out that he had taken it from me.”
“Really, this guy seems like scum,” Lucas said interrupting her.
“That’s not the half of it, when I confronted him he hit me, he told me that I was useless and worthless and that he shouldn’t have wasted so much time on me. I decided to leave and go stay with my mother,” Riley stopped for a moment, because as much as everyone knew the beginning of the story, no one knew the ending because it hurt too much. “We got into a fight as I was leaving, and I hadn’t known at the time or else I wouldn’t have confronted him. The first time he hit me pretty hard, I thought I felt my brain shake in my head. He told me that he would take everything from me and make sure that I was left with nothing. I was so shocked that I didn’t think to fight back, I only thought that I should just walk away.”
“Riley,” Lucas said pulling her closer, but she shook her head.
“I made it to the stairs before he grabbed me again, only this time he punched me and I fell. The next thing I knew I woke up in the hospital, and they were telling me that my boyfriend had saved my life. He had told them this story about me being mugged outside of the apartment and how he rescued me, when I saw him in the hallway he gave me this smile that made me want to scream.”
She didn’t scream, although she wanted to and at that moment she wanted to scream too. “Lucas I’m telling you this because a lot of stuff happened, but my ex is still a free man, even though I filed charges against him, even though I told the police what had happened. He’s free because of who he is, so I did what I could, I left my mother helped me find a new place, and helped me move forward while she worked behind the scenes to make sure that something stuck. But what made everything worse was that I was pregnant when he pushed me down those stairs, I hadn’t known at the time and I thought it was just stress that was making me sick.”
She cried I his arms, she hadn’t told Maya about the baby, she hadn’t told her mother or anyone except for her therapist. She held it in for the last two years because she couldn’t fall apart. Evan got the apartment, but she took everything that mattered to her. She didn’t want to think about him, but telling Lucas at this moment gave her a little freedom from the life she had left behind.
“I told Maya that yes it was only for the summer, but in my mind I told myself that if I liked it here, maybe it would be a good place to start over. I didn’t know I was going to meet you, or even Missy who is the sweetest person. I didn’t know I had missed my best friend so much until I was sitting around talking to her. New York had always been my home, but now it feels like I could have a home anywhere.”
Lucas sighed, he didn’t know what to think, but he knew that if he could have something with Riley he was willing to take a chance on it. Even when he felt awkward around her and started babbling, as long as she smiled he was alright.
“I have a proposition for you, and well it’s a… it’s a little weird since well the other night and well… um… you know what happened,” he said stumbling over his words. “Anyway, how about we start this, whatever it is, all over again. Forget about whether this is temporary or permanent, how about we start this off like a normal relationship, this being our third date, because I’m counting the hospital visit as a date.”
Riley laughed at him but nodded making his body relax. “I would like that, plus you’re nice, and everyone I’ve met loves you, and you have a kid so maybe you can’t be that bad,” she said. “I would like that. I think it would be good for the both of us, considering how people jaded us in the past.”
“That’s one way to put it,” he said smiling. “I’m sorry your ex was a dick to you.”
Rucas au multi-fic. Lucas and Riley have been best friends for as long as they can remember. They finally tell each other how they feel, and are able to get together, but some friction occurs when Riley’s Uncle Shawn introduces everyone to his new wife and daughter.
Part One
“Sorry about my dad, please continue.” Riley says, now blushing from embarrassment.
“It’s okay. Um, yeah, like I was saying, I would never want to lose you as a friend, but I need to speak up about this. And if I wasn’t sure about how you were feeling, I wouldn’t be bringing this up at all.”
“You met someone didn’t you?”
“What?”
“I knew it was only a matter of time,” She gets up and starts pacing around her room. “You came here to tell me you started seeing some girl. Alright, who is she? I’ll try to be happy for you, but-”
“Riley! Are you insane? I spend all of my free time with you, how could there be another girl.” He gets up, and stand close to her, face to face.
“I don’t know, I just get in my head sometimes.”
“I think you and I are ready for the next level.”
“Next level? We’re best friends. What’s the level after that? Super best friends?”
“No, I mean, what I’m trying to say is, I want us to be more than friends.”
There, he said it, the thing she had waited so long for him to say. Her eyes started welling up with tears, and she flings herself into his arms.
“Please tell me you’re reacting this way because you want the same thing.”
“I am, I do, I want us to be more than friends too, I have for feels like forever.” She looks up at him, and smiles. “I just never thought you looked at me that way.”
“Are you kidding? Other than all of the other things that make you amazing, I am incredibly attracted to you physically Riles. You are the most beautiful girl I’ve ever seen. And I was not gonna wait any longer so some other guy could steal you away.”
“Nobody ever could.”
Riley feels her pants buzz, and sees it’s a text from her mom. It basically said she had 60 seconds to come to dinner, or Cory would be knocking down the door.
“I better get to dinner. Did you wanna join?”
“No that’s okay. Go have family time. I’ll call you later.”
“Okay.”
“Okay.”
Riley is about to walk over to the door when Lucas grabs her arm, and turn her around. He kisses her, he fully plants one on her. It’s a wet, sloppy kiss that involved a little tongue. Riley jumps back after giving in for a minute.
“Sorry, little carried there.”
“It’s okay. Um, we can do more of that later. Call me later.”
“Right, bye.”
Riley takes a deep breath after he leaves out the window. She internally squeals with happiness. She looks at herself in the mirror to make sure she doesn’t look like she just embraced in a steamy kiss. She walks into the dining area of her kitchen, and joins everyone, who are all halfway through their meals already.
“Sorry about that, didn’t mean to be rude.” She says, digging into her plate.
“So, you two just let cute boys go in and out your daughter’s bedroom?” Maya asks.
“Well, now that Riley and Lucas are older, we’ve asked him to come through the front door, and we thought he was doing a pretty good job of doing that.” Says Topanga.
“He has been, that’s why I was so shocked to see him sitting there.”
“So what’s his deal, what did hottie mc hottie want?”
“Alright, um, I’m gonna have to ask you to stop doing that.”
“Doing what?”
“Expressing your interest in him. He’s taken.” Riley sips on her drink, without breaking eye contact. “You pointed at him, and said ‘who he’, and now you keep using words like cute and hot, and guess what, not so cute of you to do.”
“Riley” Cory says with a tone to indicate that she’s being rude.
“Sorry.”
“Wait, did you say he’s taken?” Asks Topanga, excitedly.
“Mhm. I barely had to say a thing, he told me he wanted to be with me!”
Riley and Topanga make a squealing noise together.
“He’s gonna call me later, since it was so urgent that I come to dinner.”
“Well excuse me for wanting you two to get acquainted.” Says Shawn sarcastically.
“Sorry Uncle Shawn, that conversation was just a little more important than a forced conversation with your step-daughter, who I’ll be more than happy to show around school in a couple of days.”
“But that’s all you’re gonna do. You don’t want to be friends with me, especially not now.” Maya interjects. “Now that I think you’re friend is attractive.”
“We’re more than friends.”
“As of five seconds ago. Anything can change, who knows maybe he’s been waiting his whole life to meet me.”
“There’s plenty of other guys in the school, meet one of them.”
“No, i think I’ll stick with him, I like a challenge.”
Riley stands up in a huff, grabs a jacket from the coat rack, walks out the front door, and slams it behind her. Kitty and Shawn give Maya an annoyed look.
