Page 62 of Make the Play

I shrug. “I guess there is a chance, but one or both of us could lose our jobs. Then we have Landry to think about. My brother will blow a gasket.” I would never forgive myself if Knox lost his spot on the Rampage because of this thing between us.

“I don’t know,” Sloane muses. “I think Landry might surprise you. Think about it, Knox is his best friend. He trusts him. I think if Landry knew you were both in this for the long haul, he’d eventually be okay with it.”

“Maybe, but they're in season, and the last thing I want is to mess with that. To have any kind of animosity between them and have it affect the entire team. We need to just keep things as they are, and if we make it to the end of the season, we can reassess at that time.” If we can make it to the offseason, if this is still going strong, we can go to the Rampage and confess, and we can sit Landry down and tell him we’re together.

“If… Stop saying if,” Sloane scolds.

“I’m just trying to be reasonable about all of this. I can’t let myself fall too far. I’ll never be able to get back up.” Even as I say the words, I know it’s already too late.

“Oh, sweetheart, it’s too late for that.” She smiles, and I give her a tight nod. She’s right. It’s far too late. I’d always crushed on Knox, but now, that crush is so much bigger. What we have is more, and I’m scared out of my mind that this isn’t the same for him. We haven’t talked about it. I know we said we would be open and honest if it became something to either of us or if one of us wanted out, but I don’t want to be that girl. I don’t want him to feel pressured. I’ll keep my truth locked up tight, and we’ll just see how it all plays out.

“It’s starting,” I say, nodding toward the television.

For the next couple of hours, my eyes stay glued to the screen as we watch my brother and my… Knox bring home the win. They’ve won all of their preseason games. I hope that’s a sign of how this season is going to go.

“Are you staying?” I ask Sloane.

“Yeah, I might as well. I brought my stuff for work tomorrow just in case.”

“It’s late, so that was a good call.”

“When are they coming home?” she asks.

“They fly home tonight. There’s a time difference, so I think they get back in the middle of the night. They’re off tomorrow, so they all voted to fly out after the game since they’ve been gone since Thursday.”

“Makes sense. Especially those who have a wife and kids. It has to be tough being away from them. I know how it is for you with Landry and Knox. I couldn’t imagine kids, too, but at least they get to make up for it in the offseason.”

“This is true.” I stand and start cleaning up our mess. Sloane helps, and in no time, we’re heading upstairs to our rooms—well, mine and the one she uses when she’s here.

“At least the wait is almost over, and you get to see your man tomorrow,” she says with a wink.

I laugh. “Yep. Night, bestie.”

“Night.” I disappear into my room and hear her door shut, as well. I go through the routine of getting ready for bed, and as I’m sliding under the covers, my phone rings. I scramble to answer it, grinning like a fool when I see Knox’s name.

“Hello.”

“Did I wake you?” he asks softly.

“No. We just finished watching the game. I just got into bed.”

“You watched?”

“Always. Sloane came over, and she’s staying the night.”

“Is it wrong to be jealous of your best friend?” he asks. There is no humor in his tone.

“You don’t have to be.”

“Four days, Corie girl. Four very long days.”

“A month ago, you wouldn’t have cared,” I remind him.

“A month ago, you weren’t mine,” he counters.

My belly quivers at his words, and I wish he were here more than anything. “I like the sound of that,” I reply softly.

“Good. We’re leaving here in an hour to catch our flight back. It will be late when we get in.”

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