title: The Final Quarter
author: Lange, Anne
description: A quarterback facing the end of his career must come to peace with his past, and accept his present, before he can move on with his future.   Mitch Ryland accomplished what his father said he never wouldhe made something of himself.  When his wife suggests she'd like to start a family, Mitch is thrown for a loop. He's never told her about his life before he ended up with his foster parents, or his plans never to become a father. So when he's taken out of the game, his failings from the past come back to haunt him, and Mitch blames his injury on his loss of focus. He's unprepared for his career as a professional quarterback to be over. Nor is he ready to tell his wife about why football is so important to him. He'd rather put emotional and physical distance between them and focus on getting back in the game.  Serena Ryland has dreamed of becoming a mother. But when she mentions the idea to her husband, he freezes her out and she has no idea why. She's worried that if they don't start talking soon, she'll lose him forever. When he refuses to come home to mend from an injury, she takes matters into her own hands, determined to spend more time with him, hoping to reignite the romance in their relationship. But she's unprepared for the things she learns on this trip. Her husband has been carrying a few secrets that just might change the outlook of their future.