“Relax, I’m not actually going to ruin this for her, I just wanted her to sweat a little.”
“Either way, not nice. Apologize to the Matthews, now.” Says Kitty.
“Sorry.”
“We’re not the ones you need to apologize to.” Cory says.
Renesmee “Ness” Cullen has been living in the same house in Forks Washington from the moment she was miraculously born. Or, in her case, violently removed from her mother’s stomach. Seven years of sleeping in the same room. Seven years of seeing the same golden yellow hues staring back at her. Seven years of her mind reading father knowing her every thought and feeling. Seven years of her psychic aunt anticipating her life choices before they’ve even happened. Seven years of feeling like a complete outsider in her own home. In her own family.
Looking at her you wouldn’t be able to tell she’s only been alive for seven years due to the fact that she resembles someone in their late teens/early 20’s, which in turn puts her in a weird position with her family. The position of constantly being treated like a child… and she’s tired of it.
The vampires treat her like she’s made of porcelain and the wolves treat her like she’s made of poison and all she wants is to feel like she belongs.
Determined to see the world on her own terms and hoping to find herself along the way, she sets off but of course not without conditions set by her family.
Jacob Black offers to tag along but she vehemently declines. He’s her mother’s best friend, not to mention her imprinter, there’s no way he wouldn’t be constantly reporting back to her.
Seth Clearwater, however, is her best friend and someone she trusts. So she agrees to her parents condition of not traveling alone as long as she gets to choose who the person is that accompanies her. Their second and last condition is for Ness to check in with their other “family” members while traveling abroad which she reluctantly agrees to.
The first person they cross paths with is a lone wolf by the name of Kiona Nomak.
Kiona Nomak was raised by her two older siblings for the first 16 years of her life. Sadly, when she first transitioned her older brother was standing too close and unfortunately was killed because of it. Unable to face her sister and terrified of what she was she ran away and has been alone for the last 6 years. That is until she hears Seth’s howl and begins tracking them. Unbeknownst to them she followed them for several months before making herself known and to her surprise they welcome her with open arms, even after she confesses to the accident that took her brother’s life.
Next they head to Texas and reluctantly check in with Carlisle’s old friend, Alistair. While there they discover that Alistair recently turned a young man named Lucas. Alistair introduces them to Lucas in hopes that he’ll want to join them on their journey to “self-discovery” but more importantly hoping they can help him feel something other than guilt.
Lucas Friar was a poor kid from a small town in Texas before Alistair turned him into a monster. Or at least, that’s how he views himself. However, the only reason Alistair spared his life is because he reminded him of himself. Lucas’ father was incredibly physically abusive, especially when he drank, and one night when Alistair is passing through, hunting, he smells the blood. He shows up in time to witness Lucas’ father beating him to a bloody pulp. For the next couple of days he watches him, seeing how gentle and kind Lucas is to the animals he tends to on the farm (reminding Alistair of how he cared for his Falcons) and decides to let him live but the night he decides to leave, Lucas’ father attacks him again, almost beating him to death. Alistair violently hurls the older man into the barn and turns Lucas right then and there.
When Lucas wakes in the middle of the field days later he doesn’t remember anything, but he does smell something so strong that it makes his throat burn and constrict with every unnecessary breath he takes. He finds his father’s bloody body incapacitated in the barn and unable to control his thirst, he feeds on him and although it only lasts a few seconds, every second is filled with anguish, fear and unbearable pain.
Once he realizes what he’s done he’s consumed by guilt. Alistair is there to explain what happened and what he is but Lucas shuns him and vows to live in solitude for the rest of his life. However long that may be. Keeping the lighter his father used on him at all times to remind him of what he did.
Alistair occasionally visits, making sure Lucas hasn’t gone on a rampage or allowed his loneliness to drive him insane and every time he’s surprised to see that Lucas, black eyes and all, has kept his vow of living in solitude and evidently that includes animal companions as well.
It isn’t until he meets Renesmee and the others that he even realizes he has special abilities. Upon shaking Seth’s hand for the first time he can feel every emotion he has in that split second that their skin touches. It clicks into place why feeding on his father caused him a great physical pain, and why feeding on animals was always heartbreaking. He could feel everything they felt the moment he sunk his teeth into them. And it was excruciating.
The only reason he agrees to join them is because he can feel how sincere Ness is about helping him when she grabs hold of his hand.
It's also then that he silently vows to never touch another person again.
Now with Lucas in tow, the four of them make their way up north where they meet a nomad named Zay.
Isaiah “Zay” Babineaux was born in 1775 and turned at the young age of 23. He likes to keep to himself which immediately makes him a kindred spirit of sorts to Lucas. Born to nomadic parents Zay spent the majority of his human life going from place to place. Born in Kenya and then relocated to Egypt for his teenage years, he was extremely close to his family since they were the only constants in his life.
Fearful for their son’s life when Napoleon invades Egypt in 1798, his parents convince him to seek protection from an old family friend, Amun, and then run. Amun turns Zay but when he requests he join his coven Zay does what his parents told him to do and he runs and it seems like he’s hasn’t stopped since. It’s no surprise to him that his special ability is speed.
Upon meeting Renesmee and her growing “coven” he learns that he’s even faster than the wolves which he really likes to remind them of. Forming an almost instantaneous kinship with Lucas (due to him reminding Zay of an old friend he had in Egypt) and developing a romantic interest in both Seth and Kiona (bi vibes amirite), he agrees to join them.
A few years pass and the five of them have successfully made their way through every country in Europe and South America. They’re leaving Brazil when they receive a call from Esme who asks a favor of Ness. She tells her of a vampire staying with the Denali coven in Alaska who could use a bit of direction. Realizing she hasn’t “checked in” with any extended family since Alistair, Ness agrees.
In Alaska they meet Maya.
Maya Hart has been staying with the Denali after a run in with some members of the Volturri. Maya was turned at the age of 20 sometime in the early 1900’s. Unlike the others she was turned by her lover, Anna. Being a lesbian in the 1900s was already a hardship but adding in an unquenchable thirst for blood definitely made it more difficult. It isn’t until Anna leaves her for a human that Maya begins to spiral. She becomes reckless and chaotic which obviously catches the attention of the Volturri. Aro gives her a warning, reminding her that the Volturri don’t give second chances. Unbeknownst to Aro she was way past a second chance.
Maya’s special ability happens to be mind control, or as she likes to call it, “compulsion”. She can compel anyone to do anything she wants, and she’s been using it to her advantage since Anna left her scorned.
Unable to deal with her troublemaker ways the Denali ask if Renesmee is willing to let her join them hoping she’ll be a good influence on her. Maya feeling trapped in Alaska (and very attracted to the unique dhampir) jumps at the opportunity to travel the world freely with a group who promise to keep her safe. Only condition is that Maya doesn’t use her powers without consent. A promise she has trouble keeping when it comes to Lucas.
A few years later, while traveling abroad in Japan, they meet Isadora Smackle who was turned in 1939 at the age of 24. Isadora moved to Japan to be with her Fiancé, Farkle, who at the time was a brilliant scientist. Farkle discovers the existence of these super human beings (vampires) through a freak accident and being the scientist he is, decides to play God and begins experimenting with vampire venom... not knowing what it is. His hope is that whatever the components are that make up this super human ‘venom’ perhaps it can help cure diseases or even something as simple as the common cold.
