Caught Up (Windy City, #3)

by Liz Tomforde

Thankfully, no other runners were on the bases, but that’s the last time I think about Miller fucking Montgomery while I’m on the mound. It’s her first night with Max, and I’d assume from the glimpse I got of her this morning, it’ll also be her last. There’s no way she won’t fuck this up.

“She says, ‘Tell Kai if he doesn’t leave me alone, I’m going to feed his kid all the sugar I can find in this hotel, sit him in front of a screen so he can get brainwashed by whatever the hell a Cocomelon is, then leave his grouchy ass to deal with Max all night.’”

“Text her back and tell her she’s fired.”

“I’m going to say this only once, so listen up. No one better try anything with her. I don’t give a shit if you think she’s God’s gift to this team, she’s not here for any of you. So let this be the one and only warning that if you mess with her in any way that makes her feel uncomfortable or unwelcome, you will be answering to me. You think Monty is scary when it comes to his kid?” I chuckle condescendingly. “You don’t even want to know what I’ll be like if you fuck with mine, and messing with Miller, or anyone who is watching my son, is the same thing as messing with Max, so don’t fucking try it.”

When my dad proposed the idea of me nannying for his pitcher’s son, I was hesitant. I’ve never really spent time with a kid before, and sure, there are some major fears of not being good at this role, but what’s different about this job compared to all the others is that, no matter if I’m the best or not, I’m directly helping my dad. Other goals I strive for are to impress him, reassure him I’m doing something with my life after he gave up his. But this, this is me having the opportunity to make his life easier.

As if I wasn’t already convinced that Kai was the problem and not the nannies themselves, spending my afternoon with Max is proving my point. They’ve got an entire MLB organization catering to their new family, but I’m starting to feel like maybe Kai isn’t all that eager to make this situation work.

“I’d say those fans in Chicago are feeling awfully lucky right about now. He signed with the Warriors last season to play with his brother one final time before moving into retirement in the next handful of years, but with how he’s playing lately, retirement is the last thing anyone is thinking about. And I’d assume it’s not even on Kai’s radar.”

The little boy next to me with dark brown hair and wistful blue eyes looks at the screen in awe as his dad slips into the dugout. Not only does Kai look like a superhero, I think he might actually be one to his son.

“Max, what do you think is wrong with me?” Damn. Loaded question for a fifteen-month-old. I guess I really am losing

“Max, is your dad the most overbearing parent of all time?” He squeals and from now on, I’m taking that as a definitive yes. “That’s what I thought.”

He’s okay. In fact, I’d say he’s better than okay, sleeping soundly in a cozy pair of pajamas with his favorite lovey in his fist that I didn’t even tell Miller about.

“You know, this uptight control freak thing is making it really hard to imagine myself watching Max all summer long.” I cross my arms over my chest. “Is that supposed to deter me?” Her eyes narrow. “For someone who says they like my dad so much, you’re hell-bent on making his job hard, huh? You act like this toward any person who comes within a ten-foot radius of your son, they quit, or you fire them, only for him to bend over backward to do it all over again for you.”

“I’m not around because he’s important to me.”

He’s never been so comfortable with someone else so quickly, never had a woman in his life that he wanted to cuddle up to. It scares the shit out of me.

“That’s it?” she asks. I linger back into her space. “What else do you want me to say?” “I don’t know. How about ‘Thank you, Miller. I’m not surprised my son loves you already because you’re the easiest person to get along with’ or maybe you could try to get to know me. Anything really.” “I don’t want to get to know you.” What’s the point when she’s leaving soon? Her head jerks back from my words. “Did the fucked-up social skills come with fatherhood, or were you born this way?” I don’t say anything, continuing to lean my shoulder on the door leading from her room to mine. “You do realize you’re the issue here, right? Your son is easy.”

I’m self-aware enough to know I’m the problem. I know I’m overly protective. I know Max is easy, but he’s also my only family outside of my brother, and I’m his. He’s all I’ve got.

“I thought I could do this. Max is great, but you—” She shakes her head. “You are not.”

both my hands land on her tits instead of my intended destination—the safety of her upper arms.

“I’ve got a lot going on this summer, things I’m far too stressed about. I can’t handle your stress on top of my own. I thought I could do this for my dad, I wanted to do it for him, but I don’t think it’s going to work out.” She offers me a placating smile. “You’ve got an awesome kid. For both of your sakes, I hope you can learn to loosen the reins.”

