Page 42 of Knox
My boyfriend stood, grabbed his glove off the chair, and smirked down at me. “Maybe I’ll post something on The Loop to let the fans see why you’re squatting extra carefully today.”
I snorted, shoving his hip as I stood. “Keep talking. You’ll be the one walking bowlegged on the next road trip.”
His grin only stretched wider. “Don’t threaten me with a good time, baby.”
We landedin Portland a little after eight-thirty. The sun was just about gone, the sky hanging on to that last strip of orange over the terminal. It was a long day. We’d finished off the Crushers a few hours earlier, won the series two games to one, then hustled to catch the team charter back west.
My shoulders had held up the whole series, no tight spots or pulls, which was more than I could say after that first game. I’d been stiff early on, with soreness from that morning still there every time I dropped into my crouch. A couple ibuprofens and a full nine innings worked it out, so by game three, I was fine. Most of the guys were half asleep or bitching about the time zones by the time we taxied in. It didn’t matter to me because we were home, and my son was waiting for me.
When we stepped through the glass doors into the small private terminal, I spotted Grady, Mallory, and Archer right away. Mallory stood near the enormous windows, one handgripping her cane, the other hooked lightly around Archer’s arm. Grady was half-bouncing beside her, sneakers scuffing the carpet, eyes locked on the door. The second he saw me, he was on the move. He shot right across the lounge, arms open, voice loud.
“Daddy!”
I dropped my bag just in time to catch him, his little arms wrapping tight around my neck. His legs cinched around my waist, and I huffed out a breath.
“Hey, bud. I missed you so much.”
He leaned back enough to beam at me. “I missed you too! We watched your games. I’m glad you won before you had to get on the airplane to come home.”
I kissed his temple, then set him on his feet. Grady didn’t miss a beat and wrapped his arms around Knox’s waist next.
“Good to see you too, little man.” Knox ruffled Grady’s hair.
Archer walked up, clapped me on the shoulder. “Not bad for opening weekend.”
“Should have swept them.” I sighed. “They got lucky last night.”
Mallory moved in slowly, careful with her cane, and I bent to kiss her cheek. “I’m glad you’re home.”
“Me too,” Grady bellowed. “I can’t wait to show you my new dinosaur train. It has numbers.”
I glanced at Archer. “It’s to help him count.”
“Ah.” I nodded and turned back to my son. “Well, let’s get you home. It’s past your bedtime.”
“I’m not tired,” Grady huffed, and we moved to walk toward the exit.
Once we were on the road, it didn’t take him long to pass out on the twenty-five-minute drive to Mallory’s.
17
Knox
It wasseven in the morning, and Crew and I stood side by side at his bathroom counter, towels wrapped around our waists. My phone was propped against the mirror, recording while we both shaved.
“Today’s the big day,” he said as he ran his razor over his chin. “Are you ready for your first home opener?”
It was the first time in my career I was on the twenty-six-man roster for a major league team at the start of the season, and would be in the line-up. When I’d joined the Rockies two seasons prior, I was brought up after they’d started playing. Then last year, I spent opening day playing for the Twins’ minor league team.
I rinsed off my face. “I am, but I’m not the only one who has something major happening today. You’re meeting my entire family for the first time.”
He paused mid-shave and looked right into the camera. “You heard that right. Knox’s parents andfoursiblings are flying in for the weekend. Talk about pressure to perform.”
I chuckled as I grabbed a towel and dried off my face. “Ah, I’m sure they’ll like you even if you strike out every time you step up to the plate.”
“You better not have jinxed me,” he deadpanned. “The team will be pissed.”
I leaned over and kissed him on his smooth cheek and it tasted faintly of shaving cream. “I'm sure you’ll do great, just like every other game.” I looked at the camera. “We’ve got a busy day ahead of us, but we look forward to hearing you cheer us on tonight.”
