Just like his brother, Adrian crouched to her level. Unlike Nate, he didn’t offer his hand. Instead, he took a long moment to observe her, his eyes bouncing all over.
“I’m your uncle Adrian.”
She nodded. “Okay. Are you my dad’s brother too?”
“I am.” He reached for her face, stopping just shy of touching her. “Do you know you look just like your dad?”
Her nose scrunched. “But I’m a girl.”
His chuckle was like tires on gravel. “Yes, you are. We’ve been waiting a long time to have a girl in our family. I’m really glad you are one.”
“Me too. My best friend, Declan, is a boy. He thinks being a boy is the best, but I think being a girl is the best.”
Adrian bobbed his head back and forth. “I see where he’s coming from. There are pros and cons of both.”
“Yeah,” she agreed. “Therearepros and cons.”
I had to cover my mouth to hide my snort. Not a chance Katty knew what he was talking about, but she was so serious, anyone would have believed her.
I shook my head, meeting Nate’s gaze. He seemed just as amused.
“Are you finding something to eat?” he asked.
I picked up Katty’s plate. “Give this girl a hot dog, and she’s golden.”
He slipped the plate from my hands, telling me he’d take care of it while I picked out my own dinner. Katty was all too happy for Uncle Nate to take care of her, so I took my time choosing what I wanted.
Adrian sidled up beside me, lifting the covers of the chafing dishes to see what was underneath and sniffing at the contents.
“Is this your first match?” he asked.
“It is.” I glanced at him over my shoulder. “I’m not a real sportsball person.”
He huffed a short laugh. “I can’t say I would be either. Having two brothers who played professionally…well, it wore on me. I find myself getting far too passionate about grown men running around with a ball.”
I had to laugh. “My dad wasn’t a sports guy. He was a concert guy. He used to get excessively passionate over a grown man singing and playing piano.”
Adrian furrowed his brow as he selected a pretzel. “Billy Joel fan?”
“One of his favorites.”
“Nice.”
He wrapped the pretzel in a napkin and gestured for me to walk ahead of him. There was one thing I could say for sure about the Wells brothers: they were gentlemen. Well…maybe not Roman. My only interaction with him had been far from polite, but I was willing to be open-minded, especially after the things Ben had told me about him.
When we returned to the glass, the crowd had grown louder, the stadium pulsing with energy. Music thumped through the speakers, and a wave of cheers rose as the players took their positions. Katty pressed both palms flat against the window, her eyes flared wide with wonder.
“Uncle Nate, what’s my dad doing?” she asked, pointing excitedly.
Nate crouched beside her, bracing one arm on the ledge. “He’s getting ready to play. He’s doing those little jumps and stretches so he doesn’t pull a muscle. Number eights have to be strong and quick.”
“Is Benny the boss?”
He grinned. “He’s the captain. His job is to keep everyone working together.”
“When we play house, I’m the mom. I tell Declan when it’s his turn to be the dog.”
Adrian made a quiet, amused sound beside her. “That’s an important skill. Leadership starts early.”
