Pieces (Riverdale #1) (23 page)

One Month Later…..

     
Jake
stood in front of Rudy’s holding Cara’s hand, his eyes roamed around the
parking lot that was filled with motorcycles. There were all types, from
classics to motorbikes. The sound of the engine’s purring was like music to his
ears. He took careful notice of the people that all nodded and clapped their
hands to his back, some of them familiar faces, the rest strangers. All of them
there for him, and he was completely humbled by each of them. He felt Cara
squeeze his hand, and he diverted his attention to her. She smiled up at him
like he was the man of her dreams. The feeling in the pit of his stomach that
he got, whenever she looked at him like that, was one he’d never get sick of.

     
She was wearing her “Team Jake” T-shirt,
and her curly hair fell wild around her face. He stared into her hazel eyes,
trying to figure if they were green or gold today. It didn’t matter, whatever
color they were, they were mesmerizing and he could lose himself in those eyes.
She didn’t look so tired and drained anymore, he concurred.

     
The last month had been easier than most.
Once he was released from the hospital, he was homebound for a full week. His
blood count had been low and with his immune system compromised from the drugs,
he had to be careful of his environment. One infection and he would’ve had to
return to the hospital, for God knows how long. He followed the rules, and
played all his cards right. He took the last month to build his strength. Even
began to feel good enough to run on the treadmill. His appetite had returned as
well. What pleasured him most was that he had finally been able to make love to
his beautiful Cara. Granted, it hadn’t happened until last night, but he didn’t
care. He missed the intimacy they had shared and was happy to have that part of
their relationship back.

     
In two weeks his PET scan was scheduled,
and by the way things were going Jake was certain the results would be in his
favor. He felt too good, almost like himself. He ran his hand along the top of
his head. His hair started to grow back, and it felt like fuzz beneath his palm.
He smiled and leaned down to press his lips to Cara’s.

     
“You ready to see what kind of shindig
your sister threw?” Cara asked against his lips.

Jake
pulled back slowly, and chuckled. Knowing Sam, she probably had covered
everything. He wouldn’t be surprised if she sent each of the biker guys home
with party favors.

     
“Yeah I’m ready. Let’s check it out.” He
grabbed hold of her hand and with his other hand he pulled open the door to
Rudy’s. The moment his foot stepped into the bar, applause erupted. Jake wasn’t
one to be shy or embarrassed, nope not him. He grinned and bowed, as if he was
a rock star they all had paid top dollar to see perform. He felt Cara drop his
hand and take a step back, before joining the crowd and applauding him.

     
He looked around the bar, much as he had
the parking lot. His family was crowded around a table in front of a makeshift
stage that had been brought in. Usually when bands performed at Rudy’s they set
up where the dart board was. Not tonight, tonight they were front and center on
a stage. The pool table was covered and it now was a portable tattoo station,
courtesy of Riverdale Ink and Jake’s right hand Pete. Pete had done a hell of a
job keeping his business afloat while Jake had been in the hospital.

     
Jake glanced at Cara and motioned toward
their beloved pool table. He frowned at her like someone had killed his pet and
she laughed, her cheeks flushing as she too remembered their rendezvous. He
wasn’t kidding when he told her he’d never look at the table the same, and judging
by the expression on her face, neither would she.

     
The applause died and the crowd shuffled
around him. The friends he hadn’t seen in years hugged him and told him how
proud they were of him. They called him an inspiration. Jake Lanza, an
inspiration, go figure he mused. He and Cara finally made their way towards the
rest of his clan. Luke was sitting with Ava on his lap. He was leaning into a
woman with unmistakable hair the color of black cherries. Jake’s grin was off
the radar he assumed as he elbowed his brother.

     
“Well now if it isn’t my favorite niece!”
He leaned down and scooped her up into his arms. He hadn’t remembered the last
time he was able to hold her in his arms like this. He squeezed her tight and
her giggles shot straight through his heart.

     
“Uncle Jake put me down!” She said between
her little bouts of laughter. Jake showered kisses on top of her head and
looked down at Luke and Leah who were holding hands.

     
“Miss Black Cherries, it’s always a
pleasure to see you.” Jake smiled sweetly as he placed Ava down on her feet.

     
Leah rolled her eyes but smiled, she was
becoming used to Jake’s relentless teasing. “Jake, it’s good to see you too.”

     
“Yes, I suppose it is. Now remember that
the next time you see my handsome face at the doctor’s office.” He wiggled his
eyebrows, unashamed that they weren’t as prominent as they once were.

     
“I’ll never let you wait again. I
promise.” She winked at him and Luke leaned over and kissed her cheek.

     
“He’s going to hold you to that.” Luke
said and then looked back at Jake, who nodded in agreement with him.

     
Jake turned his attention to his parents,
and let out a laugh when he saw his father. He had a green suit on. He was
probably a good four feet higher than the ideal height of a leprechaun, but
standing there dressed liked that, he sure as hell resembled one. Jake couldn’t
control his laughter, and tried to cover his mouth.

     
“Joe, what are you wearing?” Cara asked
politely, as she hid her face behind Jake’s shoulder to mask her humor.

     
Joe looked down at his suit then back at
them. “What? I’m raising awareness! Green is the color.” He nudged his wife.
“Tell them green is the color.”

     
“Lime green, honey.” She shook her head at
him. “What you have on---“

     
“Joe, my man I love you. But you look like
a Saint Paddy’s day parade float.” Nick said as he took a swig of his beer.
Jake figured he was probably a little drunk, because Nick rarely got disagreed
with his father. In fact he probably took Joe’s side more than he or Luke ever
did.

     
Joe mumbled a slew of curses, before
grabbing Nick’s beer out of his hand and taking a healthy gulp himself. “To
hell with you kids. You wouldn’t know style if it bit you in the ass. Back in
my day a suit like this got you to the center of the dance floor at Studio 54.”

