Chapter 1
Current day . . .
Knox was so happy for his brother. Holt had found love.
Not any love, but the kind that wound its way into your body and molded two hearts into one.
A love they had both thought would be impossible to find with careers in the limelight.
Holt was a famous country singer and Knox was the starting quarterback for the Lexington Thoroughbreds.
They had been hounded by dates who cared more for their status than their hearts.
He’d spent a couple of years up north but had been traded to his father’s team a couple of years ago where he’d ridden the bench until the former QB had retired.
Now it was his turn to run the team. It was nice to be home once again.
Knox avoided the questions about him being on the team only because of his father by making sure he gave his full effort at every practice and every game.
Plus, it helped that while his father was the head coach, he was mostly coached by the QB and passing coordinator, Kate Davies.
That made it easier to stay friends with his father and avoid those who called his playing nepotism.
Tonight, though, was all about his brother.
Maeve Ritter, Knox’s personal assistant, had put this all together for them.
It was the night before Holt was to be married.
Instead of a strip club or some wild Vegas weekend, his brother had opted for spending some time at the children’s hospital and then a dinner out with some of his closest friends at Landon Davies’s restaurant.
Knox, Holt, Holt’s friend Dallas Loyd, along with mutual friend Colton Davies, who was the chief firefighter, along with his team, Nolan, Conley, Flint, and Jack. Warrick Hawkins, who was married to Cassidy Davies, Dr. Jace Davies, Parker and Porter Davies, and Kale Mueez all joined them tonight.
They were led to the administration’s lobby where all the gifts they’d sent over earlier were waiting for them in carts.
Firetrucks and toy helmets from the Keeneston Fire Department, signed swag from Holt, signed jerseys and balls from Knox, games and puzzles from Warrick, coloring books from Jace, horse toys from Parker and Porter, and new portable video gaming systems from Kale.
“Thank you all for coming,” the head doctor for pediatrics said as she joined them.
“I’m Dr. Joan Kimberly. There are some of our regular volunteers here floating around the floor helping nurses and spending time with patients, so I encourage you all to do the same.
The nurses have been talking to our kids all week.
I made a list for you of your biggest fans to make sure you get what they want.
” Dr. Kimberly was in her late fifties. Her hair was turning gray, but it was hidden under a fun, colorful, surgical hat with dogs on it.
“Please give Dr. Ava my best. I was so happy to hear that she and Luke have married. I know our hospitals are connected, but adults and pediatrics rarely run into each other,” Dr. Kimberly said as she handed out lists to each of them with the name, age, and interests of each child they’d be seeing that day.
Knox regularly came and donated his time to the children’s hospital.
He knew Holt did too. He knew the drill and even had some patients who were long-term that he had gotten to know over the time he’d been back in Lexington.
Knox came on his own most of the time, but the team made sure to come several times a year too.
“Nolan, you'd better go with Conley in case you need to interpret that deep Eastern Kentucky accent of his,” Colton said, teasing his guys.
Conley rolled his eyes at him. “It’s gotten better since I moved to Keeneston.”
“Maybe you should go with me and we can see who can confuse the most people,” Dallas said to Conley with his own deep Tennessee accent.
The guys teased each other as they grabbed their gifts and began to make their way to the pediatric wing.
The firefighters, Jace, Porter, and Parker were big with the little kids.
Holt was good with ten-year-olds and older.
Knox was the same. Kale was the big draw for the teens. He’d teach them video game tricks.
Knox took the cart with his swag and headed for the hall he always made sure to visit.
Those were the long-term patients. Javon was his first stop.
The boy was almost sixteen now and had been in and out of the hospital for eight years.
He’d beaten cancer once but relapsed. His parents lived two hours away and he had three other siblings.
That meant Javon was on his own in the hospital more than other patients.
Knox found his door opened so he headed right in. “How is my main man doing?” Knox asked loudly as he walked into the room.
A woman with brown hair pulled back into a twisty clip type thing sat with her back to him. They were both on their laptops. This must be his tutor.
“Knox!” Javon grinned as he looked up from his laptop. Strange, the woman’s shoulders snapped taunt. “I’m so glad you’re here. I have to know, did Jaylen really date that girl from the reality show? It’s been all over the sports sites.”
Jaylen was Javon’s favorite player. Javon had even styled his hair in the same short twists as Jaylen, which was why Knox made sure to bring Jaylen’s swag with him.
It didn’t hurt Knox’s feelings. He knew he was Javon’s favorite player off the field and that mattered more.
“He is. It started all of two days ago. I’m betting on a month, tops. ”
“Naw, man, three months.” Javon laughed and then looked to the woman. “Hey, this is Quinn. She’s been teaching me some advanced computer classes. I’m getting my GED, but I’m so good at this stuff she’s helping me get some college creds.”
Now it was Knox’s turn to feel his body snap taut. Then he lost as breath completely as the woman turned in her chair to look at him. “Hello, Knox. It’s good to see you again.”
