Page 23 of Knox (Comeback Duet #2)

CREW

I drove my truck into the player lot and parked in the same spot I’d been using all season.

Knox sat in the passenger seat with his arm resting across the console, close enough that his thumb brushed my leg every so often.

I flexed my right hand against my thigh before shutting off the engine.

It didn’t hurt as much as it did three days ago, but the stiffness hadn’t let up.

The X-rays had come back negative for broken bones, but the MRI showed I had sprained my index, middle, and ring fingers, and had a bone bruise too.

They referred to it as ‘discomfort and inflammation’ in the official press release.

The injury wouldn’t end my season, but it was enough for the Seawolves to put me on the ten-day IL and to render me ineligible for the All-Star game.

It was funny how I had wished to stay home for the break, but I never thought it would be because I was injured.

When we climbed out, Knox grabbed his packed bag for the six-game road trip against the Dodgers and Giants.

The team was heading to LA after the game and would be gone for eight days.

Since I was sidelined, I wouldn’t be leaving with the team after the game, which was weird.

It would be the first time I’d be catching the games on TV and not in person.

We approached the players’ entrance together, but inside, we split off by the clubhouse doors.

He went into the locker room, while I made my way to the training room where Reynolds was waiting.

I dropped onto the edge of the table and held my hand out for him to look over.

I stretched my fingers and rotated my wrist while he pressed along each knuckle and checked the swelling.

It wasn’t as tender as it had been, but it still hurt.

“It’s better than it was.” Reynolds moved my wrist again, slowly, then reached for the stim pads. “Still tight. You keep doing the exercises and you’ll be fine.”

“I have been, but it doesn’t always feel like it’s helping much.”

“That’s because you’re impatient. If you rush it, you’ll double how long I keep you out. Give it time. It hasn’t even been seventy-two hours.”

“I’m not trying to rush it, but it sucks sitting out, especially with the guys going on the road.”

“You know as well as I do that the season is long. You’ll be out there again before you know it.”

“Hope so.”

He hooked me up to the TENS machine that sent electrical nerve stimulation into my hand, and I watched my fingers twitch until the cycle finished. When he peeled everything off and wrapped me up in fresh tape, he gave me a stern look.

“You’re cleared for the dugout, but if I catch you trying to snag a foul ball, I’ll have you watching the game from your chair in the clubhouse.”

“You think I’d really do that?”

“You’re a catcher. I’d be an idiot not to warn you.”

“I’ll duck if a foul ball comes for my head.”

“Good plan.” We both laughed. “Let me get you an ice pack, and I want you to do twenty minutes on, ten off, and repeat three times.”

By the time I stepped out of the tunnel, the starters were already heading onto the field. Knox jogged out to first, Ramirez hustled to short, the outfielders peeled off to the grass, and Pearson got into my position behind the plate.

Matthewson came and stood beside me. “Good to have you down here.”

“Wish it was just my normal day off from behind the plate.” Though that would usually have me at first base unless I really needed the rest.

“Yeah. I know.” He didn’t say anything else. Didn’t need to. He knew what it was like because it was inevitable that every player would be injured at least once during his career. It was all part of the game, and how it took its toll on your body.

Knox looked over from first, his eyes locking with mine. He gave a small grin before turning back to the infield.

Walker got through the top half clean. A grounder to Ramirez, a pop fly in shallow left, then a strikeout on a slider that bit late. The guys came trotting back in, and Knox brushed past me on his way to the bat rack. “You see that scoop at first?”

“Your footwork was sloppy,” I teased.

He barked a laugh. “Yeah, right. You know I do it better than you.”

“Yeah, yeah.”

He pulled on his helmet and gave my side a little nudge. “Don’t worry. I’m about to get on base just for you.”

“You better.”

He grinned as he shook his head, then stepped into the on-deck circle. When he got up to bat, he hit a knock into right and did get on base. As he stood on first and removed his shin guard, he gave me a wink. I smiled back, because as long as one of us was playing well, I could be happy with that.

The game stayed close through the next five innings, but in the sixth, Cabrera drove in a run with an RBI double to get us on the board.

Knox drew a walk in the seventh and made it to second on a shallow single, but that’s where he stayed when the inning ended.

He kept glancing over at me between innings, and I caught myself thinking about how weird it would be to watch him play on TV instead of having a front row seat.

I wouldn’t be the one waiting to bump fists with him, or the one catching his eye after a good at-bat.

I’d be on the couch, seeing it all through a screen, not beside him in the dugout.

We held the lead into the ninth and closed it out with a double play. Guys piled out of the dugout, high-fives and cheers echoing all around. We had another win in the books.

In the clubhouse, the usual post-win energy buzzed through the room: music playing, guys laughing, and the smell of garlic mashed potatoes and steak wafting from the buffet.

I grabbed a plate and headed for the dining room.

About ten minutes later, players started to join me.

When Knox walked into the room, he filled his plate and sat down next to me.

