Out of Bounds (MacKenzie)

Football has been the only constant thing in my life for the last twenty years. Everything I've worked for my whole life has gotten me to this point, playing for Tampa Bay in the NFL as a starting Tight End. I'm not focused on anything other than doing my job for my team; it's everything I've ever wanted. That is, until I meet my teammate's little sister. She's smart and funny and drop dead gorgeous, but she's girlfriend material and I haven't had a girlfriend in over five years. Every instinct in me tells me to back away, but the more I get to know her, the more everything about her draws me in. I know she's off limits, her brother has made that very clear, but somehow that makes the tension between us even more irresistible. I'm finding myself willing to risk everything for her, if only she'd cross the line with me.

Super Bowl Champion. All Pro running back. Leading rusher in the NFL. All titles I've strived for my entire career and now that I've achieved them, the pressure to maintain that status has come with a price. Anxiety is a beast. And it doesn't care that I'm supposed to look tough on the outside, it still rages within me. But hiding behind lie after lie, it's only a matter of time before everything around me starts to crumble and come to light. And when they do, the one to pick up the pieces is my best friend. Her suggestion? A road trip. Something to relax my mind and ease some of the pressure. Except, what happens when those old feelings I thought I had buried start rearing their head again? And this time, it looks like she might be feeling them back. My goal every Sunday is making it into the end zone on the field, but as the days go on, my new end zone, the place I know I can safely rest becomes a person. Mia Clark.

I'm a father first, football player second, and everything else third. I've worked hard the last three years to create a life of routine and structure for my daughter. I don't trust easily and I've never liked the idea of hiring a stranger to care for Cece when I'm away for practice and games. But when I find myself out of options. An unexpected offer comes to the table. I've known Summer Kincaid since we were kids. For the last twenty years, she's been best friends with my sister and a thorn in my side. She's impulsive, outspoken, and a little too sarcastic for my liking. But when I'm put in a position where I need her help, she steps up in ways I never would've expected and turns all of my previous grievances against her into things I suddenly admire. The more time I spend with Summer, the more I realize how much of her confidence is a mask covering a girl who has always felt like she's hard to love. Yet loving her is becoming one of the easiest things I've ever done. Like an opponent I wasn't ready for, she blindsided me and disrupted my whole playbook.