When Isadora comes down with a pneumonia, he injects her with the venom serum. Once she’s turned and he realizes what he’s done, it’s too late. The Volturri have already found out about his experimenting and kill him. Leaving Isadora heartbroken and alone. Unable to move on, Isadora stayed in Japan.
Seth, taking an immediate liking to the beautiful woman, convinces her that she needs to move on and start living her life for her. So she decides to join their coven.
Three more years pass. They’ve traveled all over the world, visiting “friends” and “family” of Carlisle, seeing the wonders of the world and creating a strong bond along the way.
They’re making their way through New York when they receive the news that Leah Clearwater and Angela Weber are finally getting married.
New York is where they meet Riley Matthews.
Riley Matthews is a 19 yr old college student at Cornell University who has felt invisible practically her entire life. Her parents mostly ignore her and when they aren’t ignoring her they’re making her feel like she isn’t good enough or isn’t trying hard enough even though she constantly feels like all she does is try to be enough for them. Being pushed around and pretty much bullied her entire life by her peers and her family Riley finally attempts to take life into her own hands when she decides to major in Creative Writing, something that’s been her outlet since she was old enough to spell correctly. But of course her parents disapprove, especially her mother who was counting on Riley becoming a lawyer like her. Riley doesn’t budge, however. She knows who she is and who she wants to be and being a lawyer isn’t that. After a tearful conversation and heart breaking ultimatum given to her by her parents (change her major or she’ll be cut off financially and will have to find another way to pay for college) Riley sets off back to school, taking the long way through the country to clear her mind and it’s there she meets Lucas in a terrible twist of fate.
After getting into a heated argument with Maya over her mind controlling, Lucas storms out to get some fresh air. Seeing as how they’re currently in the middle of nowhere in upstate New York it seems like the perfect opportunity for him to scream and kick and get all of his aggression out in the open without anyone seeing or hearing him.
Instead, in the distance, Lucas can hear the sound of car tires screeching and the faint sound of someone screaming. He appears on the scene just as one driver hits the other car. He runs over and sees the persons car is full of empty and shattered alcohol bottles and reeks of liquor. Reminding him of his father Lucas freezes on the spot, watching as the drunk driver dies due to the impact of him completely totaling the other car.
When he realizes there’s another person who could be potentially alive he runs over to the other car and finds a young woman inside, losing consciousness and a lot of blood. She very clearly is dying and Lucas begins to panic. He isn’t a hero. He’s a killer. It’s what he’s been telling himself for years but the longer he looks at the young woman in front of him the more conflicted he feels.
When she finally notices him standing there and their eyes lock he immediately begins to try to help. He starts talking to her, asking her questions to keep her conscious as he searches her car for a phone to call 911 but when he does finally find it, its dead.
He isn’t sure how much time she has left, and he doesn’t want to leave her body in the car, so despite every bone in his body telling him not to he grabs ahold of her and pulls her to safety. He can’t feel her emotions and he assumes it’s because she’s dying and can’t feel anything. At that point he can tell she isn’t going to make it but it’s then that he gets a really good look at her. He sees how young she is and how carelessly her life is being taken from her, but what really gets him is when her soft, broken voice, whispers to him that she doesn’t want to die.
Not wanting her blood on his hands, Lucas gives in and bites her. To his surprise he feels nothing remotely painful. It isn’t anything like it was when he bit his father. He doesn’t feel her fear, he doesn’t feel an unbearable pain or a heartbreaking dread. For the first time ever, he only feels peace accompanied by the taste of her tantalizing blood. Her blood is sweet like honey and vanilla and it takes every ounce of his will power to stop so he doesn’t kill her and he does. He stops and goes into damage control. He just turned a human. And her lifeless body is currently laying in front of a car wreck.
He pulls his father’s lighter from his pocket, lights it and throws it inside the mans alcohol-soaked car, watching as its immediately engulfed in flames. Not giving himself any more time to think about it, he scoops Riley up in his arms and brings her back to Ness and the others.
There are mixed feelings about what he’s done. Some understand (Seth, Kiona, Ness) and some ppl (Maya, Zay and Isadora) think he’s made a huge mistake.
Eventually, they all agree there’s no going back and allow her to stay, making her the 8th and final member of their coven.
Lucas is afraid Riley will hate him when she wakes up and realizes what he’s done. To his surprise she thanks him for saving her life, admitting she wasn’t ready to die and is grateful to be given a second chance at an extraordinary life. She hugs him and he’s shocked to see that his powers still don’t work on her.
It turns out Riley is a very powerful shield, so powerful to the point that not even Renesmee or Maya’s powers work on her. Another special ability she has is her intuition, she can tell when someone is lying or not just by looking at them, which comes in handy when they return to Forks.
So now, not only is Lucas incredibly intrigued by her but he, much to his dismay, is also ridiculously smitten (and attempts to hide it).
Relationships
Renesmee x Maya (Mayesmee / Renaya)
Although both are clearly attracted to each other, Maya is guarded and afraid to fall in love again because of what happened to her and Renesmee is struggling with understanding her feelings, something Leah Clearwater helps her understand. They finally get together the night of Renesmee’s “16th” birthday (a year after Riley joins their coven).
The ‘Seth x Isadora x Zay x Kiona’ Love Square (Sethadora / Zeth / Zayona / Zayadora / Kiodora / Siona)
Zay (bisexual) develops feelings for both Seth and Kiona. Seth (pansexual) has feelings for Zay and Isadora. Isadora (demisexual) has feelings for Seth and Zay. Kiona (also bisexual) has feelings for all three of them.
I haven’t decided who ends up with who yet. It’s fun to think of all the possibilities though. 😊 What can I say I love the drama of it all but the important thing is they all end up happy and in love!
And last but certainly not least
Lucas x Riley (Rucas / Liley)
Lucas and Riley spend y e a r s doing the whole will-they/wont-they thing and it drives EVERYONE nuts. Poor Edward who can read Lucas’ thoughts is like “BUDDY COME ON JUST TELL HER YOU LOVE HER ALREADY SHEESH I THOUGHT I WAS BAD” (he’s so invested!!!) and Jacob’s like “dude trust me tell her now before some other dude steps in” and Bella’s just like “???? how about you let Riley come to you” and of course Alice knows that they end up together and its beautiful and shit but she promised Ness she wouldn’t interfere. And whenever they visit the Cullens, Esme finds ways to get them alone and in romantic situations together like oops how did all they candles get lit? and omg did I forget to turn off this beautiful love song playing? whoops silly me
And finally they get together the night of Ness and Maya’s wedding (and Edward can finally unclench bahahah)
Friends / Girl Meets World Crossover: Rachel never got off the plane, instead she raises her daughter Emma Maya in Paris and sends her to the states for the summer, Ross’s son BenLucas moves in with him, Phoebe and Mike have a son named Farkle and all of them, of course, are best friends with Monica and Chandler’s twins Erica and Jack. Oh, and Joey ends up having a daughter he never knew about: Riley.
Previous Chapters: Prologue | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5
Word Count: 3,00
Chapter: 6
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“The One With The Night Out”
[ t h r e e m o n t h s l a t e r ]
It was a sunny day, the sky held a soft blue glow and the air, although significantly warmer than the cold winter breeze they had just endured, still sent a shiver down your back if you were wearing anything less than long sleeves. But Riley didn’t mind that so much, it was a nice break from the onslaught of rain they've had since March.
