Lucas felt and knew he looked like an idiot as he danced on stage with the little girls in front of him dressed as a fairy prince. This was the ninth show that week he had participated in. He smiles as he turns the little girls in their tutus accepting the crown to make him king.
He didn't know how he kept getting himself roped into these ridiculous things but one look at the brunette haired girl smiling and taking pictures told him why. He had stood her up and this was his punishment for it.
Although he wished he could have just been her personal chef like he was with her parents he had come to realize he would do anything for her. Even dress in green tights and fairy wings. The play comes to an end and he's glad he doesn't know anyone there besides Riley.
As they bow Lucas hears cheering and clapping and what sounded like Zay saying the tall one was his son. He didn't want to look up in case it was so he scurries off the stage with the little girls.
He takes off his fairy wings putting on his robe since Riley finds it amusing if she makes him walk around the city like that until he get back to her place. "Smile." Riley tells him aiming her camera at him. He gives her a half smile shaking his head as she lowers her camera handing him flowers.
"Does this mean my punishment is over?" He asks pulling her closer to him. She tilts her head scrunching her nose tapping her chin. He chuckles while waiting for her reply knowing she did this everyday he asked.
"Almost Friar." He smiles kissing her quickly as the little girls around them giggle making Riley giggle too. "Mr. Lucas?" He looks down seeing Penny pulling on his tights. He smiles bending down as she whispers something in his ear.
He excuses himself from Riley as he walks over to where the other little girls were. Riley smiled as she raised her camera up snapping a picture of Lucas with them as they all enjoyed an after show snack prepared by one of the mothers.
This time they were all enjoying tea and cakes since it was their last show of the season. Riley felt her heart race at the sight of Lucas talking and laughing with the girls pouring the tea. "He's going to make a wonderful father someday."
She turned around to see Penny's mom stand next to her as they watched them. Riley lightly laugh thinking that exact same thing. Before her thoughts could wander and further another mother comes up to them.
"Wonderful news! A group of people just donated five thousand to the shelter and were wondering if the girls and Lucas would put on another performance for them?" They look at Lucas and the girls who cheer making him smile as they get back in costume. Riley goes out to get a seat and widens her eyes when she sees who the group was.
Lucas was going to kill her. "What are you guys doing here?" She asked watching as Zay pulls out his camera as does Maya. "Sorry Riley, Zay overhear me talking with Maya about the costumes and Maya may have..."
Riley shakes her head telling her it was okay she knew Maya would say something to tease Lucas with she just hoped Lucas wouldn't get upset at this new development. After all it was for charity.
Lucas fixed the straps of his wings as he waits for the curtains to rise. He hears laughter and freezes as the curtains open. He frowns and looks at Riley who mouths I'm so sorry. He gives her a small smile and goes on with the performance ignoring all the cheers from their friends.
"Luke I will donate another thousand if you repeat this performance for me later." Zay tells him as Lucas looked at him weirdly. "I didn't mean it the way it sounded." He tells him as everyone laughs. They all decide to grab a bite to eat except Lucas and Riley who said he owes her dinner.
They head to her place where Lucas had his clothes. "Mind if I shower?" He asked as Riley puts his flowers in a vase shaking her head. He comes out twenty minutes later finding Riley in her kitchen singing as she cooks.
He smiles leaning against the counter as he watches her. She jumps when she turns around flinging the noodles she was holding everywhere. "I'm sorry I thought you heard me walk out." He tells her laughing as he helps pick them up.
"Well there goes your dinner Friar." She tells him flicking the noodles she had at him. He gives her that grin making her shake her head at him. "Stop it." He looks at her shaking his head. "What am I doing? I'm just smiling at you."
He walks towards her as she backs up until she hits the counter. "You know exactly what you're doing with that grin Lucas Friar." He chuckles playfully glaring at her before smiling again. "So what are we going to do here?" He asks untying her apron.
"Well I was trying to make dinner but you seem to have other plans?" She whispers as he starts kissing her neck. He smiles into her neck kissing up her neck to her ear. "Want to know what I really want to do?" He whispers in her ear sending shivers down her spine.
She nods as she closes her eyes smiling. "This." He tells her before putting noodles down her shirt making her gasps. "Lucas!" She giggles taking the noodles out her shirt and throwing them back at him. He chuckles as she chases after him and trips on her rug falling bringing her down with him.
"Oh my gosh you okay?" He asks as she laughs making him join her. He brushes the hair that fell on her face away watching as she bites her lip. "Hi." He tells her cupping her cheek. "Hi." He smiles leaning down and whispering hi again right before kissing her. "So dinner?" He whispers lifting her up kissing her again.
"I mean I guess or we could simply keep doing this." She tells him putting her arms around his neck as he chuckles. "Oh I agree but we are going to need food to keep up are strength." She gasps as he smacks her butt.
"Lucas Friar are you trying to seduce me?" She tilts her head as he pulls her close. "No I like the chase much more better." He kisses her once more saying he was going for pizza and would be back.
He smiles reading her text saying did her want to have movie night along with their pizza. He was in the middle of his text when he hears someone call his name. "Hey Friar what are you doing here?" He looks and sees Jake and Charlie sitting with two girls in a booth.
