“Well, Coach Disik was saying Arizona, Miami, and the Bobcats, of course, but that last one is a long shot.”
Arizona?
Miami?
Those are so far away. A plane-ride away. Too far to comprehend at this moment.
“Wow, that’s amazing.” I swallow hard, my throat growing tight on me. He’s leaving? He’s pursued me . . . but he’s leaving? Surely, I must have this wrong, but Mama G just knocked all the air and hope right out of my lungs, leaving me with a sickening stomach ache and a bruised heart.
What the hell am I supposed to do with this? The man I think I love is leaving . . .
Chapter Twenty-Seven
KNOX
“Not bad boys, not bad,” I say, towel wrapped around my waist as I quickly dry off with another and slip on some boxer briefs. “That’s a great start to the pre-season.”
We ended up annihilating Riverbend eleven to one. After the sixth inning, Coach pulled all the starters and gave the second-string some playing time. Sitting in the dugout, watching the underclassmen perform just as well as us gave me a sense of excitement for the season. We have a solid group of guys with real talent. Even Farkle stopped prancing across the diamond. Riverbend isn’t an easy team, so I couldn’t be more excited about our victory, despite it meaning nothing.
Carson sits next to me, pulling on pants as he says, “I have plans tonight and they consist of me lounging in my bed, a plate of your mom’s brownies on my chest, and watching Downton Abbey.”
I stare at him blankly.
“What?” He shrugs. “I don’t have a girl to go home to after the game like you and Holt, so I’m shacking up with brownies, unless”—he wiggles his eyebrows—“your mom is looking for a young stallion to keep her warm tonight.”
It’s not the first time Carson has joked about wanting to hook up with my mom, it’s been an ongoing joke since freshman year, but with every year that passes, it’s almost like he grows more and more serious about it.
I know he’d never make a move, but if he ever did, I would murder his penis. I would stick that thing so far in a meat grinder, he wouldn’t know I was serving up his own dick in a sausage casing until it was shoved halfway down his throat by me.
“Stay the fuck away from my mom.”
He laughs, knowing that shit pisses me off.
“Are you meeting up with Em?” Holt asks, tying up his shoes.
“Yeah, I think we’re going out to The Hot Spot with my mom.”
“Hey.” Carson slaps my leg. “Want to turn that third wheel into a double date?”
“Fuck off, man.”
“Come on.” He stands and pulls his shirt from the hanger in his locker. “I would be a really good daddy to you.”
Holt mutters, “I would pay good money to see that.”
“So would I,” Turbo, our centerfielder, chimes in.
“Me too,” Brock says from his locker.
I motion to the room, pointing to all of them. “Fuck off, all of you.”
They laugh in unison, and I can’t be too mad if it brings the team together . . . me being uncomfortable.
“Hey cap,” Brock calls out, letting the room die down before he asks his question.
“What’s up?” Pants now on, I do quick work of my shirt and shoes.
“About the locker room rules, as freshmen, are we allowed to bring someone back here?”
Oh Jesus, this bullshit again.
“No,” Carson answers for me. “Only upperclassmen. You’re a fucking baby, how do you even know what a vagina is?”
“I know better than you this year.”
“Ooo,” the team laughs and chants.
“Because I have standards, you motherfucker. I’m not about to fuck any willing pussy that throws itself at me. And the locker room isn’t a place for hookups. It’s sacred.” Carson steps on his “soapbox” and gives a warning to all the guys in the room. “There are only two upperclassmen on this team with serious relationships: Holt and Knox. They’re the only two permitted to bring girls back here.”
“Not interested,” I say, while slipping my jacket on.
“What?” Brock calls out. “I thought you and Ealson are serious.”
“We are,” I answer as the entire team listens in. “But I don’t need some stupid legend to confirm what I already know: she’s the girl for me.”
I pocket my loose items and give Holt and Carson knuckles before taking off. I told my mom and Emory to meet me outside the locker room so we can go to dinner. Normally I stay completely focused during the game, but for the life of me, knowing Emory was in the stands with my mom, I couldn’t refrain from glancing over in their direction on occasion during the beginning of the game. Loved finding the most beautiful smile I’ve ever seen shining back at me.
I had one of my best games of my career, going three for three with two RBIs, a stolen base, and a stellar glove at shortstop. Having Emory there felt right, exactly how it’s supposed to be. Her confidence in me. Her cheers. It wasn’t a distraction but something that gave me strength.
When I push through the doors of the locker room, I quickly scan the hallway—thankfully only athletes and family members are allowed in this part of the stadium—and spot my mom in all her shiny glory, but no Emory. Huh, that’s strange.
Maybe she’s in the bathroom.
“There he is, Mr. Triple.” My mom pulls me into a hug and squeezes me tightly. “You were amazing out there today.”
“Thanks, Mom.” I pull her away and look around. “Where’s Em, is she in the bathroom?”
“Oh no, she left in the fourth inning.”
“What? Really?” How didn’t I notice? Maybe because at that point I chastised myself for looking in the stands too much and stopped, refocusing on the game. “Why?”
“She felt a migraine coming on. She told me she gets them on occasion.”
“She does.” I start to worry, remembering how bad her migraine was last time. “Was she sick? Do you know if she got home okay?”
My mom nods. “Yes, her friend Dottie came to pick her up. Lovely girl.”
“Okay.” I chew on the side of my cheek, wondering what I should do.
My mom presses her hand against my arm, pulling my attention back to her. “It’s okay if you want to go check on her, Knox.”
“But we had dinner plans,” I say as I start moving toward the parking lot.
“We can reschedule. It’s fine. I’m quite tired from all the cheering anyway. Go check on Emory.”
I lean down and kiss my mom on the forehead. “Thanks, Mom. I appreciate it and hey, thanks for sitting next to Em, it was great seeing you two in the stands together.”
“I adore her.” She holds her hands to her heart and then something flashes over her eyes, changing her expression from content to slightly concerned. “Before you go, I think you should know we talked about you entering the draft today, she seemed to have some—”
“You what?” My stomach falls to the floor.
“I mentioned this being your last year.”