Page 62 of Crew
Knox didn’t respond right away, then he scooted closer to rest his head on my shoulder, his breath warm against my skin. “And now that I’m here?”
I exhaled softly then turned my head slightly to meet his gaze. “I want it evenmore.”
“Whatever pace you need, I’m here for it.”
I blew out a breath as my eyes drifted back to the ceiling. “You always make things feel easier than they should.”
He chuckled quietly. “Pretty sure that’s just us.”
I reached over and brushed my knuckles along his jaw, the feeling of his stubble against my skin reminding me how much I missed him. “You really missed me?”
Once he met my gaze, a soft smile spread across his face. “Yeah. I tried not to, but I did.”
“Good. ‘Cause I missed the hell out of you too.”
25
Knox
I’d beenwith the Seawolves for more than a month, and I couldn’t think of another time in my life when I felt this happy. Crew and I had basically picked up where we had left off in Denver, only we’d both agreed this time it was official. Even so, we still hadn’t gone public.
A few days ago, Crew told me he was ready to take the next step by not hiding anymore. We planned on telling our parents and then coming out to our team, but first Crew invited Parker and Matthewson, along with their husbands, to his place for drinks after the game, stating he had something he wanted to talk to them about. Since Parker was our manager, we felt we owed him a heads-up in case our relationship became a distraction in the clubhouse. And honestly? I hoped he and Drew could offer us some guidance. They’d been teammates when they had gotten together, and I figured it would be good to hear how they’d navigated it all.
As I finished my sprints in the outfield, I began walking toward the dugout and noticed Crew standing near home plate, talking to threepeople in the stands. The two guys flanking the petite blonde looked like athletes themselves, and based on their body language, it seemed like both of them were interested in the woman between them.
I took a seat on the bench next to Chapman, our hitting coach, for a few last-minute pointers before the game started. A couple of minutes later, Crew dropped in beside me. My curiosity got the better of me. “Were those friends of yours?”
He adjusted the straps on his shin guards. “Sort of. That’s Levi Sexton. We grew up together, and he plays for the Bruins. He’s in town with his girlfriend, Kaylee, and Austin Butcher, another Bruins player.”
“Oh, she’s dating your friend? When I glanced over there, it seemed like they were both interested in her.”
He chuckled. “I think the three of them might have something going on. There were definitely some vibes I was picking up on.”
“Good for them,” I said.
“Yeah. It’s nice seeing people live their lives the way they want.” Our eyes locked, and he smiled at me. “That’ll be us soon.”
I couldn’t stopmy leg from bouncing as I sat at the kitchen island in Crew’s apartment. Even though I’d never been shy about my sexuality, it seemed I was the more nervous out of the two of us as we waited for the others to arrive.
“You’re fidgeting, which is stressing me out,” Crew grumbled as he wiped down his counters for the third time since we’d walked in.
“Sorry. I don’t know why I feel so anxious about this. I really don’t think Parker or Matthewson are going to have anything negative to say.”
Soon, the buzzer rang, and he pushed a button to let our guests into the building. A couple of minutes later, there was a knock at the door.
“You ready?” he asked as he took a deep breath.
I nodded. “Yep. Let’s do this.”
“Hey,” Crew greeted them at the door. “Thanks for comingover.”
Parker and Rockland walked in first, followed by Matthewson and Gage.
When they saw me sitting on a barstool, they stopped and glanced at each other. If I wasn’t mistaken, I was pretty sure I saw Parker and Matthewson both smirk.
Parker turned back to me and said, “Singleton. Didn’t realize you were going to be here too.”
“Hope that’s not a problem.”