Diaz strolled by and clapped my boyfriend on the shoulder. “You sure you’re gonna be okay without your boyfriend on the trip?”

Knox didn’t even blink. “He’s the one who’s going to be lost without me.”

Ramirez passed by behind Diaz, shaking his head. “What’s Crew gonna do without his emotional support first baseman?”

Knox snorted and dug back into his plate. I rolled my eyes and shoved a forkful of steak in my mouth.

“Don’t worry,” I muttered. “I’ll survive somehow, asshole.”

The razzing died off after that, and everyone ate beforethe room slowly emptied and the guys started heading for the bus.

“You walking me out?” Knox asked.

“Of course.”

He grabbed his bag while I ditched my tray, then we slipped out the side door.

“Why does this feel like a goodbye and not just an eight-day road trip?” he asked.

I shrugged, but it hit me too. Eight days wasn’t that long, but we hadn’t been apart since he’d joined the Seawolves last season, except for a short weekend trip when he visited his family over the holidays.

Knox set his bag down on the pavement and turned to me. “I’ll call you tonight.”

“You better.”

He smiled, then leaned in and kissed me like he wasn’t ready to leave. Like, eight days apart might actually fuck with him. His hand lingered at my jaw, and even after he stepped back, I could still feel him there. It was going to be a long eight days.

“Tell Grady I’ll bring him some Ghirardelli chocolate from San Francisco.”

“He’ll love that.” I beamed.

Knox took a breath, then stepped back and grabbed his bag. “Love you.”

“Love you too.”

He gave me one last look, then turned and jogged toward the bus. I stayed there until the doors closed behind him before heading to my truck.

Driving out of the lot behind the bus, I headed over to Mallory’s to pick up Grady for a few nights. They had been at the game with Archer in their usual seats. Even though I wasn’t playing, they still came to cheer on Knox.

Mallory was outside watering a few of her plants when I pulled into the driveway. She waved while Grady bolted down the steps with a piece of paper in his hand.

“Daddy! Look what I made!”

He shoved the drawing into my hand before I could even shut the driver’s side door. It was a weirdly drawn version of me, Knox, and him, all in Seawolves hats, standing in front of what appeared to be a lopsided baseball field.

“That’s awesome, bud.”

“I used Mommy’s good markers.”

“He was very focused,” Mallory said as she joined us. “Didn’t even bug me for a snack while we waited for you.”

“That’s not normal.” I chuckled, then glanced at Grady. “Come on, let’s get going. We’ve got movies and popcorn waiting.”

Grady climbed into his car seat, chattering about some cartoon movie and how he was going to eat an entire bag of popcorn while I got him buckled in. Archer brought out his backpack and handed it off with a quick nod.

“He’s all set,” Archer told me.

“Appreciate it.”

He lingered a second. “I should get back inside and check on dinner.”

As he walked off, I turned to Mallory. “He’s making dinner?”

Mallory shrugged. “Yeah. I still can’t stand for long, and he offered.”

I raised a brow but didn’t question her even though she had been out watering a few plants and now was standing here talking to me. “Right.”

She leaned in to hug Grady, said her goodbyes as she handed him his tablet, then she said to me as I shut the door, “He’s been counting down to this all day.”

“Yeah, I’ve been looking forward to this too.” I glanced at the drawing again. “I’m glad I get more time with him while I’m off, but …”

“You miss Knox already.”

I didn’t deny it. Usually, Knox would be with me, picking up Grady or waiting back at my place.

He was probably already in the air, headed for LA.

“Feels like I can’t win. If I’m with Knox, I miss Grady.

If I’m with Grady, I miss Knox. And for the next eight days, I’m only going to see my boyfriend through a screen. ”

“That’s hard.

“Yeah.”

She bumped my arm with hers. “Maybe you should propose.”

My head snapped toward her. “What?”

“I’m just saying. Grady isn’t going anywhere. He’s your son. But maybe you need to make sure Knox knows you want him to stay too.”

I shook my head and chuckled. “Your mom would lose her mind.”

Mallory rolled her eyes. “I don’t care what my mom thinks. Knox is a great guy, and I love him too. If he makes you happy, that’s all that matters.”

I peered through the window at Grady, who was engrossed in something on his tablet.

“Yeah,” I said quietly. “Knox really does, and Grady loves him too.”

She squeezed my arm. “Then maybe tell him. Or show him. Or both.”

“Knox knows. I tell him all the time I love him.”

She tilted her head. “Do you show him?”

My chest tightened, and for the first time, I wondered if maybe I hadn’t shown it enough.

Before I could answer, Grady knocked on the window. “Come on, Daddy!”

Mallory smiled. “Go hang out with our kid. Knox will be there when the road trip’s over. And maybe by then, you’ll know exactly what to do.”

“Yeah.” I opened the door. “Thanks.”

She waved us off as I backed out of the driveway. Popcorn and cartoons were on deck, but my mind was thinking about Knox.

And all the ways I needed to show him I loved him.