Girl Meets The Big Secret

Chapter 18 - Family

Riley woke early and allowed Isabella to get a few more minutes of sleep. The little girl had been so excited to spend time with Lucas that she barely had a wink of sleep. When she did finally crash it gave Riley time to reflect on the last few days. How it was supposed to be a simple trip, a simple goodbye. Now here she was heartbroken, lost, and drained from the amount of emotions she had to deal with. She crept into the kitchen and could see Cory sitting at the table with a cup of coffee.

"Oh I'm sorry," Riley said as Cory jumped.

The sun peeked through the blinds and allowed some yellow light to spill into the room. Cory shook his head and patted the spot next to him at the table. Riley grabbed a cup of coffee and joined him at the table. She played with the rim of the mug and could see the fatigue in his face. His curly hair started to puff out more and his eye bags stood out.

"Your mother told me about Lucas, I'm proud of you Riley," Cory said and patted Riley's hand.

"Do you think I made the right choice? I'm scared that Izzy has these expectations now," Riley asked.

"Lucas is a good man, he won't renege on his responsibilities, don't worry please," Cory said.

"How are you, daddy?" Riley asked as Cory sighed.

"Horrible, I can't sleep. I just keep thinking about him, and I regret not being by his side," Cory admitted.

"He passed with a smile," Riley reassured and Cory squeezed her hand.

"Thank you for being there, I am so glad family was with him when he ... god Riley, thank you for coming back home," Cory said as his voice broke.

"I'm sorry it took me so long to come back home daddy, but I'm here and will be here until everything is finished. Mom told me it's tomorrow, how are you feeling about that?" Riley asked.

"I wish we had more time, but Josh didn't want us to dwell, and we have to respect that. Have you figured out what you were going to say?" Cory asked and sipped his coffee.

"Yeah, I have stories from when we were kids and I went to Philly. It's about when I first rode a bike and first fell off a bike," Riley said with a soft laugh.

"That's sweet honey, I can't wait to hear it," Cory said.

Silence overtook the room and the two sat with one another. The only sounds were slurps of coffee and breathing. It was a way of grieving without breaking down with one another. Riley let out an exhale of breath and turned to Cory.

"Do you think ... that ... Lucas could be, right? That he and I could be a family with Izzy?" Riley asked.

"Yes but I don't think you will allow yourself to get it. You're so scared of messing this idea up you won't even risk it," Cory said.

Riley played with the rim of the mug and listened to her father's words. They resonated the way with what Zay had told her last night. She was scared, and she wasn't going to magically stop. For the past four years, she had created this world where it was just her, Isabella, and Zay. It was a safe world, a bubble but with Lucas knowing everything she knew it would get popped.

"Izzy isn't up yet?" Cory asked.

"No she was tuckered out I think by all the emotions of yesterday, I should probably text Lucas ... if I had his number," Riley said and groaned.

"I'm sure Maya and Farkle have his number," Cory said and stood up.

He kissed the crown of Riley's head and walked over to the sink. Riley pulled out her phone and looked at the time it was almost 8 AM, Farkle had to at least be awake. However, she was hesitant to ask for Lucas's number, another form of communication with the past. Cory rinsed his mug and turned to see Riley hesitant.