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eight

Knox

Time stands still. The roar of the crowd must be deafening, but I don’t hear a thing.

I knew we needed a way to launch this “relationship” that left no doubt. Something that wasn’t ambiguous where people could try to say Harlow is just a friend. A kiss on the field after an unexpected no-hitter certainly conveys that message.

What I wasn’t expecting, though, was for Harlow to kiss me back . I thought I’d peck her lips, and that would be that. But as soon as our lips meet, she throws her arms around my neck, pulling me in closer as she molds her body against mine.

But the most unexpected part of this kiss is how good it feels, how right it feels. I don’t know if it’s the adrenaline pumping after a game or how soft her lips feel, but this kiss with Harlow is electric. I can feel the sparks blazing between us, and I’ve no doubt that everyone around us can see them, too.

One more kiss, and we part, her arms still draped around my shoulders. Her forehead is pressed against mine, and those deep blue eyes bore right into me. “Hi,” she says.

“Hi,” I reply back. “You good?”

“Yeah.” She smiles brightly. “I’m good.”

“Good.”

“You looked incredible out there tonight. You pitched a fantastic game.” She gazes at me for a few more seconds before saying, “Go celebrate with your team, Knox. I’ll find you outside of the clubhouse later.”

She removes her arms from me, and I slowly walk away, dazed and confused, wondering what the hell just happened.

After we leave the field, Skipper asks Lane, Cole, and me to head into the media room for the post-game press conference. Lane hit a three-run homer tonight, and Cole had a two-run double and a couple of other runs. The three of us had great games tonight.

This will be my first press conference since we started this whole fake dating thing. And since that’s only part of rebranding my image, I need to handle the media here more gracefully than usual. That won’t be difficult, not tonight. The high of my second career no-hitter combined with the electricity coursing through my body after that kiss will probably make this my best media appearance yet.

In front of the media room is a long table with four chairs and four microphones. Skipper takes the far seat, followed by Lane, me, and Cole, who rounds us out.

After clearing his throat, Skip addresses the small crowd before us. “Thank you for coming here tonight. We had a big win today, and I think the three men up here beside me played a large part in why. We’re open to questions now.”

A female reporter in the second row raises her hand to speak. “Spencer, how are you feeling right now?”

The corner of my mouth pulls up into a smile. It’s hardly a surprise that the no-hitter is the first thing on their minds right now. “I’m feeling pretty good. This is all a little surreal, but it feels good.” Cole knows about my need to improve my relationship with the media. Lane doesn’t. And he’s already giving me side-eye because I never speak this much. I’m sure part of that is also me kissing Harlow in front of everyone when he’s entirely in the dark about the situation.

“Pierce,” a male reporter in the front row says, “You had one of the best games of your career tonight, five hits in six at-bats. Four runs batted in. What was going through your head on the field tonight?”

“Honestly,” Cole starts, “during a game, I only focus on the current moment, the current at-bat, the current defensive play. My only concern is making the most out of every play. Most of that worked in my favor tonight.”

“Brooks,” another male reporter in the back of the room says. “You hit a three-run home run in the first inning tonight. Do you think the game would have had such a high score if you hadn’t provided the momentum at the start?”

“Oh man,” Lane says, raking a hand through his light brown hair. “I’d love to take all of the credit. That would really feed into my ego.” The room laughs. Like I said before, Lane always gives the media what they want. “But tonight wasn’t my doing. We’re a team. We play together. If it wasn’t me who started the game off that strong, it would’ve been another one of these guys. I don’t think I had any hand in how the game played out.”

Lane may be the media darling, but he’s a real team player. He jokes about having an ego, but he’s probably one of the most grounded people on the team. We’re not alike in many ways, but his attitude is why he’s become one of my closest friends.

“We have time for a few more questions,” Fisher pipes in.

A female reporter in the front speaks up. “Spencer, what did your girlfriend have to say about your no-hitter tonight?”

Ah, there it is. I knew it would come up soon.

Trying to mask the nerves about publicly addressing this for the first time, I speak confidently—or I try to, at least. “She said I pitched a great game tonight. She may be just as excited as I am about it.” Cole stifles a laugh while Lane shoots me a you’re-telling-me-all-about-this-later look.

“Spencer again,” a reporter I can’t see says. “You’re well-known for not sharing any bit of your personal life. Who is the woman that has you willing to kiss her in front of the cameras tonight?”

I can’t hide my discomfort this time. I was hoping I could keep it somewhat vague tonight, but with a question that direct, I can’t really avoid it. “Her name is, uh,” I start, rubbing my neck before taking a breath. “Her name is Harlow Pierce.”

“Pierce?” someone in the audience says. “As in…”

“Cole Pierce?” Cole responds with a giant smirk. He’s enjoying this too much. “Yeah, Harlow is my sister.”

I hear a few ohh’s from the crowd before somebody speaks up.

“And what do you think of that, Mr. Pierce?”

Cole leans back in his chair, resting his folded hands behind his head. “I think it’s a great thing. My sister is a very bright and friendly person. Should help Fort Knox over here become a little less grumpy finally.”

The audience laughs as Skipper closes out the questioning, releasing us to the clubhouse.

Once we exit the media room, Lane steps behind me and grasps my shoulders, steering me toward the clubhouse. “You’ve got a lot to talk about, Spence.” I sigh as Cole laughs. Lane glances over at him. “You didn’t say anything either, Pierce. I’m adding you to my shit list.” Cole goes silent as we finish the walk to the clubhouse.

When we get to the clubhouse and step inside, I find Josh sitting in a chair by my things, three other empty chairs around him. I should’ve expected that I wouldn’t be let off easy tonight.

“You’re not even going to let me shower first?” I grumble as Lane leads me to one of the empty chairs.

“Don’t pretend to act all grumpy now, Spencer,” Lane says. “You just played it up for the media out there.”

“I’m just in a good mood,” I reply sheepishly.

“And why is that?” Cole prods, shooting me a knowing look.

“Fuck off, Cole. Can’t I just be happy I pitched a no-hitter tonight?”

“Not when you ditch us on the field and run over to kiss Cole’s sister,” Josh adds. “So, you’re dating Harlow?”

I sigh. Now it’s time to really play this off. Cole is the only one here who knows this is fake. I need to keep it that way. “Yes, I’m dating Harlow.”

“When did that happen?” Lane asks. “Outside of checking her out when Pierce isn’t looking, you’ve never shown any interest in her.” Cole shoots me a curious look.

“Shut the fuck up, man,” I say, shoving Lane’s shoulder.

“So, you have been checking my sister out then, huh?” Cole asks, amusement clear in the inflection of his voice.

I really fucking hate this interrogation.

Head in my hand, I reply, “Look, your sister is hot. I have eyes. And I evidently wasn’t looking at her discreetly if fucking Brooks noticed.”

“Interesting,” Cole muses. And I don’t like it. I have no idea what he’s imagining, and if he’s thinking it means something it doesn’t.

Josh pipes in. “When did you start dating her?”

Sighing, I respond, “It’s new. It’s only been a couple of weeks.”

“And you feel good enough about the relationship to broadcast it on national television already?” Lane asks in disbelief. Hard to blame him. I wouldn’t believe it if I were him, either.

Cole slaps a hand on my shoulder. “When you know, you know, eh, Spencer?” What I wouldn’t give to wipe that smug ass smirk off his face.

“Can I please just shower? I pitched a fucking no-hitter, and you’re more interested in my damn relationship.”

Josh just looks at me, confused. “It’s just a little hard to believe Fort Knox has a girlfriend, and he’s shown her to the entire world now.”

Yeah. Fucking tell me about it.