Page 159 of Play Along

This time, Isaiah is the one who leads me to the rear of the house, where a second living room is adjacent to the kitchen.

“Hey, guys!” Indy calls out from the couch. She’s got her feet kicked up and her hand smoothing over her pregnant belly. “Kennedy, I’m so glad you’re here!”

“Hey.” I offer her a small wave and note the way her eyes trail to where my hand is connected with Isaiah’s. “Thanks for having me.”

“Ken, this is Zanders,” Isaiah says, gesturing over to the kitchen.

He’s tall, just as tall as the Rhodes boys, wearing a gold chain necklace and covered in tattoos.

“He’s Stevie’s husband and defenseman for the Chicago Raptors.”

“And in that exact order,” Zanders says, dropping the knife he was using to slice tomatoes before wiping his hands on a towel and rounding the kitchen island to me. I shake his outstretched hand, noting the endless gold rings that decorate them. “You can call me Zee.”

“Kennedy.”

Isaiah cuts in from my side. “And you can call her Mrs. Rhodes.”

Zanders bursts a laugh. “I still cannot believe you pulled that off. Kennedy, this man has talked about you nonstop for months.”

“Years,” Indy corrects.

“Years,” Zanders agrees. “Part of me thought you didn’t exist and the other part of me feels like I already know everything there is to know about you.”

I find Isaiah out of the corner of my eye, heat creeping up his cheeks. It’s stupidly adorable when this cocky man is left without words to say.

Max comes barreling in from the backyard, wobbly legs bringing him right to me, but Isaiah scoops him up on his way and Max immediately folds onto his chest in a hug.

“There’s my favorite of the Rhodes men.”

I run a hand over Max’s back. “Mine too.”

Max giggles. Isaiah shoots me a scowl.

“Ken,” Max says, pointing out his little finger until it connects with my cheek.

“Hey, what about me?”

Then he turns and does the same to his uncle. “Zaya.”

He repeats that a few times, pointing between the two of us and saying our names.

“Where’s Stevie?” Isaiah asks Zanders, adjusting his nephew on his hip.

“She’s putting Taylor down for the night.”

“Which is exactly what we’re going to do,” Kai says, coming in from the backyard. “Hey, Ken. Glad you could make it.”

He bends to wrap his arms around me in a hug and I don’t flinch or hesitate before hugging him back.

It’s so strange for me, to not even second-guess myself, but it feels really good too.

“All right, Maxie boy. Bedtime.” Kai takes his son from Isaiah.

Max sits up, looking around the house. “Mama.”

“She’s coming, Bug. Mills,” he calls out. “You coming?”

Through the open back door, Miller comes into the house with an empty tray. I can both hear and smell the grill going in the backyard.

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