You, Me, and Riley

chapter 39

Riley

I quickly ran up the stairs stumbling over my feet as I looked behind me at Mom and Ma's shocked faces with a sigh. I pushed into my nursery and looked around the room trying to find a good hiding place before I decided on the closet.

"Why did I run?" I mumbled to myself as I curled up under a blanket in the back corner "what were they going to do, tell me they don't want to adopt me anymore." sitting up quickly I gasped in horror looking at the dark closet around me "Oh my gosh were they going to tell me they don't want to adopt me." I quickly covered my head when I heard Mom and Ma walking down the hallway and tried to listen to their conversation.

"Where do you think she went Dana?" I heard Mom say as her and Ma walked past my nursery door and peered into my room.

"I don't know" Ma said with a sigh "But I don't think we should look for her just yet." she said.

"What, why not" she asked in surprise.

"She needs a chance to work through her thoughts" she said "Let's give her a few minutes."

"I guess" Mom said with a sigh "but we really need to talk to her Dana."

"I know I know I know" she said with a sigh "give it 10 minutes."

"5 minutes" Mom mumbled before I heard them walk down the hallway and away from my room.

"They don't want me" I said as I pushed out of the closet "we need to go Leo" I said, grabbing him from my crib and shoving things in my bag. I quickly grabbed the phone I hardly use and quietly walked out of my room until I made it to the front door and sprinted down the driveway. As I ran down the road I pulled out my phone and called Jessica praying that she would answer.

"Hey sista from anotha mista" she said giggling to herself "what's up?"

"Can I crash in your room for a little bit?" I asked

"Like a sleepover?" she asked "I have to aske Mama and Papa but I'm sure they won't mind."

"No!" I yelled "don't ask them."

"What?" she asked in confusion "Why not, what about Aunt Hayden and Aunt Dana. They will tell them."

"My mom's can't know where I am" I said after a second, "I can't stay there anymore, they don't want me."

"That's bull and you know it" she said causing me to stop in my tracks "all they talk about is you."

"You didn't hear them Jessica" I said after a second. "They don't want me."

"Obviously you didn't here them either, at least not correctly" I heard a commotion in the background and then groaned when Aunt Sheri's voice came over the line.

"Where are you Riley?" she asked in a super serious voice.

"How do you know I'm not at home?" I asked.

"Because your mom just called in hysterics saying that you, Leo, and a backpack of clothes have gone missing." she said "Now I repeat where are you?"

"But Aun't Sheri-" I started.

"Don't make me ask you again Riley Peters" she said.

"On the corner of Henries and Fulton." I mumbled.

"You best not move from that spot young lady" she said "someone will be there to get you shortly."

"Yes ma'am." I said with a sigh before she hung up the phone. I sat on the side of the road and waited for someone to pick me up wondering who it was going to be hoping it was Uncle Mike. Aunt Sheri was scary when she was mad, and I have gotten some serious lectures from her.

When Mom and Ma pulled up and ran out of the car pulling me into a hug I sighed in surprise."What on earth were you thinking." Mom asked, pulling away and looking me over for injuries.

"I'm fine Mo-Hayden" I said, flinching when she froze and pulled away to look at me in concern.

"What's going on sweetheart" she asked sitting down on the sidewalk and pulling me next to her.

"I thought I would leave before you made me leave." I said squirming on the sidewalk.

"Riley" Ma said sitting next to me "Where on earth did you get that idea."

I shrugged "You said-" I scrunched my nose when I couldn't come up with a solid answer "and then you didn't-" I shrugged again. "So I just-"

"Riley" Mom said kneeling in front me "I don't know what your brain is telling you, but none of it is true. Your Ma and I want nothing more than to make you an official part of our family."

"I'm sorry" I said crumbling into her arms sobbing as she pulled me into her lap "I was being stupid."

"Never stupid sweet girl." Ma said smiling at me as she kissed my forehead. "Do you think you can tell us why you instantly thought the way you did?" she asked.

"I was almost adopted once." I said after a long second.

"Really?" they said in surprise.

"I was about 10." I said with a sigh "my last foster home before the group home. I was with them for about 2 years before they told me they wanted to adopt me."

"What happened?" Ma asked softly.

"I don't really know" I said with a shrug "I thought everything was good, we were really happy, but then one day my case worker picked me up after school and I never saw them again. She said the Hansons found out they were having a baby so they pulled out of the adoption." I said looking at them with a trembling lip "but I don't get why that means they couldn't adopt me."

"It's not a very good reason baby." Mom said with a heavy sigh "and I am so sorry that they did that to you."

"I can be good moms, I promise I can" I said with big eyes. "I-I-I know I was bad today, but I promise it won't happen again."

"Hey look at me" Ma said pulling my attention to her "you are the best kid we could have asked for and we wouldn't change you for the world. You weren't bad today, you are never bad. You were scared, and made a bad choice, but that doesn't make you bad. Do you understand the difference?"

"Yes mama" I said.

"Before you slip sweet girl we need you to know a few things" Mom said pulling my attention to her "we don't know why the Hansons did what they did, what we do know is that it had absolutely nothing to do with you. You are perfect in every way, and the Hansons missed out on raising a beautiful little girl."

"Okay Mommy" she said with a smile "I sowwy I ran way."

"That's okay my love" she said picking me up and carrying me to the car to buckle me in my seat "let's go home."