rucass-Maya is not dead in this story nor is she the mother of the twins and Lucas isn't the father. I will slowly start to explain who the mother is. Riley is not miserable. She is pretty successful the only reason she is miserable right now will be explained.
"Zay?" Rosie asked mimicking his stretching as he was about to show her new ballet moves. "Yeah Rosie?" Zay asked smiling as he hands her a water and drinks his. "Is mama Riley Luke's mate of the soul?" At that exact moment his eyes widen and gulps to much water resulting in it shooting out his mouth like an out of control hose.
Rosie pats his back looking at him with concern as he bends over trying to control his breathing. "What do you mean mate of the soul?" He sits down tapping his chest with his fist drinking his water slowly. "Well Pappy told us the story of meeting his mate of the soul when he was younger."
Zay smiled and let out a light chuckle. "Ah you mean soulmate?" Rosie smiled and nodded her head. "Yeah that. Is that what mama Riley is to him? Because I catch him smiling and always looking at her." Zay smiled at her pinching her cheek. If a five year old could see what was obviously still between them why couldn't they?
"Well does mama Riley look at him like that?" Zay asked hoping for a little hope to bring back together two people who belonged together and not apart. Rosie looked down shaking her head. Zay frowned guessing what happened senior year did more damage than he thought.
"No wait!" She shouts putting her hand on his arm. She starts smiling and tapping her nose. "Mama Riley does look at Luke sometimes. Also don't tell her but she has this picture of them in a book she has with mommy picture in it too." Zay wanted to jump up and down like a kid in a candy store.
"Rosie my dear how would you like to hear a good soulmate story?" Rosie smiled and scooted closer to him resting her head on her hands ready to hear a story. She knew it would be a good one Zay always told her great stories.
Rosie skipped into the barn where she knew Lucas would be. He told her after Zay taught her new ballet moves to bring her magic brush and they could brush the horses and go for a ride on one as long as she asked.
"Hey chief marshmallow!" Rosie shouts as Lucas smiled shaking his head at her. That was her new nickname for him since the night before when Zay wouldn't stop hogging all the marshmallows and eating them before anyone got one to roast so he took them and Zay started calling him chief marshmallow making them laugh.
"Hey Rosie posey let's see those new moves." She nods and gets into first position. Zay had shown her all the positions and today she learned how to do an arabesque. She does it a couple of times and then curtsies to the sound of applause from Lucas.
"Very nice move there Rosie posey. You have the makings of being a beautiful ballerina one day." She smiled and grabbed her brush giggling as Lucas put her on his shoulders once again. They had finally finish and Rosie went into the house asking Riley's permission and putting on her hat and boots.
They had just rode down the hill and stopped at the lake letting the horse drink some water and Rosie to dip her toes in. Rosie splashed in the water watching Lucas as he skipped rocks and would look over at her from time to time.
"Chief?" Lucas looked over at her and walked towards her. "Yeah Rosie posey?" He sees her tapping her nose and smiles bending down to her level. "Are you going to be my new daddy?" Lucas stood up looking at her with wide eyes and a lump forming in his throat.
He didn't know what to say and he didn't want to lie to her either about it. "Well Rosie I don't know what to say." He rubs his neck trying to find the right words to say to her and nothing was coming to mind. Rosie looks up at him and smiles grabbing his hand and sitting on the little log.
"Luke do you love mama Riley?" He admittedly starts grinning and Rosie yells yay. "Rosie it's not that simple. I hurt your mama Riley in the past and I don't think she will forgive me." She shakes her head and smiles at him.
"Did you say your sorry? Mama Riley said if you do something bad to someone you should always say your sorry and meant it." She nods her head and looks at the water. "If you say your sorry than mama Riley will forgive you and you can get married and then you can be my daddy."
He was about to say something when she continues. "Zay told me the story mama Riley is your soul mate." Lucas chuckles and and made a mental note to kill Zay later. He looks at her and then the water telling her it was time to go.
They head back to the house and see Zay with Cletus and Charlie playing hopscotch. It was Zay's turn when Lucas grabs him and drags him away to the barn. "Ow! Dude loosen your grip." Zay yells as he inspects his arm once Lucas let's go.
Lucas paces back and forth deciding whether to kill Zay and bury him in the barn or kick his ass and send him home. He knew Rosie would probably tell Riley about the daddy thing and she's probably going to think he put that in her head.
"Dude I can't believe you told Rosie that Riley is my soulmate." Zay goes to say something but Lucas continues talking. "You know what she asked me today? She asked me if I'm going to marry Riley and be her new dad."
Zay's mouth dropped open and Lucas punches him. "Will you stop that!" Lucas does it again. "It's your fault Mr. I need to tell people stories." Zay looks at him weirdly and then starts laughing realizing what he was talking about.
"Hate to break it to you Luke but Rosie had those ideas about you marrying Riley long before I told her the story." Lucas looks at him with a confused expression making Zay smile. "She sees the way you look at Riley and although she is only five she is very observant."
Zay watched as Lucas paces rubbing his neck probably trying to think of something to say but coming up with no words. He smirked to himself as he watched him he had to hand it to Rosie she was a tiny little genius. Managed to ruffle Lucas feathers quicker than expected. Now came the hard part of their little plan. Riley.
