I'm back! Thanks to my reviewers, again. Now, I got like, three reviews anticipating this scene. I had this scene in my mind since I decided to start the story. Hope you like it! sorry if the end is a little terrible. I couldn't think of anything when I was trying to finish this last night. sorry for any typos. Enjoy!
Chapter Three - Hooky
When Cara opened her eyes the next morning, it was nearly light outside. She didn't understand because her mother was still asleep beside her and it was way past the time when the alarm went off. Just then, Cara heard a noise outside the bedroom. She scrambled out of the bed and ran through the house to the kitchen where a tall man with black hair she'd never seen before was making breakfast.
Cara frowned and pulled herself up onto the counter to where she usually sat when her mother was cooking. She watched the man for a few minutes before he looked over at her.
"Good morning." he said, smiling quickly as he cracked another ege into the frying pan.
"Good morning." Cara said quickly. "Excuse me, but who are you?"
"I'm an old friend of your mother's." he said.
"Oh." Cara said, still a little groggy. "Does my Mama know you're here?"
"Yeah, she does. I turned off her alarm clock because I think she needs a vacation."
"Does that mean I don't get to go to my Aunt Gracia's today?" Cara asked, another frown on her face.
"You look like your mother when you frown like that." the man said smiling.
"I've been told." Cara said, smiling sweetly. "Hey, I've seen you before!"
"And just where have you seen me?"
"My Aunt Gracia has a picture of you, and her husband. He died a long time ago. She wouldn't tell me who you were, so I asked my friend Elysia and she said you were my papa." Cara paused. "And my mama has a picture of you, and her, and Uncle Jean, and Kain, and some other people in her dresser drawer. I like looking at it when I'm sad. One time, she caught me looking at it and got really mad. I don't know why though."
"You're mama loves you a lot." he told her.
"I know." she waited. "So, are you?"
"Am I what?" Roy asked, popping some bread into the toaster.
"Are you my papa?" Cara asked, tilting her head to the left slightly.
Roy smiled. "You're just like your mother. Beautiful and too smart for your own good. A rare combination." he paused, smirking at the anticipation on her face. "Yeah, Cara. I am your papa."
The six year olds eyes widened.
Right then, Riza barged out of the bedroom, clothes in hand.
"What the hell happened to my alarm?!" she shouted at Roy.
"I turned it off, I thought you needed a vacation." he shrugged, handing a plate of food to Cara.
"I do not need a vacation! Cara, go get dressed, I'm taking you to Aunt Gracia's in thirty minutes!"
"Mama, I don't want to go today! I want to stay here with Papa!" Cara said, her mouth full of egg.
Riza froze. "Roy, you had no right to tell her."
"You said it last night, she's our daughter." Roy said plainly.
"Cara, go get dressed, please. Stay in there until I come get you."
"Mama!" Cara whined, her shoulders slumping slightly.
"Cara, now!" Riza snapped. Cara scowled at her mother, but there was the unmistakable look of hurt in her eye as she obeyed her mother and slid off the counter and walked slowly to her bedroom.
"Riza-" Roy started.
"You had no right to tell her and no right to turn off my alarm. Dammit, I haven't been late in five years! I was only late then because Cara was sick all night and I over slept." Riza said, sitting down at the kitchen table, putting her head in her hands.
"You hurt her feelings." Roy commented, sitting down across from her.
"I know. I hate yelling at her and I feel terrible. She a tough cookie to crumble." Riza said, the corners of her mouth turning up a bit.
Just then the phone rang, startling her.
"Hello?" she asked, answering it with a sigh.
"Riza, what happened? Why didn't you drop Cara off?" Gracia asked on the other end of the line.
"Oh, um, my alarm didn't go off." she said, sending a look at Roy. "And something came up. But, I'm gonna be dropping her off within the hour."
"Uh, okay?" Gracia said, sounding slightly confussed. "I'll see you then."