“And he’s used to doing everything on his own. He practically raised his brother and he’s only two years older than Isaiah.”

“He’s a good man, Miller. Good heart, takes care of his family. He just needs a reminder that he has to take care of himself sometimes too. And if there’s anyone who knows how to let loose and have a good time, it’s you. Maybe that’ll rub off on him.” “You want me to rub up on him?” “Off, Miller. I said ‘off.’” I pop my shoulder. “I like my version better.” “Millie,” he begins, setting his fork down. “Please, for me, give him another chance. Kai needs your help. He might not say it, might not fully realize it yet, but you’ll be good for him. Both of them.”

“If you decide to stay, have fun. Make him have fun, take care of his boy, but don’t forget that you’re leaving at the end of the summer, okay? Kai is grounded and attached, and he has a good reason to be. But you, my girl, are the most no-strings person I know.”

“In a way, Kai is lucky,” he continues. “That he doesn’t miss Max’s mom, and that Max won’t remember her when he’s older. But the stakes are a lot higher when kids are involved. Take care of them, but don’t give them someone to miss.”

Max!” Indy exclaims as soon as she opens the door to her new house. “Kai too,” I remind her with a laugh. “Yeah, yeah.” She holds her hands out for my son. “You too.” Max reaches for her, so I hand him off before she covers him in cheek kisses, and I follow the sweet sound of my son’s laughter into the house. “Hey, man,” Ryan says when we find him in the kitchen. “Thanks for coming early.”

We’ve been friendly since we met, but it wasn’t until Indy, his new fiancée, came into his life that we became good friends. He was admittedly closed off, not willing to let anyone too close before her. I’m not sure if he even had a real friend other than his twin sister, but since he and Indy have been together, he’s constantly having people over to their new home.

Unlike my brother, I look forward to Sunday dinners all week because more than anyone else in Chicago, I feel like these people get me.

“Is your uncle a little playboy?” Indy asks my son, which gets him giggling. “Yes, he is. He’s a playboy, huh?” “You talking about me, Ind?” I hear as the front door closes. “No, Zee, not everything is about you.” “Good luck convincing him of that,” Stevie says, hand on her belly. “Hello, my beautiful, radiant best friend.” Indy hugs her future sister-in-law, all while holding my son on her hip. “If by radiant you mean hungry and cranky all the time, yes, I’m so radiant.” “The most radiant,” Zanders says with a kiss to the top of her curls.

“You feel guilty?” Zanders asks. “All the time.” I exhale a long breath. “All the fucking time. If I’m not with him, I feel guilty for being gone, but if I’m with him all day without a moment to myself, I feel guilty for wanting a bit of my own time. And the anxiety. I’m so afraid something is going to happen to him when I’m not there, or something will happen to me, and he’ll be left without anyone.”

“Blue! Kai fired the nanny!” I hear her footsteps racing inside the house. “Was it before or after Wednesday?” “Thursday, I think. Why?” “Goddammit!” Ryan cackles. “Thank you for that.” “What am I missing here?” “Indy and I bet on when you were gonna fire him. Had a feeling it was gonna be this week. She bet on the first half of the week, I bet on the second.” “You’re making bets on Max’s childcare now? Love that for me.”

As much as I feel connected to these guys, us all being professional athletes settled down, they both have partners they can lean on. Someone else to help lessen the burden. They’ll luckily never understand what it means to go through the hard stuff alone. But maybe worse than that is going through the good stuff and not having someone to celebrate those moments with. No one else heard Max’s first word. No one else saw the first time he crawled. And in this moment, watching the four of them, I couldn’t feel more single.

“Oh, no. Don’t look at us like that.” Indy waves her hands at me. “We love Max, but we’re not enabling you. What was wrong with this one? Did you not like the way she breathed? Was she too nice? Did you not agree with her favorite color?” “Max liked her too much already.” She’s also way too fucking tempting to be glued to my side all summer, but I leave that part out.

“Rio,” Indy coos. “You’re still a baby, but when you get old, you could come live with us, and we’ll take care of you. Ryan will cook us breakfast and you could be our platonic third wheel.” “I’m not cooking him breakfast,” Ryan cuts in. “And I’m not anyone’s third wheel. And don’t even tease me about living with Ryan Shay, Ind. That will very quickly turn into a two-wheel situation, and you won’t be one of them.”

And though, yes, sometimes I feel single as hell around these people, I couldn’t be more grateful for them pulling me into their fold and giving me a place in Chicago that feels like home.