     
“And four flat tires when you left.” Deb
added. When Joe shot her a look she smiled at him innocently.
        

     
Jake shook his head as he wrapped his arms
around Cara. He glanced up at the stage when he heard his sister’s voice. He
pulled out a chair for Cara and she sat. He sat down beside her and stared up
at his sister. Gone was the girl who tagged around him and Luke, begging them
to play with her. There stood a beautiful young woman, who took control and
orchestrated this entire event for him. He was proud of the woman she was and
even more so that he could call her his sister.

     
“Testing. One. Two. Three.” Her voice
shrieked into the microphone and Jake laughed out loud. She smiled brightly. “I
always wanted to do that.” She said more to herself than to her audience.

     
“God she’s gorgeous.” Nick whispered
beside him as he downed a shot. Jake glanced at him and patted him on the back.
Poor guy; he had it bad. Nick shook his head and Jake turned his attention back
to Sam.

     
“Thank you all for coming to Rudy’s
tonight in support of my brother Jake.” She winked at Jake and he blew her a
kiss in return. “Those of you, who know Jake, know that he has the most
exuberant personality there is. There is no one who enjoys life and all it has
to offer more than him. Six months ago, my brother was diagnosed with stage
four Non-Hodgkin’s Lymphoma. I remember my family sitting around the living
room after he told us his diagnosis. I was shattered. When I heard cancer, I
immediately thought how I wasn’t ready to lose my brother.” Her voice caught
and she paused. She looked down at her feet and tried to compose herself. When
she lifted her eyes, they landed on Jake.

     
Jake watched her intently, and with one
look he willed her to continue.

     
“I was naïve because at that moment I
forgot who, in fact, we were talking about here. Jake doesn’t let anyone tell
him he can’t do something or can’t have something he wants. Jake decided that
night, that he was going to fight because more than anything he wanted to
live.” She smiled at him as tears fell from her eyes. “His journey isn’t over,
but we have hope and we have a ton of faith. Nothing’s going to stand in his
way and I am so very proud of him. You, Jake Lanza.” She pointed to him.
“You’re
my
hero.”

     
He brought his fist to his chest and
patted the spot over his heart as he looked at her. Tears fell from his eyes
but he didn’t care. He watched her smile at him and wipe at her cheeks. The
room was silent as she collected her bearings.

     
“Anyway tonight, is about awareness and
about raising money for research to better assist those who struggle to fight
cancer. Instead of Lighting the Night with a walk, we decided to make this more
personal and more about Jake. He loves his motorcycles.” She smiled. “So those
of you who have signed up to ride, it’s time to kick this thing off. Buckle
your helmets, kick up your kick stands and let’s ride for Jake.”

     
The bar sounded with clapping hands as Sam
made her way off the stage. Jake stood and caught her as she threw her arms
around him. He hugged her with everything in him.

     
“Love you.” He whispered as he closed his
eyes.

     
“I meant every word.” She said as she
pulled back and stared at him for a moment.

Mostly
everyone stood on their feet, and started to head towards the parking lot where
the bikes were. Cara tapped Jake’s arm, and he released his sister to turn to
her. She handed him his helmet and winked at him.

     
He stared down at the helmet she offered
and took a deep breath. He was going to ride. A grin slowly spread along his
mouth. He took his helmet and leaned in and pressed his lips to hers. She
wrapped her arms around him as if she was no longer afraid she would hurt him
and let her tongue run along the seam of his lips. He smiled against her mouth
before he parted his lips and slipped his tongue into her mouth. She tasted
sweet and sinful all at once. His teeth grazed her lower lip before his tongue
soothed it. She pulled away slowly.

     
“I have a surprise for you.” She whispered
as she stared up at him lovingly.

His
brows furrowed curiously, but he smiled.

     
“I’m all for surprises, especially when
they involve you, but can it wait until after the run?”

     
She shook her head. “Nope.” She said and
took both of his hands, tugging him towards the doors. Everyone followed them
outside the bar.

     
Jake watched the excitement come alive in
her eyes. She leaned behind him and reached on her tip toes to cover his eyes
with her hands.

     
“No peeking.” She said against his ear. He
laughed and wondered what she was up too. He could hear all the engines gearing
up for the run and the adrenaline began to boil in his veins. Cara shuffled him
to where he needed to be, her hands still covering his eyes.

     
“Okay are you ready?” She teased.

     
“Yes. I’m ready, lay it on me.” He said as
his lips curved into a smile. Slowly he felt her hands disappear from his eyes,
and he opened them. Parked before him, was the motorbike he drew, the one that
he hoped to someday ride. It was painted in black and lime green, he had never
colored in the sketch, but he couldn’t have been happier with the colors she
chose. Team Jake was written in the same bold letters that had adorned her
shirt, along the engine.
 
He stepped
forward and ran his hands over the sleek body of the compact bike. It was
exactly like he pictured it. He turned around and looked at Cara.

     
She stood there staring back at him
nervously. She chewed on her bottom lip holding back her smile. “Do you like
it?”

     
He looked at her for a moment, and shook
his head. Not because he didn’t like it, but because he was amazed by her. “I
love it.” He said his voice thick with emotion. He blew out a breath, his eyes
traveling back and forth between her and the bike. “How did you do this?”

     
She stopped chewing on her lip and let her
smile take over her face as she stepped towards him. “I took one of your
sketches and asked Luke and Nick for some help. I would’ve built it for you
myself, but I’m pretty sure this was the safer bet.” She joked and then slapped
his chest playfully. “Well aren’t you going to get on it?”
 
She pressed her palms against his chest,
pushing him towards the bike, urging him to get on it.