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CREW

One Month Later

I checked my phone again, even though I didn’t need to. The flight was on time. Mallory and Grady were landing any minute now.

I wanted to text Knox because I was nervous. I needed him to reassure me everything with Mallory and Grady was going to work out. But it was our day off, so he and some of the guys were out to lunch, an occasion I’d usually join in on, but seeing as my son was coming to town for the week for our last homestand, I had other plans. Instead, I pulled up the most recent text message from Knox:

You’ve got this. I’ll see you tonight. Love you

He knew what I was planning. What Mallory and I had discussed a few nights ago. Not only were they staying at my apartment while in town and I would be at Knox’s place, but Mallory gave me the okay to tell Grady who I really was to him.

I leaned against the railing just outside baggage claim at PDX, scanning the crowd. I spotted Mallory first, pulling her carry-on behind her with one hand while holding onto Grady’s with the other.

The second his eyes found me, he lit up. “Crew!” he shouted, breaking free from Mallory and barreling toward me.

I bent down as he crashed into my chest, his little arms locking around my neck.

“You came to get us!” he squealed.

“Of course I did.” I stood, holding him in one arm while reaching for Mallory’s bag with the other. “What kind of friend makes his favorite kid take a cab?”

“I’m not a kid,” he corrected. “I’m a boy.”

I beamed, shifting him onto my hip. “You ready to see where I live, little man?”

“Do you have snacks?”

“I’ve got fruit snacks and Goldfish waiting in the truck.”

He gasped. “You’re the best!”

Mallory grinned as we headed toward baggage claim. “Just so you know, you’re setting the bar very high.”

“Good. I’m planning to clear it.”

I drove into the parking garage under my building about twenty minutes later. Grady had talked the whole ride, grilling me with questions from the back seat about how elevators worked, why bridges had lines, and whether you could build a baseball field on top of a building.

At one point, he pointed out the window. “Those are mountains!”

“They are,” I’d said, smiling at him in the rearview. “Big ones.”

“Do bears live on them?”

“Not the ones we’re driving past, no.”

He’d thought for a second. “But maybe moosees? ”

Mallory shook her head, smiling. “I think moose like quieter places. But hey, you never know.”

I put the truck in park and stepped out, walking around to open the back door. “Let’s get you out of here, bud.”

He squirmed as I undid the five-point harness and helped him wriggle free.

Mallory came around from the other side, tugging their suitcases behind her. “Do you always park down here?”

“Yep. Keeps the truck out of the rain.”

She smiled, not saying anything more as we crossed to the elevator.

Inside, Grady peered up at the lights. “How many buttons can I push?”

“Just one,” I told him. “Unless you want to get stuck riding all afternoon.”

He giggled. “I wanna live in an elevator.”

“Let’s not,” Mallory suggested. “But you can help Crew push the number to his floor.”

I showed him which one was mine. Once we were at my door, Grady strode inside and stopped, eyes wide.

“Your house is so big.”

“It’s not that big.”

He turned slowly in a circle. “It’s taller than mine.”

Mallory came in behind him and closed the door. “This is nice, Crew.”

“Thanks. It’s still coming together.”

The furniture wasn’t fancy, but it was comfortable and clean. Charcoal gray couch, wooden coffee table, TV mounted on the wall, a few photos tucked onto a bookshelf. Natural light poured through the tall windows, painting soft shadows across the floor.

Grady padded toward the windows, palms flat on the glass. “I can see the road! And that blue car! And that tree!”

While he checked out the view, I showed Mallory the two bedrooms and put their bags in the primary where she would sleep in my bed. We walked back into the living space. “Make yourself at home. I have water and drinks in the fridge. Snacks in the pantry. Whatever you want, it’s yours.”

“Thank you.” She helped herself to a bottle of water from the fridge and juice box for Grady.

I grinned and crossed to the closet, grabbing the glove and the foam ball I’d picked up last week. “Hey, G? Got something for you.”

He turned as I knelt and held it out. His eyes widened.

“Is that a baseball glove?”

“Yep. Your size. And the ball’s soft so we can play without worrying about breaking anything. Or getting hurt.”

