Page 103 of Hometown Halftime

“Okay, so you’re working through it. But if you ever need to talk, I’m here and I swear I won’t say a word.”

He pushes off the counter and gives me a hug before he says, “Thanks, Kinsey.”

Then he walks back into the living room and sits next to Cam, turning his bright smile back on, joining in the chaos.

Chapter forty-one

Riley

Once we had all finished eating, Knox’s house filled with commotion. Cam is loading the dishwasher while Kate follows behind him putting leftovers into containers. Brynn is trying to convince Knox that he doesn't need a second dessert while he stands in the kitchen eating a brownie that he wasn’t supposed to touch. Evie is racing through the living room wearing fairy wings and insisting Ty and Levi join her in a quest to slay a dragon.

The whole house feels full of friendship in a way that feels good. It wasn’t too long ago that I was unpacking boxes in an empty duplex, wondering what my life was going to look like over these few months that I would be in Cedar Falls. Now I’m standing in the middle of this house, feeling like I’m part of something.

Which is probably why I didn’t notice Knox watching me until it was too late.

I’m gathering empty cups from the dining room table when his voice cuts through the noise.

“Weston,” he says from near the back door, beer in hand. “Take a walk with me.”

Every survival instinct I’ve developed over years of football kicks in, because nobody in the history of organized sports has ever heard that sentence and thought, wow, this is probably going to be fun.

The back door shuts behind us, and when we step outside, I smell the scent of cut grass and charcoal from a neighbor’s grill. Knox leads me off the porch and across the yard toward the old maple tree near the fence line. He doesn’t say anything at first, which is somehow worse than if he came out swinging.

By the time we stop near the tree, my nerves are officially on edge.

“Are you planning to bury me back here? Because I feel like Brynn would notice.”

Knox takes a drink from his beer, then looks over at me with the same expression he used to wear during film sessions when he already knew I’d blown a read and was waiting for me to admit it.

“Tell me something, Riley. Do you have feelings for Kinsey?”

Well, okay then, there’s the swing I was waiting for. I look toward the house, then back at him, already knowing there’s no way out of this conversation that doesn’t involve honesty.

“That’s where we’re starting?”

He nods. “That’s where we’re starting.”

I drag a hand through my hair and stare out across the yard. Through the windows, I can still see everyone moving around inside, talking and cleaning. Kinsey is somewhere in there too, probably worried about why Knox pulled me out here. My pause lingers and Knox sighs.

“Yeah,” he says dryly. “That answers that.”

I let out a breath and look down at the grass. “I’m not trying to be disrespectful.”

“I didn’t say you were being disrespectful. I asked if you had feelings for her.”

There’s no judgment in his voice, but there’s no room for bullshit either. That’s always been Knox.

“Yeah,” I admit. “I do.”

The words feel bigger once I’ve said them. I've thought about saying those words for weeks. I felt them every time she laughed or when I watched her coaching the team. Especially when I watch her move through life with that sharp mouth and guarded heart. But saying them to Knox makes it harder to pretend this is just a simple case of physical attraction.

Knox nods like he expected the answer and only needed me to be man enough to say it.

“I figured. Everybody inside figured too, for the record.”

I close my eyes. “Great. Love that for me.”

“You weren’t exactly subtle.”