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Chapter no 3 – Kai

Caught Up (Windy City Series Book 3)

Monty:ย Leave Max with Isaiah and come back to my room. Weโ€™ve gotta chat.

Me:ย Am I leaving Max so you can yell at me?

Monty:ย Yes.

Me:ย Cool, cool. Iโ€™ll be sure to rush right over for that.

โ€œI found Max a new nanny,โ€ is the first thing he says before Iโ€™ve even closed the door behind me.

Huh?ย I take a seat across the desk in Montyโ€™s hotel room, eyeing him with confusion. โ€œHow? I fired Troy an hour ago.โ€

โ€œIโ€™m just that good, and youโ€™re going to hire her because you clearly have shit taste in nannies since you wonโ€™t stop firing them all, so Iโ€™m taking over.โ€

โ€œHer?โ€

โ€œMy daughter.โ€

My eyes shoot to the framed photo sitting next to him. Itโ€™s the same picture he has back in his office in Chicago. The same photo he props on his desk in every city we visit.

I knew the girl in the picture was his daughter, that much was clear, but even though he and I are close, heโ€™s never told me much about her. I always assumed it was because he felt guilty leaving her and traveling for work as much as we do. That, or he knows talking about his kid who he misses will only reaffirm what I already believeโ€”that itโ€™s nearly impossible to do this job as a single parent.

The girl in the photo canโ€™t be more than thirteen or fourteen years old. Sheโ€™s in that awkward phase we all had in our early teens, donning both braces and acne. Dark hair is slicked back in a tight ponytail, visor shading her face and a bright yellow T-shirt with number fourteen centered on the front. Softball player, with her too-big sleeves cinched together with some

sort of band on each shoulder. A pitchersโ€™ glove rests on a single knee as she poses for her season photo.

Montyย wouldย have a softball-playing daughter.

โ€œSheโ€™s free for the summer and I want her to travel with us,โ€ he continues.

Makes sense, sheโ€™s out of school for the summer.

โ€œYeah, but Monty, this is my kid weโ€™re talking about.โ€

โ€œAnd mine.โ€ His brows raise, daring me to say something against this plan. โ€œItโ€™s not a question, Ace. Iโ€™m telling you this is happening. Iโ€™m tired of you finding something wrong with every single person we hire. Weโ€™re doing background checks every few weeks for someone new, and changing names on the hotel rooms and plane manifests is becoming a pain in the ass for the travel coordinators. Sheโ€™s Maxโ€™s new nanny, and the best part about it is sheโ€™s my kid and you canโ€™t fire her.โ€

Shit.

โ€œSheโ€™s only free until September so weโ€™ll have to find someone else to finish the last bit of the season, but weโ€™ll cross that bridge when we get there.โ€

Itโ€™s clear thereโ€™s no getting out of this. I owe him for everything heโ€™s done for Max and me, and he fucking knows it.

If I have to leave my son with someone who isnโ€™t me, I guess this isnโ€™t the worst possible solution. This is a nanny thatโ€™s probably too young to give a shit about a bunch of pro baseball players, and her dad will most likely be watching her like a hawk anytime sheโ€™s not taking care of Max, which takes that responsibility off my shoulders.

Whatโ€™s two months?ย Just double the time Iโ€™ve gone without firing someone.

โ€œCan she drive?โ€ I ask.

His brows furrow in confusion. โ€œWhat?โ€

โ€œLike if something happens to Max while Iโ€™m not around, can she get him to the hospital?โ€

โ€œYeah . . .โ€

Okay, thatโ€™s good. Sheโ€™s at least sixteen. That photo is probably a couple of years old at this point.

โ€œIs she responsible?โ€

โ€œSheโ€™s . . .โ€ he hesitates. โ€œSheโ€™s responsible at work.โ€ Weird answer.

The door to his hotel makes that noise when the electric lock is being undone by a keycard. Over my shoulder, dark hair enters first as a woman walks in backwards, using her ass to open the door.