He took the mitt and slipped it onto his hand. The leather was stiff and he couldn’t quite close it. “It’s kind of hard.”

“Gloves take time to break in,” I informed him. “You and I can do it together.”

He nodded. “Okay. But you have to teach me. I never played baseball before.”

“I can do that.”

He gazed up at me, brows pinched. “What if I miss the ball?”

“Then I’ll throw it again.”

He let out a little sigh like that was exactly the right answer. Then sat down on the floor with the glove in his lap, testing the ball with his other hand, squeezing it like a stress toy.

Mallory stood near the kitchen watching us.

“He’s gonna remember this.”

I peered down at him, then back at her.

“Me too.”

We hadn’t seen each other in person since Raleigh. Mallory and I had kept in touch, video chatting when our schedules lined up, but I could tell it wasn’t quite the same for him. I wasn’t part of his day-to-day.

Still, she told me he’d started watching my games. She’d flip on the Seawolves when they were on, point me out when I stepped up to the plate, or when Knox made a play at first. Apparently, Grady had started calling me “my Crew” without even thinking about it.

Now he was here.

When I glanced at Mallory again, she gave me a silent okay.

“Hey, G?” I kept my voice quiet. “Can we talk about something?”

He held out the ball in his hand. “Are we gonna play now?”

“Soon. There’s just something I want to say first.”

I motioned for him to follow me to the couch.

“You know how we’ve been talking lately?” I asked as we took a seat. “On video calls?”

“Yeah. You showed me your bat. And the locker with the shoes.”

“That’s right.” I smiled a little. “And you’ve been watching the games with your mom?”

He perked up. “You hit the ball so far.”

“Well, I try.” I chuckled at the compliment. “But I want to tell you something really important. Something I just found out a little while ago.”

He stopped playing with the ball. His eyes were steady on mine.

I took a deep breath and draped my arm lightly across his shoulders. “I’m your dad.”

He blinked. “You’re my daddy?”

“Yeah. I didn’t know before. But now I do. And I really want to be part of your life. If you want me to.”

He looked at Mallory.

She moved forward and kneeled near us. “It’s true, baby.”

He leaned in, tucked himself against my side, and curled his fingers into my shirt. “Okay.”

I wrapped my arm around him. He was so light, but somehow that moment carried the weight of everything.

After a beat, he stared up again. “Can I call you Daddy?”

My voice cracked a little. “Yeah, bud. You can.”

He rested his head on my chest and closed his eyes like it was nothing new—like he’d always belonged right there.

Mallory brushed a tear from her cheek as she quietly watched us.

Grady sighed. “Are you gonna be my daddy even when I go back home?”

I smoothed a hand over his curls. “Always.”

His voice was quiet. “Even if I don’t see you all the time? ”

“I’ll still be your dad every single day,” I promised him. “That’s not gonna change. No matter where you are.”

He pressed closer. “Okay. I think that’s good.”

After a few minutes, his breath slowed against my chest. His fingers stayed curled in the fabric of my shirt, the foam ball still tucked between his arm and his side like he wasn’t ready to give it up, even in sleep.

I waited a couple of more minutes before easing us both up carefully. He stirred but didn’t wake as I carried him to the guest room and laid him down on the neatly made bed. Mallory had packed one of his superhero-themed blankets and I tucked it around him before stepping back.

Mallory stood in the doorway, her arms folded gently across her chest. “He’s out cold.”

“Yeah.” I kept my voice low. “Guess he had a long day.”

We both stood there for a bit, watching him sleep. Then I clicked off the light and followed her back into the living room.

She grabbed the half-full water bottle she’d left on the counter and took a sip before sinking into the armchair. “You okay?”

I nodded, the feel of Grady’s little hand pressed against my chest still lingering. “Better than okay.”

“You did good, Crew.”

Running a hand through my hair, I settled onto the couch across from her. “Thanks. I was nervous. Still am.”

“Understandable.” She curled one leg under the other. “But you handled it right. He trusts you.”

“Yeah,” I murmured. “I hope he always does.”

She studied me for a second. “And things with Knox? Still good?”

A smirk tugged at my mouth before I could stop it. “Yeah. They’re good. Better than good. He’s … kind of perfect, actually.”

