Defending Hayden (Second Chances #7)(71)

“Merry Christmas to you. Your present is also at home, so you’ll have to wait, too.” There wasn’t much you could get a guy who had everything, but I’d gotten him a nice watch, since his last one fell off his wrist and into the lake when he was fixing the dock. Needless to say, it wouldn’t work after that.

“You didn’t have to get me anything, Hayden. You give me everything I need just by being with me.”

“What if I could guarantee you the Super Bowl win? Play-offs are starting soon.”

He shook his head. “First off, you can’t give me that anyway, and second, I have confidence in our team. We’re good players, and if we don’t win, it’s not the end of the day. We play hard, and that’s all I can ask of my teammates.”

I leaned in to his touch and smiled. “And that’s one of the reasons why I love you. You always try to see the good in people.”

He shrugged. “I wasn’t like that until I met you. You rubbed off on me.”

I giggled. “I’m glad I did something right.”

He smiled, but then he turned serious. “What do you see in your future?”

I looked into his eyes. “You. That’s all I ever see. What about you?”

“Mainly a girl with dark brown hair and sexy green eyes. She has a nice ass, too,” he teased.

I smacked his arm. “You better be talking about me.”

He chuckled lightly. “You know I am. I just wanted to make sure you felt the way I do.”

I held his face in my hands. “You know I do, Derek. I want a husband, kids, and a set of dogs running around the yard.” I nodded toward the mountains. “And I want to live in a place like this.”

“With me?”

“With you,” I murmured against his lips.

His lips touched mine, but then his face fell. “I wish we could live in a place like this, but we can’t. I can’t ask you to leave your practice.”

Tears burned my eyes. “You won’t have to.”

“What do you mean?”

“I haven’t told you this yet, but when I signed the contract for Stonebrooke, it was only temporary. For now I’m the owner, but when the time comes, I’m going to sign it over to someone else.”

His brows furrowed. “I don’t understand. Why would you do that?”

“Because I love you. And I know that once you’re done with football, you want to be a wildlife ranger. We could move here, or even Wyoming if you want. You can’t follow your dreams in Belmont. I was thinking about you…about us. Besides, I love the mountains. We can follow our dreams together.”

He stared at me, his eyes taking in every inch of my face. “Fuck, I love you. How did I ever get so lucky? I can’t believe you would do this for me.”

“I knew you would do it for me.”

The snow started to fall and he kissed me again, this time much deeper. “I would do anything for you, Hayden. I’m never going to let you go, so you can see. For the rest of my life, I’ll do whatever it takes to make you happy.”

“I already am.”





To my mother: I love you.





Acknowledgments


To my second half, Matt—I’d like to thank you for lending me your comical yet dirty phrases for my books. My football players wouldn’t be the same without you.

Kim Walker, my closest friend—thank you for always being there for me. You have no idea how lost I would be without you. In other words, you’re stuck with me.

Heidi McLaughlin—you have been a dear friend to me, and I thank you for that. We’ve had some adventures with Society X, and I can’t wait for more.

To my readers—you’re the best! Thank you for your support and love.

To the Carolina Panthers—keep pounding!





BY L. P. DOVER


Second Chances


Catching Summer

Defending Hayden

Intended for Bristol (coming soon)





Second Chances Series


Love’s Second Chance

Trusting You

Meant for Me

Fighting for Love

Intercepting Love





Armed & Dangerous Series


No Limit

Roped In

High-Sided





Gloves Off Series


A Fighter’s Desire—Part One

A Fighter’s Desire—Part Two

Tyler’s Undoing

Ryley’s Revenge

Paxton’s Promise

Camden’s Redemption

Kyle’s Return





Society X Series


Dark Room

Viewing Room

Bondage Room





Forever Fae Series


Forever Fae

Betrayals of Spring

Summer of Frost

Reign of Ice





PHOTO: REGINA WAMBA





New York Times and USA Today bestselling author L. P. DOVER is a Southern belle living in North Carolina with her husband and two beautiful girls. Before she began her literary journey, she worked in periodontics, enjoying the wonderment of dental surgeries.