Title: Fitting the Pieces
Series: The Riverdale Series Book Three
Author: Janine Infante Bosco
Blog Tour: September 21st thru September 30th
#janineinfantebosco
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#fittingthepieces
You’ve laughed with them. You’ve cried with them. Now it’s time to say goodbye to the Lanza Family, in the final installment of The Riverdale Series.
Luke Lanza is a man who has always done the responsible thing. He has faced a lot of challenging obstacles in his life from raising his daughter on his own, to building a successful business, even being the only viable donor that could save his brother’s life. Knowing this about his brother and knowing that he was going to die, Jake asked him to look after the love of his life. Now Luke is torn between the promise he made to his brother and the pull of something he’s never known before.
“Promise me, I need to hear you say it, Luke.”
Luke swallowed. “I promise I’ll take care of Cara, you don’t have to worry about her.” A tear slipped down his cheek as he finished his vow to his little brother.
Jake smiled slightly and closed his eyes. “I could always count on you.”
Cara Sloane is struggling with the loss of her first love and the power of addiction. Jake had been her rock for so long, with him gone she realizes how broken she is. She doesn’t want to feel anything, least of all the emptiness in her heart.
“I know you’re at peace and I should be thankful for that, but I can’t be. I never realized what a selfish person I was. You were suffering and all I could do was pray for you not to leave me.”
A tragic accident leaves Luke and his family pleading with Cara to change the course of her life. Can Cara face her demons and learn there is life after Jake? Can she learn that she can hold onto to the beautiful memories they made together and still live her life?
“I don’t want to fix her because she’s broken.” He said with his own voice sounding a bit broken. “I want to help her because losing her too isn’t an option.”
Individually they try to heal, together they wonder if they can fit the pieces of their broken lives.
Cara stood in the lobby of Lakeview looking out the large glass windows, waiting for Luke’s truck to pull up in front. She looked down at her watch, noting that it was almost ten in the morning. Any minute she told herself before she glanced around the lobby of the place that she had spent the last month trying to find herself. A horn let out a stream of honks from a distance and she turned around to look back out the window. A grin spread across her face as she saw Luke pull up. She took a deep breath and grabbed the handle of her suitcase, wheeling it behind her as she stepped through the automatic doors.
He had pulled his truck right in front, not bothering to pull into a spot. Luke shifted the truck into park and jumped out, leaving the engine running. Her eyes followed him as he walked around to the tailgate of the truck and leaned his arms over it. He lifted his head and his eyes met hers. He smiled casually in her direction.
“You ready, Spunky?” He asked as he pulled down the tailgate and stepped towards her. He was wearing the same hat he had the day he dropped her off, only this time it was backwards the ends of his hair peeking out and curling around the back of his neck. He was clean shaved and dressed casually in jeans and a Henley. He added a down vest over his Henley that was zipped halfway up his chest. He looked good, she thought, and then it came to her she had been obsessing over a nickname for him since they ended their call last night.
“I’m ready.” She said with a smile. He grabbed her suitcase and hauled it into the truck, closing the gate. She walked towards the passenger door, but he got there first, and opened it for her. She climbed into the truck and then turned around to face him before he shut the door.
“Thanks, Stud Muffin.” She said sweetly, waiting for his reaction to her nickname.
“Stud Muffin?” He asked, raising an eyebrow at her questioningly. Cara bit her lip and watched as his cheeks reddened. She reached over and pinched his cheek. “Oh yes, definitely. And you’re blushing. I love it!” She said as she leaned closer. Yep, he was definitely blushing.
Luke placed his hand delicately on her wrist as she squeezed his cheek he could feel her breath on his face. He slipped her hand down from his face and shook his head.
“You’re not calling me Stud Muffin.” He said gruffly. Her eyes immediately narrowed at the sound of his voice and she pointed her finger at him.
“There it is… that sound your voice makes.” She said pointedly. Luke blew out a breath and shook his head.
“You’re killing me, Spunky.” He said before pushing her legs into the car and shutting her door. He walked around the truck and got into his seat stealing a quick glance at her. She was trying not to smile as he shifted the truck and pulled away.
