The Quarterback's Keeper - The Quarterback Series Book One

Prologue

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Prologue

One Year Ago

Blake Bradford sat in the living room at Point Conception and watched Matt pace in front of the fireplace, back and forth, back and forth, like motion alone might fix what Blake had already broken.

The fire crackled low behind Matt, the scent of burning cedar mixed with stale coffee and last night's regret. The windows were dark, with only the sound of the ocean crashing beyond them.

The words echoed in Blake's head, heavy and familiar, settling deep in his chest.

This time it was worse.

The tight band around his temples pulsed in agreement, a dull reminder that consequences didn't care whether he was ready to face them.

Pictures. Online. Him and Taylor Gifford, the owner's daughter, head of publicity, and a mistake he should've seen coming a mile away. As quarterback and the face of the Denver franchise, Blake didn't get the luxury of private screwups. Every bad decision went public. Every lapse became a headline. Every time he tried to forget his own mistakes, he made new ones.

Matt's footsteps stopped and started again, shoes scuffing softly against the hardwood, each pass across the room marking time Blake wished he could rewind. And Blake already knew the truth that mattered most. It sat heavy in his gut, undeniable, refusing to be buried under excuses or liquor.

He didn't want Taylor. Not her coy smile, not her unreasonable expectations, not the careful way she always positioned herself near him where cameras could catch them.

Blake never wanted her. The realization burned, sharp and sobering. Because the only woman he'd ever loved, the one who had been in his heart since childhood, the one who had carved herself into his bones - wasn't her.

Emma's familiar face surfaced uninvited, innocent and devastating, the way it always did when he was at his lowest. She was the reason he was so lost.

"Blake." Matt stopped pacing, hands braced on the mantel. "Are you listening to me? There are pictures everywhere. I can get some taken down, but the damage is done. What the hell are you going to do about this?"

The fire popped loudly, sending a spark snapping up the chimney, the sound jarring in the sudden stillness.

Blake knew Matt deserved an answer. He just wasn't sure it would be one anyone wanted to hear. Blake's jaw tightened, his muscles aching from holding everything in.

He lifted his coffee, black and bitter, and swallowed past the throb behind his eyes. Another hangover. Another reminder that he'd lost his way. The mug was warm against his palm, grounding him in a moment he wished he could escape.

"I heard you," he said quietly. "I just don't think you're going to like my answer." His voice sounded rough even to his own ears, scraped raw by sleepless nights and too many bad choices.

Matt's expression softened, frustration giving way to concern. "Try me."

The shift hit harder than anger ever could. Blake dropped his gaze, the weight of it all pressing down on his chest. His shoulders slumped, breath leaving him slowly, like admitting defeat.

"This is about Emma, isn't it?" Matt said.

Her name landed between them, heavy and unavoidable.

Blake nodded once. That was all he had. No denial. No defense. Just his truth.

"She's not coming back if you keep doing this," Matt said. "If you love her, and I know you do, then something has to change. You have to clean this up. Be the man she always believed you could be."

The words settled deep, cutting cleanly through the fog Blake had wrapped himself in. Matt wasn't wrong. That truth hurt more than anything else.

If Blake wanted his girl, he had to stop running. Stop hiding behind bad decisions and worse distractions. It was time to end things with Taylor. End her games, her expectations, all of it.

The resolve came quietly, steady and unavoidable, taking root where excuses used to live.

It was time to get his Quarterback's Keeper.