Sometimes love isn’t part of the plan. Sometimes it’s the backup plan.



Lucas Hale built his entire life around football.



The franchise quarterback.

The GOAT.

The man everyone on his team counts on.



Recovering from a devastating shoulder injury, the veteran quarterback signs with the Lone Star Rebels for one last chance to prove he still belongs in the league.



There’s just one problem—Dr. Emery Porter.



The Rebels’ new injury specialist isn’t impressed by Lucas’s charm—or his determination to push through pain.



She’s seen the scans.

She knows the damage.

And if she clears him to play, it might mean destroying his career for good.



But the more time they spend together, the more dangerous everything becomes.



For Emery’s career.

For Lucas’s future.

And the harder it becomes to remember where professional boundaries end—and where love begins.



Because if Lucas keeps playing, he could lose everything.



And if Emery stops him . . . she might lose the man she’s fallen for.



Sometimes the biggest risk isn’t losing the game.



It’s losing what you never thought you wanted.