Ryan huffs a laugh under his breath.
“All right, let’s eat. I gotta get home. I’m hoping Monty can convince Miller to give me another chance before my game tonight.”
“Her name is Miller?” Stevie asks, taking a seat at the table, stretching out her legs and rubbing her stomach. “She sounds cute.”
She is cute. In the same way a tornado is cute. Or a pack of starved lions. Super cute.
“Oh my God,” Rio chastises my silence. “He didn’t even try to deny it! I am going to be the only single one left. I’m going to have to move into my best friend’s house and grow old with Ryan freaking Shay.”
Zanders makes a plate for Stevie as we all take our seats. “You don’t sound all that upset by that.”
Rio pops his shoulders. “Never said I was.”
Everyone gathers around the table, and I pull out the highchair I store for Max here before taking my seat as well. My friends take their turns feeding my son or entertaining him. His blue eyes are bright as he laughs and smiles at the group of professional athletes making silly faces at him.
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.
Chapter 9
Kai
Five minutes to three o’clock, a forest green Mercedes Sprinter comes rolling up my driveway. Besides the fact I already know who this is because security at the front gate had to call me and clear her, this van screams Miller.
As does the way she’s blaring music from the speakers and driving a little too fast for my liking. A fucking travel van. I bet the nomad herself lives in it too.
I was surprised when I got the call that she was here, but I’m thankful she came back.
Miller parks, hops out of the driver side, and rounds the front.
“What the hell is that?” I ask, arms crossed, leaning against a pillar on my front porch.
“This old girl?” She proudly pats the hood. “My van.”
“You have a van.”
“Yep. Live in it sometimes too.”
“Of course you do.”
She mirrors my posture, leaning on her car with crossed arms, a peek of a smile tugging on her lips. I’m sure she loves the satisfaction of knowing she can get under my skin with something as simple as not having a permanent residence, but I truly have no clue as to how someone could live so unattached.
Miller’s tanned and tatted arm glistens under the early July sun, the glint of light reflecting off her septum ring. Max’s new nanny has yet to figure out the concept of a real shirt because, once again, she’s only wearing some kind of strapless piece of fabric as a bra, almost like a bathing suit. It’s flimsy and barely there, but the rust orange color looks nice underneath the denim one-piece.
“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 can’t help the small smile tilting on my lips as I lean my shoulder on the pillar, thankful she’s up for bantering with me after what went down the other night.
Miller takes the steps leading up to my porch, bypassing me for the front door, but I gently grab her wrist to stop her, pulling her back until her chest bumps into mine.
My voice is low and sincere. “I’m sorry. About the other night.”
Her gaze dips to my lips for a split second, but I catch the movement. I especially catch how she licks her own lips after looking at mine. “And?”
“And thank you for coming back. I appreciate what you’re doing for us. For me.”
“And?”
“And . . . you’re good with Max.”
“And?”
What the hell? “And . . . I don’t know what else you want me to say, but I am sorry for how overprotective I’ve been with him. It’s just that he’s all I’ve got.”
Miller’s set shoulders drop. “Remember that time you grabbed my tits?”
“Okay.” Reaching around her, I grip the doorknob to usher her inside. “Great talk, Miller.”