Page 54 of Crew
“Good. Mom and Dad are loving being grandparents.”
“Yours or Finn’s?”
I snorted. He had to know how hard it was to have a family in our line of work. I know some guys did it, some even on the Seawolves, but I wasn’t ready for that commitment yet. Not after my scare with what’s-her-bucket. “Finn’s. He and his wife, Marissa, just had their second child.”
“Oh. Wow. Is he still a cop?” Levi asked.
“Yeah. He’s keeping the sleepy little town safe.” I chuckled.
“Crew!” Someone shouted my name. I looked up to see Perez waving me over.
“I should see what he wants. It was good seeing you,” I said.
“You too. I’ll try to make it out for a game.”
“Sounds good.”
I made my way toward Perez.
“Hey, man, we’re heading out to grab a bite before going to the after-party. You in?” he asked.
I glanced back at Levi and his group. A part of me wanted to stick around and catch up more with him, but something told me it wasn’t the right moment.
“Nah, I’m good,” I replied, shaking my head. “I think I’m just gonna take a walk before going back to the hotel.”
The guys and I who attended the ESPYs were all flying to Phoenix in the morning to meet up with our other teammates for a series against the Diamondbacks. And while I could sleep on the plane for a little bit, I wasn’t looking forward to partying with the guys.
Perez raised an eyebrow but didn’t press it. “All right, catch you later.”
After the guys walked off, I took my phone out of my pocket. I wasn’t even sure what made me do it—habit, maybe, or somethingelse I didn’t want to name—but I pulled up the Twins’ schedule. My heart stalled when I saw they were playing the Dodgers, and it was already the top of the sixth.
Even though it had been almost a year since I’d seen or spoken to him, I immediately pulled up the rideshare app and ordered a ride to take me to my hotel. I’d change, then head over to the hotel where baseball teams stayed while in town and see if Knox wanted tohang out.
23
Knox
My teammatesand I were still riding high after our win against the Dodgers. Several of the guys were discussing plans to go out as we exited the bus and made our way to the hotel entrance.
“Your hit in the eighth to put us ahead deserves a beer,” Kitner said, as he clapped me on the shoulder.
I smiled. “Can’t lie. That felt damn good.”
The hit wasn’t the only thing making me smile. Getting sent to the minors at the end of the spring training had been devastating. But I continued to work my ass off to prove to myself and others that I deserved to play in the big leagues. By the beginning of May, the Twins decided Fernandez needed more time to develop and I got called back up.
Finally, it seemed as if everything was falling into place.
Well, almost everything.
My dating life remained non-existent, but I didn’t allow myself to dwell on that too long. It had been almost a year since I’d last seen Crew Stratton in person, and while I still thought about him, I’d cometo terms with how things had ended. Acceptance didn’t mean I no longer missed what we’d had, but I had to trust that one day I’d feel that strongly about someone again. For the time being, baseball filled any void I had in my life, and I was okay with that.
Of course, it seemed life liked to fuck with me whenever I started to get comfortable, which was precisely what happened when I walked into the hotel lobby.
Sitting in a high-back leather chair in the corner, Crew’s eyes bored into me. My steps faltered, causing Arroyo and Kitner to glance in my direction.
Arroyo quirked a brow. “Everything okay?”
I expected one of my teammates to notice the other MLB player staring at me, but maybe they didn’t recognize him in the all-black suit he was wearing instead of a uniform. Besides, the guys were distracted by a ton of fans asking for selfies and autographs.
