On the surface, Isaiah Rhodes is the playful, outgoing shortstop for the Windy City Warriors. However, he secretly struggles to wear a smile and always seeks to “soothe the tension or ease an uncomfortable situation with a smile and a joke. Sometimes even at his own expense” (118). He carefully curates a positive persona for the benefit of his brother Kai and their teammates, but in reality, Isaiah hides his lingering grief over his mother’s tragic death, and he also experiences intense anxiety each time a thunderstorm reminds him of the circumstances of her demise. 

When he meets Kennedy on the anniversary of his mother’s death, a day that he usually marks as the worst day of the year, he sees this encounter as a sign that they are fated to be together. Since Isaiah keeps parts of himself hidden, Kennedy initially views him as just another MLB playboy who only likes her for the thrill of the chase. When the two make the drunken decision to spontaneously get married in Las Vegas, they must pretend to be in love to preserve Kennedy’s job. Isaiah sees this arrangement as his chance to show Kennedy that he is looking for more than just a casual fling.