"Yeah." Riza said and hung up the phone. "Well, if you'll excuse me, I need to get a shower and get to work."
"I already called you off." Roy said, taking a drink of coffee.
"You what?!" Riza shouted.
"I called you off, and if anybody asks, you do indeed have a handsome cousin named Homer Buttkiss." he said, trying to conceal a smirk.
Riza took in an angry breath and released it as a sigh. "I can't believe you. I better go check on Cara."
When Riza walked into Cara's room where she was sitting on her bed, fully dressed.
"Hey, kiddo." Riza said with a small smile. Cara didn't answer. Riza sat down on the bed beside her daughter. "I'm sorry." she offered.
"Mama, why do I have to go to Aunt Gracia's today? I just want to stay here with Papa!" Cara begged.
"Sweetie, not today. Me and Papa have some things we need to talk about." she said and the six year old frowned. "But, how about I tell Aunt Gracia that you won't be going over tomorrow and you can stay home instead?"
"Really?!" Cara asked excitedly.
Riza laughed. "Yeah, I promise. But first, I want you to do something for me."
"What is it, Mama?" Cara asked as her mother played with her hair.
"I don't want you to tell Aunt Gracia or Elysia about Papa being back, okay?"
"I won't Mama, I promise!" Cara said, looking true to her word.
"Good. Now, go finish your breakfast while I get a shower."
"Were you not even planning on telling her?" Roy asked, an hour later as he and Riza sat in near silence in the kitchen after she had dropped Cara off at Gracia's.
"About what?" Riza asked, frowning that frown Roy had oddly missed.
"About me being her father. Why did you get so mad?"
"Of course I was going to tell her. She's a smart girl, she would have figured it out within three days. It's just that I wanted to be the one to tell her." Riza paused. "It's always just been me and her. Just the two of us. I was worried about how she might feel if all of a sudden, her father was thrown into her life."
"I'm sorry, but she asked me. I'm a decent liar, but I just couldn't lie to her." Roy said, shaking his head. "She told me about the picture in your dresser drawer."
Riza smiled. "I cought her looking at it once. I had completely forgotten it was in there. She was studying and it was like she couldn't stop. Like she wanted to have it engraved in her memory forever. I just lost it when I caught her. She started crying and wouldn't speak to me for the rest of the night." she laughed and was surprised to find tears in her eyes.
"I really do feel terrible about leaving like I did."
"I should have known you would. It was alway about honor and loyalty to you. I don't blame you. And it's okay because I love what I have, and nothing could change that."
"So, can I still stay here, if you love your life the way it was?" Roy asked, raising an eyebrow.
Riza smiled and stood up and walked into the kitchen. "If you did, it make my life even better, and Cara's, too. I can tell she's going to follow you around like a little lost puppy."
"I know." Roy laughed quickly then frowned. "What I said seven years ago. I really meant it. And I still mean it."
Riza pressed her lips together, a chill running down her spine and she smiled for a split second. She felt the insane urge to hug him.
And all of a sudden, she was.
He has appeared at her side and had pulled her to him. She closed her eyes and let out a deep breath as he buried his face in her damp hair.
"Sir," she started.
"Riza, please." he murmered, pressing his lips against her temple. She took a shakey breath and wrapped her arms around his neck. She let out the breath and nuzzled her face against his neck. He smelled the same, the same intoxicating scent that she couldn't get enough of.
As he started to pull away she unwrapped her arms from his neck and was surprised when he pressed his lips against hers. Surprised, she pulled away.
"I'm sorry." she said, stepping away from him.
"Don't be." he said, touching his lips. "My fault."
"Now, since this is my first 'sick day' in years, I believe I am going to take a nap." she said, slipping into her bedroom.
Once inside, she leaned against the door. How could she have done that? It was what she had wanted. But too soon. Sure, she'd already slept with Roy, Cara was proof of that, but moving too fast, she told herself. She needed time to come to terms that though he had been thought dead for seven years, he really wasn't.