Bradford's Orders Book Two The Third Generation Series

Chapter 1

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Chapter 1

Bradford

I haven't put this much time into my gym routine in years. I focused on my law books and getting my degree, on passing the bar. Now everything I worked so hard for I'm setting aside to play football again.

I've run ten miles today and I've swam the same in the pool. I'm exhausted but I'm still going. I have a long way to go to get into the right condition for the season and I'm short on time. Grandpa knows this and he's riding my ass every minute of my workouts.

I've gone to bed sore, woke up stiff and barely able to move. And I'm still getting up at four in the morning and heading for the gym. I swim and run, lift weights and train my body, working muscles I forgot I had. All for a job I didn't think I could handle.

"I've lost my fucking mind," I mutter, as I reach for the bar to do my next set of reps.

"That might be son, but you're only halfway through your routine and expect you to keep your senses about you until you're done," Blake orders.

The man is a beast. That's nothing new, he's always been a gym rat. He lives and breathes football, weightlifting, working out, and Emma. The woman is his lifeline, his true north, his anchor. She's the love of his life and the best thing that ever happened to him. He's the first to admit that too.

"A good woman, the right woman, will drive you crazy, drop you to your knees and make you want to do everything for her. The right woman will turn your life inside out, your whole world will flip upside down and you manage to find you like it better that way, because she's in it."

I remember when he told that to Weston Drake, my cousin and Uncle Harper and Zoe's son. Granddad Cade has told us plenty of stories about Grandpa Blake growing up. From his taunting the girls in school to getting completely sloshed over getting dumped by Emma once. I guess he was head over heels in love with her from the beginning. Blake only gets emotional over his mom, Emma and Hunter.

The big three in this family.

Now he's my coach, my mentor and my pain in the ass. My respect level for him was already high given everything he has done in football and his career but for the man to still out bench me, run longer, and throw deeper is humiliating. He's been retired for years and he still maintains his routine.

For the last week he's been working with me. Pushing me to my limits and then pushing me further. I work with the other players on the field, building a rapport, learning their skills and I'm improving. I'm learning, and I'm realizing what I missed about this game.

And then something hits me and I lose my focus, my confidence waivers and I wonder what Easton and Lowe were thinking when they named me their quarterback. Am I ready for this?

"Get your head in the game, Bradford or that weight bar is going to choke you! What the fuck?!" Blake growls, lifting the bar off my chest and setting it easily on the hooks over my head when I lose my grip on the bar. "Spit it out, kid! What's going on?"

Sitting up, I debate on whether to tell him the truth. Last week has been bugging me. I can't shake the look on Holly's face when that guy attacked her. And admitting that I'm worried about her, to myself and to him, would be a mistake. I don't care about anyone outside the family. I've learned that lesson.

"How well do you know Holly?" I ask, hoping to approach this from another angle.

"She's Easton's housekeeper and now she's here. She's a hard worker who keeps to herself and does her job. Her little girl is a pistol, Emma loves her. And Holly's in trouble. You could do worse, if you're interested in her." Blake sits down on the bench across from me.