"Nothing much just grabbing some dinner." He tells them hoping his pizza didn't take long so he could get back to Riley. "So how's the bet going? Got her falling in love with you yet?" Jake asks smirking at him.
Lucas didn't know why but everytime he was near this guy he always brought out the worse in him making him revert back to that guy he use to be. "Actually I do got her right where I want her. I'll have her saying it before you know it." Jake folds his arms across his chest leaning back in the booth.
"So care to make it more interesting than?" The guy behind the counter hands Lucas his pizza as he looks at Jake. "What do you have in mind?" He chuckles as he tells Lucas all about his new deal.
Lucas shook his head as he open the gate to Riley's yard. Get her to marry him along with falling in love with him. He was an idiot for telling him he think about it. Honestly what was there to think about. He looks in her window as he stands on her porch watching her put her hair behind her ear laughing at something.
He didn't know why he said he had her right where he wanted her. If anything looking at her now she had him. He knew it was way to soon to be feeling what he was feeling and he wasn't even sure what she was feeling but he knew in that moment he didn't want to spend a second away from her.
Ever. She honestly had a way of making him forget about that bet he made everyday he was with her.
"Hey cowboy did you get lost?" She asks pulling him from his thoughts. "Actually quite the opposite got lost in your beauty. It caught me off guard." She blushes taking the pizza from him setting it on the coffee table.
"Wow I send you out for pepperoni pizza and you come back with extra cheese." He looks at her weirdly making her laugh until he realizes what she had said. "You enjoy my cheesiness admit it." She bites her lip shaking her head as he kisses her.
Lucas walked into his restaurant bumping into people along the way as he looked at the key he was currently holding. The key to Riley's house. He knew it didn't mean what he thought it meant. He had stayed the night and since he was getting up early Riley handed it to him.
He wasn't sure she knew she did it but she had told him in case he got done early or she was in her dark room and wouldn't hear if he knocked. She laughed at him telling him don't go disappearing on her because of it.
He put it down on his desk as he got to work but he couldn't help smiling and staring at it every once in a while. He puts his paperwork down picking up the key about to call Riley when his laptop goes off.
"Hi gran." He smiles watching as his grandmother waves and playfully smacks his grandpa. "Lucas my little ducky how are you?" He makes a face as she calls him the nickname she had for him since he was little.
"I'm good gran how are y'all?" He asked watching as she looked at him with wide eyes. Something she did ever since he showed them how to use the iPad he got them. "Heard that Joe ducky still got a little Texas in em!" He shook his head as his Pappy Joe stuck his head in the camera looking at him.
"Joe move your big head I can't see ducky." He laughs as he watches them argue with each other before his Pappy Joe moves waving her off. "So I was callin cause our nineteen birthday is coming up." Since him and his grandma shared the same birthday they would have a joint party.
Something they started when he was ten and was staying with them more than his own parents. "I don't know gran I have a lot of work to catch up on over here." He looks at her and she shakes her head at him. "Ducky this is tradition we don't break tradition." He sighs rubbing his neck as he tells her sometimes they do.
"Are you sassing me boy?" She asked giving him a look he hadn't seen since he was little. "Joe your grandson is sassing me over the interweb." He chuckles as he tells her he would try to make it. "Good. And bring that darlin girlfriend of yours. I already wrote about y'all in my family newsletter."
"Gran how do you know about her?" He asked wanting to know who he was going to kill. "Oh I seen the photos on that instachat thing. Isaiah was kind enough to help me set up my profile. I'm happy to say I got a hundred followers."
He shakes his head and tells her he would talk to her more later. He looks at the time putting his work away and heading back to Riley's house. He knocks on the door not seeing her and remembers he had her key. He calls her name thinking maybe she wasn't home but could hear music playing.
He heads to the kitchen opening the fridge grabbing a soda opening it and spilling a little on the floor. He sets his drink down and grabs some napkins wiping it. He had just finish when he hears Bob Seger blasting in the house. He glances up and sees Riley giggle as she slides across the floor and jump onto the couch kicking her feet up.
He smiles standing up and clapping his hands as she gasps holding her chest. "Lucas when did you get here?" She asked as her cheeks heat up from embarrassment. He sits down on the couch next to her lifting her up.
"Oh about two minutes before your little risky business performance. Glad I didn't miss it." She covers her face as Lucas moves her hands away kissing her blushing cheeks. "So beautiful." He whispers sending shivers down her spine as he cups her cheeks. He looks at her and she could feel her heart starting to beat out of control in her chest.
"Hi." He tells her feeling his own heart beating out of control. "Hi." Riley smiles biting her lip as Lucas moves closer to her. "Hi." He whispers right before he goes in to kiss her. They both jump when they hear someone banging on the front door.
Riley shakes her head as Maya and the rest of their friends come in even Zay and Vanessa. "Hey What are you guys doing here?" Lucas asks as Maya turns off the music. "Well we have a surprise for you Luke."
