The Quarterback Sneak by Liz Matis

better
Christian, then he would have never been on that road in the first
place. It’s easy to be a Christian when everything is going good.
After I went pro, I got sick of everyone from the fans to the
press, questioning my faith, hoping I would fail. And I did. I
started to lose. Badly. The first time I was tested with adversity,
I failed, turning to alcohol and women instead of God. Then my
father got killed.”
    “And your grief made things worse,” Hayden
said.
    As if that were any excuse.
    “I hit bottom. The bottom of the last
bottle, that is. That night, I fell to the floor in a hotel room,
cursing God. Then I passed out. When I woke up, the Bible stared at
me from underneath the bed. I couldn’t believe it. I reached for it
and read and read until I asked God to enter my heart. At that
exact moment my phone rang. It was my agent. I asked for help. I
was in rehab within two hours.”
    “Liam, it’s not your fault. Your father
wouldn’t want you to blame yourself.”
    “It is my fault.” He swiped the wetness from
his face. “My father’s death was God’s punishment for my sins. I
don’t deserve to be forgiven.”
    “I’ll admit I don’t know a lot about
Christianity, but isn’t forgiveness one of the main tenets of the
faith?”
    Liam nodded, glad that she wasn’t mentioning
his tears.
    “And that includes forgiving yourself?”
    “It does. I’ll work on that, promise. Thank
you, Hayden.”
    “Is there anything I can do to help you
through this?”
    “You already have.” He squeezed her hand.
“But this is a battle only I can win. Recovery is an inside
job.”
    “Um, at the risk of hellfire and brimstone
being rained down on me, why don’t we take a walk down the block?
There’s a church around the corner. Catholic, I think. We could
light a candle for your father.”
    “I’m not Catholic.” Liam laughed for the
second time that day. “But I don’t think they would mind.” It’s
probably something he should do every year or come up with another
way to deal with his father’s death. Find some way to honor his
life, instead of wallowing in his death. “I have to do something
first.”
    He picked up the bottle, took it to the
kitchen sink, and opened the cap. The sweet smell of booze wafted
up, and his resolve wavered for a moment. Hayden stood beside him,
her scent of spice and vanilla more intoxicating than any alcohol.
The comfort of her words outmatched the brief relief any tumbler of
Scotch ever could.
    She wasn’t the spoiled heiress everyone
thought she was, but from this day on, he’d spoil her with love.
The words sprang to his lips, but he didn’t say them yet. To tell
Hayden now that he was in love with her wouldn’t be fair. His
declaration would forever be attached to this sad day. Hayden
deserved more than that. In fact, she deserved a real proposal.
Would she say yes?
    He tilted the bottle. The amber liquid
swirled down the drain just like his life had once gone down the
pipes. But today he was sober, another day won.
    Now he needed to win his wife.

Chapter 20

    E xhausted, Hayden slumped
against the elevator wall. With Harry in rehab, she was left to
pick up the pieces of his division at Middleton Nuts, while still
juggling her candied-nuts division, her own business, and her
charity work, not to mention being the wife of the top-rated
quarterback in the league. Now 12 and 1, the team was primed to
sail into the playoffs.
    The disappointment in Liam’s voice when she
canceled their dinner date earlier echoed hers. Hayden hoped he
understood that it was only temporary until Harry was ready to take
back his responsibilities. Her assistant, Judith, had really
stepped up her game, and Hayden planned on delegating more once
everything was back to normal.
    The elevator door opened and she trudged to
the front door.
    Maybe she’d take a long vacation once the
season was over so she could enjoy time off with Liam. Maybe think
about having a baby. Wow, where did that