Play Along (Windy City Series Book 4)

“I’m almost ready!”

Leaning back against the sink, I cross my arms over my chest. “Take your time, Kenny. They won’t start without us.”

I don’t want it to start at all.

Under the bathroom stall, I can see her hopping around on a single foot as she hurriedly tries to slip on her other high heel.

Dr. Fredrick tried his hardest to force Kennedy to work in the training room tonight, cleaning, organizing, and reordering medical supplies while he and the other staff attended my brother’s ceremony. Reese found out and put a quick stop to that, but still he had Kennedy working until the last possible minute, which had me bringing her dress, shoes, and jewelry to the bathroom for her to quickly change.

“Who does he think he is?” she asks with a huff. “From what he knows, he believes this is my brother-in-law’s ceremony. If anyone from the medical staff had to work late, it shouldn’t be me.”

“This is your brother-in-law’s ceremony.”

“You know what I mean.” I can picture her waving me off behind the bathroom stall. “I cannot freaking wait until I no longer work for that guy. He was more than happy for me to take Monday’s game off for my interview, but not tonight after I’ve already worked all day? How did he find so much audacity?”

I want to say something, agree with her, encourage her that things will be better once she’s in San Francisco, but there’s no part of me that has the energy to act as if life will be better then.

I hope and pray that for her, it is, and then maybe her happiness will be the thing that gets me through missing her the way I know I’m going to.

Tonight is going to fucking suck, and it’s even worse knowing she’s going too.

“Would you mind zipping me up?”

Her tone is entirely too casual as she opens the stall in the women’s restroom, as if she weren’t going to completely steal my breath the moment I saw her.

A white, beaded dress has the privilege of molding to every inch of her body before skimming the floor. It cuts in and wraps around her neck where she is holding the fabric together for me to secure. Her hair is curled in big waves and pinned to one side, the way she typically wears it when she’s dressing up, and her jewelry is all silver, minus the gold band and purple stone on her left ring finger.

Her focus is on the ground as she holds the back of her dress together, so she doesn’t realize that I’m fucking speechless and unmoving, glued with my ass to the counter because this woman is the most stunning person I’ve ever laid eyes on, and I still don’t know how I got so lucky to call her my wife—even if she thinks that part is temporary.

“The zipper is kind of a bitch because of all the beading. It needs a good tug.”

I toss my head from side to side. “If I had it my way, it’d stay down.”

Finally, she looks up, a smirk lifting at the same time. “I can either go out there with this hanging on my hips or you can zip up my dress, but just a heads-up, Rhodes, I’m not wearing a bra.”

Fuck me. That image goes straight to my cock and even though I’m dressed to the nines, topped with a fucking tie, my body has no issue getting hard at the idea of my wife going braless with that backless dress.

“Yeah, not a chance.” I round her body, her back to me as we both face the mirror. “The first time I see you fully naked, I sure as hell won’t be sharing the view.”

I watch her suppress her smile through the mirror before my eyes wander down her spine. Her soft skin is decorated with light freckles creating a visual path to where her hips flare out, holding the dress tightly to her body. I watch as her back rises and falls with a breath. Watch the way her delicate fingers hold the clasp together. I can’t help but note where the dress needs to be zipped, splitting open around her lower back and giving me a prime view of the top of her ass. I equally can’t keep my eyes away from her sides, that backless dress teasing me with the slight slope of her breasts.

Jesus, she looks incredible.

Outside of work, Kennedy tends to gravitate towards a wardrobe that consists of black, white, and neutrals. My classic girl who I once thought needed all the color in the world, I now realize is perfect in her simple tones. I can typically identify them on my own, and they act as a backdrop for her. Not stealing the show, but simply complementing how beautiful she is.

“I can’t get the zipper to budge, and the buttons up here are giving me trouble.”

With a single hand, I move her hair, letting it drape over one shoulder before stealing the two pieces of delicate fabric from her. I slip the small satin buttons through their looped counterparts, keeping the dress secure around her neck.

I watch her throat work its way through a swallow when I trail the pads of my fingertips down the soft curve of her spine, taking my time finding her zipper. I slip my fingers into the fabric, letting my knuckles graze against her lower back. I’m sure to keep a connection the entire time I slowly pull the zipper closed, and don’t lose contact when both hands smooth over the now closed dress, wrapping around her hips and pulling her back to me.

She relaxes into my chest as we meet each other’s eyes in the mirror.

“Beautiful,” I whisper while we stand in the same bathroom where we met for the first time.

She breaks eye contact, still leaning back into me. “I’ve never seen you so dressed up before. We almost look like . . .”

Her in a white dress. Me in a black suit.

“Like we’re getting married?” I finish for her.

Her brown eyes slowly drift back up to mine in the reflection.