Today marked exactly three months since Joey's accident and thankfully it was almost time for his casts to come off which he couldn’t be more thrilled about. Riley, who had been staying with Joey since February, was happy her father would be free of his uncomfortable mess of bandages and plasters but a small, itty bitty part of her was scared.
Her life these past few months have solely revolved around Joey and his injuries. She let Erica temporarily move into her apartment so she could be closer to her dad and take care of him in his time of need and slowly but surely his spare room became her bedroom.
She only worked four-hour shifts, she unintentionally isolated herself from her friends (Lucas and Jack especially) and she spent all of her time making sure Joey had everything he needed, much to his dismay.
It's not that he didn’t appreciate the help because he did and it's not that he didn’t want her living with him because that made him happier than he ever could've guessed, he just hated being the reason she wasn’t living her life. It was obvious the incident caused some trauma that he assumed was linked to her losing her mother but the worst part was she didn’t want to talk about it, or herself, at all.
The fact of the matter is she almost lost her father and she couldn’t bring herself to let him out of her sight. Deep down she knew it was a bit much, just a tad bit overprotective, but she hadn't been able to shake the awful feeling she felt in her stomach from the moment Farkle told her there had been an accident. It plagued her every day but it seemed the more time she spent with Joey, the less obvious it was.
However, there was only a little over a week now before he was free of his casts and free of her and that thought alone was enough to bring the uneasiness back full throttle.
___
"Hey Riles?" Joey's voice calls out to her from inside his bedroom, causing the brunette to jump. She had been sitting in the bay window, looking out at the city, getting lost in her own thoughts. She had to admit, Spring in New York wasn’t nearly as pretty as Winter in New York but there was still a vibrancy to it that made her smile. "Could you come here for a sec?"
She quickly hops to her feet and shuffles into his room, curious as to what he needed. "Everything okay?"
"Yeah." Joey smiles, nervously wringing his hands together. He attempts to scoot himself up in a more comfortable position but fails. Riley helps him sit up and stands by idly. "I actually have a favor to ask you, if you don’t mind."
"Anything." She smiles sincerely.
"Well, Rachel's going to be visiting for the summer and I thought, you know, instead of staying at a hotel she could stay here..."
"Oh, yeah totally." Riley nods but it's clear to her that he isn't finished talking just yet.
"...in her old room."
"Oh." It suddenly dawns on her what he was really asking. He was asking her to leave. "Um – yeah – I mean, sure, I can, uh, I can go." She pauses, "When is she going to be here?"
"She should be here shortly." Joey answers, feeling a pang of guilt at the look on his daughter's face. "But Riles you don’t have to leave, the sofa pulls out, you can always --"
"That's okay, um, I'll just go home." Riley shakes him off, grabbing his empty coffee mug off his bedside table before turning away. "I'll go pack up my things...call me if you need me."
"Riley." Joey attempts to stop her but she's already out of sight.
__
The buzzer rings just as Riley is zipping up her bag and with a small sigh she gets to her feet and heads for the door. "Who?"
"Rachel!" The feminine voice on the other end answers cheerfully. Riley buzzes her in and unlocks the door before heading back into the guest room to grab her things. A few minutes later she can hear the sound of the door opening and the patter of high-heels on the wooden floor.
She gets up to let Joey know Rachel's arrived but much to her surprise he's already standing, on his crutches, in the living room being greeted by the well-dressed woman.
"I'm so sorry I couldn’t stay longer last time, Joe." Rachel gives him another tight hug, pulling away just enough to caress his cheek. It's a small moment but its intimate enough that Riley feels like she shouldn’t be watching. She tucks back into the room to grab her bag and go.
"You're looking good though, you feeling good?"
"Just ready to get these off." Joey laughs nervously, motioning to his legs. When his eyes leave the floor he catches a glimpse of Riley and stands up a bit straighter. "Rach, you remember Riley, right?"
"Of course!" She beams, turning quickly to greet the young brunette. "Hi sweetie." She pulls Riley into a warm hug and Riley can't help but feel guilty about being disappointed by her presence.
She liked Rachel, she always has. Although the fashionable beauty was never around because her job was in Paris she still checked in on Joey every day, even before the accident. It was obvious to her that they shared a special bond and she could tell by Joey's demeanor around her that he never really got over his "crush" on her but still, she heard the stories, and the last thing she wanted was for Joey to get hurt again. He's been through enough pain.
"Where's Maya?" Joey asks, pulling Riley out of her thoughts. "Is she staying in Paris for the summer?"
"Oh no no, she's at Monica and Chandlers." Rachel shakes her head, "You know Mon, she loves to be the hostess so, she'll be staying in Erica's room."
"Speaking of Erica, I should probably go tell her that you guys are here." Riley cuts in, using that as her way out. "It was nice seeing you again Rachel."
"You too, honey." Rachel smiles, cupping Riley's cheek. "And don't worry I'll take good care of your dad."
Riley half smiles, tossing her bag over her shoulder she nods and heads towards the door. "See you guys later."
The second the door closes she takes a deep breath and forces herself to walk away.
__
Not wanting to waste the nice day by sitting in the back of a stuffy cab or endure an awkward uber ride, Riley opts to walk to her place. On her way she passes by Central Perk, she peaks inside seeing Farkle and Isadora engaging in a conversation and her heart skips a beat at the blonde tuff of hair she spots hovering by the counter talking to Mona.
She couldn’t remember the last time she spoke to Lucas face to face. He texted her almost every day at first to check in on Joey and to see if she was okay or if she needed anything but she was distant and cold and eventually he stopped showing up and started texting less and less. Not that she blamed him. She couldn’t just expect him to wait around until her father got better, or wait around until she decided she was ready to live her life again. That wasn’t fair to either of them, it especially wasn’t fair to Mona, who he apparently was still seeing.
Getting caught up in her thoughts again she doesn’t notice when he turns around and walks towards the sofa to join their friends. Her breath hitches as they make eye contact and the smile he was sporting drops slowly. Neither of them move, and Riley swears if it wasn’t for the glass window dividing them she'd be half tempted to run into his arms.
Instead she flashes him a soft smile but continues on her trek before he has the chance to react.
____
The loud banging noise echoes throughout Riley's apartment and hits her like a ton of bricks, causing the brunette to lurch up from her sleeping position on the couch. It takes her a moment to place where she is. She looks towards the window expecting to see a clear blue day but instead the vibrant city lights are perfectly contrasted against the dark navy sky.
The banging persists and it takes her a second to pinpoint the sound. She glances at the clock on the wall as she walks over to the door. 7:58 P.M.
More banging noises.
"Riley! Get your cute butt to the door!" Erica shouts, banging loudly once more. "I won't take no for an answer."
Riley sighs heavily, pushing her now messy hair out of her face before pulling open the door to greet her friend. "What's going on?"
Erica smiles devilishly as she walks past the brunette and into her room. "We're celebrating."
Riley raises an eyebrow as she follows suit, curiosity getting the best of her. "And what exactly are we celebrating?"
"Two things." Erica begins, "It's essentially a welcome back party for Maya and a bon voyage party for Mona all wrapped up in one messy little bow."
"Mona?" Riley furrows her brows. "Wh-where is she going?"
"Lucas didn’t tell you?"
"No... not that he's really had an opportunity to..." Riley sighs. "I've kind of been M.I.A lately."
"I've noticed...but yeah, she's moving to Cali. Something about trying to make it in LA." The blonde smiles in amusement and rolls her eyes. "Whatever that means."
