Page 29 of Knox (Comeback Duet #2)
Knox
It’d been four days since I’d overheard Crew calling me his endgame.
Four days of me pretending not to think of it constantly.
He hadn’t brought it up again, and I hadn’t pushed to discuss it, but every time he looked at me, I couldn’t help but feel as though we were both finally in a place where we felt content and settled.
This four o’clock game was the start of our final homestand before the All-Star break. We were playing the Seattle Mariners, and since Crew still wasn’t off the IL, he was sitting in the dugout watching us.
When the top of the seventh ended, the announcer told the crowd it was time to get on their feet and stretch. Usually, the stadium’s organist would start playing “Take Me Out to the Ballgame,” but instead, as I headed off the field, I saw Crew walking out toward me.
We met on the grass between the infield and the dugout. “What are you doing out here?”
He smiled. “I’m doing something I’ve wanted to do for a while.”
The announcer directed everyone’s attention to the jumbotron in center field, and when I glanced that way, I saw the two of us plastered on the screen.
My heartbeat sped up, and then nearly pumped out of my chest when I looked back at him as he dropped to one knee.
The entire stadium erupted in cheers, but the sound faded out as I focused on the man in front of me.
“I was going to do this at home, just the two of us,” he explained. “But we stopped hiding a long time ago. You deserved to be loved publicly and wholeheartedly. Will you marry me, and let me be the one to love you for the rest of our lives?” He opened the jewelry box he was holding.
I wanted to check out the ring, but I couldn’t tear my eyes away from Crew. “Yes, I’ll marry you.”
He slipped the cool metal onto my finger, and I finally let myself look down to see what he’d picked out. It was a gorgeous platinum ring with black diamonds that wrapped all the way around. It was exactly the type of ring I could picture myself wearing forever.
He stood, wrapped his arms around me, and pulled me in for a kiss like there weren’t thirty thousand people watching.
The crowd cheered loudly again as our teammates swarmed around us on the grass, giving high-fives and hugs. Crew and I turned toward the fans and gave a wave, before lifting our joined hands in the air.
It was the first time I’d ever been celebrated not just for how I played, but for who I loved. It felt surreal.
A little over two years ago, I walked into a major league locker room as a rookie and met Crew Stratton for the first time. Never did I imagine we’d end up engaged in front of a sold-out crowd.
We didn’t make it two steps inside the clubhouse before Ramos and Beck ambushed us with bottles of champagne.
“What the—” I cringed as the liquid drenched my head and back.
“Engagement shower!” Beck grinned, backing up in case I tried to retaliate.
“How’d you guys get champagne in here at the last second?” Crew asked, trying to wring out his soaked hoodie.
“Don’t know. It just happened to be here,” Ramos called from across the room where he leaned casually against his cubby like he had nothing to do with what had just happened.
The team was hyped from our win, but everyone seemed more excited to talk about our engagement.
Parker came over and clapped us both on our shoulders. “Best jumbotron moment since the cameras caught Drew kissing me after I won the World Series with the Giants.”
“Thanks for helping with the details.” Crew shook his hand.
“Any time. Oh, and you can thank Matthewson for the champagne.”
We crossed the room to our lockers, and I shrugged off my jersey. “Do you think it’s weird that we’re engaged before we even officially lived together?” I chuckled.
Crew lifted a brow as he stripped out of his wet clothes. “Uh, your shit is all over my bathroom counter, your hoodies have taken over half of my closet, and Grady thinks you live at my condo.”
“True, but we never really talked about it.”
He smirked. “Were you waiting for an engraved invitation?”
I chuckled. “Nah. I knew you loved having me all up in your space. I just didn’t want to make assumptions.”
“Well, now you don’t need to assume.” He grinned. “We’re living together and getting married.”
“Sounds good to me.”
We headed for the showers. I needed one to wash the game off me, and Crew wanted one to get rid of the champagne.
As we toweled off, he checked his phone.
“Got a text from Mallory. She says congratulations, and sounds like Grady was getting a little restless waiting for us so they went home. She wants to know if we want to swing by her place for a little celebration before Grady goes to sleep, but she understands if we just want to have some alone time.”
I started to get dressed. “I’d like to go see Grady. He’s an important part of the life we’re building, so he should get to celebrate with us.”
Crew leaned over and kissed me. “I love you.”
“I love you too.”
Once we finished getting ready, we said goodbye to our teammates and slipped out the back to avoid any reporters hanging around the staff entrance.
“So what do you think Grady’s going to say about us getting engaged?” I asked, sitting next to my fiancé in his truck.
