Page 108 of Make the Play

Now, all we can do is wait for Tommy’s call, and then we’ll know for certain what the future holds for us. Regardless, my future is with Corie by my side. While we wait, I call my parents and fill them in on what’s going on.

“By the way, you’re getting a daughter-in-law,” I tell them. We’re on video chat.

“What?” Mom breathes.

I smile into the camera. “Come here, Corie girl.” I nod for her to come sit next to me. She does as I ask, and I pull her close. “Mom, Dad, I’d like to introduce you to my fiancée, Corie Reynolds, soon-to-be Beckett.” The words are barely out of my mouth before my mom bursts into tears.

“Oh, Knox.” Mom covers her mouth with her hands.

“Welcome to the family, Corie.”

Mom swats at Dad’s chest. “She was already a part of this family.” She turns her watery smile to the screen. “We love you both. I’m so happy for you.”

“What she said.” Dad chuckles.

“Thank you,” Corie replies softly.

“When you’re ready, you let me know, and the girls and I will help you every step of the way,” my mom tells her.

Corie sniffs beside me, and I press a kiss to her temple. I know she’s missing her parents with the excitement of our news. I also know that my family will rally around her and make sure she has more love and support than she could ever need.

“We just wanted to tell you. I don’t know how all of this is going to turn out, and well, we wanted you to hear it from us.”

“It will all work out, son. The unexpected always does,” Dad tells me.

“Love you both,” Mom says. We say our goodbyes and end the call.

I pull Corie into my arms, not caring that Landry could walk back into the room from his shower at any moment. I need to love on her. She needs me to love on her, and that’s exactly what I’m going to do.

It’s a few minutes before seven when we arrive at the stadium. Thankfully, the employee and player lot is gate-protected, and we have security on-site to keep the press at bay. They’re here, though, hanging out, and just jonesing for a picture.

With Corie’s hand locked in mine, we head inside and to the owner’s office. Apparently, this infraction is going as high up as it can go. We’ll also be meeting with Coach Warner and Sally from HR, and Tommy will be there, as well.

“I’m sorry,” Corie says as we wait for the elevator to take us to our floor.

“You didn’t do anything wrong. We’re in this together. We are and will always be a team. We discussed our choices and chose what we thought was best for us. However that turns out is how it will be.”

“You seem so calm. I’m freaking out, Knox.”

“Because I have you.” I shrug. “I love this team, I love the sport, but it all pales in comparison to what I feel for you. So, yeah, I’m calm as hell because when I walk back out of this stadium, the only thing that matters is that you’re still mine.” I mean it with my entire being. If my options are to give up the game or give up on Corie, it’s an easy choice. One I don’t even have to think about.

The elevator stops, the doors slide open, and hand in hand, we step off and turn right, toward Roger Hampton’s office. He’s the owner of the team.

I don’t bother knocking. They know we’re coming. Instead, I step into the room, Corie’s hand still in mine, and take a seat at the conference table that Tommy, Roger, Sally, and Coach Warner are already sitting at.

“Are we late?” I ask them.

“No,” Coach Warner answers. “We wanted some time to discuss our options before you got here.”

“So, you’ve already decided our fate?”

“No,” Roger speaks up. “But we needed to discuss our options. Now, we want to hear from the two of you.”

“First, Sally, I won’t be needing that meeting today,” I tell her.

She smiles and nods. “I assumed.”

“Okay, so here’s what happened.” I launch into our story, not leaving anything out. I tell them how I fought my attraction to her. How we hid this from her brother and that we had the best interests of the team and everyone involved in mind.

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