I could see it. This is what it could look like. What it should’ve looked like, but I wouldn’t trade the visual of her in a white mini dress, denim jacket, and platform Vans walking down the aisle to me.

Kennedy’s eyes drag over us, watching, assessing. It doesn’t feel sexual. It feels curious.

My fingertips dig into her hip. “What are you thinking about?”

“That I couldn’t be more thankful I didn’t have to marry Connor.”

But are you thankful that now you’re married to me?

The question is on the tip of my tongue when my phone dings in my pocket, breaking our moment.

Kai: As much as you don’t want this to happen, we’ve got to start before Max passes out. You two coming?

I exhale an unsteady breath. “You ready?”

Kennedy folds her clothes and leaves them on the sink for her to grab after. Seeing as she and I are the only ones who use this bathroom, it’s safe to assume they’ll be safe for the night.

Holding the door open, I let her exit first.

I follow her to the dugout, up the stairs, and out onto the grass. My palm finds her lower back when we pass patches of dirt, silently reminding her to pick up her dress so the edges don’t drag. Regardless of her heels, Kennedy still only meets my chest, and it takes everything in me not to just pick her up and carry her to keep her from getting that pretty gown dirty.

Since our game ended earlier this afternoon, a small stage has been constructed just off the third base line with round tables and chairs acting as the audience. The entire team is here. Upper management. Coaching staff. Even a handful of season ticket holders I recognize that I assume the Remingtons invited as a thank you for all the years they’ve followed the team.

Everyone is dressed to impress. Floor-length gowns, tuxedos, and suits. You’d think this was a wedding for royalty, not my brother’s career milestone ceremony.

But the Remingtons wanted this to be an event, seeing as Kai is the first ever Warrior to earn 3,000 strikeouts in their career, so here we are. Dinner, dancing, the whole thing.

A hand slips into mine, small and cautious. I look down to watch as Kennedy laces her fingers with mine, her pale skin contrasted against my tan.

I don’t let hope spark for a second. Instead, I look around and quickly find Reese and Arthur Remington approaching. My heart doesn’t even have to sink with disappointment. I already knew that if Kennedy was holding my hand, it wasn’t simply because she wanted to.

“How are the newlyweds?” Arthur asks.

“Well, now that Kennedy isn’t being forced to work instead of attending her brother-in-law’s ceremony . . .” Reese mutters under her breath.

Arthur’s white brows cinch. “What do you mean?”

“We can chat about it later.”

The stern look on Reese’s face tells me they will, without a doubt, be chatting about Dr. Fredrick later.

Good. That guy needs to be put in his place, and the past three years I’ve had to sit and watch the way he’s treated the only woman on staff tell me Arthur isn’t the owner to do something about it. But maybe Reese could be.

“Thank you for saving me,” Kennedy says from my side. “I didn’t want to miss this, and Reese, you look beautiful.”

“As do you, Mrs. Rhodes.”

I give Kennedy’s hand a teasing squeeze.

“Isaiah, you look beautiful too,” Arthur chimes in.

I chuckle. “Thank you both for hosting this for my brother. It means a lot to our family.”

Without thought, I look down at my wife as I say those words, but whatever. It helps sell this whole thing, I guess.

“As you know, it’s always been just the two of us, so seeing all these people here to celebrate him . . .” I nod. “He deserves it.”

This time, it’s Kennedy squeezing my hand.

“He does,” Arthur agrees. “We’re proud to have you both playing for this organization. It’s always felt like family around here, and lately, a lot of you have become actual family. You two, your brother and Monty’s daughter. It’s a legacy I’m proud to leave behind.” He puts a hand on Reese’s shoulder. “Now we just got to get you married off and I can die a happy man.”

“Jesus, Granddad.” Reese shakes her head. “Morbid.”

“You’re single?” Kennedy asks.

“So freaking single.”

“That’s only because those boys she brings home are intimidated by her,” Arthur chimes in.

“Don’t let him fool you,” Reese quietly says to Kennedy. “I haven’t brought a boy home in quite some time. Dating is the last thing on my mind when I’m training to take over an entire MLB franchise. I’m about to be the first female team owner in the league. People are already going to assume there’s a man running the show behind the scenes. You know what I mean?”

Kennedy is looking at her, nodding in agreement, as if she can relate to every word she has to say. “I know exactly what you mean.”

There’s a heavy pit in my gut because I know she’s referring to me. When she goes to this interview on Monday, they’ll know she’s married to me. Will that contribute to her getting the job? No, absolutely not. She’ll get it because she’s qualified and real fucking good at what she does. But when she does get that offer, is there a part of her that’s going to assume it’s because of me?

Arthur waves his granddaughter off because he’s old school and doesn’t understand how difficult it is for either of them to work or thrive in a male-dominated sport.

“You’ll be great,” he says casually, before someone leans down to say something in his ear. “We should find our seats. Your brother wants to get started.”

