Travis's Gift (Riley's Pride #3)- Sandra R Neeley Page 0,78
old, and could most likely read. That meant that she may be able to read the letter her mother had sent to Roman. If that was the case and there was something in there that the child shouldn’t know, she’d see it.
Darcie, perched securely on Roman’s lap, looked over at the lady that had called her name. “I’m Maia. This is my little girl, Cristie, and my son, Sebastian. We live here. We were decorating our tree when you got here. Would you like to help us decorate the tree?” she asked.
Darcie looked over at the tree, then at Maia again before shaking her head and snuggling into Roman’s arms again.
Ms. Autry handed the letter Talie had written to Roman. “I’ve not read this. I’m not sure what’s in it,” she said, looking pointedly at Darcie.
Roman understood. He was not one to lie — he never did. “Darcie?”
“Yes, sir?” she said, looking up at him with wide eyes.
“I need to read this letter. And I don’t want you to read it because it’s private. So, I need you to move to that seat right there,” he said, pointing to the chair next to the Christmas tree.
Darcie looked at him and her lip poked out like she was going to cry.
“I’m not going anywhere, and neither are you. But I need to read this, okay?” he said.
Darcie nodded slowly and slid to her feet.
“I don’t lie. Not ever. I’ll always tell you the truth. You are living with me. From now on, you are my little girl, okay? I’m gonna take care of you, and you’re not gonna be anywhere that I’m not. You have my promise on that. You sit right there and let me read this.”
“Yes, sir,” Darcie said, and walked over to sit in the chair that he’d indicated.
“You sure you don’t want to help us decorate?” Maia asked.
Darcie looked up the tree. “It’s a big tree,” she said.
“It is,” Maia agreed.
“I never had one so big. Usually we just have a little one on the table. Last year we drew one on paper and taped it to the wall.”
Maia pursed her lips together and her eyes flashed to Riley’s.
Riley shook his head slowly, knowing exactly what Maia was feeling because he was feeling it too.
Roman had heard her admission as well. “Darcie? I’m supposed to be decorating the tree, but I’m a little busy now. Can you do my part for me?”
Darcie looked from Roman to the tree again.
Roman realized she didn’t know how. She’d never decorated a tree before. “You take one of those little hooks right there, and you hook it on the ornament, and then you use the other end to hang it on a branch.”
Darcie looked at the hooks, then the ornaments. “I can try,” she said.
“I’ll show you,” Cristie said, picking up a hook and an ornament and taking it over to Darcie. She handed them to Darcie and watched while Darcie put the hook on the ornament; then, they walked over to the tree, and Darcie hung the ornament on the tree.
“Good job,” Maia said, smiling at the little girl. “Which do you want to hang next?”
Seeing that Darcie was occupied, Roman opened the letter and started reading.
When he was finished, he took a minute to compose himself, then looked up to find everybody except those decorating the tree watching him. He looked directly at Riley. “I’m going to need your help.”
“You’ve got it,” Riley said without asking why.
“You might want to know why,” Roman said.
“Doesn’t matter. We got you,” Riley said.
Roman nodded. He held out the letter in Riley’s direction so he could read it, then he looked over at the attorney that had delivered Darcie to him. “Ms. Autry? Where are the papers to sign? To make Darcie mine?”
“I have them right here,” she said, spreading them out on the table for him to read through.
“All I want to know is if there’s anything in here that will allow anybody to take her from me,” Roman said.
“No. There’s not. It’s ironclad. But I have to warn you, her father’s mother was trying to get custody. She may challenge the legal guardianship. That will take a while though. There are roadblocks I can throw up to slow the process even more if I have to. I’m hoping it won’t take that long to free Talie.”
“She didn’t do this,” Roman said.
“You have no doubt, do you?” Ms. Autry said.
“None at all. I’m going to do everything I can to help you