"I don’t really think I'm up for it, E." Riley sighs, sitting at the edge of her bed. "I've met Maya all of one time and Mona... we're not very close. Like at all."
Erica turns her back to the pouty brunette and begins to rummage through her closet as she continues to speak. "This wouldn’t have anything to do with Lucas would it? Because he and Mona decided it was best to just be friends."
There's a long pause and Riley can feel her heart race just a little. "That's - that’s not - "
"Hold off on whatever lie you're trying to come up with and tell me what you think about this for tonight?" The curly headed girl turns around and outstretches her arm to reveal a short strappy black dress dangling from a hanger.
"I wasn’t going to lie and I am not wearing that to a coworkers bon voyage party."
"Riley." Erica sighs, pressing the dress against the brunette's chest. "I am under strict orders to show you a good time. It's been months said you had fun and dressed up or showed off those killer long, tan legs of yours. Come on, it'll be fun I promise."
"Under strict orders from who?" Riley frowns. "Did Joey tell you to do this?"
"Don’t look at me like that." Erica sighs, "He's only trying to help, Ri. You've been cooped up in that apartment for months refusing to leave or do anything. You're 18, you should be out experiencing life, not voluntarily becoming your dad's house aide."
There's a beat of silence. Was she really that pathetic that her father had to request her friends to force her outside? She wasn’t purposefully trying to miss out on anything. She was in a slump, one she couldn’t rid no matter how hard or how bad she wanted to.
She missed her friends, and hanging out with them, but the desire to see them kept being replaced by this overshadowing paranoia and fear that she'd go out and have a good time and come back to find out another accident had happened. Or worse.
"Look, I get why --"
"No." Riley cuts her off. "I'm sorry but no, you don't. You don't get it, Erica. You have two happy and healthy parents and on top of that you have Rachel, Ross, Phoebe, Mike and even Joey. You're lucky enough that you got to grow up with not just two but seven amazing parental units. Not to mention you were literally born into a set group of best friends. For the longest time my mom was the only person in my life. She was my parent and my best friend all in one and when she died I had no one left. And then I found Joey... and I almost lost him too. So please...don't sit there and tell me that you get it, that you understand why I refused to leave his side or why I 'voluntarily became his house aide' because you don't get it and I hope to God you never do."
"Ri, I'm sorry." Erica reaches out, placing her hand on Riley's shoulder. "I wasn’t thinking --"
"It's fine." Riley shrugs her off. "I'm sorry too."
"You don’t have to --" Erica begins to say but Riley interrupts.
"So where is this party at anyway?"
____
Under the moonlight the alley lay still. The warmth of the spring day had been replaced by a cool breeze and Riley sauntered next to Erica under the streetlights with a handbag dangling from her arm. The club would already be packed with their friends and Erica was eager to get there. Riley, however, was still having some conflicting emotions.
She was happy to be out, to be on her way to have a good time with her friends, friends she hadn't seen in months but the conversation she and Erica had before they got ready to leave was still fresh in her mind and left a sour taste on her tongue.
They quickly reconciled, trying to salvage their mood and make sure there wasn’t any residual awkwardness after the vulnerability that was shared and for the most part it worked, at least on Erica's behalf. She was still worried about her friend but Riley assured her she was fine and more than willing to tag along. Whether or not that held any truth was a different story.
As they reach the entrance, Erica approaches the bouncer, letting him know they had a party waiting and he graciously steps to the side, smiling sweetly at the two girls.
"You ready?"
Riley lets out a long breath, like she didn't even know she'd been holding it in, and nodded with a slight smile.
____
The dance floor is wall to wall packed, everyone dancing and drinking like it's their last night on Earth, although Riley's sure that's just the way their mind avoids thinking about the hangover to come the next morning. The music is loud and not at all what she was expecting.
She watches couples move like puppets on strings, their heads mashing so hard she swears their brain is in shut down mode or on the brink of falling out of their ears. The sight did make her smile, however. She couldn’t remember a time where she ever looked or felt that care free. It was admirable.
She couldn’t help but think maybe that's what she needed to get out of her slump. To let loose and party, do something she normally wouldn’t. And if it doesn’t raise her spirits it'll, at the very least, provide her with a nice distraction.
The two girls make their way towards the back to the VIP section where their friends are waving them down.
Isadora and Farkle seem completely out of their element but a wave of relief washes over them when they spot Riley with Erica. Jack shifts in his seat but offers a sincere crooked smile as he scoots over on the lounge chair to make more room.
"Riley, you came after all!" Mona beams, slurring her words only slightly as she leans across Lucas who had yet to make eye contact with the brunette. "You look amaazing."
"Doesn't she?" Erica agrees, a proud smile on her face.
Riley coyly smiles and looks over to the other blonde who was downing shots like it was her mission in life. "Maya right?"
"Sorry. Long flight." Maya laughs, coughing a bit. "But yeah hi, it's nice to see you again." She moves over and motions for Riley to sit down which she graciously accepts. "Shot?"
"Riley's only 18." Lucas chimes in, scolding his half-sister for offering.
Everyone seems surprised by his sudden outburst. He never said anything when the rest of them who were underage would drink so the fact that he's so verbally adamant about her not drinking was causing a few mixed reactions.
"So what, narc?" Maya makes a face at the concerned boy. "She's among friends. Besides, she's a big girl. She can speak for herself."
Erica and Lucas share a concerned look and Maya turns to Riley once more. "So what do you say, Tribbiani?"
Riley looks down at the shot glass in Maya's hand and then back up where her eyes can't help but to wander over to Lucas. His green eyes locked onto her, cautiously waiting her next move. They both knew this wasn’t like her but hey, if everyone wanted her to have fun so bad she was going to do exactly that.
"I say: why not."
She downs the shot like it's medicine for the body and feels the warmth seep into her blood. Tomorrow there'll be hell to pay but tonight the alcohol will keep flowing like it's an IV drip.
[...to be continued]
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End Note: This is a filler chapter. Sorry it’s so short but I want the party to be it’s own chapter! I really missed this universe and it’s been awhile so please bear with me as I try to get back into things. xoxo
Synopsis: Riley Matthews needs to get out of New York, after her parents advised her to go to her great grandmother’s house in Texas she’s on the first plane to the Lone Star State. Lucas Friar is a single father trying to live up to his family’s legacy but he knows he’s overworking himself to please his mother. The moment the two of them meet they realize what they had been missing all along, but family and their past will threaten their relationship.
A/N: Chapter one’s offical Word Count is 5488.... I didn’t expect it to be that long, but as I write chapter two I know it’s just going to be as long as this one.
Chapter One
Everything was going according to plan, that is if the plan was to run away from home because life had become too complicated to actually stay there and work. For Riley this was her life all of a sudden, she needed to leave New York after her life took a turn for the boring. She couldn’t understand it, her family was great her life had been great, but she didn’t feel like she was ever going to be happy with everything. So she talked to her mother about what she was feeling and her mother suggested to go to her great-grandmother’s house in Texas, and since her Uncle Josh lived down there with his wife Riley would have family nearby to talk to while she figured out what she wanted from her life.
