Football has been my life. Not that I ever had a choice in the matter. When your dad is a retired, future Hall-of-Fame quarterback, the gridiron tends to weave its way into your DNA. I always loved the game, but I could do without the spotlight that comes with being Peyton Johnson, the great Reed Johnson’s daughter. To make matters worse, when my dad retired from the NFL, he decided his second calling was to take over the head coaching gig at my high school, where he has coached my boyfriend for the last three years. Correction—my ex\-boyfriend. While the fairytale high-school sweetheart story may have worked for my parents, I have other plans. And following a self-absorbed athlete to college is not part of them, no matter how hard my dad tries to push me and my ex together. Thankfully, a new high school opens and draws a line through the center of our town, sending half of my dad’s players to a new team. And apparently, their new quarterback is breaking all of my dad’s old state records. It’s the ultimate distraction, giving me the chance to land myself a spot on the cheer team at any college that isn’t close to home. But then I meet him. Wyatt Stone. The guy my dad considers our enemy. The best quarterback I’ve ever seen. A complete jerk who I can’t quit thinking about. And running into. And rooting for. Now, I’m the one who is distracted. And repeating my parents’ love story doesn’t sound so bad after all. \\\* This is a second-generation novel from The Waiting Series world. Peyton is the daughter of Reed and Nolan. Tropes LoveFated to FallFamous Quarterback DadFootballSmall TownComing-of-ageBonfiresRivalriesCheerleading

I didn't follow Wyatt Stone to college, I followed my heart. He just happened to be there. Against the odds, our love has only grown stronger over the last three years. Now Wyatt's entering his final college football season, only a few months away from the pro draft this spring. And despite how hard I tried to deny living the same love story as my parents, it seems I'm destined to become the wife of an NFL quarterback. Forever the cheerleader. Truthfully? I can't imagine life turning out any other way. However, dreams are temporary. And sometimes, it's the things that happen when we're wide awake that forge our stories. Our love is about to face its toughest test yet, and as badly as my heart wants to hold on to what we were, I'm not so sure it's possible. More importantly, I'm not certain it's the right choice for either of us. Now, Wyatt . . . he's a lot like my father. He's stubborn. What we're facing is a whole lot heavier than being down by a touchdown with only seconds to go. But Wyatt doesn't back down from a fight. It's just that this one might not win him the game in the end.

Years ago, I accepted that football would always be a part of my life. I just didn’t know how. When I met Wyatt Stone, I figured the game would weave its way into my young heart and become a part of my first real love. When I married him, I assumed my life would follow the same path as my mother’s—the wife of an NFL quarterback, with all the highs and lows that come along with it. But when Wyatt didn’t get picked in the draft, everything changed. And Wyatt’s light, however hard he fought to keep it alive, dimmed. Football has a funny way of operating in this family, though. It lingers, like the haze that hovers over my family’s ranch fields in the Arizona desert horizon. For my dad, the game stuck around through coaching, and Wyatt thought maybe that was enough for him too. But football had other plans. A second chance at glory. A renewed spark in his soul, calling him to give the dream one more shot. And as much as I want to keep him close, to start our family and walk a new path—one that football doesn’t get to dictate—I know that when it comes to this game, I’ve never really called the shots. I’ve merely gone along for the ride. I just hope that this time it doesn’t break my heart completely.