Page 33 of Knox (Comeback Duet #2)
Knox
Four Months Later
After two days of travel, we arrived in Fiji in the mid-afternoon.
We boarded a boat that would take us to the island resort, and as we cruised across the water, I took in the scenery around us.
Thatched-roof bungalows sat on stilts over the lagoon, each of them looking like something straight out of a magazine.
“This place doesn’t seem real,” I whispered to Crew just as we pulled up to a dock.
“Right? It’s even more beautiful than the brochure our travel agent showed us.”
A staff member helped unload our suitcases and pointed out the important places we might need during our stay: restaurants, a spa, and a gift shop that carried items like pain relievers and sunscreen. We nodded along, but all we cared about was getting to our bure and going for a swim.
Once we were checked in, we walked down a small wooden pier to our overwater accommodations.
When we stepped inside, we both stopped in our tracks, awed by the vaulted ceilings, king-sized bed with all white linens, floor-to-ceiling windows that opened to the blue-green sea, and a deck with a ladder that led into the water.
It was private, warm, and quiet—pretty much the opposite of our everyday life back home in Portland.
Crew wheeled his suitcase over to the closet. “Okay, this might be better than winning the World Series.”
I laughed and flopped onto the bed. “You say that because we didn’t make it to the championship again this season. Wait until next October and get back to me.”
The Seawolves had come close. We’d made it to the NLCS, only to lose in the bottom of the ninth of game seven. It sucked, but we were still proud of how our season went, and the guys were already fired up for spring training. So were we.
The first few days of our honeymoon were low-key.
We swam in the lagoon, napped in the hammock on our deck, took a million selfies, and tried nearly every item on the room service menu.
We also recorded some videos for The Loop, but we weren’t posting them until after we returned stateside.
While it was highly unlikely any of our viewers were on vacation at the same resort, stranger things had happened, and one could never be too careful.
On our fifth morning, a staff member set us up with a cooler of drinks, fresh fruit, and a variety of sushi rolls, and we took a boat to a private beach to enjoy a picnic lunch.
Crew laid out a blanket for us to sit on while I unloaded the ice chest. November was the beginning of the wet season in Fiji, but the weather seemed to be on our side with sun and a slight breeze. The sound of waves crashing against the shore provided the perfect soundtrack for our afternoon.
“If we didn’t have a whole life waiting for us back at home, I’m not sure I’d ever want to leave this place,” I said, biting into a piece of a tuna roll.
“It’s definitely the best vacation I’ve been on so far.”
“That’s because you’re with me.”
Crew chuckled. “I’m sure that’s the reason.”
We ate until we were full, then laid back to work on our tans.
“Can I ask you something?” he asked.
I pulled off my sunglasses and lifted an eyebrow. “Uh-oh. Am I in trouble?”
He nudged my foot with his. “No, but it’s a serious question.”
“Okay, hit me.”
He hesitated for a moment as he stared out over the water. “Have you ever thought about more kids?”
“Aren’t you worried you passed on all your good qualities to Grady, and your next child might be a hellion?” I deadpanned.
He barked out a laugh. “Well, if the kid ends up sharing DNA with you, we’re most definitely in trouble.”
“The world would be a better place with a mini-me roaming around,” I joked, then sat up and changed my tone. “But to answer your question, yes, I’ve thought about it.”
His eyes widened. “You have?”
I nodded. “It wasn’t something I gave much thought to before, but then you introduced me to a dinosaur-obsessed small human who I can’t imagine not having in my life.
So yeah, I’ve imagined what it might be like for us to add to our family.
I’m assuming you’ve thought about it too since you’re the one who brought it up? ”
“I have,” he admitted. “I just wasn’t sure how you felt.”
“If we eventually expand our family, we’re going to have to play rock-paper-scissors to determine who has to do the night feedings.”
He rolled his eyes. “Whether we adopt or go with a surrogate, neither of us has to endure a pregnancy, so don’t you think we can split night duty evenly?”
“I don’t know.” I leaned back on my hands. “I think I should get some credit for all the sleepless nights I’ve had listening to you snore.”
He shoved me playfully. “I don’t fucking snore.”
He didn’t, but he had no way to prove it either, so I played it off. “If you say so, but I’m surprised we haven’t gotten any noise complaints from the condo board.”
“Whatever,” he grumbled.
I smiled. “But going back to the topic of kids, if that’s something you want one day, just know I want it too. We’re already a family, and adding to it, however that happens, sounds incredible.”
He reached for my hand. “Sometimes, I can’t believe this life of ours is real. That we’re here. Married. Talking about having more kids.”
“It’s a long way from where we started as teammates who hooked up.”
He leaned closer. “I’d go through every difficult moment, every second of missing you again, if I knew we’d end up right back here.”
My throat tightened. “Me too.”
Then he kissed me.
We stayed like that for a while, tangled up in kisses on our private little oasis.
“I love you.” I didn’t think I would ever get tired of saying those words.
Crew’s bright eyes reflected every emotion I felt in that moment. “I love you too.”
There on the beach in Fiji, with my husband beside me and nowhere else to be, it felt like the end of a perfect game, and loving him was the best play I’d ever made.
The End.