January 15,2016
"Hello?"
"Hi Pappy Joe!"
"Lucas, my boy! You sound so much better than the last time we spoke. Is it safe to say you made your decision?"
"Yes, I did Pappy Joe. In all honesty, in the end it was a no-brainer."
"You chose Riley" Pappy Joe guesses with a huge smile on his face.
"Yes, I did. It has always been her, something tells me that it could always be her. I guess I let everything make me doubt myself and my feelings."
"I would have supported you either way Lucas but I definitely think you made the right choice. Maya is wonderful but there is just something about Riley"
"Yes, there is. She is such a unique person Pappy, full of hope, joy and she loves with everything she has."
"Did you ever find out what brought on the whole "brother" thing?"
"She told me that she never saw me that way. She assumed that since Maya liked me- I would want to be with her."
"Have to say Lucas, she is one terrific little lady. That she would put aside her own feelings to make sure her friends were happy is amazing."
"Yes, it is but she deserves to be happy too and she knows now that she needs to talk to me before doing something for "my own good." Had she just talked to me, I could have let her know that I am happy and that she is the reason."
"How are things between Riley and Maya? You and Maya?"
"Things are okay… I think it will be a little bit before things are back to normal but we are all trying."
"How's Farkle?"
"He's good. He was a little worried about how I would react to his announcement but I know he did it for Riley's sake so how could I be mad at him?"
"I'm glad you realize that. He seems to be a decent young man."
"He is a genius, wants to rule the world and honestly, I think he could."
"Anyway Pappy Joe, I wanted to thank you for your advice the last time I called. I might not have sounded like I was grateful but I am. You made me look at things a little differently with your word association trick. "
"You're welcome my boy. Now that's a trick you need to remember so when your grandson needs a little nudge in the right direction, you can help him. "
"Oh, I will definitely remember. Riley and I are planning a trip to see you in the summer. We have decided that she needs to have happier memories of Texas. When the time gets closer, I will send you the details, I'm sure her dad will try to find a way to invite himself along."
"It's OK Lucas, we have room for everyone. Bring all your friends along and Riley should invite her family. I'm anxious to meet the people who raised such an unbelievable little lady. They must be special in their own right."
"You got it Pappy Joe. I'll invite them all. I have to go now; I'm supposed to pick up Riley in a few minutes. We are signing up for Big Brothers/Big Sisters today. It was one of our new year's resolutions."
"I'm proud of you Lucas and I dare say Riley too. Please give her all my love and we will talk soon."
"Love you Pappy Joe. We'll call you next week about the trip. Bye."
After I hang up the phone, I pause for a moment and smile. It makes me very happy to know that Pappy Joe sees Riley for the amazing soul that she is. Once I tell her that he invited her whole family to the ranch, she is going to be ecstatic. As for our friends, I'm not going to mention that just yet. I want to see how close to normal things are between all of us first. I'll be damned if this trip is going to be anything less than perfection. I can't wait to see my princess on a white horse of her own…. I think it's fitting since in this case, the princess has saved the prince.
A/N: I have hit a bit of writer's block on this story so the updates will be sporadic for a bit. Please check out some of my other stories. They are all Rucas endgame. Girl Meets the Unknown focuses more in depth on the thoughts and feelings of the characters. I will go back to more interactive/fluff stories once I think I know what direction to head in.