Page 25

25

Knox

I’d been with the Seawolves for more than a month, and I couldn’t think of another time in my life when I felt this happy. Crew and I had basically picked up where we had left off in Denver, only we’d both agreed this time it was official. Even so, we still hadn’t gone public.

A few days ago, Crew told me he was ready to take the next step by not hiding anymore. We planned on telling our parents and then coming out to our team, but first Crew invited Parker and Matthewson, along with their husbands, to his place for drinks after the game, stating he had something he wanted to talk to them about. Since Parker was our manager, we felt we owed him a heads-up in case our relationship became a distraction in the clubhouse. And honestly? I hoped he and Drew could offer us some guidance. They’d been teammates when they had gotten together, and I figured it would be good to hear how they’d navigated it all.

As I finished my sprints in the outfield, I began walking toward the dugout and noticed Crew standing near home plate, talking to three people in the stands. The two guys flanking the petite blonde looked like athletes themselves, and based on their body language, it seemed like both of them were interested in the woman between them.

I took a seat on the bench next to Chapman, our hitting coach, for a few last-minute pointers before the game started. A couple of minutes later, Crew dropped in beside me. My curiosity got the better of me. “Were those friends of yours?”

He adjusted the straps on his shin guards. “Sort of. That’s Levi Sexton. We grew up together, and he plays for the Bruins. He’s in town with his girlfriend, Kaylee, and Austin Butcher, another Bruins player.”

“Oh, she’s dating your friend? When I glanced over there, it seemed like they were both interested in her.”

He chuckled. “I think the three of them might have something going on. There were definitely some vibes I was picking up on.”

“Good for them,” I said.

“Yeah. It’s nice seeing people live their lives the way they want.” Our eyes locked, and he smiled at me. “That’ll be us soon.”

I couldn’t stop my leg from bouncing as I sat at the kitchen island in Crew’s apartment. Even though I’d never been shy about my sexuality, it seemed I was the more nervous out of the two of us as we waited for the others to arrive.

“You’re fidgeting, which is stressing me out,” Crew grumbled as he wiped down his counters for the third time since we’d walked in.

“Sorry. I don’t know why I feel so anxious about this. I really don’t think Parker or Matthewson are going to have anything negative to say.”

Soon, the buzzer rang, and he pushed a button to let our guests into the building. A couple of minutes later, there was a knock at the door.

“You ready?” he asked as he took a deep breath.

I nodded. “Yep. Let’s do this.”

“Hey,” Crew greeted them at the door. “Thanks for coming over.”

Parker and Rockland walked in first, followed by Matthewson and Gage.

When they saw me sitting on a barstool, they stopped and glanced at each other. If I wasn’t mistaken, I was pretty sure I saw Parker and Matthewson both smirk.

Parker turned back to me and said, “Singleton. Didn’t realize you were going to be here too.”

“Hope that’s not a problem.”

“Not at all,” he replied.

“I didn’t know what you all were drinking, so I figured this was a safe bet.” Gage held up a six-pack of a local IPA.

“Beer always works.” Crew chuckled. “I’ve got a variety in the fridge too.”

Once we all had a drink in hand, our group moved into the living room. Crew sat next to me, but not too close. We didn’t necessarily feel the need to keep our distance, but this was all still new to us.

“I guess we should just tell you why we invited you over.” Crew took a long sip of his beer and then stretched his arm along the couch behind me. “Knox and I are together.”

Matthewson cracked a smile. “Kind of had a feeling since you two seem attached at the hip.”

“And the way you looked at him in the hallway on Knox’s first day. I never looked at my former teammates like that. Well, except for this guy.” Parker squeezed Rockland’s hand.

“We didn’t want to make a big deal out of it,” Crew explained. “But we figured it was time to let you guys know. Especially if the media picks up on it.”

“Does anyone else know?” Parker asked.

“Not that we’re aware of, although it’s obvious now that we haven’t been as sly as we thought. As far as me being gay, that’s never been a secret.”

Matthewson looked at Crew. “What about you?”

He let out a sigh. “I’ve never told anyone I’m bi, so it might end up getting more attention than we intend. ”

“And you’re okay with coming out?” Gage addressed Crew, concern lacing his tone.

“Yeah. I’m not going to do a press conference or anything like that. But if people catch on, that’s fine. Hopefully, they’ll keep their opinion to themselves if they have anything negative to say.”

Rockland rested his hand on Parker’s knee. “A couple of guys acted like dicks when our relationship became public knowledge, but way more people in the sports world had zero problems with us.”

That was a relief. I’d dealt with my fair share of homophobes since coming out when I was a teenager, but I wanted to shield Crew from that shit if at all possible.

“You might get a couple of comments here and there,” Parker added. “But it won’t be tolerated in our clubhouse. I’ve made it a priority to build a team that’s inclusive, and I intend to keep it that way.”

“We appreciate the support. It means a lot to us,” Crew replied. “We’re going to talk to our families first so they don’t find out through the media, and then see how things play out after that.”

“Just one more thing.” Parker leaned back in his seat. “Keep any relationship drama out of the locker room. If I end up having to play peacemaker between you two, I’m going to make it super awkward for all of us,” he teased.

“Got it.” I snorted.

They stayed for a little while longer, discussing what we expected in the last few weeks of our season.

When the door finally closed behind them, I grabbed Crew’s hand and pulled him to me.

“That went well, don’t you think?” I trailed a line of kisses down his neck.

“It did,” he breathed. “I have to admit, it feels good knowing we won’t be sneaking around anymore.”

“You know what else feels good?” I waggled my eyebrows.

He barked out a laugh. “Let me guess. It involves us getting naked?”

“Can’t think of anything better. Can you?”