The complicated part of her life, was the easiest to handle, her now ex-boyfriend, who had saw fit to cheat on her and then tried to use it against her. She remembered him saying that it was her fault, that she didn’t do enough in their relationship. Except they lived in her apartment, on her paycheck, as he did nothing day after day but blamed her constantly for everything. She couldn’t take it anymore and walked out, but he didn’t move out and she didn’t want to deal with any of it anymore. She put her place up for sale and asked her mother to pack everything up, as well as making sure that he was out of the place before Riley came back from Texas.
Now she was sitting in a convertible that she rented driving into a small Texas town that looked like something out of a card catalogue. She wondered if she could get any work done while she was there, if she could find her muse again after all of the bullshit she had endured over the last month. The center of town was about the size of grapefruit compared to living in New York, but somehow the smallness of it all made her feel peaceful. There was no way her ex would find her there unless someone read her work and knew who she was.
Following the directions her mother had given her she drove pass the center of town towards where there was long strips of land and no one around. She almost missed the turn onto her grandmother’s house, an old farm that had seen better days. The grass was overgrown, the house sorely needed a paint job, and the barn looked like it was missing a wall on the side. She pulled up to the front of the house and saw someone she hadn’t seen in years smiling back at her.
“Riley,” her Uncle Josh said as he walked down the steps towards her. His dark hair was cut shorter than she remembered growing up, and he was dressed in a police uniform. He was the young sheriff in town, she remembered because he was so happy when he got the promotion at such a young age.
“Josh,” she said rushing out of the car to meet him, hugging him close even though the summer heat was making itself known. “How’s your life going? Any baby news?”
“No and don’t bring it up with Maya, she’s still convinced that the baby is going to pop out like the alien movies, even though she’s only five months along.”
Riley remembered that the two of them wanted to be surprised when it came to the baby’s sex, and they refused to talk about it, but since it was their first child they were also afraid that everything that could go wrong would.
“No worries,” she said smiling. “Is everything set up?”
“Mostly, I got the water, and electricity running, and most of the rooms were aired out, since we rent out the place during the winter months, but the a/c is busted,” he said trying to smile and failing miserably.
“I’ll pick one up, I can afford it anyway,” she said hoping that she could do it before she died from the summer heat. “Do you work today?”
“Yeah, but Maya wanted you over for dinner later.”
“Don’t worry I’ll be there, let me get settled in and I’ll come over around five, just send me some directions so I don’t get lost.”
“That’s physically impossible, this town is the size of a walnut compared to New York.”
“And do you remember who you’re talking to? I still get lost the minute I get off the subway.”
Josh laughed before pulling out a piece of paper, “Yeah I remember.” He handed her directions before walking off to his patrol car which had been parked around the side of the house and she had never even seen it. “Call me when you’re on your way.”
“Will do Josh, now get out of here before you’re late for work.”
“Riley I’m the Sheriff if I’m late for work it’s not really frowned upon.”
Josh left soon after leaving Riley to wander around the front yard of the house, seeing for the first time a place where her great grandmother had once lived. Josh had said that it was rented out over the years but all of the furniture was the same as it had been when Rosie McGee had once lived there. It was rustic, and different from what Riley was used to but it was perfect in its own way. The living room was just off the side of the entrance, with an open floor plan, the kitchen and dining area was towards the back, there was an office next to the staircase which only held a desk and pictures of the country.
“Maybe I should get central air installed,” she said to herself as the heat slowly creeped its way through the place, but she settled on just getting an a/c unit for the bedroom for now, as well as the office so that she could work without sweating to death.
Riley drove into town looking around as she searched for an electronics store, or any store that would sell an air conditioner. When she reached the strip just off main street she saw the store and automatically put on her blinker to turn onto the parking lot. The light changed but before she could make the turn someone slammed into the back of her rental sending Riley into the wheel of the car.
“Shit,” she said grabbing her head, feeling the start of the throbbing pain from the hit to the steering wheel. Riley looked back to see a little old lady driving the car behind her, getting out of the car she rushed towards the old lady who looked flustered.
“Are you alright dearie,” the old woman said looking up at Riley with her hazel eyes.
“I’m fine, how are you?” Riley asked checking to see if the woman had injured herself.
“Yes, I’m stronger than you, I’ll live forever.”
“Okay,” Riley laughed. “Let me get my insurance information and we can get the report filed as soon as possible.”
As soon as she walked back towards the car to get the insurance papers, she heard the tell-tale sound of a car pulling away. When Riley looked back the innocent looking old lady who had rear ended her was driving away.
“Damn it,” Riley said slamming the door to the car. Her first day in a new town and of course she gets into a car accident and the person responsible runs away.
The sound of a siren drew Riley’s attention away from the direction the old lady had driven off, a cop was getting out of the car. His eyes looked at her as if he were sizing her up for a moment before he broke out a smile and walked over to her.
“Hi sugar,” the officer said walking towards her with a million watt smile on his face.
“The name’s Riley,” she said trying to keep him from giving her another compliment. She wasn’t in the mood for some small town cop to flirt with her when all she wanted to do was go after the little old lady who just hit her and ran off.
“Riley,” he smiled. “Well hello, you must be Sheriff Matthews’ niece.”
“Yes, and I was just rear ended by a little old lady, who took off the moment I mentioned getting my insurance papers, so I don’t have time to deal with your flirting right now.”
The officer cleared his throat and made a serious face. “Sorry ma’am, my name is Officer Babineaux. I’ll take your statement and relay it back to the office, so you can be on your way.”
Riley sighed, she hadn’t meant to be rude but she was tired and so much had happened that she just wanted a moment of peace, and instead lashed out at the first person who had come to help her.
“Sorry Officer, I didn’t mean to be rude, it’s just that it’s my first day in town and I needed an air conditioner, and some sweet looking woman hit me with her car and ran off.”
“It’s alright, I sometimes can’t turn the charm off, my girlfriend thinks I’m crazy because I flirt with everyone without thinking even though she’s the only one I love.”
“Maybe you should stop flirting,” Riley said out loud without thinking about it, she knew her mouth was going to get her in trouble one day.
“You’re talking like my best friend now,” he said as he wrote down something on his pad. “Don’t worry I’ll find out what happened here and get back to you.”
“Thank you officer.”
“You can call me Zay, everyone else does,” he said before walking back to his car and calling in the accident. “I’ll stop by your house and drop off the police report so you have a copy for the insurance company.”
The paper work was processed in less than ten minutes, before the officer had left the scene. Riley couldn’t help but feel like everyone was watching her the entire time, she was an outsider in there. Even though Josh was related to her she couldn’t help but get the feeling that she wasn’t wanted in the small town. She went into the store as fast as she could and picked up two window a/c units and rushed off as soon as she could, forgetting to ask for help to get them into her car. Once outside she struggled to put the first one into the back seat when she lost her footing and fell backwards. All she felt was the strength of a man’s hands grab a hold of her and the feeling of a solid chest at her back.
“Woah there,” a deep voice said sending shivers up her spine. A moment later the unit in her hands had been picked up as she came face to face with green eyes, and sandy hair. “Let me help you out here.”
“Uh,” she stuttered for a moment before she could find her words. “Yeah that would be great thank you.”
“Anything for a lady,” he said making her smile. The gentleman put both boxes in her backseat before turning to face her giving her a smile she couldn’t believe existed.
“I’m Riley,” she said smiling at him, as her heart tried to pry itself out of her chest. “I’m staying at the old McGee farm.”
“Ah you must be Josh’s niece, although I thought when he mentioned his niece coming that you would be a lot younger.”