As Luke steered the truck down the pathway, she glanced out the window and her smile escaped as she silently bid farewell to Lakeview, watching it disappear through the side view mirror as Luke accelerated down the road and drove away. When it was completely out of her view she turned around to face him.
Luke felt her eyes on him, but he kept his eye on the road. “I stopped off and got you coffee.” He pointed to the cup holders between them, indicating the one to his right was hers.
“You’re the best Sugar Plum!” She said and took the coffee.
Luke groaned. “I think I liked Stud Muffin better.”
She smiled before she took the first sip of coffee. “So…” She said as she placed the coffee back in the cup holder. “I liked the game we played last night and was thinking since it’s such a long drive, we could play it again.”
“What game was that?” He asked almost frightened. He was slowly learning that Cara got a kick out of teasing him and seeing how far she could push him to react. He wasn’t sure if he liked it or hated it.
“It’s called getting to know Luke Lanza and what makes him tick.” She said and shrugged her shoulders. “So you’re going to drive and I’m going to poke and prod to my heart’s content.”
“You’re going to poke me?” He said clearly amused.
She leaned her head back and laughed. “I bet you’re ticklish.” She looked over and watched his face grow still and she laughed harder. “You are ticklish! That’s great. Relax Stud Muffin I’m not going to tickle you while you’re driving.”
“Thank God for small favors.” He said as he swiped his hand along his brow that perspired at the mere mention of her tickling and touching him.
“Okay, are you ready?”
“If I said no, would it make a difference?”
“Probably not,” she answered honestly. “I’ll start with simple questions.” She said with a devilish grin on her face.
Three and a half hours later, they were an exit away from Riverdale and Luke looked exhausted, not from all the driving but from all the questions. She now knew that he could cook, but only three dishes, and that he was a pro with the barbeque. His longest relationship was with Ava’s mother, Marie, and that was when they were kids. He hates dating and feels uncomfortable in fancy restaurants. He wasn’t only a baseball fan, but he loved all sports football season was his favorite and he was Jets fan. He prefers cotton sheets and didn’t even know they had flannel or satin ones. He likes to work out and since he rarely has time for it, he put a small gym in his basement. Friday night is date night with Ava. Then there was the thing that squeezed her heart, when she asked him what he likes to do for fun, he said rollerblading with Ava and then he invited her to come the next time they go to the roller rink.
Yeah, she thought that was adorable.
He had pulled his truck right in front, not bothering to pull into a spot. Luke shifted the truck into park and jumped out, leaving the engine running. Her eyes followed him as he walked around to the tailgate of the truck and leaned his arms over it. He lifted his head and his eyes met hers. He smiled casually in her direction.
“You ready, Spunky?” He asked as he pulled down the tailgate and stepped towards her. He was wearing the same hat he had the day he dropped her off, only this time it was backwards the ends of his hair peeking out and curling around the back of his neck. He was clean shaved and dressed casually in jeans and a Henley. He added a down vest over his Henley that was zipped halfway up his chest. He looked good, she thought, and then it came to her she had been obsessing over a nickname for him since they ended their call last night.
“I’m ready.” She said with a smile. He grabbed her suitcase and hauled it into the truck, closing the gate. She walked towards the passenger door, but he got there first, and opened it for her. She climbed into the truck and then turned around to face him before he shut the door.
“Thanks, Stud Muffin.” She said sweetly, waiting for his reaction to her nickname.
“Stud Muffin?” He asked, raising an eyebrow at her questioningly. Cara bit her lip and watched as his cheeks reddened. She reached over and pinched his cheek. “Oh yes, definitely. And you’re blushing. I love it!” She said as she leaned closer. Yep, he was definitely blushing.
Luke placed his hand delicately on her wrist as she squeezed his cheek he could feel her breath on his face. He slipped her hand down from his face and shook his head.
“You’re not calling me Stud Muffin.” He said gruffly. Her eyes immediately narrowed at the sound of his voice and she pointed her finger at him.
“There it is… that sound your voice makes.” She said pointedly. Luke blew out a breath and shook his head.
