Lucky's Real Life Romance Novel

Chapter 19

River and I ended up talking all night and passing out in my bed together, but it was just sleeping. I realized that I was comfortable with River in a way I didn't expect. If you told me before moving to this small town that I would willingly and innocently fall asleep cuddling a guy in my bed, I wouldn't believe it. I woke up with my head on River's chest, my arm across his torso, and my legs tangled with his. I sat up groggily before looking up to see River still fast asleep. I figured he must have still been tired from the fight. I untangled myself before getting up and heading downstairs. I would let River rest more.

"Lulu!" Mia said when she saw me. She jumped into my arms. I chuckled and put her on my hip before carrying her into the kitchen. I set her at the table before making a quick breakfast for her. My dad came down so I made him a plate as well.

"Mia went down pretty early. How was your night?" My dad asked.

"It was fine. We went and saw a friend's band perform, but River fell down some slippery steps and got a cut. I already patched him up," I gave the excuse in advance, just in case.

"Well, I'm glad you two had fun. Where is River?" My dad asked before eating.

"He's upstairs," I answered.

"He stayed over?" He asked. I nodded before making two more plates. I sat at the table with my plate.

"It was late and we were talking. We fell asleep before even realizing it. He's still asleep," I explained. My dad nodded, taking it in as he chewed.

"Are you and River...?" My dad hinted.

"Dad. I'm not going to have this talk with you first thing in the morning. We take care of each other, that's all," I said with a shrug as I picked at my food.

"I'm not going to hound you, Lulu. I think River is a good guy. I just want to make sure that you're being careful," my dad said. I grimaced as I stared at my plate.

"Dad, spare me, please. There's nothing to be careful about," I said awkwardly.

"Okay, okay. I'll drop it. You're a big girl. You can take care of yourself. You always do," he finally gave in. After eating, I helped Mia with some of her schoolwork as my dad left to find a quiet place to write. Sometimes he liked to go find a scenic park to write in. Most of the time he was gone, he was off writing. I was used to it by now. River finally woke up and came downstairs as he yawned.

"Morning," he said.

"Riv," Mia smiled at him.

"Papa Richard said you need to be careful with Lulu," Mia blurted. My cheeks went red as my eyes widened. River paused as his eyes went to me.

"Your dad asked about us?" River asked. I nodded.

"What did you say?" He asked as he came further into the living room.

"I told him that we take care of each other and that's it. We're not doing anything that warrants him to worry. He dropped it," I explained.

"So your dad wouldn't mind... us?" River asked.

"If you had to put a title on it, no. He doesn't mind. My dad really likes you, and I've been taking care of myself for a while. He's used to me making my own decisions," I answered as I stood. I followed River into the kitchen and warmed his plate up as Mia switched to watching TV.

"Put a title on it?" He asked as he leaned against the counter.

"I said if you had to because my dad tried to," I corrected him as I set the plate on the table. River pulled my waist to him and held my cheek as his soft lips pressed against mine. My heart thumped loudly as my eyes fluttered close. My back touched the counter as my arms came up to wrap around his neck. His hands moved to my hips before he lifted me to sit on the counter. River kissed me heatedly as he stood between my legs. I pecked him before pulling away, my arms hanging over his shoulders. River smiled softly before taking one of my hands in his.

"If you had to put a title on it, what title would you use?" He asked. I shrugged. I didn't put too much thought into it before.

"The royal 'we' I guess. At least for me, I see us as a package deal. I'm not rushing to call you my boyfriend but I care about you a great deal," I tried to explain.

"The royal 'we' huh? Okay," River repeated before pecking my lips again. He helped me down before eating his breakfast as I went back to the living room to watch Mia. We spent the rest of the day relaxing. Luckily, because River's injuries weren't as bad as last time, I wasn't doing too much nursing. In fact, he was doing most of the comforting. I think he was still worried that I wasn't over watching the fight. At the time, I was scared, but I was okay now that River was fine. Plus, he did a lot of coaxing yesterday. We sat on the couch with Mia, played with her, and watched her shows with her until she fell asleep.

"Are you going hood up when we go back to school Monday?" I asked River quietly. He shook his head.

"It's just a cut. Not nearly bad enough to warrant the scholar routine," he answered. At least I found out what his limit was.