Page 12 of Knox (Comeback Duet #2)

CREW

It was our first spring training game, and we were playing the Angels in front of a decent-sized crowd.

Tracking a popup near the first-base line, I was already peeling off my mask when Knox came barreling in from first. He was calling it—late—but by then we were both underneath it, and neither one of us backed off.

I adjusted to make the catch, but before I could settle, he clipped my side and knocked me straight into the dirt.

Next thing I knew, six-foot-three and one hundred eighty-five pounds landed right on top of me.

Hard.

“Jesus Christ,” I grunted, face pressed to the chalk line, Knox’s whole body on top of mine.

He didn’t move right away, and neither did I. His knee caught me near the ribs, one of his hands was braced in the dirt by my head, and the ball rolling away.

“Hey, baby,” he rasped next to my ear.

I huffed. “You weigh a damn ton.”

He shifted, probably trying to get up, but all he managed to do was grind down harder, and all I could think about was that morning when we were in the same position but with no clothes on.

“You okay down there?” he asked.

“You’re lucky I don’t elbow you in the gut.”

“Wouldn’t be the first time you got me breathless.”

“Knox,” I warned, and peeked to see everyone on the field staring. Probably the fans in the stands too.

He finally rolled off me and stood, offering a hand. I took it.

“We making plays or filming porn?” Costa, the Angels’ batter, chirped.

A few guys laughed. So did the first few rows of fans.

“Could’ve at least bought me dinner first.” I smirked at Knox, which earned even more noise.

Knox’s shoulder bumped mine as he grinned, then turned and walked toward first.

We got back into position. The next pitch came right down the pipe for strike three, but I was still thinking about Knox on top of me and still thinking about his voice in my ear. Still seeing that slow fucking grin and knowing it wasn’t just for show.

I peeled off my chest protector and let it drop onto the floor beside my chair in the clubhouse.

The game was over, and I needed a shower and food ASAP.

We’d won, but it didn’t really matter since it was preseason and games didn’t count on our record for the season.

Still felt good to have a win out of the gate.

I grabbed my phone from my locker, seeing several notifications and my phone vibrating with more in my hand. I clicked on the ESPN notification that read:

SEAWOLVES’ CREW STRATTON AND KNOX SINGLETON GO VIRAL FOR SPRING TRAINING COLLISION

The thumbnail was a still from the second inning. Me flat on the dirt. Knox stretched over me. The headline made it sound like a typical play that got lucky attention, but the image said something else.

I tapped the video. It showed the play in foul territory as we ran for the same ball. I watched Knox crash into me then drop his mouth near my ear.

Hey, baby.

The mic wasn’t close, but it caught it anyway. Enough to be heard. Enough for every reposted clip to slap the words across the screen.

I didn’t scroll to the comments. Didn’t need to. The numbers were climbing fast with over a million views and counting. My eyes widened, and my gaze snapped to Knox’s across the room.

“Oh shit,” he muttered.

I didn’t respond. My jaw stayed tight, heart thudding behind my ribs as I looked back at my phone.

I just kept staring at the screen until the video repeated. Knox crossed the clubhouse and sat in the chair next to mine.

Ritchson walked by and held up his phone. “Guess you two are trending.”

Cabrera glanced over from his locker. “Would’ve been a great play if one of you had caught it.”

A couple of guys laughed.

Ramos peeled off his jersey and tossed it into the laundry bin. “Yeah, I saw it on Star Nation. You’re celebrities now.”

I gave him a look. “You done?”

“Stratton. Singleton.” Parker’s voice carried from the back hallway. “My office. Now.”

We stood and nobody said anything as we walked past, but I could feel everyone watching us.

The office door was already open. Parker stood behind his desk. Matthewson leaned against the wall, arms crossed.

Knox and I stepped inside.

“Close the door,” Parker instructed.

I did, then stayed standing.

Parker looked at both of us. “You two good?”

I didn’t answer right away. Not because I wasn’t okay, but because I hated that this was even a thing.

I was here to catch a baseball, hit it out of the park on the regular, and be Grady’s hero.

But now everyone had an opinion. On who I was.

What it meant. Like being with Knox changed what I could do behind the plate.

It didn’t, but the world didn’t see it that way yet.

Knox nodded. “Yeah.”

Parker crossed his arms. “I didn’t call you in here to lecture you.”

Some of the tension dropped from my shoulders.

“I know the clip’s out there. So does half the media, and it’s probably going to keep climbing for the next day or two, but I want you to hear something from me first.”

He shifted his focus between us. “When Drew and I got outed, it wasn’t because we chose to be. Someone leaked a photo of us in a hotel room during the World Series. We walked into the clubhouse, and it was already up on guys’ phones. Matthewson was the one who showed it to me.”

Matthewson nodded. “It got real quiet. Nobody knew what to say.”

“I didn’t either,” Parker went on. “One minute I was getting ready for a World Series game, the next, Drew was standing in front of me with a phone in his hand and a look I’ll never forget.

Our skipper pulled us into his office before we even had a chance to figure out what the hell happened.

” He paused. “We told him we could still play, and that’s all that matters.

We know your sexuality has nothing to do with baseball, but we also know stuff like this can mess with your head. ”

We waited for Parker to finish.

“You’re in a better spot than me and Drew were. You’ve got time. You’ve got control. We didn’t have either.”

“We’re not looking to make it a press conference,” Knox replied.

“Then don’t,” Parker instructed. “But PR already saw it. They’re holding off until you tell us what you want to do. If you want to post something and take control of it, they’ll back you. If not, we’ll keep it neutral and let the clip die out.”

“We post something, and it dies down quicker.” Knox wasn’t wrong.

Posting would shut it down faster. But once it was out, it was out.

No walking it back. No letting it fade. The world would stop guessing and start defining it for me.

For us. I hadn’t planned on coming out through a viral headline, but maybe it was fate— a chance to rip the Band-Aid off.

Matthewson nodded. “You post something, it’s yours. Otherwise, someone else writes the story.”

I looked over at Knox. “We’ll think about it.”

“Whatever you decide,” Parker said, “you’ve got all of us behind you.”

Matthewson pushed off the wall and reached for the door. “Now, get out of here. You both stink.”

Knox cracked a grin. I followed him out.

“You good?” he asked me.

I nodded. “I think so.”

After we showered and ate, Knox and I headed out. A few fans were still hanging around the gates, hoping for autographs. One of them called out as we passed.

“You two dating or what?”

I didn’t stop. Neither did Knox.

At my truck, Knox climbed in and turned toward me as I got behind the wheel. “People are going to keep questioning us.”

“Yeah.”

He didn’t push. Just sat back in the seat while I pulled out.

We were halfway to the apartment when I finally spoke.

“If we post something, we don’t owe anyone a caption.”

“Nope.”

“They’ll still make it a thing.”

“They already have.”

When we got to the apartment, we walked inside and dropped our stuff. I grabbed two waters from the fridge while Knox pulled out his phone and sat on the couch.

I handed him one and took a seat beside him.

We both knew what came next.

I posted a picture of us first.

Me and my man.

Knox posted the exact same thing.

That was it.

No hashtags. No explanation.

Just the truth.