“Overalls again, huh?” She’s got a different pair on, and this time they’re baggy and full-length, covering her thighs I tend to daydream about. “They’re easy.” “You know who else wears onesies?” I gesture to the baby monitor in my hand where a sleeping Max can be seen. She huffs a laugh. “Shut up.” “Seriously though, those seem like the biggest pain in the ass to take off.” “So, you’re thinking about taking them off of me?” “No—” “At least get me inside first, Baseball Daddy. We’re in public.”

I want to be involved. I want to be a good dad. I want him to be surrounded with unconditional love from his family. The last thing I want is for him to feel the weight of too many responsibilities at too young of an age the way I did. I want his life to be easy. At least, in a reasonable way. I want him to learn how to work hard, to earn things in his life. But the big stuff, like finding a way to get to school when you live across town, figuring out where your next meal will come from, or forging your dad’s signature on paperwork because you don’t want anyone to know you and your little brother live alone. Yeah, my kid will never know what that’s like.

“If you’re as terrible of a listener in the bedroom as you are in real life, Miller, I can promise you this, you wouldn’t be allowed to come.” Those pretty lips part, jade eyes wide. “Two can play this game, Montgomery. Now, let’s go.”

I look good in your kitchen.” I attempt to hold back, but fuck it, I like sparring with this woman. “That you do.” There’s no question there. Miller looks damn good in my kitchen when I allow myself to look. “Does your boyfriend know what a flirt you are?” “Oh, come on, Kai. You’re better than that. Be direct. Ask me if I’m single.”

“Glad to know I don’t have to worry about anything dangerous getting in.” She might not have to worry, but I do. Because with Miller Montgomery, my coach’s daughter, standing in my kitchen looking like that, I’m afraid something very dangerous has already gotten in.

I love the game, I really do, but I love my son a whole lot more and I don’t know how to find that balance. Maybe if his mom hadn’t left him the way she did I’d be handling all of this a whole lot better. I’d be more hands-off perhaps. But most of the time I feel like I need to overcompensate, to be both parents and just hope that Max doesn’t notice the gaps.

They also didn’t look like Miller, talk like Miller, or have me wanting to flirt back with them every time they open their damn mouth. Additionally, they didn’t have my throwing hand putting in extra work while in the shower because flashes of her thick thighs and green eyes won’t leave my fucking daydreams.

I’m not a crier. I don’t get attached enough to cry, but I had an attachment forming to what I thought was going to be the recipe to pull me out of my rut. Head falling back, I close my eyes, attempting to swallow down my disappointment. That is, until I feel two long arms, corded with muscles, swallow me whole in a hug. My eyes pop open to find a gray T-shirt pulled taut over a chest that my face is buried in.

“I’m hired out as a contract employee. Chefs hire me for three months at a time to come into their kitchens and fix their dessert programs, typically in hopes of earning a star. Some chefs are excellent at both their dinner and dessert menus, and some just don’t have the knack for the sweets. That’s where I come in.”

“Well, if it counts for anything, I’m thoroughly impressed.” “Oh good.” I drop my shoulders. “I’ll expect an excerpt from you in my interview. ‘Baseball pitcher from Chicago wonders who the hell would want goat cheese as a dessert, but is impressed nonetheless.’”

“Country boy, huh?” The mental picture of him in Wranglers, much in the way he wears his baseball pants, is doing all sorts of things to my imagination. “Miller.” “Hmm?” “You’re sexualizing me in your mind right now, aren’t you?” “Absolutely.” The corner of his lips tick.

He’s getting to know me. I already accepted that I was staying for the summer, but as we stand in his kitchen, cleaning together, it feels like the moment that Kai has accepted I’m staying too.

“Hi.” His blue eyes are soft. “Hi.”

“This is what you’re worried about?” I ask Kai over my shoulder. “Literal children.”

Wordlessly, Kai slides a large hand around my waist, pulling me into a row behind them all. “You’re with me, Montgomery.” I like the way that sounds far too much. Almost as much as I’m enjoying the way his arm feels heavy and possessive around my waist.

“But I like watching him.” Kai’s attention darts to me. “Okay. I just don’t want to burn you out on him.” “I don’t feel that way at all. I like spending time with him.”

She shows up every day in a different pair of overalls, typically with her feet bare, but after seeing her professional side online, there’s a part of me that feels privileged that Max and I get the lesser-known side of Miller, no matter how wild it may be. She likes my son. My son likes her, and that makes me like her just a bit more.