Play Along(106)

“Hey, guys!” Indy calls out from the couch. She’s got her feet kicked up and her hand smoothing over her pregnant belly. “Kennedy, I’m so glad you’re here!”

“Hey.” I offer her a small wave and note the way her eyes trail to where my hand is connected with Isaiah’s. “Thanks for having me.”

“Ken, this is Zanders,” Isaiah says, gesturing over to the kitchen.

He’s tall, just as tall as the Rhodes boys, wearing a gold chain necklace and covered in tattoos.

“He’s Stevie’s husband and defenseman for the Chicago Raptors.”

“And in that exact order,” Zanders says, dropping the knife he was using to slice tomatoes before wiping his hands on a towel and rounding the kitchen island to me. I shake his outstretched hand, noting the endless gold rings that decorate them. “You can call me Zee.”

“Kennedy.”

Isaiah cuts in from my side. “And you can call her Mrs. Rhodes.”

Zanders bursts a laugh. “I still cannot believe you pulled that off. Kennedy, this man has talked about you nonstop for months.”

“Years,” Indy corrects.

“Years,” Zanders agrees. “Part of me thought you didn’t exist and the other part of me feels like I already know everything there is to know about you.”

I find Isaiah out of the corner of my eye, heat creeping up his cheeks. It’s stupidly adorable when this cocky man is left without words to say.

Max comes barreling in from the backyard, wobbly legs bringing him right to me, but Isaiah scoops him up on his way and Max immediately folds onto his chest in a hug.

“There’s my favorite of the Rhodes men.”

I run a hand over Max’s back. “Mine too.”

Max giggles. Isaiah shoots me a scowl.

“Ken,” Max says, pointing out his little finger until it connects with my cheek.

“Hey, what about me?”

Then he turns and does the same to his uncle. “Zaya.”

He repeats that a few times, pointing between the two of us and saying our names.

“Where’s Stevie?” Isaiah asks Zanders, adjusting his nephew on his hip.

“She’s putting Taylor down for the night.”

“Which is exactly what we’re going to do,” Kai says, coming in from the backyard. “Hey, Ken. Glad you could make it.”

He bends to wrap his arms around me in a hug and I don’t flinch or hesitate before hugging him back.

It’s so strange for me, to not even second-guess myself, but it feels really good too.

“All right, Maxie boy. Bedtime.” Kai takes his son from Isaiah.

Max sits up, looking around the house. “Mama.”

“She’s coming, Bug. Mills,” he calls out. “You coming?”

Through the open back door, Miller comes into the house with an empty tray. I can both hear and smell the grill going in the backyard.

“Coming,” she says. “Kennedy! Hi! So glad you came.”

“Really?” Isaiah holds his hands out. “My own family and no one is going to say hi to me?”

“No,” Kai quickly answers.

“Honestly, I see you plenty,” Miller says over her shoulder as she follows Kai and Max to the stairs. “I’m much more excited to see my friend.”

Two more people come in from the backyard. Rio, and a man, who if I didn’t already know was Ryan Shay, it’d be fairly obvious by the similarities he shares with his twin sister.

But it’s impossible to not know who Ryan Shay is, especially in Chicago.

“Hey, Kennedy. Good to see you again, I guess.” Rio’s voice holds no inflection.

Zanders bursts a laugh from the kitchen.

“Get it together, Rio!” Indy calls.

“So glad you could be here,” he corrects before shooting Indy a deadpanned glare.

“What’s that about?” I ask.

“Guy’s a little sensitive about being the only one of us who isn’t paired off these days.” Ryan holds his hand out to me. “Hey, I’m Ryan.”

“Kennedy.”

“I’ve heard that name so many fucking times,” Ryan laughs to himself.

“For fuck’s sake,” Isaiah mutters under his breath.

Ryan pats him on the back before adding another dirty tray onto the sink. Judging by the toppings that Zanders is slicing, it’s burger night here at the Shay house.

“You need help with the grill?” Isaiah asks.

“I can help!” Indy calls out.

“Not you,” Ryan quickly disagrees. “Stay inside, Blue. Kick your feet up and don’t do anything.”

She rolls her eyes.

“I got you,” Isaiah says before turning to me, hand snaked around my hip. “Are you good?”

As I nod, he leans down to kiss my temple before following Ryan outside, Zanders and Rio following not far behind.

I make my way to Indy in the living room, taking one of the comfy-looking chairs across from her just as Stevie and Miller come back downstairs to join us. Stevie takes the spot next to her sister-in-law and my sister-in-law takes the chair next to me.

“You look great, Kennedy. I love that jacket.”

“So do you, Stevie. Good to see you again.”