Chocolate hair. Frayed hem to her shorts. Thick thighs.

She turns around and Miss Double Fisting from the elevator is standing in my coachโ€™s hotel room. And sheโ€™s double fisting again, only this time itโ€™s with a couple of coffee cups.

I adjust my glasses on my face to make sure Iโ€™m seeing this correctly.

Green eyes connect with mine.

โ€œYou.โ€ The word comes out part seething, part shock.

She sighs, her shoulders dropping. โ€œI had a feeling it was going to be you.โ€

Huh?

โ€œAce, meet my daughter, Miller Montgomery. Maxโ€™s new nanny.โ€ My head whips back in his direction. โ€œYouโ€™re kidding me.โ€ โ€œMiller, Kai Rhodes. Youโ€™ll be taking care of his son this summer.โ€ โ€œAbsolutely not,โ€ I quickly interject.

Miller rolls her eyes, handing her dad one of the two coffees.

How is this possible? She sure as hell isnโ€™t thirteen or fourteen. Sheโ€™s a full-grown woman who drinks beer and apparently doesnโ€™t sleep. The acne is long cleared up, leaving tanned, flawless skin, and her braces have created perfectly straight teeth in a mouth that says whatever the hell it wants.

She looks like a Miller, though. That wild tomboy thing sheโ€™s got going for her with her cutoff overalls and tattoos.

โ€œSheโ€™s not watching my kid.โ€

Miller takes the seat next to mine and points at me with her thumb, giving her dad a look that says,ย this fucking guy.

Monty laughsโ€”traitor.

โ€œYou two have met already, I see.โ€

โ€œYeah, she was double fisting beers in the elevator at 9 a.m.โ€

โ€œDear God.โ€ She throws her head back, and that raspy voice mixed with the sexual way my brain took that phrase has my cock betraying me. โ€œThey were Coronas. Do you know the alcohol content in those? Thatโ€™s some peopleโ€™s form of hydration.โ€

โ€œI donโ€™t care.โ€ I face her dad. โ€œI wonโ€™t leave someone like that in charge of Max.โ€

โ€œLighten up, Baby Daddy.โ€ She takes a casual sip of her coffeeโ€”or rather her chai tea latte per the tag on her paper cup.

โ€œDonโ€™t call me that.โ€

โ€œI had a beer to celebrate me quitting my job this morning. Youโ€™re acting like I was doing lines of coke off the handrails in the elevator, which yeah, now that Iโ€™m saying that out loud, I realize sounds oddly specific, but I promise Iโ€™ve never done that.โ€

I turn back to Monty. โ€œThis your kid?โ€ โ€œThe one and only,โ€ he says with pride. โ€œHow old are you?โ€

โ€œTwenty-five.โ€

I didnโ€™t realize Monty became a dad at such a young age. Thatโ€™d put him at . . . twenty years old when she was born? Damn. I thought this was hard at thirty-two.

โ€œHow old areย you?โ€ she asks.

โ€œIโ€™m asking the questions here. Iโ€™m trying to figure out if itโ€™s worth risking my kidโ€™s safety just to hire you and get your dad off my back.โ€

โ€œAnd Iโ€™m trying to figure out if itโ€™s worth ruining my summer by spending the next two months working for a guy with a giant stick up his ass.โ€

โ€œIโ€™m being responsible. I donโ€™t have a stick up my ass.โ€

โ€œProbably been lodged so far up there and for so damn long that you forgot it was even inside of you.โ€

โ€œMiller,โ€ Monty interjects. โ€œYouโ€™re not helping.โ€ โ€œDo you have any childcare experience?โ€ โ€œAdult children, yes.โ€

I shoot a pointed glance towards Monty. โ€œWe donโ€™t know if Max will even like her. You know how he is with women.โ€

โ€œHe was practically throwing himself at me in the elevator. I think weโ€™re fine in that department.โ€

โ€œIโ€™m pretty sure he was going for your bottles. They look a lot like his.โ€ โ€œYouโ€™re not going to get over the beers, are you?โ€

โ€œNo.โ€

โ€œOkay.โ€ Monty claps his hands together. โ€œThis is going to be interesting.โ€ โ€œDo you smoke?โ€ That voice of hers suggests she might.