Quinn Kennedy, his college crush, sat staring at him with a worried expression that broke his heart. Why was she worried?
“Wait, you two know each other?” Javon asked.
Knox sent Quinn a big smile. “She taught me advanced coding in college. I wouldn’t have gotten my degree without her. How are you doing, Q? I’ve missed you.”
Her cheeks pinkened with a blush that made him smile more, especially when he glanced at her left hand and didn’t see a ring. “I didn’t think you’d remember me,” Quinn admitted.
“You’re kidding, right? You were the best part of my last semester of college.
” Feelings rushed Knox and hit him harder than any linebacker.
He had never felt anything close to love until he met Quinn but she’d kept him at arm’s length the entire semester.
So, he hadn’t pushed his feelings. It was clear they were one-sided.
But now it was different. She wasn’t stressing over keeping her scholarship and he wasn’t stressing about the draft.
They were now more settled and what were the chances of her showing up in Lexington?
Knox had even thought about asking Sebastian Abel about her, since she got a job at SA Tech and he owned it.
But he thought that would be creepy, so he’d put Quinn, and what had never been, out of his mind. Until now.
“Maybe you two should date, then. I bet it would last longer than Jaylen’s current fling.” Bless Javon. Knox was going to make sure Jaylen visited this week.
“I always wanted to date Quinn, but I wasn’t good enough.”
Javon’s mouth dropped even as Quinn stuttered. “Not good enough? You’re Knox Everett!”
“And speaking of being Knox Everett,” Knox said, moving away from the subject that was clearly upsetting Quinn, “I brought you some football swag. Jaylen signed this for you. He wants you to wear it for our next game. He said it’ll bring him luck.”
Knox handed him the jersey Jaylen had worn for the last game. Dirt and all. Javon was pumped. “See, Knox is the best, Miss Quinn. You should give him another chance.”
“Knock, knock. Whoa, that is a nice laptop,” Kale said to Quinn as he entered the room.
“Thanks,” she said, clearly overwhelmed. Knox hadn’t wanted to do that. He’d just wanted to not miss his chance with her.
“I brought a new video game. Want to learn it, Javon, or do you want me to come back?” Kale asked Javon, but was glancing at Quinn and Knox too.
Javon also looked between Quinn and Knox, so Knox answered for him. “Let Kale teach you. I’ve heard it’s a great game. Quinn, can I get you a cup of coffee?”
That earned a wink from Javon and a surprised glance from Kale.
“Um, s-sure,” Quinn stuttered as she closed her laptop and gathered her things. “I’ll see you next week, Javon. Email me if you have any questions in the meantime.”
Knox pulled his cart out into the hallway and waited for Quinn. “I have more kids to visit, but the coffee in the break room isn’t bad.”
He was suddenly very nervous. He had always wanted to impress Quinn and he hoped he wasn’t messing this up now. Quinn hadn’t been like the other girls on campus. She didn’t care if he played football or not. She cared about his mind and how he studied.
She talked about how hard it was to be taken seriously as a woman in a male-dominated field, but he’d never had trouble taking her seriously.
She was the smartest woman he knew, and it was a huge turn-on.
Only weak assholes were intimidated by smart, strong women.
They didn’t challenge your man card by being smarter or making more money.
That mindset had to change. Knox’s own mother showed him how women could be both: a badass boss and a woman.
And his father showed him how easy it was to be supportive and encouraging when your partner was breaking through and moving up.
Knox poured two cups of coffee. He added two sugars and a gallon of cream before handing it to Quinn. “You remember how I like my coffee?”
“Can you really call it coffee when there’s only like a smidge of coffee in it?
” Knox said, teasing her just as he’d done in college.
Quinn smiled and it did things to Knox he couldn’t explain.
He wanted more. More smiles and happier Quinn.
“So, what brings you to Lexington?” Knox asked as calmly as he could.
Quinn took a sip of her coffee and looked over the cup at him. He saw how her eyes glanced at his ring finger and that made him smile. “I, um,” Quinn said before clearing her throat and moving her eyes back up to his, “moved here for work a couple of months ago.”
Months? And she hadn’t reached out? “Are you still with SA Tech? I know Sebastian moved his headquarters not too far from here, but I haven’t seen you around.” It would be hard to miss her in Keeneston.
Quinn shook her head. “I worked with SA Tech to set up the SACC1 Sportsbook betting platform. Then I was hired by SACC1. The Lexington lounge is the flagship sports lounge. It’s where all other interested stadiums come to see how it works.
My new headquarters is actually near the stadium, but I’m still in constant contact with my team at SA Tech. ”
“Knox,” one of the nurses he saw every time he was there said, leaning into the room. “I’m sorry to interrupt. Moira is so excited to see you, but I have to take her to get a CT scan in twenty minutes.”
Knox tossed the cup away and nodded to the nurse. “Well,” he said to Quinn, leaning down and placing a soft kiss on her cheek. “I hope to see you around, Q. I have missed you.”
Knox was walking out of the room when he heard her whisper, “I missed you too.”