Caught Up (Windy City, #3)

by Liz Tomforde

“I’m gonna give you a word of advice, son. Knowing her, she’ll make sure you have the time of your life this summer, both you and Max, but don’t even think about getting attached to her.” My brows cinch in confusion. “Did you not see that interaction?” I free my hand, gesturing toward the door Miller left through. “I did, and I’m telling you this, not as her dad but as your friend. She will leave when the summer is over. I love my daughter to death, but she’s a runner and the last thing she wants is to get caught.”

“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.”

“Finally, my Kenny is going to realize I’m the guy for her. After all these years and all this tension, it only took a two-run homer for her to open her eyes.” Kennedy’s voice has no inflection. “There’s no tension.” Isaiah smirks, looking over his shoulder at her. “Baby, there’s tension. You could cut it with a knife. You’ll see one day, Kenny. You’re gonna want a real man, and I’m a real man.” Kennedy’s elbow digs into Isaiah’s right calf. “Oh, holy fuck!” he screams, biting into the padded table to muffle the sound. He lets out a strangled whimper, his voice cracking. “Kenny! Kenny!” “That’s it, baby. Let it out like a real man.”

“You know, I was thinking, maybe I should come over tonight. Make sure Miller is okay. If she doesn’t like your house, she can stay at mine.” Kennedy walks by, shaking her head. “As a friend,” Isaiah quickly adds for her to hear. “As a friend, Kenny!”

“If you’re going to start coming to my games, I better see Rhodes on your back and I’m not talking about my brother.” “Is this some athlete kink you got? Need to see a girl in your jersey?” The old flirty side of me that I’ve kept hidden and locked down for the most part since Max came into my life is itching to break free. I pop my shoulders. “I like to see pretty girls in my jersey. Like to take it off them too.” Miller’s lips part, a shocked and satisfied grin lifting on the corners. “Well, with that kind of promise, I’ll be sure to wear it next time.”

“I’ve had my moments. I was a different man before Max came along.” “A man who punches other players mid-game.” “A man who protects his teammate.” I raise a questioning brow. “A man who now wants that same teammate traded.” “Well, we all have our limits now, don’t we?” “And I’m yours?” His eyes trail my face, once again landing on my lips. “I think you might be.”

“Where are you going?” “Giving you space. You just said⁠—” “A man can cuddle.”

A knowing smile lifts on his lips. “Miller Montgomery, you cold, unattached woman. Get over here and cuddle with me.”

“I can’t believe none of his other nannies ever brought him.” “I never asked them to. I never talked to any of them long enough to ask.” “But you talk to me.” His blue eyes are soft. “Yeah, Mills. I talk to you.”

“If it makes you feel any better,” I continue. “The only reason I want you there is so I can prove to my people that I can go a whole month without firing a nanny. It has nothing to do with me enjoying your company whatsoever.” She bites back a smile. “And just how many of your people will be there?” If she goes, all of them. “Five or six. Give or take depending on if Isaiah shows. And they all assume we’re fucking so heads-up on that.” “If it were up to me, they’d be right.”

“Who the hell are you and where did this version come from?” With a single hand, he reclasps my strap. “Been here the whole time. Just forgot what it was like to enjoy things for myself.” A knock sounds at his door again. “And I’ve never enjoyed something as much as I enjoy you.”

“I know you don’t want her to leave, so why are you helping her do just that?” Well, shit. There’s no way to answer that question without him figuring out just how fucking deep I am. I sink into the chair again with a heavy sigh. “Because it’s her dream, and I care about her too much to not help her chase it, even if that means I won’t be there when she gets everything she’s worked for.”

“All my skin care is in here. And my toothbrush.” “It is.” “Why?” “Because you’ve got only a few days left here and I’m done with your no-sleepover rule.”

“Kai?” “Yeah?” “Can we forget about some of my rules? For the rest of the week while I’m here? I just want to know what it’d feel like.” “You want to know how what feels like?” “To be yours.”

“Mills, you already are mine. Even if I haven’t been allowed to show you, you’ve always been mine.”

“Did you just give me a forehead kiss while I’m wearing my chef’s coat?” “Mm-hmm.” “I’ve made grown men cry while wearing this coat.” “Oh, I have no doubt about that, but girl bosses need forehead kisses too.”

“Do you love her?” Monty asks. “I do. Very much so.” “She might break your heart.” “I’ll love her anyway.”

Monty exhales a contented sigh. “Just know that I loved her first.” I nod. “And I’ll love her always.”

“You can’t blame her for being somewhat related to the guy.” “I don’t blame her for anything. She’s a literal angel who can do no wrong in my eyes, but I can blame her mother for having terrible taste in men and marrying who I can only assume is the devil, seeing as Dean Cartwright is Satan’s spawn himself.” I fall forward in laughter. “It’s not funny, Miller. This is the worst possible scenario.” “Nah. It could be worse.” He scoffs. “How the hell could anything be worse than Kenny being related to Dean motherfucking Cartwright?” “They could’ve been sleeping together, so I count ‘stepbrother’ as a win.” Isaiah’s brown eyes widen as I watch the realization flash through his mind. “Oh my God, you’re right.”

“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.” He shakes his head. “And it’s in there because I’m so fucking in love with you, it’s too painful not to be able to see you every second of the day.”

“But I’m not going to keep pretending like I’m not absolutely fucking ruined from having you for the last two months. I know this is the last thing you wanted, but I’m not going to apologize. You’re my favorite person, Miller, and for once I had someone for me. I had someone taking care of me. After being alone for so long, I finally had someone looking out for me.”

“I haven’t been taking care of you.” I frantically shake my head. “You were the one taking care of me.” “You’ve been taking care of my heart, Mills, and I’ve been taking care of yours.”

“I only want you! We already have a family, Miller. My friends, the team, your dad. And you. I just want you.”

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.”

“If I could…” he continues, shaking his head. “I’d chase you. I’d spend every free day on an airplane to get to you, even if that meant I only got to kiss you once before I had to fly back to Chicago. I’d spend my off-season living out of a hotel or out of your fucking van just to be close to you, but it’s not only me I’m making decisions for anymore. And because of that, I don’t want you to say anything. Don’t tell me if you love me, and fuck,” he exhales a painful laugh. “Please don’t tell me if you don’t. But especially don’t give me any hope because if you do, I have a feeling I’d chase you across the country until you were caught.”

“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.”

“How does it feel to know you’re settling down?” I asked. “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.”

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

Miller drops her forehead to mine, eyes closed in relief, speaking quietly. “Today was a good day.” There were so many times I said that this summer with the fear that they were going to all end, but now… “They’re all going to be good days, Miller.”