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“This is why I came in here in the first place, and I almost forgot. Wanted to give you a hug and tell you how much I missed you this week. Stop avoiding me, Kenny. I don’t like it.”
He jogs out of the room with that.
“Aw,” someone coos from the corner of the training room. “You like your husband!”
Turning, I find Miller holding her hands over her heart, wearing her signature overalls with her fiancé’s jersey unbuttoned over the top.
“You little creep,” I laugh. “When the hell did you get in here? And how did you get in here?”
She throws a thumb over her shoulder, motioning towards the side entrance that’s rarely used. “Just long enough to watch you swoon over the man you married.”
“Gross. I’m not swooning over anyone. Especially Isaiah Rhodes.”
“Mm-hmm.”
“So, I assume that you were also here long enough to see your dad lose his shit over Reese.”
She waves me off. “He’s been bitching about her for weeks. Old news. New news, however, is that you, my beautiful sister-in-law, like your husband.” From behind, Miller wraps her arms around me in a hug, just like the day we decided to be friends. “Love that for us.”
I laugh. “Don’t call me that and don’t get your hopes up, Montgomery. If my interview goes well, I’ll be leaving town soon, regardless if my tolerance for Isaiah has changed.”
She scoffs, hopping up on my training table. “Let’s not talk about you moving away please, Ken. I finally land in a permanent spot and my first friend decides to move away?”
“You’ll be fine.”
“Doubtful, but you know who definitely won’t be fine? That smitten kitten back there.”
“Isaiah will be more than fine. He gets plenty of attention to keep him occupied.”
Miller’s forehead creases as if she were confused, but I don’t know why. We’re all aware of Isaiah’s reputation. I don’t know what he does with his nights while we’re home in Chicago. It was never a stipulation I set, and it would be awfully unfair of me to insist he not see other women while I’m using him to learn how to date other men.
As much as I hate that idea.
“You do realize I saw you two tongue-fucking in St. Louis, right? And just now.” She motions towards the door. “He’s trying and you like it.”
“He’s... helping me with something. That’s all this is.”
She chuckles under her breath. “Well, word of advice, my friend. That boy has chased you for years. If you’re enjoying his help, may I suggest you stop running and give him some kind of sign of approval.”
“And how do you suggest I do that?”
She shrugs. “He doesn’t always have to be the first to make a move, you know.”
It’s a perfect Friday night for Chicago baseball.
The stadium is sold out, the May air is warm enough that I can get away with only wearing a light jacket while in the dugout, and we already got a man on base during our first at-bat.
The entire team leans against the barrier to watch. Well, everyone except Kai, who’s our starting pitcher tonight, and even though his brother is about to be up at bat, he stays sitting on the bench, keeping his shoulder warm for the second inning.
The guys cheer on Cody as he jogs to first base, thanks to his walk, and Isaiah takes his final practice swing in the on-deck circle before removing his bat weight and dropping it to the dirt.
Then he finds me over his shoulder, sandwiched between two of the players, attempting to watch him through the fence. He smirks, this mischievous and knowing grin lighting up his face when he should be focusing on the game.
At first, I think he’s giving me shit for making sure I’ve got a good view of him in those goddamn baseball pants, but then his new walk-up song begins to play over the stadium’s speakers, and I know exactly what that scheming smile is all about.
Mariah Carey’s “Obsessed” is blaring from all angles around me.
Kai barks a laugh from the bench, but other than him, no one questions his brother’s song choice. Instead, the entire stadium is bursting, singing along with the lyrics while Isaiah’s teammates are joining right in with their own karaoke renditions.
