Charlie stared at the Friar ranch not exactly ready to open the door and knock in fear Lucas would answer and he would show up at the courthouse with a fresh black eye. It had been years since he seen Lucas and the last time he did Lucas almost punched him since he knew he was hanging with Riley again.
He sees the twins in the backseat itching to get out the car. He takes a deep breath and opens the door helping them out as they ran to the front door opening it. He grabs their bags when he sees Lucas walk out the house.
He mentally curses himself and gulps seeing the steam coming from Lucas ears. "Hey Friar." Charlie smiles trying to sound confident as he walks towards him. Lucas folds his arms across his chest and narrows his eyes at him.
"Gardner can't say I'm surprised to see you here always were after Riley." Charlie shakes his head laughing at him as he places the twins bags on the porch. Usually he would throw being in Riley's life in his face but now that he was married with a kid on the way he didn't.
"Whatever you say Lucas. Look I got to go I'm running late. Riley or someone should be around later for the twins." Charlie heads to his car when Lucas calls out to him. "Hey is she okay? I seen her parents last week and talked to her dad.."
Lucas stops when he sees Charlie smiling at him. "What Gardner?" Charlie shakes his head and gets in his car Lucas was confirming what he already knew. "Nothing Lucas absolutely nothing. Don't worry Riley is the toughest person in the world. She can handle anything life has to throw at her."
Charlie starts the car and waves as he leaves watching from the mirror as the twins come out the house chasing Lucas around. He smiles shaking his head as he drove away.
"Well that wasn't so bad." Eric told her as they stepped out the courthouse. She gives him a small smile knowing they may have won today but they weren't out of the woods yet. Today was just the beginning of what she felt like was going to be the hardest battle she would ever face.
The judge already was not loving Harvey since he didn't show up and his attorneys had no clue where he was. She saw the steam coming out her mom's ears when she asked to postpone and the judge denied her. She told her she was the one that asked for it to be moved up so they would move forward with or without her client.
They went ahead asking Riley questions about her life and where she was living and how she could provide for the twins. She saw the shock on her parents faces when she told them she was going to college getting her teaching degree.
She also saw the smile her father wore when she spoke about how she had great teachers growing up and wanted to become one herself.
She leans against the side of the building trying to calm her heart down. "You okay?" Auggie asked putting his hand on her shoulder. She nods as Auggie grabs her hands squeezing and rubbing them until the shaking stopped.
Riley's heart finally calmed down and she smiles once again at Auggie silently thanking him. "How about we go have a late lunch just us." He tells her as she links her arm with his. "That's sounds wonderful but I..." Auggie holds up his hand gesturing to across the street where their father stood.
Auggie knew once Riley had been told he wanted to talk to her she would. No matter all the crap they put her through especially their mom. Who Auggie couldn't even recognize anymore. Riley still loved them both and her heart was truly to big to cast them out.
"Go on. I didn't want to have lunch with you anyways. You old boring school teacher." Riley laughs playfully shoving him and then pulls him back into a tight hug. "Thank you for being there today. I know I..." Auggie shakes his head and whispers. "No thanks needed Riley."
She lightly laughs wiping her eyes and he pinches her cheek. "Call me if things get awkward or mom shows up okay?" She nods as she makes her way across the street to where her dad was waiting for her.
Cory watches as the two people he loved more than anything in the world become strangers right before his eyes. He knew Topanga and himself were to blame why neither of their children actually spoke to them.
It was a surprise to them seeing them walk hand in hand into the courtroom. He watched as Auggie held her hand whispering reassurance in her ear. It warmed and broke his heart all in one. No longer were they the kids he played with on family game night or laughed at him for wanting to count his tater tots before he ate them.
Now in their place two grownup people he had no clue about. Especially his little baby Riley. He watched as Topanga asked her questions even losing confidence when Riley announced she was attending college.
He smiled as he sees her crossing the street towards him but can see she is just as nervous as him. He frown knowing she probably thinks it's another ambush with the way she glances back at Auggie who keeps an eye on her until she reaches him.
"Hi." She shyly tells him glancing at him quickly and looking around and he can feel his heart breaking. "Don't worry she won't be showing up." He watches her let out a little sigh of relief. She really couldn't handle her right now.
"I thought maybe we could get a bite to eat and talk. If that's alright?" She nods and they walk in uncomfortable silence to the local deli grabbing some sandwiches and drinks. They walk a little more stopping at a park watching the kids play.
They sit on a bench with their chewing and the children playing being the only sound they hear. Cory stopped eating looking out at the kids playing and then back at Riley. How did it get to this point where he had no idea what to say to his daughter. He looks out at the kids on the jungle gym and smiles.
"You know when your mother first told me she was pregnant with you we were back in philly in a park like this sitting on the jungle gym they had. He wasn't sure where he was going with this but wanted something to say to her.
"She was sure you were going to be a boy. But I knew you were a girl the moment she told me. I'll be honest I was scared out of my mind thinking somehow I was going to ruin you before you were even born." He looks at her seeing her glance at him from the corner of her eye so he keeps going.