“No, we’re only two years apart, and it’s a long story,” she said smiling at him as though her face was stuck like that.
“Well if you need any help, don’t hesitate to ask,” he said before climbing into his car and driving away.
Riley waved as though it were the most normal thing in the world, until she realized that she hadn’t asked him for his name. She sighed as she got into her car realizing that she had been so enamored by his eyes that she forgot to get his name.
“Well that was stupid,” she said as she drove off.
Instead of going to the house she drove to Josh and Maya’s place, between the accident and the air conditioners she had lost track of time. Maya was sitting out on the porch, her blonde hair flowing in the wind, while she rubbed her pregnant belly. Riley remembers the first time she met Maya, it felt like ages ago, best friends since childhood. Now her best friend was her Aunt and she was happily married and Riley couldn’t fault her for it, not when she was glowing like the halo of blonde locks on her head.
“Maya,” Riley screamed as she got out of the car. “My Peaches.”
“Thank god Riley,” Maya said wobbling down the stairs. “Someone normal.”
“What you don’t like small town life?”
Maya smiled at her before wrapping her arms around Riley. “I actually love it, and I can paint all I want, plus I teach art to the kiddies.”
“Who would have thought that all Maya Hart needed in life was Josh Matthews and a small town to make herself happy. I wouldn’t have, and I grew up with you, you were a wild thing.”
“Well Josh made an honest woman out of me,” she said smiling.
Riley had forgotten how much she missed her best friend, they hadn’t seen each other in what felt like years, the last time being Christmas a few months before but it had been a short visit for Riley who ended up having to go overseas for work.
“God I missed you,” Riley said as the two of them walked into the house hand in hand, like they had when they were kids. Almost skipping, until Maya told her to stop because the baby didn’t like it.
Lucas Friar was the son of a big ranching family, although you wouldn’t know it from the way he looked, or unless you were from his small Texas town. Those who did business with his family knew him as the face of Friar Ranching, after he took over the business when his father had passed away. Lucas had been twenty at the time, and in the nine years since he had died, Lucas had made the business a success. But for the first time in what felt like years since he had a woman on his mind.
The warm feeling of Riley Matthews in his arms had sent a feeling through his body that he hadn’t had in years. He knew he didn’t have the time for any kind of relationship but it was nice to think about the feel of a woman against his body for a while.
“Daddy,” his daughter squealed from the door as she barreled her way to him. Her long blonde hair was as bright as the sun, his little sun, with big brown eyes, that he knew came from her mother. Lucas didn’t want to think about his ex-wife, the woman had left him with a newborn child before running off.
“How’s my baby girl,” he said pulling his daughter into his arms. “Were you good for your grandmother?”
“She was a shining example of a Friar,” his mother said from the door. “Weren’t you Liliana?”
“Yes I was grandma,” Lily said but Lucas was the only one to see her roll her eyes. He kept his daughter’s sarcastic nature hidden from his mother, mainly because he didn’t want her to lose it because of his family’s principals. Being a Friar kid wasn’t easy, that was something he knew first hand especially since he was still living that life.
“I’ll pick her up tomorrow morning to take her to ballet, and then her piano lesson,” his mother said before walking out of the room as if it were the final word.
“Thank you momma,” he said absently even though he knew she wouldn’t hear, but he wanted Liliana to have some curtesy towards her grandmother.
“Gamma is such a killjoy daddy,” Liliana said after the sound of his mother’s car was far away. He wouldn’t fault the seven-year-old for saying what was on her mind but he also needed to make sure that she didn’t say anything like that in front of his mother.
“Lil,” he said his voice firm. “What have I said about saying things like that about your grandmother.”
“That it’s not her fault for being how she is, especially because of how grandpa Joe had died.”
“That’s my girl,” he said smiling. “Now let’s go and get some dinner.”
They barbequed their dinner that night, since it was a warm day, sitting down in the yard afterwards to watch the stars while his little girl fell asleep in his arms. He couldn’t understand his ex-wife, it bothered him for the seven years of his daughter’s life, how the woman up and left filing for divorce soon afterwards. Liliana was the light of his life, but in the end he realized that the woman he had married hadn’t been who he thought she was and even after trying to get in contact with her years later she swore that she would never come back to the life she had once had.
He carried Liliana to bed and kissed her good night before going back to the yard and cleaning up, only to sit there and think about Riley, he couldn’t figure out why the woman had had such an effect on him after just a few minutes in his arms. But the softness of her skin and the feel of her hair was enough to drive any man mad.
“You know someone could rob you blind,” the familiar voice of his best friend said from behind him. “Why did you leave the door unlocked?”
“Because regardless of what you believe, I feel safe in this silly little town,” Lucas said standing up and turning to face Zay. “Plus I knew you would stop by considering Josh’s niece came into town and you’re the biggest gossip in the world.”
“I am not,” Zay said trying to act offended which only made Lucas punch his arm before walking back into the house.
“You are, but you already knew that,” he reached into the fridge and pulled out a beer and handing it to Zay before grabbing one for himself and walking back to the yard and sitting in one of the chairs. “Say what you need to say so that I can move on with my life.”
“Well,” Zay said sitting down next to him. “She’s one hundred percent perfect for you, and little old lady Jones rammed the back of her car and ran away so now I have to deal with a hit and run situation.”
Lucas looked over at Zay stunned, he hadn’t known that Riley had been in an accident, and all he did was help her with her air conditioner. “Wait, isn’t Mrs. Jones not allowed to drive, her son is supposed to drive her around.”
“Apparently nobody told her that, and the only reason I found out is because Mr. Lowell had a camera installed outside his store because he still swears that the pigeons are stealing from his store.”
“Good thing for senile old men,” Lucas sighed not knowing why it was exhausting to just think about living in this town. He loved it but he also hated it at times. “Have you followed up with our new resident?” He said truly curious about her even though he didn’t want to show it.
“No I went over to her place and she wasn’t there,” he sighed before drinking his beer. “I have to go back tomorrow after I talk to Josh about it.”
“I should go with you,” Lucas tried to sound like he was just being neighborly but in reality he really wanted to know if she smelled like the strawberry fields that grew just north of town. “You know for the sake of meeting her.”
Zay laughed at him as he finished the sentence, “Dude I already know you met her, this town is full of gossiping old ninnies so a few of them already told me about your run in at the hardware store.”
Lucas sighed looking down at the empty bottle in his hand. “Seriously this town.”
“You can say that all you want but you know you love this place or else you would have left years ago.”
“I did leave but city life just isn’t for me,” he said remembering the few years he had at college, it had been a miracle that he finished because he had hated it so much that he took on an extra work load just to finish faster and get back home.
When Zay left Lucas finished cleaning up before heading off to bed, checking in on Liliana on his way to his room just to make sure she was sleeping. His daughter had been the only constant in his life and he loved her but he hadn’t gone out on a date in years and he was starting to feel lonely from it. He wondered if that had been the reason for his reaction to the town’s newest resident, but he remembered that he had danced with woman, and had tried getting together with a few of them but the dates never worked out and he had given up.
Maybe it was time for him to try dating again, but he wasn’t sure if Riley Matthews was the person that he should go after when he tried to date again, but as much as he tried to push the thought aside he kept thinking about her throughout the night.
When Riley woke up she automatically regretted not installing the air conditioner in her bedroom, the sheets were sticking to her skin and her hair was weighed down in her sweat. She rolled over with a groan and slowly got up, she knew she needed a shower but it was so hot that her body felt like a dead weight.
