Page 44 of The Game Changer (Knights of Passion #3)

T he Knights had made it to the playoffs, a feat worth celebrating—but without Cody Patterson in the rotation, the team’s pitching lacked the depth to go far.

They were eliminated in Game Five of the Division Series.

The guys took it with a mix of frustration and resilience, but Cody wore the weight of it like a fresh bruise, his disappointment written all over his face.

Dylan did his best to talk him down, to remind him no one blamed him—but Cody still needed extra TLC.

Which meant more late nights, more beer, more quiet talks on the back deck.

Savannah understood.

She’d been too busy to dwell on playoff losses, anyway. Ever since the Knights officially sponsored Soul Paws, her world had spun faster than she could keep up with. The publicity was overwhelming—in the best way. Donations poured in. Applications to adopt doubled. So did the workload.

Colleen and Savannah had scrambled to expand operations.

They hired their first office manager, a part-time vet tech, and even a certified trainer to help with the dogs.

For the first time, Savannah could pay herself a modest salary—not from her side gigs or the occasional obedience class, but from her rescue. Her dream.

She’d also unofficially moved into Dylan’s house.

Her clothes, her shoes, her chaos—they all took up space in his ordered, bachelor-perfect home.

Somehow, it had started to feel like theirs.

Carl had claimed the sunny corner of the living room, and Sadie kept finding her way into their bed.

And Cody had become a fixture, especially on nights when Lindsey was around.

But now Lindsey had gone back to California, talking big about auditions and “resetting” her image.

Savannah hoped it stuck. The tabloid photos had slowed—no more wild Vegas party pictures, no more scathing gossip columns.

Maybe she was finally finding her footing.

Savannah knew how steep the climb could be.

What surprised her more was Lucy. Instead of vanishing like she usually did when life got hard, Lucy stayed.

She’d taken over the lease on Savannah’s old place and had become—of all things—reliable.

She wasn’t about to start fostering dogs, but she handled the office work with competence and, weirdly, enjoyment.

It was like she’d found something stable, a foothold in a world that had always shifted beneath her feet.

Then there was Dylan.

He’d offered—more than once—to buy the old shelter site outright for the rescue.

She’d refused every time. She couldn’t risk the ugly whisper that she was using him.

She couldn’t let him fix everything. If their relationship had any hope of being real, it had to be built on more than his money or name.

Those wounds—on both their sides—ran deep.

He didn’t like her answer. “Why won’t you let me help you? You’re being stubborn again.”

“It’s my rescue,” she’d told him. “We’ll do it my way.”

Now that the season was over, he buried himself in negotiations.

Talk of free agency buzzed in the background of their lives like an impending storm.

He disappeared for hours, locked in the office or off to the stadium, fielding phone calls and meeting with his agent.

At night, he came to bed late. Exhausted.

Quiet. They didn’t talk much about the future, only touched in the dark, where their connection felt safest.

And then November came.

She was finishing breakfast when her phone buzzed.

Colleen’s voice shook with panic. “Get to the old maintenance site. Now.”

Savannah froze, coffee sloshing in her mug. “Why? What happened?”

“They sold it.”

Her stomach dropped. Icy fear twisted inside her. “What do you mean, they sold it?”

“There was a developer interested. Jon told me last week someone put in a high bid—way more than we could match. I drove past today. There’s a ‘Sold’ sign out front.”

Savannah pressed her hand to her chest. Her heartbeat fluttered like a trapped bird. “I’ll head there now. Meet you there.”

“Wait, can you pick me up? I don’t have a car,” Colleen said.

After promising to pick her up, she turned—and Dylan was already in the doorway, his eyes locked on her face.

“What’s wrong?”

“The site,” she whispered. “The old shelter site. They sold it. To a developer. We lost it.”

Without hesitation, he wrapped her in his arms. “I’m so sorry, baby. That place meant everything to you.”

“It was perfect.” Her voice cracked. “Cleared, zoned, already half-built… I’ll find something else, I will, but…”

“Do you want me to come with you?”

She shook her head. “I’m picking Colleen up. We’ll be okay.”

