"Riley..." Maya said slowly.
"Maya..." Riley mimicked smiling.
"Honey, you know I love you right" Maya smiled innocently giving her a worried look.
"Yeah?" Riley looked at her with furrowed eyebrows. What was she trying to get at?.
"Ok good, so don't get mad at what I'm about to tell you"
"What do you have to tell me" Riley looked at her best friend suspiciously. Maya nervously bit her lip.
"I'm pregnant" Maya said quickly. Riley gaped at her wide eyed. Did she hear correctly?. She's pregnant!?. Riley's face lit up as her lips turned into a wide smile.
"YeeeeEEEAAAYYY" Maya looked at her excited best friend confused.
"You're ok with this?" Maya questioned. She wasn't gonna lie because she'd think that Riley would be a little uncomfortable or something especially since the dad is... Oh.
Maya nervously picked at her finger nail. Riley's smile faded into a frown. "Maya... You're doing that nail thing you do when you get nervous."
"Well uhm... I haven't quite told you who the father is..."
Riley snorted, "Ok, who's the father" as if it wasn't obvious, she thought it her head.
"It's not like you need to tell me. I already know. Can I be the one to tell Lucas the good news!. Wait no... You should probably do that you're the one with the baby it makes things more spec-"
"Riles, Lucas isn't the father" Maya said quietly. Riley gaped at her wide eyed. What is she talking about!. Maya shifted uncomfortably.
"W-what?!. Lucas isn't the... So-"
"Remember that one night where You, Zay-
"Oh My God... ZAY'S THE FATHER!" Riley shouted horrified. Not that she has anything against Zay or something but Him and Vanessa had started hitting things off again and by 'hitting things off again' she means they basically have a whole family. They got twins... they're basically married!. Knocking up Maya would quickly make things shaky. That would mean Zay... Zay cheated!. Maya looked her incredulously, shaking her head frantically.
"Noooo. Zay is not the father!, let me finish. So again, that night when you, Zay, Farkle-" Riley gasped ever so dramatically.
"You and Farkle had sex!...My boyfriend cheated on me with you!. Maya how could you do that to me. You go behind my back and cheat on me with Farkle?!." Riley stopped for a second. Maya still gaping at her as if she was this crazy person.
"Actually... you know, if Farkle really cheated on me... I think I'd rather it be-"
"Riley!, no one cheated on you!. I never had sex with Farkle" Maya shuttered at the thought. Farkle looked quite handsome now, but he's still weird like hell. She'd never have sex with him. Riley exhaled in relief. Putting one hand on her chest.
"Ok. so Farkle isn't the dad?"
"Have baby minkii?" Maya scoffed, "yeah, no thanks"
Riley nodded in agreement then looked at her offended in realization. Maya laughed a little.
"Ok so let me finish!. You remember that night when You, Zay, Farkle, Smackle, Owen and I went to that party that Josh invited us to?" Riley nodded in remembrance.
"Well at the party, I kinda got a little drunk-"
"A little. Peaches you got too drunk. You almost had attacked Owen of his clothes and..." Riley turned to her with furrowed eyebrows. Owen couldn't be the father could he?. Maya rolled her eyes.
"No Owen and I didn't have sex. He's not the dad, He's gay remember"
"Oh right. Look enough of the stories Maya just tell me who it is."
"Well maybe if you'd stop interrupting me, You'd actually get the answer." Maya mumbled crossing her arms and looked away childishly. Riley shook her head at her childlike behavior.
"Peaches..." Riley warned.
Maya hesitated for a moment. I mean she might as well tell her. She's been hiding this for a while. Maya opened her mouth but closed it again, maybe this isn't a good idea. Maya took a deep breath and said his name. She cringed at Riley's reaction. Riley had literally covered her ears, even though she already heard the name, ran around her house screaming
"HIM?!." Riley shouted before she continued to run around the house as if she were traumatized.
