Small Town Lights

Chapter 5

Callie

I had just hung up the phone from ordering a pizza when the doorbell rang. It obviously couldn't be the pizza yet so I wondered who it could be. "Maddy, get down from that stool," I told her as I walked out of the kitchen. When I opened the door the last person I expected to see was standing there. "Colt? What are you doing here?" I asked him. I knew he had been angry when I left his parents' house earlier. I had hoped that sending him all the stuff I had been collecting over the last four years would get him to come around but I hadn't expected it to be this soon.

I watched him take a deep breath before saying anything. "I just wanted," he started but was cut off by the sound of running toward him.

"Daddy!" Maddy yelled as she lunged at him. He sent me a smile before bending down so he was on her level. "Daddy, are you here to watch a movie with us? I want to watch Sleeping Beauty but Momma says no," she huffed and tried sending me a glare. Colt laughed at the look that she ended up sending me causing her to look back at him with a huge smile. "Please," she begged him.

"Well, I... um," he looked at me as if he was looking for me to answer.

"If you have time to kill, we would love to have you watch a movie with us. We just ordered pizza," I said quickly.

He nodded before turning back to Maddy, "I would love to watch Sleeping Beauty," he sent me a wink and I rolled my eyes. Maddy had been on a kick and I was about over the whole pricking of your finger bull. Sure, I would love to be able to sleep that long uninterrupted but besides that, the movie held no appeal for me.

I moved to the side so that Colt could come in. "Maddy," I looked down at her and gave her my best 'Momma means business look.' "P.J's." She nodded her head and took off toward her bedroom to change. "I try not to let her watch movies without her pajama's already on because she always falls asleep," I told Colt as I walked back toward the kitchen to fill a cup up for Maddy.

"You really did make sure she knew who I was?" He asked me after watching me for a minute.

I nodded my head, "I never once thought she shouldn't know who you were," I frowned. I really deep down hoped he didn't think I didn't want him to be a part of her life. "We watched every game that we could, always cheered you on," I told him. Maddy was obsessed with all things football because her Daddy played. She didn't have to actually know him, to love him. I loved that about her. "Congrats, by the way... On the draft."

"Thanks," he smiled.

"That's all I ever really wanted for you, you know? You wanted to go pro and now you have," I didn't want to tell him just how proud of him I was. I didn't want him to think that I thought my opinion had any effect on him. He nodded his head and I saw a slight smile. He opened his mouth to reply but Maddy came running into the kitchen. "Maddy! No running," I told her firmly. She stopped and looked at the ground slightly shameful but I knew she was putting a show on for Colt.

The doorbell rang. "Maybe when she's asleep we can talk?" he questioned as he picked her up. I nodded and left to go answer the door.

We spent the next couple of hours watching movies and eating pizza. There was lots of laughing and Maddy told Colt all about the princesses. He probably could have won a trivia game about them by the time she finally fell asleep on his lap. I looked over and noticed that she was cuddled into his arms and he was staring down at her just watching her sleep. I always knew that Maddy would instantly attach herself to him when she met him and I never doubted for a second that Colt would be an amazing father. But it still shocked me a little that they were as close as they were already. I didn't mind though it was an amazing sight to see a father doting on his daughter and I looked forward to seeing it more now.