He looks at Riley who shrugs not knowing what is going on. She looks at Maya who smiles mischievously at her as they sit on the couch. Riley looks at Lucas cupping his cheek and whispers. "I have a clue what this is and let's just say your punishment is over."
She kisses him quickly and he groans as Zay pops in the dvd of his performance with different music and voiceovers from Zay and Maya. They watch it four times laughing each time even Lucas had to laugh at it.
"You know I'm half kind of glad we didn't all grow up together." Lucas tells Riley as they toss chips into the shopping cart. After embarrassing Lucas and Zay saying they almost both moved out to New York they decided to have a mini party. "Oh yeah why's that?" Riley asked grabbing pretzels.
"The teasing from both Maya and Zay would not have been fun." Riley laughs as Lucas pushes the cart down the next aisle. "Want to know what the other half is?" He asks leaning his head on her shoulder as she looks at the ice cream.
She nods and he smiles kissing her shoulder. "You. I would have been glad to have known you back then." Riley blushes kissing his cheek and grabbing ice cream. "So cheesy." She giggles tossing him the ice cream.
They pay for the food and head back to the house seeing everyone watching a movie. They put the groceries away and he grabs her hand gesturing to her backyard. "Trying to have your way with me while we are entertaining guests?" He shakes his head pushing her on the swing.
"Actually no I have to tell you something." She looks at him and bites her lip. "Your married aren't you?" Lucas looks away and says he's divorced. "That's not funny." She tells him when he starts laughing. "Okay I'm sorry but are you going to be busy this week?"
She thinks about it and says no but that she would have to push back the pie eating contest her and Auggie had but he would understand. He looks at her weirdly and she smiles telling him don't asks.
"It's mine and my grandma's nineteen birthday and she would like to meet you and I would very much like for you to come with me to Texas for the party." He waits as she looks at him while she swings. She stops and wraps her arms around his neck kissing him. "I would very much like to come with."
He breathes a sigh of relief and she laughs. "Is that what has you all serious? Afraid I might have said no or that I say yes?" He shakes his head and says "actually the old me was quaking in his boots this me however is extremely glad you're coming with."
He kisses her once more and they head back inside watching as Zay was singing some song to the group like he done this everyday. "Looks like he took no time to fit right in with this group." Riley whispers as they sit down watching and laughing.
"So what should I expect from your grandparents?" Riley asked as they waited for their flight to be called. "Well not much my grandparents are like any other grandparents well maybe not yours." She glares at him making him smile and kiss her hand.
"I just mean I don't think they would actually have a water battle with each other and their grandkids." Riley smiles telling him he never know they probably could. Their flight is called and they get on and Riley sees Lucas looking nervous.
"Afraid of flying Friar?" She asked jokingly. He chuckles shaking his head and looking at her. "Actually this is the first time I have ever brought home a girl to meet them. It's kind of nerve racking." Riley smiles kissing his cheek feeling her heart and stomach doing somersaults from his words.
"Well I am truly honored to be the first." He kisses her hand before cupping her cheek. "Hopefully the last." He whispers as they stare at each other. They stare at each other until the flight attendant interrupts asking if they wanted something. Riley bit her lip as Lucas rubbed his neck telling her no.
They finally land in Texas grabbing their bags and Lucas groans as Riley asks what's wrong. "Just know I didn't tell them to do this." She looks at him weirdly and then laughs seeing his grandparents holding a sign that said welcome to Texas ducky's first girlfriend.
"And you say they aren't like my grandparents." Riley giggles walking towards them. They drop their signs walking up and hugging the both of them. "Gran your suffocating us." Lucas groans as she playfully smacks him in the chest when they release them.
"Oh hush now introduce us to this beautiful girl here ducky." Riley smiles looking at how red Lucas got. "Ducky?" He gives her a look as she giggles. "Riley Matthews these are my grandparents. Annie and Joe Friar."
Riley holds out her hand but they shake their heads hugging her again. "Its a pleasure to meet you both Mr. and Mrs Friar." Riley tells them as they release her. "Oh honey you can call us Annie and joe or even gran and Pappy. Ducky grab the bags."
Riley smiled as his grandma linked arms with her as they walked out the airport. "So why the name ducky?" Riley asked as they piled in Pappy Joe's truck. "Oh well." Lucas interrupts his grandma saying she didn't have to tell her.
"Well now I must tell her." She tells him pinching his cheek. "You see when Ducky was little he wanted to be a veterinarian and he had this stuffed duck he would carry around with him. Well when he would give him check ups he would converse with him."
Riley looked at Lucas as he turns redder with every word his grandma said. "It was so darlin watching him he would quack and honk it was so adorable. He went a whole summer just quaking and acting like a duck. Then he became my little ducky."
Riley smiled holding onto Lucas hand as she asked his grandparents for more stories about Lucas when he was little. They arrive to the ranch into the night having a quick dinner before passing out.
Lucas wakes the next morning patting the spot where Riley was and doesn't see her. He gets up getting dressed and heads downstairs to find Riley with his grandma making breakfast like she had lived there her whole life.
He watches as they were mixing and chopping the food talking and laughing and at that moment he knew he was falling in love with her.