Maya still looked away. Staring out the nearest window deep in thought.Of all the things that could've happened to you while you were drunk Maya. This just had to be it.
O~O~O~O~O~O~O~O~O~O~O~O~O~O~O
"Aunt Riley?"
"Hmm"
"You think mommy will give me a little brother or sister?" The five year old asked. Riley laughed a little.
"Chloe I don't think your mother can deal with another troublemaker" Chloe crossed her arms across her chest and pouted.
"I'm not a trouble maker"
"Yeah, ok Chloe" Riley replied.
"I'm not!"
"Yes. Yes you are"
Chloe hit her aunt with the loaf of bread she had just put in the cart. Riley had took it out and put it back in the section, complaining that she didn't want crushed bread to bring home. The brunette had taken her best friends daughter with her to the grocery store while Maya had another project for her Art Gallery so Chloe tagged along with Riley. Her phone suddenly buzzed in her pocket as her phone rang.
"Hello?". She answered, not noticing that Chloe took this as an opportunity to run off and get some chocolate.
"Oh, yeah no I'm not busy. I'm just running some errands with Chloe" She heard Riley's voice slowly fade each time she got farther into the grocery store. She walked past the giant strangers in the market till she got a glimpse of her favorite chocolate candy bar. She'd usually get three candy bars. Kit Kat for her, Snicker's for Mommy and Hershey's for Aunt Riley. The only way she'd get Aunt Riley to buy chocolate anyway is if she'd tempt her with the Hershey bar.
"Where's your mother?, You shouldn't be by yourself in the store" Chloe jumped dropping the candy bars on the floor. She looked up at the tall man. Strange, he was wearing a cowboy hat. Doesn't he know that cowboy's live in Texas. That's what mommy told her at least. He looks like a dumb dumb walking around here with that thing on.
"I'm not alone, I'm here with my Aunty. Are you a real cowboy?" Chloe asked excitingly. She couldn't wait to get home. She'll tell Mommy that she found a real cowboy in the supermarket.
The man chuckled. "No. I'm not a real cowboy. I just came back from Texas that's all." Chloe furrowed her eyebrows in confusion.
"Well if you came from Texas then you must be a real cowboy!. You have the cowboy hat."
"Who told you that cowboy's come from Texas?" The man questioned.
"My mommy did." Chloe responded in an obvious tone. The man looked her questioningly. She reminds him of Maya. Hell, she even looks like her too. The only thing catching his attention is her eyes. Those definitely aren't Maya's eyes.
"Chloe!"
"Chloe!" Riley's worried voice travelled through the aisles as she called out to her niece. Riley's lost Chloe in multiple places before and she's still never told Maya.
Chloe heard her aunt's voice. She quickly picked up the candy bars. "Looks like I have to go. Aunties getting worried. You think you have a horse to get me to her quicker?"
His shook his head laughing. Chloe tilted her head to the side confused. She was serious. He must've came here with a horse or carriage of some sort. She shrugged and skipped off with her candy. Riley turned her head in the aisle that Chloe just left.
Riley knelt down, hugging Chloe tightly. "Ohh thank goodness I didn't lose you!." She saw the man with the cowboy hat leave the aisle.
"Were you talking to a stranger!" Riley looked at the five year old worriedly. Chloe shrugged it off. He wasn't a stranger, he's a cowboy. Did Riley not see the cowboy hat?.
"Don't worry aunt Riley it was a cowboy. A real one!. He had a black cowboy hat!" Riley's face went blank for a minute. Cowboy?. She looked back towards the man to see if she can catch a glimpse of his face. It couldn't have been Lucas could it?. No it couldn't have, He left for Texas three years ago. If he said he was coming he would've called. Wouldn't he?.
"Ok well listen, cowboy or not I don't want you talking to any of them." Riley stood up taking her niece's hand heading for the check out.