She laughed softly. “You were so calm when you told me about him in Harvest Ridge. Like it was no big deal.”

“I didn’t want it to be a big deal. Just the truth.”

“Did it ever cross your mind to tell me when we were together?”

I hesitated. “I wasn’t even close to ready.”

“But you knew you were bi then?”

“Yeah. I felt things back then.”

Her brows knitted together slightly. “Like what?”

I took a breath. “Like I had a huge crush on Levi.”

Mallory blinked. “Levi Sexton?”

A small, dry laugh escaped me. “Yeah.”

Her mouth opened, then closed. “You two were always around each other. I figured if anything, you just liked competing with him.”

“We were friends,” I said. “Rivals too, sure, but there was more under the surface for me. I didn’t understand it then, not fully. But it was there.”

Her voice dropped. “I had no idea.”

“I know.” I leaned back, running a hand through my hair. “It wasn’t something I was trying to hide from you. I didn’t even let myself say it in my own head because it was Harvest Ridge and you know how that town is.”

Mallory was still staring at me, not with judgment, just surprise. “I do, but I always thought I knew you better than anyone.”

“You did.”

A beat passed before she asked, “You ever think about how different it all could’ve been?”

“Sometimes.” I looked at her. “If you had told me you were pregnant, we probably would’ve stayed together. I would’ve tried to balance it all. You and Grady. The team. Everything.”

“That’s what I was afraid of.”

I frowned slightly. “What do you mean?”

“I was afraid you’d try to do everything and lose yourself in it. Or worse, walk away from baseball altogether. Maybe not right away, but eventually.”

“I would’ve done what I had to.”

“I know.” Her voice dropped to almost a whisper. “That’s why I didn’t tell you.”

“I would’ve loved you. And I would’ve loved him.”

“I never doubted that. We were twenty-one, Crew. And I couldn’t ask you to split yourself in half. ”

“I think I would’ve tried to believe it was enough. Tried to convince myself I didn’t want anything else.”

Her gaze didn’t waver. “You would’ve tried. And maybe you would’ve made it work for a while. But you never would’ve stopped wondering what you gave up.”

We weren’t only talking about baseball anymore. “And I probably would’ve stayed hidden.”

Mallory let the silence stretch for a moment. “Are you going to come out? With Knox?”

“I want to. Eventually. Just not sure when.”

“What about your team?”

I hesitated. “They don’t know yet.”

“Do you want them to?”

“I do. Just hasn’t been the right time yet.”

She leaned back in the chair. “I’m glad you’re not pretending anymore. At least not with the people who matter.”

“Yeah.” I let out a breath. “Me too.”

“Well, I think I need a hot shower if you’re cool with waiting to leave until I get out?” Mallory got out of her seat.

“Wait.” I reached out my hand to stop her.

She paused.

“There’s something I’ve been thinking about. And I know it’s big. But I want to say it anyway.”

Her eyes met mine and she sat back down. “Okay?”

“What if you and Grady moved to Portland?”

She blinked but didn’t say anything.

“We don’t have to rush it,” I added. “The offseason gives us time to figure everything out. I can help you get settled, and help Grady adjust. But I want this to be permanent. I want him to grow up knowing I’m right here.”

She looked away from me.

“I’m not trying to undo what you’ve built in Harvest Ridge. I know you just got settled again. But if you came here, I could give him something real. A home base. A dad who’s more than a name on a screen or a weekend every few months.”

She didn’t say anything so I went on. “I’ll buy a house. For you and Grady. Something stable. With a yard. A room that’s really his and not my guest room. I’d stay where I am, or get something nearby. I’m not asking you to move in with me. I’m asking you to move here, so he can have both of us in his life.”

Her eyes returned to mine. “You’ve never lived with a kid.”

“I know.”

“It’s not just pancakes and t-ball games.”

“I don’t think it is. I think it’s long days and early mornings and a whole lot of figuring it out. But I want to try. I want to know him. For real. Not just in pieces.”

A long breath passed between us.

“It would be another big change.”

“I know.”

Another pause. Her fingers tapped lightly along her arm.

“I’ll think about it.”

“That’s all I’m asking.”