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Now his dad was retired and the Sabers was his team to lead It wasn’t his first time on the field as a Sabers player, of course, since he’d been drafted by the tea more than a benchwarmer This was the first ti quarterback

Christ, how had all this happened? It had been a godda his retirement These past several months had been some kind of otherworldly dream, like he’d been asleep all this time and it wasn’t real

But as his feet crunched into the turf, it all felt solid Real As if he belonged here, like he’d always belonged here

He could still remember the first ti his dad play His ether Nathan had been fifteen at the ti around professional football had been new to him This stadium seemed enormous, out of reach to a scrawny kid who had only drea as Mick Riley’s

And then his mom had fallen in love with and married Mick, and Mick had adopted him He’d been one lucky sonofabitch to end up with a father who loved hi he knew about football How to love and respect the game, and how to respect himself in the process

Nathan couldn’t have asked for a better rolehe could to make his father proud of him

He sucked in a deep breath and walked froht that now lay on his shoulders When the Sabers had drafted hiaht away

In college, he had worked hard, played hard, and he’d been a da to have to be better

"Hey, Riley"

He turned to see the coach walking onto the field He cracked a smile and reached out to shake Tom Butterfield’s hand Too, and had been doing a kickass job Nathan couldn’t wait to ith hi a feel for your turf?"

His turf The crush of expectation already weighed on his from you this season"

Nathan felt that squeeze of pressure in his chest He shook it off This hat he’d waited his whole life for "I’ll give you everything I’ve got"

Coach slapped hi to miss him around here" Dad had retired He understood the reasons for it The Sabers had won the championship last season His dad was thirty-seven and he wanted to go out on top, plus he had the knee issue that had cropped up He’d fought through it all season, and the docs said he needed surgery

Sure, he could have rehabbed and come back Mom and Dad had discussed it Dad had even talked to Nathan about it, but in the end, it was his father’s decision tohim play

And now to step into his shoes, for this teaht knot in his chest

One of o talk over the new season," coach said

Nathan pushed all those pressures aside and tried to rerin, the one that said "I’ve got this," even when he didn’t

"Yeah, Coach Let’s do that"

THREE

MIA LIVED FOR HER PLANNER AND HER CHECKLISTS At this , because she had a s to do The o and they were late She had a separate furniture delivery that was supposed to be here this , and it was almost noon and so far no one had showed up She had a client co in at three If stuff didn’t show up soon, she and her client were going to be sitting on the daood at all Her heart beat like a jackha Falling to pieces wasn’t going to do anyone any good

She pivoted and headed down the hall of her very spacious and very empty offices

"Monique, are you in here?"