You, Me, and Riley

chapter 19

"We go ou'side now?" Riley asked sitting in front of the window looking at the beach.

"Not yet sweetheart." I said from the kitchen as I put away the last dish from lunch.

"How bout now"

"Nope." I said walking to stand behind her.

"now?" She asked in a high-pitched voice.

"Riley." I said picking her up and carrying her to the living room where Dana had fallen asleep on the couch "It is storming outside. It's not safe for us to go outside right now."

"Why?" She asked with a shrug

"Because thunder and lightning can be really dangerous." I tried to explain.

"Why?"

"It's kind of like a strong burst of electricity." I said.

"Why?"

"Because I said so." I said with a smile.

"Why?"

"We're not playing the why game you little stinker." I said starting to tickle her as she squealed and squirmed off my lap.

"Save me Mama!" She yelled jumping on top of Dana who startled awake almost dropping Riley on the ground.

"What's happening?" She said quickly pulling Riley to her in a protective hold.

"The tick'o monster gonna et me!" She giggled from Dana's chest.

"Oh" Dana said with a sigh loosening her grip on Riley. She rolled her eyes at me when I laughed "Don't worry little one." She said picking up Riley and running down the hallway "I'll save you!"

"Hey!" I yelled as I ran after Dana and watched Riley grip onto Dana's shoulder howling with laughter. I saw them turn into our bedroom and when I walked in I saw Dana pulling the clean laundry basket off of the bed onto the floor behind the bed where they were hiding.

"Ready." I heard Dana whisper "one two three!"

"Get er'" Riley said with a laugh as they booth popped up from behind the bed and started throwing rolled up socks at me. We laughed throwing socks back in forth for awhile before Dana waved a white shirt in the air. "We surren'er Mommy!" Riley yelled as she ran out jumping into my arms.

"Does that mean I won this battle?" I asked picking her up and setting her on my hip.

"uuuuummmm maaybee." She said tapping her chin "But I don't tink so."

"Hunh" I said with a laugh walking out of the room bouncing her on my hip.

"We go ou'side now?" she asked resting her head on my shoulder.

I laughed as I walked to the slider door and looked outside at the rain. "What do you think Dana?" I said with a sigh as she walked out of the bedroom. "The thunder and lightning stopped should we go play in the rain?"

"rain rain rain!" Riley started chanting with a giggle. "Pease Mama we go pay in the rain?" She said turning to Dana as she walked back into the room with Riley's raincoat and boots.

"Lets go play in the rain." Dana said with smile as I set Riley down so she could get ready.

" 'ere your coat Mama and Mommy?" She asked as we walked towards the front door.

"Mama and I don't have coats baby." I said pulling on a pair of rubber boots and looking out the front door with a sigh. "Lets go!" I yelled grabbing Riley's hand and running into the rain.

"It aining it pouing the o'd man is snoing" Riley sang hopping in puddles "He ent to be—" She was interrupted by a loud clash of thunder and fell on her bottom with a scream.

"Your okay." I said picking her up as she sobbed on the ground. Dana and I ran inside and peeled off our wet clothes as Riley continued sniffling near the door.

"It very oud" she said as Dana picked her up and carried her to our bedroom.

"I know bug." I said as I walked into the bedroom and dropped a kiss on her head. "But it's just thunder, it can't hurt you."

She shrugged her shoulders whipping away the last of her tears and looked up at me before saying "Where Eo?"

"I think I saw him in your room baby. You left him there to play with your blocks remember?" I said as she hopped off the bed and ran into bedroom. "She is not an indoor baby." I said flopping back on the bed.

Dana laughed before she said, "We just have to find something that she will enjoy doing inside since we clearly can't go outside. Why don't we decorate cookies or something, I'm sure she will love making a mess doing that."

"I foun him!" Riley said running back into the room holding Leo up by his foot.

"I see that." I said picking her up and walking her into her nursery to change her into some play clothes. "What do you say we leave Leo here so you, me, and Mama can bake cookies?"

"Why Eo no come?" She asked with a big smile "He wan ookies too"

"He can have cookies when we are done, but I have a feeling that this little baby is going to be very messy! And I don't want Leo to get dirty." I said taking Leo and setting him down in her crib.

I set down Riley as we walked out into the kitchen where Dana was setting things out to make sugar cookies. We walked Riley through the steps of making the batter and then threw the cookies in the oven. When it was finally time to decorate the cookies, Riley was fidgeting in excitement and already had purple hands from sticking them in the frosting.

"Let's do this!" I said setting a plate of cookies in front of Riley and laughing as she once again dipped her hand in the purple frosting. "The frosting is for the cookies Riley." I said as she started licking the frosting off her fingers.

"Oh." She said as Dana grabbed a towel and started wiping off her hands "I no know."

"Yes you did silly." I said as she giggled "nice try." I said as I poked her nose before I sat back to watch her frost the cookies.

"Oh my gosh" Dana laughed as Riley stuck her hand in the yellow frosting. "I'm not eating those cookies."

I had SUCH huge writers block with this chapter so I have no idea if it is any good! hopefully the next one won't take as long to write!  Sorry friends!