Caught Up by Liz Tomforde
The basics
Title: Caught Up
Author: Liz Tomforde
Series: Windy City #3
1. Mile High (2022) 2. The Right Move (2023) 3. Caught Up (2023) 4. Play Along (2024) 5. Rewind It Back (2025)
Add it: Goodreads
Goodreads Summary:
Kai I’m a single dad and starting pitcher for Chicago’s MLB team. I’m stretched too thin, but I don’t want help raising my son. Each of his previous nannies only lasted a few weeks before I let them go. Now, my coach is putting his foot down by hiring the one person I can’t fire—his daughter. Miller Montgomery is the last woman I should fall for. Too wild, too young, and too unattached. Chicago is just a quick stop for her. I thought I’d be counting down the days until she left, but summer feels too short when I start thinking about forever. Miller As a high-end pastry chef who recently won the most prestigious award in my industry, I’m desperate to prove I deserve it. But with a new title comes new pressure, and I can’t create a fresh and inspiring dessert to save my life. With only two months to get back on track, I should be focusing in the kitchen, but instead, I let my dad talk me into using my time off to nanny for his star player’s kid. Kai Rhodes forgot how to have fun, and I’m eager to jog his memory. But when he and his son start to feel like home, I have to remind us both that my time in Chicago ends with the summer. Besides, I’ve always been a runner, and the last thing I want is to get caught.
Here is a spoiler summary of what happened in Caught Up by Liz Tomforde to help refresh your memory before you read the sequel. If you need help remembering what happened in Caught Up then you’re in the right place. Please keep scrolling for an explanation of how all the Windy City books are connected.
This recap was written by Judith @ Paper Riot!
What happened in Caught Up?
- Malakai “Kai” Rhodes is a star pitcher for the Windy Warriors baseball team. A year ago, a girl he had a fling with told him he had a six month old son and that she didn’t want to be his mom anymore. So Kai has been struggling trying to be a single dad to his now 15 month old kid Max, while being on the road for baseball.
- Miller Montgomery is the daughter of Kai’s head coach, Emmett “Monty” Montgomery. She’s an award-winning pastry chef who does consultancy for restaurants around the country, but she’s burnt out and decides to spend the summer with her dad.
- Kai keeps firing his nannies because he doesn’t think they’re good enough, but Monty says he does need a nanny. He makes Kai hire Miller for the summer.
- Kai initially hates this idea and struggles leaving Max alone, but Max loves Miller (he never likes women usually).
- Kai and Max have family dinner every Sunday, which is dinner at Ryan and Indy’s house (THE RIGHT MOVE). Zanders and Stevie are also there (MILE HIGH), as well as Rio. Kai’s brother Isaiah shows up occasionally when he’s not sleeping around. In this book, Stevie is pregnant, and Indy and Ryan are trying to have a baby.
- Miller lives in her van that she travels around the country with. Monty and Kai both hate this idea, so Kai makes her park in his backyard. Miller is used to moving from place to place and not getting attached to people.
- We also meet Kennedy Kay (FMC in PLAY ALONG), one of the baseball team’s trainers, who Kai’s brother Isaiah (MMC in PLAY ALONG) is in love with. He’s flirting and messing with her, but Kennedy ignores this.
- After the summer, Miller has an important interview and a consultancy job for one of the best chefs in the country. For this, she needs to create new fancy desserts, but she’s burnt out and can’t think of any.
- Miller and Kennedy meet and decide to be friends because they’re the only two women on staff. We also see that the entire baseball team loves Max.
- Kai feels guilty for missing out on the first six months of Max’s life. He wants to retire from baseball to be there for Max.
- Kai and Isaiah’s mom died when they were 15 and 13, in a car crash during a storm. Their dad was absent, so Kai raised Isaiah and put him through school.
- Miller’s mom died when she was 5, and Monty (her mom’s boyfriend) adopted her when he was only 25. Miller feels guilty for this, because Monty was a succesful baseball player but had to (chose to) give up his career for her. This is why she works so hard even though she doesn’t love it anymore.
- The team and Miller go out to a bar. Dean Cartwright shows up – he is also a baseball player and Isaiah’s rival who used to steal all his girlfriends (PLAY ALONG).
