Coach Quotes
"Millie slammed her textbook closed so hard it shook my dining room table. 'I hate philosophy.'"
"She was my best friend. But damn, I wanted to kiss her. To say to hell with our friendship and see what we could make of this spark between us."
"Millie was never more beautiful than when she blushed. And God, she was fun to flirt with."
"That kiss... it was good. Really good. But I’d give her better."
"I’d agreed to be the head football coach for the Treasure State Wildcats for one year. If after this season I realized Mission wasn’t the right place for Joey and me, then we’d pack our bags and find somewhere new."
"This was a good program, Ford. We work hard, and it’s not fair that the actions of one person have tarnished our reputation. Please keep that in mind."
"I was the head football coach for the Treasure State Wildcats. My alma mater."
"Despite my daughter, there wasn’t anything I loved more than football."
"It was a chance for a fresh start. A chance for a new adventure. A chance to get some distance from her mother."
"I wasn’t here for the money or the prestige. I’d coach this team to the best of my ability and either that would be good enough, or it wouldn’t. End of story."
"Maybe after a few weeks, we’d find a new normal. And maybe one day, Joey would realize why I’d taken this job."
"I’d forgotten just how beautiful Mission was with mountain peaks to greet you at every turn."
"We could finish the year with a losing record and no hope of making the playoffs, but as long as we beat the Grizzlies, the fans and alumni would call it a victory."
"Ford didn’t deserve my rescue, but to the rescue I would go. Damn him."
"His piercing blue gaze met mine, and my heart skipped as his gaze trailed over my shoulders and down the length of my dress."
"It was a mistake. One breath and his spicy cologne filled my nose and weakened my knees."
"How are you?" he asked. "Haven’t seen you around."
"But those tattoos were none of my business. Not anymore."
"I loved my daughter wholeheartedly. But for fuck’s sake, I needed to buy her a filter."
"He wore a pair of charcoal slacks and a royal-blue Wildcat quarter-zip."
"He was as breathtaking tonight as he’d been two weeks ago."
"The last thing I wanted was to cause her more pain, and damn it, we needed to talk."
"I tore my eyes away before Kurt and Joey caught me drooling."
"I knew that if I started thinking about Millie, well... I wouldn’t have stopped."
"It was just a messy house, and neither my babysitters nor Joey seemed to mind."
"She grumbled as I rushed to my own bedroom, hiding the basket of clean clothes in the closet."
"Well, at least the bookshelf didn’t look bare."
"I just took off the polish I had on this week."
"Something in my chest pinched as I watched them together."
"I’m always looking for the opportunity to create a Wildcat fan."
"The reality was that our chef had prepared her no-carb, no-dairy, no-gluten, no-sugar, no-taste meals."
"But the season was shorter than in the NFL and the trips weren’t as long or demanding."
"Ponytails. Braids. Space buns. I couldn’t bake cookies, but I’d been doing Joey’s hair since she was a toddler."
"You’re welcome. I’m always looking for the opportunity to create a Wildcat fan."
"But this future wasn’t the one we’d been dealt."
"Closure? That was not what our discussion at the brewery had been about."
"I’d gotten on just fine. Except just the thought of Millie’s mouth made me hard."
"And no matter how many cold showers I’d suffered through this week, jacking off to the mental image of her face, it hadn’t been enough."
"Not much more a coach could ask from his starting quarterback. Except to show up for fucking practice."
"I wasn’t ready for that stage, not yet. If Joey and I fought now, what was it going to be like when she was in her teens?"
"If football was his safe haven, I sure as hell wasn’t going to punish him for it."
"My heart squeezed. Staring at him was a lot like staring into a mirror."
"Did you talk to her?" "To Faye?" He nodded. "Yeah. She’s freaking out too. But, um . . . she wants to keep it. The baby."
"I wasn’t jazzed about fighting with my ex-wife."
"You’ll always wonder what might have been. This is your chance to find out."
"I was tired of watching Millie walk away from me."
"By the time our meeting adjourned, I was ready for that shower."
"I wasn’t going to like this conversation, was I?"
"Focused. So the evenings when Joey had to tag along to second practice and the one day when I’d had her here for lunch and a campus tour equated to me being unfocused? This was fucking absurd."
"Joey was my priority and if this program couldn’t be a bit more family-friendly, then we’d find somewhere else to go after the year was done."
"I want you enough to hide a relationship. I’ll fucking hate it. But I’ll do it."
"We’re not friends. Not this time around. Clear?"
"A thousand tiny hurricanes raged inside my veins."
"The list of shit I needed to figure out was growing and it was all pushed to later."
"My heart stopped anyway as the football soared."
"I wouldn’t have asked her to give it up, never, but the way she delivered that statement was like a slap to the face."
"Never in my life had I come apart like this."
"Everything was different. Everything had changed."
"We’d hide. We’d sneak around like goddamn teenagers."
"And you’re so sure I will? For fuck’s sake, Millie."
"We’ll walk in separately. But we’re riding together, Mills."
"Every time we win, this is how we celebrate."
"Busy? Too busy to return a quick text?" Adrian shook his head. "What the hell is going on with you lately?"
"Listen, how about we meet up later? Talk when there aren't so many people around."
"I'm trying here, Millie. I thought we were in a good place. Working toward something. What changed?"
"Was that why we'd dated for so long? Because he'd worn me down?"
"I'm sorry. Not anymore." I gave him a sad smile.
"I've been thinking about our custody arrangement," Sienna said, crossing her arms over her chest.
"That show was your choice. You knew exactly what you'd be giving up when you took it on, so don't use it as an excuse."
"After my dad died, I got lost. Dad was the person who believed in me most."
"It's not about her at all. I realized soon enough I didn't need or want her as a friend."
"I’ve built this whole life for myself. I look in the mirror and I know my dad would be so proud."
"You’re brilliant. You’re beautiful. You’re smart and sassy."
"If we need to sneak around for a while, fine. We’ll get through this season. But I’m not doing this apart anymore."
"The anticipation for tomorrow was a constant buzz beneath my skin."
"No matter how many times I heard that sentence, it would never be enough."
"If nothing else good happened today, if we lost this game to the Grizzlies, today would still be a win."
"Every emotion was heightened to the extreme."
"If you need anything, Drew will be on the field."
"No matter what happens, it's been a great season."
"I didn't want you to quit. I don't want you giving anything up for me."
"If me quitting meant Ford could stand on the sidelines, exactly where he was meant to be, I'd do it a thousand times."
"There isn't a woman in the world besides you I'd run thirteen point one miles with."