“I’m not sure he even knows what that means, but I bet once we explain it to him, he’ll be on board with the idea.”
“And Mallory? I know she said ‘congratulations’, but once we’re married, I’m legally bound to you forever, which means being connected to Grady forever too.”
“I’m one hundred percent certain she’s fine with it. She was the one who actually got me thinking about proposing.”
I balked slightly. “Really?”
He nodded. “She suggested it as a way of showing you that you belong with us.”
A slight prickle of doubt started swirling in my mind, and I couldn’t help but wonder if this was what he really wanted, or if he’d felt pressured. I exhaled slowly. “You didn’t have to go as far as proposing to tell me that. I believed you when you said you wanted a future with me in it.”
He reached across the console and squeezed my leg. “I asked you to marry me because I love you and I want to spend the rest of my life with you.”
“That’s all I want too. We should just elope and keep living our lives,” I suggested, only half-joking.
Crew shrugged. “That’s not a bad idea. I already looked up how to get a marriage license in Oregon. There’s a three-day waiting period, but I don’t see why we couldn’t do it as soon as possible. Maybe next week during the break.”
I took a second to consider the idea. “I think I’d like that.”
My phone buzzed as we turned onto Mallory’s street. “It’s my mom,” I announced, swiping the screen to answer. “Hi there?—”
“You’re engaged!” she shouted as if I wasn’t aware. “I wanted to give you time to wrap up your postgame stuff, but I ran out of patience.”
“She didn’t have any patience to begin with.” Dad laughed in the background.
“Yeah, we are.” I smiled and glanced at my fiancé.
“I’m assuming you’re with him. Put us on speakerphone,” Mom demanded.
I shook my head but did as she asked. “Okay, he can hear you.”
“Hi, Teri,” Crew greeted.
“Doug is here too,” she explained. “We just wanted to say congratulations. That proposal on the field made me cry.”
“We’re so happy for you guys,” Dad added.
“Thank you so much.” I swallowed the emotion clogging my throat. “We’re heading over to Mallory’s right now to celebrate with Grady, but we’ll call again soon once we start planning things.”
“Soon?” Mom asked.
“Uh, yeah. We’re thinking of going to City Hall next week,” I answered.
“Oh,” her tone sounded a little dejected. “Just keep us posted with whatever you decide.”
“We will,” I agreed. “Love you.”
“Love you both,” she replied and we ended the call.
I turned to Crew. “I don’t think my mom was thrilled with the idea of us eloping. Maybe we should plan a reception or something at the end of the season, so our families don’t feel left out.”
He nodded. “We’ll figure out something.”
“Are you going to call your parents?”
He shook his head. “I already told them my plan to propose. I’m sure they watched it on TV even though it’s super late in Tennessee. I’ll give them the full rundown tomorrow.”
We arrived at Mallory’s around eight and were greeted by an excited Grady when we got to the door.
“Yay, you’re here!” he screeched. “Now we can eat the ice cream Mom bought.”
Crew knelt to hug his son. “Ice cream? That sounds super yummy. Are you sure you have room for it after all the ballpark food I’m sure you ate?”
“That was soooo long ago.” Grady sighed, and we all laughed.
“I’ll go dish it up,” Mallory said, but Archer stopped her with a gentle hand on her arm.
“Why don’t you go sit with everyone. I can take care of the ice cream,” he offered.
“Just don’t eat it all.” Grady chuckled and climbed onto one of the stools at the island.
The rest of us joined him, as Archer pulled down some bowls from the cabinet.
“I know I already texted you, but congratulations again. I’m so excited you two are engaged.” Mallory leaned over and gave me a side hug from where she sat next to me.
“Thanks, Mal.” I lowered my voice. “I hear I have you to thank for the idea.”
She shook her head. “It was inevitable. From the first time I met you, I knew you guys were the real deal.”
“What’s engaged?” Grady asked.
Crew brushed his hair back off his forehead. “It means Knox and I are getting married.”
Grady’s eyes widened. “Does that mean I get to wear a tie?”
Mallory chuckled. “That was his favorite part about my sister’s wedding at the beginning of last year.”
“Actually, I don’t know, buddy. We might just get married at City Hall and wear regular clothes.”
Mallory looked around me. “Crew, you know your mom will be crushed if she isn’t at your wedding. Besides, you guys have a beautiful location to host a wedding.”
I furrowed my brow. “We do? Where?”
“Here in the backyard,” she suggested as though it was the most obvious thing in the world.