Page 114 of Play Along

“Isaiah,” Miller whispers right back. “You’re married to the girl. I think that gives you the right to ask your wife if she likes you.”

Glancing over my shoulder, through the crowd, I finally catch Kennedy notice me. Those brown eyes slowly make their way to mine, a sweet smile following right behind. But Max won’t have it, pulling at her cheeks and begging for her attention again.

He had never really been all that comfortable with women until Miller came along, and though Kennedy has known my nephew longer and babysat when my brother needed help, it wasn’t until this season that Max has really grown attached to her.

I don’t blame him. I completely understand that sentiment when it comes to her.

Crossing the room, I meet them, squatting down, heels to ass so I can be at their eye level.

“Excuse me, Maxie. Are you not going to say hi to me?”

He shakes his head no, a mischievous smile on his mouth that looks a whole lot like mine.

“What?” I ask in faux shock. “But I’m your favorite uncle.”

“Ken,” he says.

“Kennedy is your auntie Ken, but that doesn’t mean I’m not still your favorite uncle.”

“Or your only uncle for that matter,” Kennedy mutters under her breath.

“Hey now,” Cody argues from the couch.

I shoot her a warning look, but it doesn’t hold much weight when I know I’m staring at her like she’s the best thing I’ve ever seen. She’s got this playful smile on her mouth and a sparkle in her eye as she teases me.

At that, Max melts forward, leaning into Kennedy, putting his head on her shoulder, and hiding from me.

“Hey, man. That’s my wife, not yours.”

“Mine,” he says, finishing with a giggle.

Travis bursts a laugh. “Wonder where the hell he got that from, Rhodes.”

Kennedy wraps a hand over his back before leaning her cheek on his head. It’s done in such an effortless way, as if any hang-ups she has ever had with the concept of hugging another human being don’t exist when it comes to Max.

It’s cute. It’s really fucking cute.

It had always been just Kai and me until Max came along. It was terrifying when he was left to be raised by my brother, but at the same time it felt like hope. We had always kept a small family circle, as if we were protecting ourselves from losing anyone else, but then Max came along and forced that circle to grow.

Miller bulldozed her way in shortly after, and Monty too. Though I think Monty had wormed his way into our family long before my brother started dating his daughter.

And now there’s Kennedy, who views this marriage as temporary and convenient, but I won’t lie and say it doesn’t feel right having her here in my brother’s house with the rest of my team while wearing my mom’s ring on her finger.

“Fine,” I relent. “It’s a good thing I love you so much, Bug, because there’s not a chance I would share her attention with anyone else.”

“Max,” my brother calls out as he crosses the room to us. “Time to get ready for bed.”

“No!” Max turns, hiding his face entirely from his dad against Kennedy’s shoulder.

“Come on, Bug. Say good night to your aunt and uncle. And to everyone else too.”

“Monny.”

“Yeah. Grandpa Monty is on his way. We’ll let him be the one to read you a story before bed, all right?”

Max lights up at that because he loves Monty.

I can barely call him “Grandpa Monty” with a straight face. Monty is in his forties, solid mass of muscle, covered in tattoos, and intimidating as fuck if you don’t know him. But his non-biological daughter now has a non-biological son, and though there’s no blood relation, Monty is very much Max’s grandpa.

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