O~O~O~O~O~O~O~O~O~O~O~O~O~O~O
"Mommy! Mommy! Mommy!. You won't believe what I saw today!" Maya lay sprawled on the couch asleep with the TV on. A paint brush in one hand, arm hanging off the couch and the other acting as a pillow on the arm rest of the couch. Painting must've tired her out. Chloe ran beside her mother shaking her frantically.
"Hmm... what?!...what day is it?" Maya woke up confused dropping the paintbrush. Riley let out a small laugh. Giving her best friend a small kiss on the forehead before bringing the groceries to the kitchen.
"It's a Saturday, Peaches." Riley said from the kitchen as Maya lets out a small yawn before getting up to stretch.
"Mommy! Guess what I saw today!" Chloe jumped up and down eagerly.
"What?" Maya asks.
Chloe stopped jumping and gave her mom a look. "I said guess"
Maya looked at her blankly. "...What" Chloe sighed.
"I saw a cowboy!" Maya looked at her daughter confused. She thought Riley took her to the grocery store not a rodeo.
"You saw a cowboy... in the grocery store?" Maya questioned with furrowed eyebrows. Chloe nodded energetically.
"I saw him when I went to get chocolate" Maya arched an eyebrow, slowly turning her look towards Riley in the kitchen. Riley looked at her and put her hands up innocently. One hand holding the Hershey bar and her mouth covered with chocolate.
"She bribed me with a Hershey Bar" Riley said with her mouth full.
"Yeah and I even grabbed you a Snickers" Chloe added in, pointing the chocolate bar out to her. Maya shook her head at the two.
"How kind of you." Maya drawled. "But you're not slick. You can have your Kit Kat today but don't expect to get chocolate any time next week." Maya said while taking the Snickers. Chloe pouted.
"So what did this cowboy look like." Maya sat down picking up Chloe and sat her on her lap.
"Uhm... He had a black cowboy hat"
"Anything else?" Maya unwrapped her Snickers bar and taking a bite.
"Uhm... He... Had... A black cowboy hat" Chloe nodded in remembrance. Maya let out a small laugh. Riley entered the room that they were in.
"So I take it that he had a black cowboy hat?" Maya asked and Riley shrugged.
"Any chance of telling me why my child was alone with some cowboy that could've kidnapped her Riley?" Maya gave her a stern look. Riley slowly turned around ready to run and hide. Maya quickly got out of her seat and jumped on her best friend, pulling her down with her non chocolate bar hand and sitting on her.
"Start talking Riley or I will get my paint and start another paint war." Maya threatened with mouth full of chocolate.
"I'm sorry, Farkle called and she probably walked off as soon as I was distracted" She wiggled around trying to her maya off her not wanted to get painted on.
"Uh huh, now this is what the 20th time you nearly lost my kid?" Maya sat on her crossarmed with an arched eyebrow.
"What?, How do you know about all that?" Riley stopped moving around, shocked she'd somehow been caught.
"Well for starters you just admitted it-" she mentally face palmed herself. "-and I know everything"
"Well what if the cowboy that Chloe saw was Lu-" Maya slapped her hand over Riley's mouth. Chloe jumped at the sound.
"Don't say his name" Riley pulled Maya's hand off her.
"Could you get off me please" Maya obliged slowly getting up till Riley impatiently pushed her off.
"Why?, it doesn't matter. Clo doesn't even know who we're talking about."
"Riley, please. Just don't say his name" Maya took her piece to put it in her art room.
"What's wrong mommy?" Chloe asked worriedly. Riley figured she was gonna go in Chloe's soon to be room and paint again. Riley made sure Maya was in her room before telling Chloe that they're gonna go make cookies.
"Mommy said I couldn't eat anymore chocolate this week" Chloe responded sadly.
"What Maya doesn't know won't hurt her" Riley said smugly. Chloe smiled mischievously.
So? How was that *queue my smug face*
O~O~O~O~O~O~OFun Fact: the cover of this book is actually a picture of me and my niece