“Good to see you,” Reese adds before following her grandfather to their table.

Kennedy drops my hand, though I tell myself it’s because she needs to use her own to pick up her dress. “I like her.”

“Yeah, she’s cool. She’ll be good next year.”

“Part of me wishes I was going to be here to see it.”

The statement is thrown out so easily, whereas every part of me wishes she were going to be around next year to see it.

We find our table closest to the stage. Miller in her dark green dress, sitting on my brother’s lap. Kai and Monty in their suits, but the cutest of them all is Max in his bow tie.

He’s clearly sleepy as it’s getting close to his bedtime, resting against Monty’s shoulder.

“Ken, you look good!” Miller whistles.

“Same to you!” Kennedy wraps an arm over Miller’s shoulder from behind, squeezing her in a hug before bending down to pop a kiss on the top of Max’s head, as if it were the most natural thing for her to hug her friend and kiss my nephew. She then takes her seat, leaving an open chair for me next to her.

Miller stands from my brother’s lap and retakes a chair, she and Kennedy leaning over my empty seat to chat among themselves.

“You ready for this?” Kai asks quietly, standing to his full height.

I huff a dry laugh. “Nope.”

He studies me. “Tell me the truth, Isaiah. Are you going to be okay with this?”

“Kai, if this is what’s going to make you happy, I will learn to be okay with it.”

A soft smile ticks up on the corner of his lips as he nods. “Yeah. This is what will make me happy.”

“Then do it. That’s all I’ve ever wanted for you.”

He cups the back of my head, pulling me into him for a hug. “I love you, kid.”

“Yeah. I love you too.”

“Thank you for everything.”

“Fuck,” I exhale. “Don’t start that now.”

“Kai,” someone says, and we separate. “Are you ready to start?”

He nods, running a hand over Max’s hair then bending to give Miller a kiss before following the emcee to the stage.

We take our seats, Kennedy to my left and Miller to my right with Monty and Max across the table.

Arthur Remington says a few words, welcoming the crowd and introducing my brother before stepping to the side and giving him the stage.

Kai clears his throat before leaning down to the mic, pulling out his notecards from his suit jacket, then bracketing his hands on either side of the podium. “First off, I want to say thank you to the Remingtons for hosting this night. I’ve worked under different team ownership before, have had teammates of mine tell me about their experiences, and it’s no question that here in Chicago, we’re lucky to have such generous team owners. So, thank you.”

My brother pauses, clapping for the crowd to join him, and once it dies down, he begins again.

“I want to say thank you to everyone who took the time to come here tonight. My teammates who weren’t too stoked to dress up.” The crowd laughs. “The team staff who we couldn’t play this game without, and my family who are the center of my world.” His attention goes right to Miller.

“Three thousand strikeouts is a milestone I never dreamed of reaching. There are some legends who came before me that did the same, and I wouldn’t dare imagine putting myself in the same category as them. They paved the way for me to be here tonight, so I want to say a huge thank you to the nineteen guys who did this before me.” He flips to his next notecard. “Some of you are players that I grew up idolizing, and I know for certain that I wouldn’t be here today if it weren’t for you sparking a dream in me to play this game as well.”

Kai exhales a deep breath, clearing his throat. “To my son.” His attention swings to Max with a smile. “Who is about to pass out on Monty’s shoulder because it’s past his bedtime. You are by far the best thing that has ever happened to me. I once thought that my life goal was to play this game, maybe break some records, and hope that my body would allow me to do it long enough that I got my fill, but I couldn’t have been more wrong. You are everything I didn’t know I needed, and you bring this contagious joy and meaning to my life every single day.”

I catch Miller wipe her cheek out of my periphery.

“I couldn’t think of a better group to raise my son around.” Kai nods, looking over our teammates. “There are not enough words I could say to thank my teammates for getting me through his first year. When I didn’t know what the hell I was doing, you all were there, offering babysitting or bringing me groceries. Cody even learned how to change a diaper for me, and I’m not sure he’s ever fully forgiven me for that one.”

The crowd laughs again.

“But the biggest person who helped me with him that first year was this guy right here.” He points to Monty. “Before I was picked up by Chicago, I had only ever played for field managers or coaches who were just that—coaches. Outside of baseball, they didn’t necessarily worry about you or care about you. But this guy.” Kai clears his throat and I just know he’s trying to choke back his emotion. “This guy is not only my coach, but he’s also my sounding board, he’s a father figure to me and my brother, and most importantly, he’s my friend. They don’t make them much better than Emmett Montgomery, and I’ll be forever grateful that Chicago drafted my brother because that’s the whole reason I’m here in a place where I got to meet him and his daughter. And lucky for Monty, he’s stuck with me forever because he’s not only my coach, he’s also about to become my father-in-law.”

Monty nods, tongue in cheek as he rocks Max to sleep, but it’s obvious to anyone who can see him that his eyes are glossed over.