He kissed her forehead and let her go, watching her walk out with something close to sorrow on his face.

Colleen wasn’t quite ready when she got to her house, but they eventually got to the site. When they arrived, the landscape looked the same—quiet, still, the highway humming faintly in the distance. But the sign was there. Sold .

The word stared at her like a slap.

She parked and climbed out. Colleen’s cell phone rang, and she gestured for Savannah to go ahead.

Savannah walked across the uneven ground, her boots crunching dead leaves.

No cars. No one else was around. No signs that the developer had started mapping the site.

Maybe there was still time to stop it. But her heart already knew the truth.

She rounded the back of the building—and froze.

Dylan stood in the clearing.

He wasn’t wearing the jeans and t-shirt he’d had on earlier.

Now, he looked sharp, formal even, in charcoal pants and a black dress shirt, sleeves rolled up, a tie hanging loose at his collar.

He stood tall, his hands clasped behind his back.

On either side of him sat Carl and Sadie, poised like sentinels.

“Dylan?” she whispered, stunned. “What are you doing here?”

He crouched to stroke the dogs’ heads, then gently nudged Carl forward.

“I know you said you wanted to build this dream on your own,” he said, voice quiet. “That you didn’t want anyone to think you were using me. But being in a relationship means building dreams together. This dream matters to you. That means it matters to me.”

Carl sat in front of her, his tail sweeping the dirt. She saw a rolled piece of paper tucked into the scarf around his neck. Fingers trembling, she untied it, unrolling the page.

It was a deed.

The property deed.

Her legs nearly gave out.

“Dylan…” She gasped, pressing a hand to her mouth. “You didn’t…”

“The developer’s offer was higher, so I made sure yours beat it. Not for you—for the rescue. I donated it in Soul Paws’ name. This is your future, and I just helped open the door.”

Tears spilled freely now, hot and unstoppable. “I can’t accept this.”

“You’re not. The rescue is. And it’s not a favor. It’s faith. I believe in what you’re doing. I believe in you.”

She shook her head, overcome. “But what if you get traded? Or sign somewhere else?”

He nudged Sadie. The dog raced to her side, tail wagging furiously. Another paper was tied around her neck.

Savannah opened it.

A contract.

Seven years with the Knights.

Her knees buckled, and she dropped to a crouch, clutching Sadie, laughter and sobs tangling in her throat. “Dylan…”

“It was the longest deal my agent would let me sign. Full no-trade clause unless I approve it. I’ll always have a home base here. I don’t want to be anywhere else.”

He walked to her and gently pulled her upright, brushing a tear from her cheek. “This is home. With you. Wherever you are.”

She couldn’t stop crying. “But I’d go anywhere with you.”

He touched her lips with one fingertip. “I know.”

Then, slowly, he sank to one knee.

“Will you marry me, Savannah Georgia Monroe? Stay with me here, build this rescue, build this life—forever?”

She choked on a sob, nodding frantically. Then—“No.”

His eyebrows shot up.

“No,” she repeated, laughing through her tears. “I’ll marry you, Dylan Prosser. But I won’t stay with you. I’ll go with you—anywhere, everywhere, whenever we want. I’m yours.”

He stood and crushed her to his chest, trembling as hard as she was. She clung to him, her heart bursting, her dreams finally—finally—finding solid ground.

When she looked up again, a noise rippled across the clearing.

Applause.

She turned to see Colleen, Jon, Lucy, Cody, Lindsey, Nick, Alex, and Gabriella standing by the building, cheering and clapping, some wiping at their own eyes.

Colleen approached first, handing her tissues and pulling her into a fierce hug. One by one, their friends surrounded them, voices loud, full of joy.

But Dylan never let her go, his arm anchored around her shoulders.

“You can let me go,” she teased, wiping her face. “I’m not going anywhere.”

He shook his head. “Not a chance. I let you go once. Never again.”

His voice dropped, reverent.

“You’re my game changer, Savannah. And I’m not losing you—not for anything.”

D id you love Savannah’s sister? Check out her story in Holiday Heat . Read on for an excerpt.