“You’re killing me, Spunky.” He said before pushing her legs into the car and shutting her door. He walked around the truck and got into his seat stealing a quick glance at her. She was trying not to smile as he shifted the truck and pulled away.
As Luke steered the truck down the pathway, she glanced out the window and her smile escaped as she silently bid farewell to Lakeview, watching it disappear through the side view mirror as Luke accelerated down the road and drove away. When it was completely out of her view she turned around to face him.
Luke felt her eyes on him, but he kept his eye on the road. “I stopped off and got you coffee.” He pointed to the cup holders between them, indicating the one to his right was hers.
“You’re the best Sugar Plum!” She said and took the coffee.
Luke groaned. “I think I liked Stud Muffin better.”
She smiled before she took the first sip of coffee. “So…” She said as she placed the coffee back in the cup holder. “I liked the game we played last night and was thinking since it’s such a long drive, we could play it again.”
“What game was that?” He asked almost frightened. He was slowly learning that Cara got a kick out of teasing him and seeing how far she could push him to react. He wasn’t sure if he liked it or hated it.
“It’s called getting to know Luke Lanza and what makes him tick.” She said and shrugged her shoulders. “So you’re going to drive and I’m going to poke and prod to my heart’s content.”
“You’re going to poke me?” He said clearly amused.
She leaned her head back and laughed. “I bet you’re ticklish.” She looked over and watched his face grow still and she laughed harder. “You are ticklish! That’s great. Relax Stud Muffin I’m not going to tickle you while you’re driving.”
“Thank God for small favors.” He said as he swiped his hand along his brow that perspired at the mere mention of her tickling and touching him.
“Okay, are you ready?”
“If I said no, would it make a difference?”
“Probably not,” she answered honestly. “I’ll start with simple questions.” She said with a devilish grin on her face.
Three and a half hours later, they were an exit away from Riverdale and Luke looked exhausted, not from all the driving but from all the questions. She now knew that he could cook, but only three dishes, and that he was a pro with the barbeque. His longest relationship was with Ava’s mother, Marie, and that was when they were kids. He hates dating and feels uncomfortable in fancy restaurants. He wasn’t only a baseball fan, but he loved all sports football season was his favorite and he was Jets fan. He prefers cotton sheets and didn’t even know they had flannel or satin ones. He likes to work out and since he rarely has time for it, he put a small gym in his basement. Friday night is date night with Ava. Then there was the thing that squeezed her heart, when she asked him what he likes to do for fun, he said rollerblading with Ava and then he invited her to come the next time they go to the roller rink.
Yeah, she thought that was adorable.
Pieces – Book One
Buy Links:
Jake’s Journal Book 3.5
In honor of the one year anniversary of the series you can now get your hands on Jake’s Journals.
Read his inner thoughts as he goes through the hardest time in his life. Read his letters to Cara as he pours out his heart and soul to her, though his works and drawings he wished to create. Discover the plans he had for his loved ones and the promises he left behind.
Buy Links:
1. Stay with Me by Sam Smith
2. Chandelier by Sia
3. Not Strong Enough by Apocalyptica, Doug Robb
4. I Want You To Need Me by Celine Dion
5. Sober by P!nk
6. I Don’t Dance by Lee Brice
7. Hero by Mariah Carey
8. The Search is Over by Survivor
9. I Loved her First by Heartland
10. Bailando by Enrique Iglesias
11. I’ll Remember by Madonna
12. Take My Breath Away by Jessica Simpson
13. Who Are You by Carrie Underwood
14. See You Again by Wiz Khalifa fea. Charlie Puth.
Janine Infante Bosco lives in New York City, she has always loved reading and writing. When she was thirteen, she began to write her own stories and her passion for writing took off as the years went on. At eighteen, she even wrote a full screenplay with dreams of one day becoming a member of the Screen Actors Guild.
Now in her early thirties Janine is dedicated to her family, her boys the lights of her life. In her spare time, she wrote the Riverdale Series a labor of love and family that she is so very thrilled to share with you. Hope you enjoy the Lanza’s.
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