The Back-Up

Grayson Finch doesn't do love. A backup NFL quarterback with a reputation for short-term flings and zero commitment. Women don't see the man behind the helmet—they see the money, the fame, and the fantasy of dating a football player. So I keep my focus on the game, and my heart is off-limits. Dallas Andrews knows better than to fall for an athlete. A wedding planner in the Bay Area who builds perfect happily-ever-afters for a living, even though my own love life is anything but perfect. I believe in structure, control, and one golden rule—spontaneity leads to disaster. Then an NFL quarterback breaks every rule we have. What begins as a no-strings-attached fling turns into something neither of us expected. Lines blur. Feelings deepen. And suddenly, the biggest risk isn't falling in love—it's walking away. What starts as a no-strings fling quickly becomes something neither of them planned for. Rules are broken. Walls come down. And suddenly, walking away isn't so easy. Because sometimes the one thing you never wanted… Is the only thing you can't live without. A swoony NFL sports romance about a guarded football player, a rule-following wedding planner, and the one love neither of them planned for.