Travis's Gift (Riley's Pride #3)- Sandra R Neeley Page 0,40
of the truck.
“I was wondering how long it would be until you noticed! We got a Grinch especially for you. What do you think?!” Maia asked.
Cristie squealed again. “I wanna see, I wanna see!” Cristie chanted.
“Let me get parked and I’ll get you out. You’ll be able to see for as long as you want. It’s your Grinch.”
Riley looked up as Maia’s truck pulled into the drive and started their way. “Here comes Mama,” he said, patting Sebastian's little back as he stood on the porch watching her come their way.
Then another truck came to a stop on the highway between Riley’s house, and the trailer park across the street, before turning into the drive and pausing as its driver rolled down the window and reached out to enter the security code to open the gates.
“Wonder what Travis wants,” Riley said.
Lucas had been running the extension cords and approached the porch with the ends that needed to be plugged into the house for power in his hands. “Here. Plug these in,” he said, handing the ends of the cords to Riley. After Riley took the ends from him, he turned and watched Travis’s truck as it drove slowly toward them.
“That ain’t Travis,” Lazarus said, not bothering with a ladder as he simply dropped to the ground from the roof to land a few feet from Lucas. “That’s Libby.”
“What do you mean?” Lucas asked.
“Libby's driving Travis’s truck. I could see her when she turned before the glare hit the windshield,” Lazarus explained.
Riley plugged the extension cords into the exterior outlets and went to help Maia get Cristie and her schoolbag and lunch kit from Maia’s truck. As he passed Lucas and Lazarus, he spoke. “I hear ya’ll say Libby’s driving Travis’s truck?”
“Yeah, that’s what Laz said,” Lucas answered.
Riley opened the passenger side door and helped Cristie out of the truck, holding her hand while she jumped to the ground and ran toward the house to get a better look at all the Christmas decorations. Then he walked around to the driver’s side to take the schoolbag and lunch kit from Maia. “I’ll get that, baby,” he said, reaching for it.
“Thanks,” Maia answered. “I’ll get our chocolate shakes.”
Riley smiled at the fact that Maia took Cristie to get chocolate shakes after school. It was something she started when she was able to drive after having Sebastian. She said it was their special girl time, and it was necessary to make sure that Cristie knew she was just as important to Maia as Sebastian was. So, a few times a week Maia would go get Cristie without Sebastian, and they’d always come home a little late with the remnants of chocolate shakes. Riley loved that Maia saw no difference between Cristie and Sebastian. They were both her children — period. He waited for her to grab both lidded cups with straws sticking out of them and close the truck door. When she did, he was waiting. He stepped into her space and kissed her. “I love you. You’re an amazing mother.”
“Thank you,” Maia said, smiling brightly at her mate. “I love you, too. And let me tell you, you look pretty sexy with that papoose on,” she teased.
“I thought so, too,” Riley said. “Don’t know why I was so opposed to wearing it.”
“You want me to take him?” Maia asked.
“Naw, he’s sleeping. I got him. He likes the fresh air.”
“Okay. I’ll go rescue Lazarus from Cristie’s thousand questions,” Maia said laughing. She started toward Cristie and Lazarus. “Cristie?” she called out.
“Yes, Mama?” Cristie answered.
“Let’s go get you changed out of your school clothes and then you can come back out and help supervise the rest, okay?” Maia said.
“Yes, ma’am!” Cristie answered, running over to Maia and taking Maia’s hand so they could go inside.
Riley walked down the drive a few feet and waited until the truck came to a stop and Libby got out.
“I was wondering what Travis needed,” Riley said, not letting on that he’d already known it was her.
“It’s just me,” Libby said. “I’ve been helping out Travis, and I decided that we should make some fliers to post and to hand out. But, my laptop is at Lucas’s house. I was going to go there, but I saw all ya’ll putting up lights, so I came here first.”
“Yeah, we trying to get the house decorated, then do the diner and the trailer park, too,” Riley said.
“Us, too. Roman’s at the house helping Travis as we speak,” Libby said.