- Kai and Miller get closer, but Miller keeps saying she’s leaving and Kai can’t do casual, so they put some rules in place to keep them detached, but they keep breaking these rules.
- Miller rediscovers her love for baking when she bakes with Max and for the baseball team and her dad. Kai also takes her on a date to a family bakery to show her she has options.
- Kai brings Miller to family dinner. Ryan and Indy (THE RIGHT MOVE) are getting married in a few weeks and invite Miller as Kai’s plus one. Isaiah shows up saying that Kennedy is no longer wearing her engagement ring and that he is now a changed man for her (PLAY ALONG).
- Indy (THE RIGHT MOVE) invites Miller and Kennedy over to her house for a girls’ night because Stevie (MILE HIGH) can’t drink because she’s pregnant. Rio is also there because he’s one of het girls. When they’re drunk, Kennedy admits her ex-fiancé is now engaged to her stepsister (PLAY ALONG).
- Miller does a photoshoot for her interview in Kai’s kitchen, but she’s miserable. She’s only happy when Max sneaks into the photoshoot.
- It’s Family Day at the Warriors stadium. Kennedy shows up with Dean Cartwright (PLAY ALONG) who is apparently her stepbrother. Kai tells Monty he wants Miller to stay but won’t ask that of her.
- Max calls Miller “mama” right before she has to leave. Kai tells her he loves her. She leaves anyway.
- In LA, Miller hates working at the restaurant, but the famous chef convinces her to follow her heart.
- Monty goes to LA to talk to Miller and tell her giving up his career was the easiest choice and that she shouldn’t have to feel guilty. She finally understands because she loves Max the same way.
- Ryan and Indy (THE RIGHT MOVE) get married. Stevie (MILE HIGH) officiates, and there’s an interpreter for Indy’s dad. Zanders (MILE HIGH) tells everyone he and Stevie are having a girl named Taylor (named after Ryan Taylor).
- In Indy’s house, Kai finds the magazine with the interview Miller did, where she says she’s leaving her consulting life behind. She shows up at the wedding, they make up, and it’s all good.
- Epilogue: 6 months later. It’s Max’s 2nd birthday. They’re having a party and Kai proposes with the ring Monty had saved for Miller’s mom. Miller also has her own bakery in Chicago where she sells baked goods and teaches. After Kai retires, they wanna have more kids.
- Isaiah shows up from a team bonding trip to Vegas, and tells Kai he drunkenly married Kennedy (PLAY ALONG).
How are the Windy City books connected?
BOOK 1: MILE HIGH
This book is about Stevie Shay (a flight attendant for a hockey team) and Evan Zanders (a player on that team), who fall in love. In this book we also meet Indy Ivers (fellow flight attendant and Stevie’s friend), Ryan Shay (Stevie’s twin and a basketball player) and Rio DeLuca (another hockey player who becomes friends with them all).
BOOK 2: THE RIGHT MOVE
This book is about Indy (Stevie’s friend) and Ryan (Stevie’s twin) who become roommates and start (fake) dating. In this book we see more Stevie and Zanders, and Rio, who is now Indy’s good friend and obessed with Ryan. We meet Kai Rhodes, Ryan’s friend who is a baseball player and a single dad. Stevie finds out she’s pregnant.
BOOK 3: CAUGHT UP
This book is about Kai (Ryan’s friend) and Miller (Kai’s coach’s daughter), who nannies for him and eventually loves him and his son Max. In this book we see the entire friend group (Stevie, Zanders, Ryan, Indy, Rio, Kai and his brother Isaiah) have family dinners every week. We also meet Kennedy Kay, the baseball team’s athletic train who Isaiah is in love with. Stevie is pregnant; Ryan and Indy get married.
BOOK 4: PLAY ALONG
This book is about Isaiah (Kai’s younger brother) and Kennedy (his athletic trainer), who get drunkenly married in Vegas and have to pretend to be married. All the other couples (and Rio) still show up. Indy is pregnant, Zanders and Stevie have their kid.
BOOK 5: REWIND IT BACK
Book 5 will be about Rio, Zanders’ teammate from the Raptors, who becomes Indy’s best guy friend in book 2, and is part of their friend group throughout the series. He frequently complains about being single, always joins in for girls’ night and is pretty much in love with Ryan Shay.