"Mama Riley?" Riley looked up from her laptop and looked at Rosie who was coloring on the porch. "If someone does something wrong and they don't say sorry right away would you forgive them?" She closed her laptop wondering where this was going.
"What do you mean rose? You should always say your sorry. You should always do the right thing." Rosie tapped her nose with the color crayon and looked at her. "If Luke said he was sorry back then would you forgive him?"
She let out a small gasps and put down her laptop patting her lap for Rosie to sit on. "Flower what are you talking about? Did Lucas asks you to asks me this?" Rosie shook her head and played with Riley's bracelet. "No but he told me he hurt you and you don't forgive him."
It didn't take long for Riley to realize why Rosie was asking this. She was spending time with Lucas and she was starting to fall in love with him and see him as a father figure. Something she didn't have since she saw Eric and Auggie as uncles and Pappy Joe as her grandpa.
"Rosie what happened between Lucas and I is in the past and I want to focus on my future which includes you and your brother." She tickled her stomach making her giggle. "What if Luke said he was sorry now would you love him again?"
That was the question Riley use to ask herself after they broke up. If he apologized and told her he still loved him and wanted to be with her would she be willing to move on and forget what happened and love him again? Back then she would have said yes in a heartbeat but now she wasn't so sure.
"That's a question for another day I think I hear Pappy Joe inside making his famous pot pie." Rosie gets excited and starts bouncing making Riley laugh. "Go on see if he needs help." Rosie runs off and while Riley grabs her laptop opening it up to the one folder she's been visiting for awhile.
Her butterfly folder.
She clicks on the pictures of them at the zoo and the beach and then finds the letters with different subjects. She clicks on the first one she ever read.
My dearest hummingbird,
Surprise! I can just see the look on your face and go ahead wipe those tears. You know me pretty well that I'm not going to let you cry over me. I don't want this to be a sad story I want it to be so fun you can't help but laugh. Notice I sent this through email and not the regular mail.
Well I wanted to write to you like in p.s I love you just without all the crazy tasks you have to do. I know you'll have your hands full with the twins. Kiss them everyday for me and tell them all the crazy adventures we had together.
I know you have a lot of questions like why I never told you what was wrong but I didn't think this would be our last adventure nor did I want it to be our last. But alas it is as Shakespeare wrote parting is such sweet sorrow.
But don't worry my little hummingbird we will fly together again. Besides I have unfinished business I plan to haunt you for a very long time in the form of letters and every second of every day.
Missing you already my dear sister.
Butterfly
Riley smiled and wipe her eyes. It was just like Elena to use her favorite movie to help Riley grieve. The day they met the first thing she told Riley that was her favorite book and movie and something she always watched. Riley was okay with it since she was a sucker for romantic comedies herself. They had romance movies night once a week.
Riley was just about to read another one when someone clears their throat. She looked up seeing Lucas standing in front of her rubbing his neck. "Hi." Lucas smiled hoping everytime he said hello she would greet him back with their old exchange.
"What's up?" Lucas frown and gestures to the other rocking chair next to her. She nods closing her laptop and looking at him as he sat down. He sat there trying to find the words to say to her but nothing was coming out.
Before he finally says something Pappy Joe calls everyone for dinner. Riley gets up grabbing her laptop and Lucas grabs her hand. "I just wanted to say I didn't tell Rosie I wanted to be her dad." Riley looked at their hands and then at him.
"I know. We talked about it and I honestly don't know where she gets these things from?" She lightly laughs taking her hand out his putting the hair behind her ear. "You have Zay to blame and I suspect Pappy Joe too."
Riley tilted her head looking at him confused making Lucas chuckle. "She told me you were my soulmate. Something I'm pretty sure she heard from Pappy Joe." Riley nodded her head smiling. "I forget he still loves to tell that story on a full moon. I love that story."
They stood there staring at each other before Riley cleared her throat excusing herself before Lucas could say anymore. He rubs his neck and walks away and the twins and Zay pop their heads up from the window watching.
"See told Zay. Soulmates just like Pappy Joe said." Rosie cheered smiling and squeezing her brother. Zay couldn't help but agree with her the way Riley let him hold her hand longer than she normally would and even though they didn't do their usual hey hi hi hey something was still there.
"Well little ones what's our next move then? Has to be big! Those two are stubborn like that big bad wolf trying to huff and puff down the piggies brick house." Zay mimics huffing and puffing making the twins laugh.
They all look at each other trying to come up with a plan when Riley scares them. "What are you guys doing? Dinner is done." They jump and shake their heads saying nothing before running off. "Zay?" Riley questioned stopping him from running away with the twins.
"Cotton candy face nothing is going on we were simply playing spies that's all." She gives him a look and he was going to break but Pappy Joe calls her name stopping him. He makes for the door behind her and she turns around.
"Zay nothing is going to happen between Lucas and I so please no ideas or plans okay?" He agrees but smiles as she walks away. "Oh I won't plan anything but that doesn't mean I won't help the twins plan." He says aloud walking towards the kitchen.