Meeting Mr. Wright by Cassie Cross Read Free Book Online Page B

crown she’s wearing, she laughs. “Silly. Princesses don’t play football!”
    “Sure they do. They just have to strap on their tiaras.”
    Madeline laughs as she reaches over and hands me a plate with a plastic hot dog and a plastic can of peas on top of it, and I notice Nate standing in the doorway, grinning.
    “We’re training her to be a quarterback,” he says as he walks over and sits down next to me. “She’s got quite an arm on her.”
    “I made you a sammich,” Madeline says, handing Nate a plate full of random plastic food.
    “Looks delicious.” He rubs his stomach, and I love the way he plays along with her. The way he doesn’t care how ridiculous he looks or what he has to go along with in order to make this little girl happy. He brings the “sandwich” to his mouth and makes loud, exaggerated eating noises, then hides the plate under the table.
    “You ated it all!” Madeline shouts, laughing.
    “I did, and it was delicious. I want to meet the chef!”
    “ I’m the chef.” Madeline points at her chest and Nate takes her by the arm, gently pulling her to him. He smothers her with kisses and her peals of laughter bounce off the walls. It’s the best sound. With Madeline still laughing uncontrollably, Nate stands up and spins her around, increasing the laughter tenfold.
    “Nate, be careful,” Amy shouts from the other room. “It’s time for dinner, and I’m not cleaning up any barf tonight.”
    “That’s really appetizing, Mom. Thanks,” Nate says.
    “You already ate!” Madeline tells him with a giggle.
    “I have room for more.”
    “Where?” She pats Nate’s stomach, feeling around for some extra space.
    “I have a hollow leg,” he tells her, and the look on her face is priceless. “All the food goes down there when I eat it, so I have more room in my belly.”
    “Wow,” Madeline sighs with wonder, eyes wide.
    “Ready for dinner?” he asks her, and she nods enthusiastically. “Why don’t you help Miss Callie get up?”
    Madeline holds out her hands to me, and I clasp them in mine. Then Nate wraps his hands around her waist and pulls her back. Her hands slip out of mine.
    “Uncle Nate!” she screams, laughing.
    “Try again,” he replies, winking at me. She grabs my hand and he pulls her away again, then wraps her in his arms. “Where’s all that upper-body strength, princess? We’re going to have to start working on some bench presses.” He lifts her up over his head, and I have never seen a child having so much fun in my entire life.
    “Nate!” Amy warns.
    Madeline holds out her hand again, and I clasp it in mine. I take Nate’s hand with my free one, and he pulls me up. Madeline runs into the living room, and the smile that Nate wears as he watches her takes my breath away. And I could kill Amy and Gabby for subjecting me to all of this cuteness.
    “C’mon,” Nate says, his hand gently pressing into the small of my back as he leads me to the dining room.
    Mr. and Mrs. Wright are sitting next to each other, with Jessa and Madeline directly across from them. Ethan and Emily are at the far end, thankfully. There are only two empty chairs left, and they’re right next to each other, which I’m sure is no accident. Nate pushes my chair in as I sit down, and then he takes the seat to my left. When I look up, I notice Ethan watching the two of us, and I can’t lie, I feel a twinge of satisfaction at the hint of jealousy I see in his eyes.
    Gabby and Ben sit across from Nate and me, too wrapped up in each other to notice that there’s an actual meal taking place. They look so in love that it’d be sickening if they weren’t my friends.
    Jessa is thinking the same thing I am. “You two look so in love,” she says, sighing a little as she cuts into her lasagna. “I remember that look. It starts to fade a bit when you’re running after a screaming four-year-old.”
    “Oh shush,” Amy says, flipping her napkin at her daughter. “Your father and I had the