A few days later, Miller works in her van during a heat wave, struggling to make progress on recipes due in five weeks. Kai stops by, stretches out on her small bed, and points out that her butter is burning. She blames his distracting presence.

Kai says he came to collect on her promise to explain why she feels she owes her father. Miller explains that Monty gave up his entire career for her and she feels obligated to make something of her own life. Kai then leads her into his house and shows her a brand-new professional-grade mixer and baking station he bought for her, framing it as reciprocation: She promised to help him find balance in his life, and he wants to help her find joy in her work.

Kai adds that Monty never used to speak of her but now won’t stop, suggesting he has missed her deeply. He encourages her to stop trying to repay Monty by earning accolades instead of finding happiness. Miller admits she wants to make Monty proud. Kai confesses he was initially unnerved by how quickly Max liked her. Because Max’s mother abandoned him, Kai fears Max getting attached to people who will leave. Miller reminds him she is leaving, and Kai resigns himself to dealing with it when the time comes. They share a charged moment when he almost kisses her. When Max cries over the monitor, Miller offers to get him, then teases Kai about his legs on her way out. He admits he becomes aroused just looking at hers, and they both laugh at how unprofessional they are.

During the week following Kai’s gift, Miller spends all her time in his house but still has no inspiration for her magazine recipes. A clingy Max is too close to the stove for her to work with flames, so she decides they’ll bake banana bread together instead. She lets Max help with the ingredients, resulting in a flour explosion that makes them both laugh. She reflects that despite his unconventional family, Max is happy, and watching his joy with the mixer fills her with the same happiness.

After the bread is baked, Kai arrives home from practice. He’s excited, thinking she finished a dessert for her article, but she explains it’s not a new recipe. She feeds a bite to Max, who loves it, then feeds one to Kai from her fork. The act turns unexpectedly intimate. Kai declares it the best banana bread he’s ever had and places a hand on her neck, telling her she did a good job. Miller realizes it’s the first time in a long while anyone has praised her baking so simply and sincerely.

During baseball season, Miller bakes constantly and Kai brings the desserts to his teammates. One morning, he finds Miller and Max making cookies while he is wearing only a towel. He has to stop himself from kissing Miller’s head, realizing he’s getting too comfortable. They flirt, with Miller openly admiring his body. She names the cookies the Max and Miller cookies. When Kai reveals his full name is Malakai, she suggests renaming them the Max and Malakai cookies. Kai thinks of adding her name to form a family unit but keeps it to himself.

At practice, the team turns home runs into a game to earn Miller’s cookies. Monty arrives and asks why Miller is baking her old recipes. Kai suggests it’s because she enjoys baking with Max, then realizes Monty orchestrated this arrangement to reconnect Miller with her joy for baking. Monty confirms this, saying he wants his daughter to be happy.

Miller runs onto the field with Max, explaining he is about to take his first steps and she didn’t want Kai to miss it. The team gathers at home plate, and Max walks from Isaiah into Kai’s arms to erupting cheers. Noticing Miller has slipped away, Kai finds her in the tunnel and pulls her into a hug. They nearly kiss. Kai invites her to his weekly Sunday family dinner with his friends, and after some convincing, she agrees. He is quietly thrilled when she refers to his house as home.

Sunday night, Miller is nervous about meeting Kai’s close friends, feeling they’re becoming too attached. At Ryan and Indy’s house, Zanders jokes that Miller, Kai, and Max look like a cute little family, and Miller breaks the ice by quipping that she’s the nanny Kai is now sleeping with. Indy enthusiastically welcomes her, and Miller relaxes. During dinner, Indy invites Miller to a girls’ baking day and to her and Ryan’s September wedding as Kai’s plus-one. Miller says she leaves at the end of August, and Kai is visibly disappointed.

Isaiah arrives late and announces that Kennedy is no longer wearing her engagement ring. Miller goes to the kitchen for a drink. Kai follows, cornering her against the counter in a charged, intimate moment before Ryan interrupts. Ryan offers for them to sleep over, which unnerves Miller with its implication that they’re a couple. Sensing her discomfort, Kai declines.