"The moment I first held you I made a vow to always protect and keep you from harm. Never letting anyone ever break your heart." He clears his throat sniffing. "I just didn't know I'd be the one to break that vow." His voice breaks on the last part as the tears he tried to hold back started to fall.
Riley looks at him with her own tears as he goes on. "I'm sorry sweetheart I thought I was doing all the right things. And I'm truly sorry for not seeing the pain I was causing you when I put Maya above you or thinking she needed more love than you."
Riley wipes her eyes grabbing his hand squeezing it.
"I'm sorry I didn't listen to you when you tried to talk to me about Elena and the twins and I'm sorry I never got to meet the girl that meant the world to you. I'm incredibly sorry for missing out on watching you become this intelligent beautiful girl and I would very much like to be back in your life where I should have been all along if you'll let me?"
Riley smiles and pulls him into a hug as they both hug each other tightly crying as Cory whispers he's sorry to Riley over and over. "I'm sorry too daddy. I've missed you so much." Cory shakes his head telling her she had nothing to be sorry for. He was proud of the woman she turned into and knew she became who she is without anyone's influence on her.
They pull back and Riley smiles feeling like a weight had been lifted and she got a piece of her heart back. She knew things between her dad and her were going to be a lot better but she wasn't so sure about her mom. Or if they were ever going to have a relationship again.
After Charlie left Lucas made breakfast for the twins laughing at their story about Eric eating all Morgan's pancakes and she chased him around the backyard for an hour. While everyone watched eating their own pancakes from the porch.
After breakfast they help Pappy Joe with the chores even taking turns spraying Lucas and Cletus with the water hoses with help from Pappy Joe. He didn't know how long they were going to be there since Charlie told him someone would come later.
Rosie had told him Charlie and her wanted to go to the secret garden. They had business to take care of there that was very important. Normally he would have laughed at the little five year old but the serious look she was giving him told him otherwise.
He told her they could but he had to wait since Rosie and Charlie spoke with Pappy Joe about something. An hour later they walked out the house with a Tupperware full of brownies. Which they put into a box they had along with other things.
He smiles putting them both on the horse before getting on himself. The first time he did it this way the twins thought he drop them as they rode. But he showed them they would go slow so nobody got hurt.
It didn't take long for them to reach the house as Lucas helps them down tying the horse up. He opens the door when he sees them walking hand in hand towards the garden. He looks at them confused closing the door and following them.
"Chief." Rosie gestures for him to bend down. He smiles kneeling in front of her and Charlie as she puts her hands on his shoulders. "Charlie and I need to do something but you can't come with."
Lucas was about to object but Rosie gave him that look Riley use to give him when she wanted to try something alone and he insist on doing it with her. He couldn't help smiling at it she may not have been Riley's biological daughter but she had all her characteristics down.
"Okay Rosie posey but I have to check the roses. So I'll make you two a deal. I'll look at the flowers and you go handle your business. Unless that's where you were going?" The twins exchange a look and say no holding out their tiny hands for him to shake.
They go inside together and Lucas watches as they walked hand in hand again still clutching the box they brought. He checks on the roses watering them and making sure no bugs were eating them.
Once he finished he walked over towards where they were and seen them hugging each other and crying. He rushes over looking around seeing no one and then inspects them to see if they were hurt.
"Hey what's wrong you two are you hurt?" He asked sitting and putting them on his lap still inspecting them. The twins shake their heads leaning against him as they wipe their eyes.
"No chief we were talking to mommy." Rosie tells him pointing at the butterfly that was perched on the rock where he sees they place a brownie and a picture of them with Riley.
"Is that why you're crying?" He asked rocking them a little as their tears subsided. They nod their heads and look at him sniffing. "We asked mommy if she would be mad if we stopped calling mama Riley that?" Charlie tells him rubbing his eyes.
"What do you want to call her then!" Lucas asked watching them share a look. "We just want to call her mommy. No more mama Riley." Rosie whispers still leaning against him. Lucas smiled looking up trying to keep the tears away.
"I didn't know your mom but I'm sure she would be okay with you two calling Riley mom. There's no one better fit to be your mommy besides your own." They smile as he pulls them close hugging them.
They sit there as Lucas watched how all the butterflies that flew around them that one butterfly never moved. Like it was listening to the twins talk to him about the different things they did. It dawned on him that maybe the butterfly was their mom listening and watching over them.
He remembered Riley's tattoo of the butterfly she had on her shoulder with the initials E.R under it. They stayed a little longer as they ate a brownie each and got up with the twins whispering bye to the butterfly. Lucas watched as it flew over the twins making them giggle. "That's how mommy tells us bye." Charlie tells him as they walk back to the horse.
Lucas yawned as the twins and him were watching all the toy story movies after they had lunch and went for a quick swim. The twins had fallen asleep and Lucas was starting to too when he sees Riley's car pulling up.
He gets up checking the twins who were sleeping on the couch. He covers them smiling as he makes his way to the porch. He sees Riley getting out thinking she ignore him and go inside.
But she surprises him by stopping right in front of him.