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.”
She puts her hand on mine, stopping me, her tone growing serious. “That was your one fuck-up, Rhodes. Treat me like my presence is a burden to your summer again, and I’ll walk out this door and never come back.”
A small smile tilts on my lips. “Yes, ma’am.”
“Don’t smile. You’re too old to be smiling. You’re sure to get wrinkles just from doing it once.”
Shaking my head, that grin grows as I open the door of my house for her.
She enters first and, from behind, I watch as she takes in the first glimpse of my home. I bought this place a few months ago, so there are still some boxes tucked in various corners, but overall, we’re moved in. The house is a nice size. Perfect for Max and me. I’m not sure if Chicago is our long-term spot, but I like the idea of picking a place and setting roots. Especially now that I have a son. Once he’s old enough to start school, I don’t plan on moving him.
God, that thought is depressing. He’s only fifteen months old and I already feel like I’m missing out on too much time. What am I going to do when he’s too old to be traveling with the team? When he’s in school? Leave him in Chicago while I travel for work and hire someone else to raise him?
I want to be involved. I want to be a good dad. I want him to be surrounded with unconditional love from his family. The last thing I want is for him to feel the weight of too many responsibilities at too young of an age the way I did.
I want his life to be easy. At least, in a reasonable way. I want him to learn how to work hard, to earn things in his life. But the big stuff, like finding a way to get to school when you live across town, figuring out where your next meal will come from, or forging your dad’s signature on paperwork because you don’t want anyone to know you and your little brother live alone. Yeah, my kid will never know what that’s like.
Rounding Miller’s body, I face her in the foyer. “Max’s room is down that hall. I’ll let you explore on your own once he’s awake from his nap, but the main part of the house is this way.” Hands in my pockets, I nod towards the opposite side of the house. “Come.”
“God,” she moans, head falling back. “I can’t wait to hear you say that in the bedroom.”
Jesus.
I wouldn’t know where to start figuring out how this woman’s mind works, how she makes these connections. She loves to throw me off balance, to get a rise out of me. But this is my house. I’m in charge here, and I’m tired of this twenty-five-year-old woman making me feel like a teenage boy with no retort for the pretty girl who spits out the most asinine statements.
Instead of backing up or shaking my head at her as I typically do, I take a step into her, invading her space before leaning down to keep my voice low but clear. “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.” I nod towards the other side of the house once again.
Her lips press together, holding back a grin. “You keep talking like that, Kai, and I’ll be ditching the ‘baseball’ part and just be calling you ‘daddy’.”
A laugh bursts out of me, a smile mirroring the one on Miller’s mouth.
Her eyes track my face as she stands only inches from me. It feels only slightly sexual, but more so satisfied. Like she’s proud of herself for getting me to laugh.
“Thanks for helping me out with him today,” I add, needing to voice a bit of my appreciation for her coming back before she can leave the two inches that separate us.
She nods, following behind as I lead her through the other side of the house. Max’s bedroom is in the furthest corner, done purposefully in hopes that he’d be able to sleep through whatever noise is happening in the main part.
“My room is down that hall, as is a guest room. Living room. Dining room,” I continue, rattling off the open spaces as we pass them. Turning the corner, we leave the main family room. “Here’s the kitchen, and if you come this way, you’ll find—”
I stop in my tracks, no longer hearing Miller’s sandaled feet slap against the hardwood. Her back is to me, eyes on the kitchen.
“This is your kitchen?” she asks.
“Yeah.”
“Kai, it’s stunning.”
Is it? I guess it is, with its butcher block countertops and brand-new appliances. There’s plenty of storage, white cabinetry, and black finishes. But I’ve never thought much of it because I, for one, never use it.
“It’s what the contractor had picked out, but it works.”
“It works?” she asks with a breathy laugh. “This is my dream kitchen. Is that a convection oven?”