“I hate this,” she said to herself as she peeled off of the sheets and made her way towards the bathroom. Her first thought as she stepped into the cold shower was that she needed to install those air conditioners, and possibly find a way to do so without hurting herself. Her neck was stiff from the accident the day before, and the cold water wasn’t helping but it helped with cooling her down. Even in New York she wasn’t very fond of the heat mainly because she liked to dress in layers and make her outfits look cute but in the summer she would always have to figure out ways to keep herself dry and always failing.
When it came to work she had to wear suits, until she got high enough in order to work from home, now she was taking a break from her magazine job to work on her novels, as well as getting her life together after her break-up. She knew that life wasn’t always easy, the break-up wasn’t easy, and after a long conversation with Maya the night before, the blonde had convinced her that what she needed was a rebound guy while she was in town. Although Riley had protested to the idea, she remembered the blonde haired green eyed cowboy who had helped her the day before.
“Maybe it wouldn’t be such a bad idea after all,” she murmured thinking of his strong hands on her. She still regretted not getting his name even though she talked like she was an idiot the moment she saw him. She walked into the kitchen and started making coffee when she heard a car door slam outside of the house. Soon afterwards there was a knock on her door right before it opened. She could have sworn that she had locked the door the night before and grabbed the nearest thing she could use as a weapon before her Uncle’s head popped in through the door.
“Damn it Josh,” she said feeling her heart racing in her chest. “You scared the crap out of me.”
“Sorry,” he said walking inside. “I only stopped by the give you the spare keys, and to drop off these pastries that Maya baked this morning, because she had been craving them and when she craves something she tends to wake up and make tons of it only to not want it an hour later.”
Riley felt her stomach cramp from hunger when she took the bag from his hand to see muffins and several different kinds of Danishes. “Geez, she must have really wanted something to eat.”
“Well she passed out before I left so when she gets up later she’ll have enough food to feed the army she believes is growing in her stomach.”
“Well you love her,” Riley smiled. “Just give her a foot rub later, because judging from the weight in this bag she’s going to need it.”
“I will,” he said smiling as he grabbed some coffee for the both of them and sat down at the table. “I didn’t say anything to Maya and judging from how she wasn’t freaking out I guess you didn’t tell her about the accident yesterday.”
Riley groaned from the thought of the accident and the old woman who ran away from the scene of her crime. “Yeah I didn’t think that your very pregnant wife should be burdened with how some old woman rear ended me yesterday.”
“It’s alright. One of my officers should be here later to follow up,” he said standing up. “Just let him take some pictures of your car and tell him if you have any injuries that you were trying to hide yesterday,” he finished giving her a very knowing look.
“Fine,” she said rolling her eyes. “You win, my neck feels a little off, but it’s not too bad.”
“Go see a doctor.”
“I will… um… do you know any that make house calls because I don’t want to go out there today.”
“The heat is getting to you already, New York summers are worse the minute the humidity hits.”
“Yeah but I didn’t get the chance to put the a/c’s up yesterday, since I ended up at your house and didn’t leave until it was close to midnight.”
The two of them talked for a little while longer before Josh left to go to work, she waved him off and then walked down to her car to stare at the two units she had brought thinking of how she was going to bring them into the house and install them when she could barely get them into the car the day before. Instead of dwelling on it she walked back into the house and grabbed another cup of coffee before settling down on the porch steps and staring at her car.
Her phone buzzed in her pocket, and when she looked down she saw a message from her agent telling her that she needed the draft of the novel by the end of the month. Riley used a pen name when writing novels versus her real name which she used when she wrote for the magazine, no one knew that she wrote erotica and romance novels. It was her little secret and even when she went on press tours for the books she wore a disguise because she was used to hiding it. She had written two novels under her own name but they were heavier than she liked and she wrote them so far apart that people made her out to be a prolific writer when in fact she would rather write dirty books because they were more interesting.
The sound of a car coming towards her pulled her from her thoughts on her next novel, looking up to see the officer from the day before pulling into the driveway, behind him another car pulled in behind the police car.
“Hey sugar,” the officer said and Riley tried hard to bite back a groan.
“You really shouldn’t flirt with women if you’re in a relationship,” she said to him hoping that the guy would stop if she kept telling him to stop he would.
“Right,” he said walking towards her. “I just wanted to tell you that we know who hit your car and we’re going to pursue this if you want to. I also need a few pictures of your car and we should be done.”
“As weird as it is to go after a little old lady, I don’t want to deal with the insurance premiums that are going to happen from this.”
He nodded at her and smiled. “Well I’ll get started.”
As the officer walked away she noticed that the other car was still in the drive, only to see a blonde head of hair walking around her car. He didn’t look like an officer, but he looked familiar. She saw him talking to the officer for a moment before he turned around and she saw the face of the guy she had embarrassed herself in front of. Her only thought was how hot he was, and of course the fact that she wasn’t dressed to impress.
When Lucas had woken up that morning he knew he was going to follow Zay to the house where Riley Matthews lived, he was intrigued by her and he wanted to get to know her better. He couldn’t get the feel of her body against his out of her mind. He took his daughter to his mother’s house after breakfast and drove off to follow Zay before he had to be at work around noon. His mornings are usually reserved for his daughter before she goes to school and making sure that the chores are done before he went off to work.
Since he was the boss he only worked from noon until five in the afternoon, his mother took care of Liliana in the afternoons and he worked on dinner before she got home. That had been his life for the last seven years, he hadn’t thought it was so much he had always worked hard but sometimes he wished that there was someone there to share his life with. Liliana had begun asking about her mother and although he told her about the woman that had once been his wife, his daughter wants him to be happy. That’s how he came to date her kindergarten teacher, and one of the mothers of her classmates. Neither relationship had gone too far, because he hadn’t been attracted to either woman.
Now he didn’t know what to think about Riley Matthews, who literally fell into his arms out of nowhere. He couldn’t help but laugh at the face she was making at Zay who for some reason would flirt with a tree if he could. He watched as she rolled his eyes at all of his advances until her eyes landed on him as he had gotten out of the car.
“Hello Ms. Matthews,” Lucas said as he walked towards her. “How are you feeling today?” He could tell when her face blushed and it only made her even more adorable in his eyes, but he also knew that he couldn’t trust many people because he didn’t want Liliana to get hurt but he couldn’t help but flirt with this woman.
“I’m find, sweating to death but fine,” she said smiling at him. “I didn’t get your name yesterday and I’m embarrassed that I hadn’t asked for it when we met.”
“I’m Lucas, Lucas Friar, I live up the road right on the other side of the river behind your house,” he said as he walked towards her to shake her hand. Once wrapped in his he couldn’t help but rub his thumb over her skin.
“It’s a pleasure to meet you,” she said smiling. “If it wouldn’t be a bother, while the kind officer is inspecting the car, can you help me bring the air conditioners into the house… um… I don’t know if I can carry it all the way upstairs.”
“It would be my pleasure to help you especially after your accident yesterday,” he didn’t understand why he was turning the charm on so high with her, he barely knew her but for some reason she brought it out in him.
He had helped her not only bring them in but also install them into the windows while talking to her about nonsensical things like the heat wave and the drought that was happening in the area. But neither talked about anything personal, he left when Zay had finished knowing that he wanted to come back, and at least get to know her better.
