Page 5 of Knox (Comeback Duet #2)

Knox

I leaned against the wall as I watched Crew explain to Grady about his mom. The sound of tiny sniffles broke me, and when I saw Crew wipe away his own tears, what was left of my heart completely shattered.

When we first started messing around and a woman claimed to be pregnant with his baby, he was worried whether he could actually be the sort of father a child needed.

Later, when he found out about Grady, he’d been so nervous during their first interactions.

But it hadn’t taken long for those nerves to fade, and he easily slid into dad mode.

Now, the way he spoke softly and rubbed soothing circles on his son’s back, I couldn’t imagine anyone being a better father than the man sitting a few feet away from me.

Somehow, he had found the strength to stay calm for Grady when I knew he was struggling to hold it together, and I was in complete awe of him.

I backed away quietly to give them some privacy and slipped back into the kitchen.

I finished plating breakfast on autopilot, but my chest ached for both of them.

I hated knowing Grady was sad and likely confused.

I hated that my boyfriend was hurt too. And I hated that I couldn’t fix any of it for them.

A few minutes later, I heard Crew say, “You ready to eat? Knox made us breakfast.”

The sound of footsteps padded across the hardwood floor as they made their way to the dining table.

“Scrambled eggs with ketchup just like you like them.” I managed a smile as I placed the small plate in front of Grady.

“What do you say?” Crew prompted.

“Thank you,” Grady mumbled, refusing to look up.

I ruffled his hair gently. “You’re welcome, G.”

I turned to grab the other two plates from the counter and sat next to Crew, sliding his meal in front of him.

“Thanks, babe.” He leaned over and gave me a small peck. “For everything.”

“Anytime.”

Crew decided it would be best to have a chill day at home, given everything that had happened over the past twenty-four hours, and there was no way we were going to let Grady see his mom in the state she was in. We just hoped acting as though it wasn’t serious was going to be okay.

We’d put on a movie, and it didn’t take long for Grady to fall asleep for a nap on the floor.

Eventually Crew crashed too and was stretched out on the couch with his head on a throw pillow and his legs draped across my lap.

His phone buzzed on the coffee table causing him to startle awake.

I shifted slightly, and my stomach tightened when I saw Debra’s name flash on the screen.

He answered it quickly. “Hi, Mrs. Wade. Any updates?” His shoulders slumped with whatever answer she gave.

“Yeah,” he replied after a pause. “I was planning on coming by in a bit.” After a beat of silence, his eyes flicked toward me.

“No, that’s not necessary. I appreciate the offer, but Grady’s comfortable here, and Knox is more than capable of taking care of him.

There’s really no need to send Hank over.

” Another pause, and he raked a hand through his hair.

“Yes, I understand, but we’ve got things under control.

I’ll let you know if anything changes.” He ended the call and tossed the phone on the couch cushion beside him with a sigh.

I reached over and gently massaged his neck. “Any changes with Mallory?”

He shook his head. “No, but I’m still going to head over there soon. You sure you don’t mind being on babysitting duty again?”

“Of course not. You don’t even have to ask.”

He leaned into my touch, closing his eyes briefly. “Debra offered to send Hank over to watch Grady.”

“I heard, but doesn’t he want to stay with his daughter?”

“Probably, but Debra … the way she worded it made it sound like she doesn’t think it’s appropriate for you to be the one watching him.”

I tried to ignore the sting of that comment and forced a smile. “Right. I mean, I get it. I’m not technically family.”

He turned to face me and cupped my face with his hands. “You are to me. And to Grady too.”

I didn’t doubt the sincerity in his words, but I also had a feeling this wouldn’t be the last time Debra had something to say about what she likely saw as less-than-traditional family dynamics.

My evening with Grady had gone a bit smoother than the night before, but that was likely because Crew got home in time to do the bedtime routine.

“I’m going to shower,” Crew said when we stepped out of Grady’s room. “I’m exhausted, but I need to get the hospital germs off of me.”

“I’ll just clean up out here and then join you in bed.”

It only took me a few minutes to straighten up the living room. As I was finishing folding the blanket Grady had used earlier, Crew’s phone lit up on the coffee table, and our manager’s name popped up on the screen.

I blinked.

It was the off-season, and I couldn’t think of any reason Aron Parker would be calling this late.

I didn’t answer and a few seconds later, my phone vibrated in my back pocket. I pulled it out and saw Parker was calling me.

I answered. “Hey, Skip. Everything okay?”

“You tell me. What happened to Stratton?”

I furrowed my brow even though he couldn’t see me. “What do you mean? Nothing happened to him.”

“Someone snapped a photo of him going into the hospital earlier. Rumors started flying pretty quickly, and I’ve already had several people reach out asking if he’s injured or sick.”

A player walking into the hospital wasn’t something the media or a fan would ignore, but I hadn’t gotten any notifications about it.

“He’s not hurt,” I assured Parker. “He was visiting his son’s mother because she was in a head-on collision yesterday.”

“Oh shit,” he gasped. “Is she okay?”

“We’re not sure. She had emergency surgery, and she’s currently in a medically induced coma.”

“Damn,” his voice softened. “Now I feel like an ass for even asking.”

I sat on the edge of the couch. “Don’t worry about it. I would have probably done the same thing if I were in your position.”

“How’s Stratton holding up?”

I exhaled. “He’s doing okay. He’s trying to keep it together for Grady, but it’s been rough.”

“I can’t imagine. If either of you need anything, just say the word. We’re around and can come help with Grady or whatever.”

Last season may have been Parker’s first as a manager, but he was the best person I’d played for in my entire career. His offer to be there for Crew and me when we came out to Crew’s family and the team was another example of the kind of guy he was.

“That means a lot.”

“Keep me posted if anything changes, and tell Stratton I’m thinking about him.”

Crew stepped out of our room, toweling off his hair right as I was finishing my conversation.

“Thanks, Skip. I will.”

“That was Parker?” Crew asked as he walked toward me.

“Yeah.” I set my phone down. “Someone got a photo of you walking into the hospital and he’s been fielding calls wondering if you were injured.”

He winced. “I didn’t even think about that.”

I pulled him closer to me. “It’s fine. I explained what was going on.”

He draped the towel over his shoulders. “What’d he say?”

“Just that he’s thinking of you, and if we need anything, he’s there for us.”

He nodded, then stepped between my knees and leaned down until our foreheads touched. “Thank you.”

“For what?”

“For being here. For taking care of Grady. For talking to Skip. And for making things a little easier for me.”

I wrapped my arms around his waist. Debra could think whatever she wanted.

To her, maybe I wasn’t the right person to help Crew through this.

Maybe I wasn’t the person she imagined taking care of her grandson.

But as far as I was concerned, the only opinions that mattered were those of the two other people in this condo and Mallory.

This was my family, and I wasn’t going anywhere.