“Which brings me to Miller.” Kai’s got a smile on his face when he turns his attention to her. “Goddamn, I love this crazy woman.” A small laugh settles over the crowd. “You are the second greatest thing to ever happen to me and I know you understand what I mean when I say that because you feel the same way.” Miller quickly nods in agreement, looking up at him. “Who would have thought that a single elevator ride would bring us to where we are today?” He chuckles at the memory. “Thank you for loving me. For loving Max. Thank you for coming home when you were ready. Thank you for making me laugh when I forget to and thank you for supporting my dreams all while chasing your own. You are the absolute light of my life, and I cannot believe I get to spend the rest of my days with you.”

Miller wipes at her cheeks, as does her dad. As does half the crowd as my brother speaks, but I keep it in. Knees bouncing, throat clogged with emotion. I don’t want my team to see me like that. They’ve never seen me like that. I’m the fun one. The goofy one. The one that never lets anything get to him, but I don’t know how the fuck to hold it back when I know exactly what’s coming next.

“With that being said,” Kai continues, “Miller and I have some new dreams we are looking forward to chasing. I’ve thrown out the retirement conversation a few times over the years, but most of that was due to feeling like I needed to clear time so I could take care of my responsibilities. Feeling bogged down and unable to juggle everything at once.”

Kai pauses, looking right at me. We talked earlier this week. I know this announcement is coming, but that doesn’t mean it hurts any less.

“I’m officially announcing my retirement from professional baseball.” A murmur begins over the crowd, but he continues. “But I want you all to know that it has nothing to do with feeling bogged down or trying to find enough time to take care of everyone else. It’s with absolute joy that I get to leave this career I love so much to do something I love even more, and that’s to be there for my family. I’m looking forward to supporting my future wife in her career and getting to work on giving Max some siblings.”

Kai chuckles, though a bit choked, and it breaks the tension in the crowd when they begin to laugh too.

“I feel honored that I’m stepping away from this game to be a present husband and father. It’s truly my favorite job I’ve ever had.”

The crowd claps for him, but I can’t. I’m happy for him. Happy for Max and Miller too. But I have played baseball with my brother for almost thirty years, and I don’t know how I’m supposed to keep playing without him.

He holds his hand up to settle the group. “There is one last person I still need to address.” His attention finds me, but he instantly breaks eye contact, taking a moment to gather himself as he holds the podium with both hands, stretching back, head down. When he looks up again, it’s clear a few tears have already fallen behind his glasses.

“There’s one single reason I have loved this game for my entire life. It’s not the winning, the strikeouts, the fans, or the glory. I have loved baseball because of my brother. Isaiah was four years old and I was six when we first joined the same t-ball team. He wasn’t technically old enough yet, but I told our mom I wasn’t going to play unless he was out there with me. And it’s been that way for us ever since. He and I together.”

Lip tucked under my teeth, I nod in agreement, the burn sharp in my nose, the sting evident behind my eyes. I want to hold it in front of these people. I want to hide in the restroom so I could cry the way I want to.

But when Kennedy slips her hand between mine and my thigh, lacing our fingers together and squeezing my palm in encouragement, I can’t hold back any longer.

I quickly assess the area around me. There are no team owners watching us, only her looking at me. Being there for me.

I hold her hand tighter as the first tear falls.

I hate you for this, I mouth to my brother on the stage.

He laughs, tears still falling down his cheeks because he’s never been afraid of admitting when things are sad or hard or hurtful.

“As much as I love this game, what I’ll miss most is sharing the field with you. Traveling with you. Spending every single day with you. How lucky am I that I got a best friend and a brother all at once? There are things no one else will understand besides us. Things we experienced, people we lost, and the entire time, our goal was to be here, in this league together. Well, we did it, little brother. You and me, and you were right. It feels good when you end it like this.”

A choked sob shakes my chest, but I hold back the noise. It does nothing, though, to keep the tears from streaking my cheeks. I don’t even want to know what my teammates are going to think after seeing me this way.

But that worry quickly disappears when, out of my periphery, I see Kennedy pat her face with the back of one hand while still holding mine with the other.

My even-tempered girl never cries. She almost did once, on the first day I met her, but never since. And now she’s crying for me.

“You okay?” I whisper to her.

Kennedy shoots me a look that screams she’s not upset for herself. She’s upset for me.

She pulls my hand to her mouth, placing a kiss on the back of it before resting it on her lap, covering it with her other hand as well.

I’m glad she didn’t ask if I was okay, because the only answer I have is no. I’m not okay in the slightest.

My brother is leaving the team next season and so is she.

“So, I wanted to tell you all now,” Kai continues. “Before I publicly announce it tomorrow. This will be my last season, and I’m going to enjoy every minute of it I’ve got left. Thank you.”