โ€œNo, but it seems you might drive me to if this is how the rest of the summer is going to go.โ€

โ€œMiller,โ€ Monty interrupts like a stern dad breaking up a fight between his kids. โ€œThanks for the coffee. Can you give me a minute with Kai?โ€

Miller sighs, quickly tying her long brown hair up in a knot on top of her head, giving me a better view of the artwork on her arms and shoulders. Itโ€™s mostly intricate line-work making up a sleeve of florals. Almost like the outlines of a coloring page.

Max will like those.

โ€œFine.โ€ She stands from her seat, taking her chai with her, that sweet scent of dessert wafting from her again before she turns to me. โ€œBut so you know, Iโ€™m doing this as a favor. So, try to be less of a dick about it, yeah? See you later, Baby Daddy.โ€ She stops at the door, her hand on the knob as she cocks her head in contemplation. โ€œOr should I say,ย Baseballย Daddy? Oh yeah. Much better. Baseball Daddy, it is!โ€

She leaves us alone with that.

I shake my head in disbelief. โ€œYour daughter is unhinged.โ€ โ€œSheโ€™s the best, right?โ€ Montyโ€™s chest rumbles at my annoyance.

โ€œYou canโ€™t be serious about this. Thereโ€™s no way sheโ€™s the right person to take care of Max.โ€

He leans back in his chair, tattooed hands crossed over his stomach. โ€œIโ€™m not just saying this because Iโ€™m biased, but youโ€™d be lucky to have her. She might be my wild child and not know what the hell a filter is, but when it comes to work, sheโ€™s the most driven person I know. She will do everything for your boy.โ€

I toss my head back. โ€œCome on, man. Letโ€™s be serious about this.โ€

โ€œI am being serious. Trust me on this, Kai. I know my daughter. If for some reason, she ever gives you aย validย reason to fire her, Iโ€™ll even offer to be the one to do it. Thatโ€™s how much faith I have in this situation.โ€

Staying silent, I eye him, searching for any sign of bullshit.

I might not know Miller, might not trust her, but I do trust Monty with both my life and my kidโ€™s. And I know heโ€™d never put Max at risk, even if this situation benefits him.

I canโ€™t believe Iโ€™m even considering letting him talk me into this, but I owe him. โ€œShe gets one strike,โ€ I say, holding a single finger to reiterate.

โ€œBaseball puns, Ace? Youโ€™re better than that.โ€ โ€œShut up.โ€

He puts his hand out to shake mine. โ€œOne strike, and sheโ€™s outta here!โ€ โ€œOkay, way too far.โ€

I put my palm in his, but before I can pull away, he tightens his grip, willing my eye contact.

โ€œIโ€™m gonna give you a word of advice, son. Knowing her, sheโ€™ll make sure you have the time of your life this summer, both you and Max, but donโ€™t even think about getting attached to her.โ€

My brows cinch in confusion. โ€œDid you not see that interaction?โ€ I free my hand, gesturing towards the door Miller left through.

โ€œI did, and Iโ€™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 sheโ€™s a runner and the last thing she wants is to get caught.โ€

Monty should know me well enough by now that the last thingย Iย want is for her to stay. In fact, if it werenโ€™t for Max growing up far too quickly, Iโ€™d be wishing the summer away already.

โ€œTrust me, Monty. You have nothing to worry about.โ€ He hums, unconvinced.

Standing, I tuck my chair into the opposite side of his desk. โ€œSee you at the field.โ€

Iโ€™m almost out the door when he stops me.

โ€œAnd Ace,โ€ he calls out. โ€œKeep your dick in your pants. We all know how fucking fertile you are, and Iโ€™m too young and too goddamn attractive for someone to be calling me Grandpa.โ€

โ€œJesus Christ,โ€ I huff, leaving his room.

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