Back at Kai’s house, Miller feels things are getting too intense and retreats to her van, only to discover her toothbrush and other personal items are missing. Kai admits he moved them into his guest room. Inside, she finds her belongings neatly arranged and learns he hasn’t locked the back door since she started staying there. Touched, Miller agrees to stay in the guest room. He kisses her, and it escalates into a heated make-out session on the kitchen counter. She tries to initiate more, but Kai stops her. He explains that a sexual encounter with her wouldn’t be easily forgettable for him, and he tells her to go to bed and lock the door.

With Isaiah having taken Max for a sleepover, Kai has a free night in Boston. He’s been avoiding Miller for two days, frustrated with himself for not being able to handle a casual relationship. Unable to find her, he texts Monty, who responds warily, then goes to Monty’s room and finds Miller there. He invites her out as a surprise, and she teases him about it being a date, which he denies.

He takes her to a famous Italian bakery in Boston’s North End, hoping to inspire her magazine recipes, and produces a handwritten list of desserts to try. After he mentions tiramisu was his mother’s favorite, Miller adds it to their order. The pastries spark a new dessert idea that leaves Kai in awe of her creativity. He asks if she would ever open a bakery. Miller explains her career and obligation to her father prevent her from changing directions, and Kai tells her she’s never too stuck to change her life and find joy.

She pivots and asks about Kai’s mother, Mae. He says his mom was a lot like Miller and is glad Max has a woman like her in his life. Miller admits she misses having a mom, which makes Kai emotional about Max potentially feeling the same one day. Miller reassures him he’s doing a good job.

In the hotel elevator, the tension is thick. Miller goes to her room alone, leaving Kai frustrated. He decides to pursue what he wants and vows to pretend it’s casual for her sake. As he goes to knock on the adjoining door, Miller opens it at the same moment. He steps into her room and tells her he’s going to be selfish and take what he wants. She smiles in agreement.

Kai asks for and receives Miller’s verbal consent. He reveals he’s been carrying a condom since they’re night out at the bar earlier in the summer, just for her. She gets on all fours to avoid eye contact and keep the encounter detached, but he calls her out and whispers that her body won’t let her forget him. She decides she wants to see him, and the sex becomes intensely intimate. Breaking his vow to keep things casual, he says he’s wanted this for a lot longer than five weeks. They climax, and he says her name with reverence.

Afterward, she cuddles into his chest but then panics and pulls away. In the bathroom, she gives herself a pep talk to keep things casual. When she returns, Kai tries to get into bed with her, but she enforces a no-sleepovers rule. Surprised but respectful, he tucks her in and kisses her goodnight, leaving the adjoining door open. From his room, he knocks on the wall to playfully thank her, and they exchange flirty banter. Miller realizes she won’t be able to forget him.

The next morning, Kai brings Miller’s chai, having remembered it’s her favorite. He asks if she’s okay with what happened, and she is. Sensing his hope, she sets rules for their summer fling: No sleepovers, no casual kissing or public displays of affection, and it ends when she leaves Chicago. Kai reluctantly agrees, then immediately breaks the no-touching rule by seductively caressing her and joking that having sex with her before a game is now his pitching superstition. They are interrupted by Isaiah and Max arriving at Kai’s door, and Isaiah correctly guesses they had sex.

Later, at Fenway Park, Miller gets emotional watching the entire team slow their pace to walk with Max. Monty notices and asks if she’s going to get hurt. She denies it, and he advises her to be careful for both their sakes. Miller finds Kennedy in the training room and asks to be friends so she has someone to talk to about Kai. Kennedy immediately guesses they had sex and advises Miller to stop overthinking and enjoy it while she can.

Kai texts Miller to bring Max so he can prepare for the game, and they share a charged family-like moment with Max between them. Miller breaks the intimacy by awkwardly giving Kai a thumbs-up for good luck, and he teases her about it. That night, Miller watches him complete his second career no-hitter and concludes he has earned a new superstition.