Caught Up (Windy City, #3)

by Liz Tomforde

“Kai, if you fuck up your hand, Monty will literally murder me.” “I’m not going to hit him.” Dean’s hand that was on her back drops dangerously lower. Okay, I lied. There’s a chance I’m going to jail tonight.

Kai looks down at me, all big and towering. “What are you doing?” “I’m praying.” Finding the button on his pants, I unzip. “What the fuck do you think I’m doing?”

The guy is long and lean and defined. Not too bulky, but clearly strong, and on top of it all, he’s so good. Kind. Thoughtful. Dependable. And hot as hell with those glasses on.

This guy is a walking juxtaposition. Dirty-talking confidence turned right back to the soft man who’s gone through his life alone.

He kisses just below my ear, nipping at the skin. “You think you can keep this casual, Mills?” I nod frantically, hoping to convince both of us. His laugh is silent but rumbles against me. “Best of luck to you with that.”

I truly don’t know how I got so fucking lucky to have her attention on me, but I’d do just about anything at this point to keep it.

Standing in the kitchen, an overwhelming yet terrifying realization sinks in. The possibility I was feeling this way has been there, lingering all summer, but right now it’s as if a blurry fog has lifted and the sun is shining on the truth. There’s no part of me that wants to be in the kitchen. I only want to be with them.

“What I’m trying to say is that my brother deserves the world and for him, you are the world.”

“Why? Why would that be there? Why is it next to Max’s picture?” He doesn’t answer me, so I pull my attention away from the picture to find him staring at me and it isn’t until he has my full attention that he says, “Because when life or work gets too stressful, too overwhelming for me, I’m able to see who matters most. And that’s you, Miller.”

“Miller, you’re not just another person.” He won’t look at me, his attention locked on the ground, and I catch the first tear fall from under his glasses, hitting the floor. “You put me first when I forgot how to. You reminded me what it felt like to be important, to be chosen first. I know you wanted this to be easy and detached, but you’re fucking in here.” His fingers meet his chest, tapping it a couple of times, blue eyes meeting mine, and full of pain. “You’re everywhere, and when you leave tomorrow, I’ll still see you everywhere. In this kitchen. In Max’s room. In my bed. There’s nothing about us that’s easy.

This is fucking miserable, Miller, knowing there’s a clock counting down the seconds until I don’t have you anymore, but I’d do it all over again. I’d fall in love with you all over again. I’d break my heart all over again because loving you was one of the two greatest surprises of my life.”

“Miller,” he says, making sure my attention is on him. “If you ever decide to stop running and make a home…” His eyes are begging, pleading. “Make it with me.”

“I’m looking forward to living in one spot. Having a place to call home. Having my dad close by and being a part of a community that supports me, that I support in return. Hearing the constant encouragement from the man I love, and I’m equally excited to cheer him on in his endeavors. But the part I’m most looking forward to is having the opportunity to bake every future birthday cake for the little boy who stole my heart this summer.”

“I don’t like the term ‘settling down.’ I didn’t settle for anything. I simply stopped running when the two best boys I know caught me.”

“I want to open my own patisserie and teach classes there a couple of times a week. I want to watch as many of your games as I can. I want to wake up with you every morning. I want to live close to my dad. I want to read stories to Max every night before bed. I want to try my hardest to be who he needs me to be. I want to be the one to bake him cupcakes for his first birthday at school and for all his birthdays after that. I want to have more babies with you because you are such an amazing dad. But most of all, I want to be happy and you two make me happy, Kai. And I hope I make you happy too.”

She squeezes my hands. “But what do you want?” Does she really have to ask? It’s the same thing I wanted two weeks ago. The same thing I wanted all summer. “You. Just you. I want it all with you, Miller.”

“When I left, I hadn’t fully come to terms that what I was chasing was no longer my dream, but as soon as I got there, I knew. I have a new dream now. You and Max are my dream.”

“This is what I want. This life together. The three of us. You keep me grounded, Kai, and I’ll keep you wild.”