Protecting the Boundary — Cadence Keys

I was hired to take care of his daughter, not fall in love with her football star father.Meredith Taking a nanny job wasn't part of my post-college plan—but neither was falling for my gruff, drop-dead gorgeous NFL-star boss and his sweet daughter.Romel Watson is the definition of emotionally unavailable. His heart has been locked away since his wife passed three years ago, and he's made it painfully clear there's no room for anyone else. But the more time I spend with them, the more I see the cracks in his armor. I love his daughter like she's my own, and Romel? The way his eyes linger on me when he thinks no one's looking ignites a spark I can't ignore. He keeps me at arm's length, clinging to a past he can't let go of. I'm willing to share his heart with her memory—she'll always be part of their lives. But I refuse to settle for being an afterthought. Now, I have to make the hardest decision of my life: keep fighting for the family I've come to love or walk away before I lose myself completely.RomelMy life has been locked in a routine of football and fatherhood ever since I buried my wife three years ago. I thought I'd made peace with it. Love, passion, hope—they were things I no longer allowed myself to want. Then Meredith Gable walked into my home.She's not just my daughter's nanny; she's a burst of sunlight in a world I didn't realize had grown so dark. Her laughter fills the silence. Her warmth eases the ache I thought was permanent. And her touch? It stirs something I haven't felt in years. But letting her in feels like betrayal. Every look, every kiss, every unspoken promise comes with a suffocating guilt. I tell myself I can't risk my heart again—not for her, not for anyone.Except pushing her away might be the biggest mistake of my life.This is book 8 in the LA Wolves Football series, but can be read as a standalone.