The Defender by Ana Huang

Vincent DuBois’ life starts to unravel on what should have been a harmless night out. After getting kicked out of a pub with his Blackcastle teammates for smuggling in the team’s miniature pig mascot, a grim phone reminder labeled “THE DAY (Do Not Contact)” sends him home early. When he arrives, he finds his gate open and an unmarked box waiting inside his locked house. The contents shock him. A crocheted doll made in his exact likeness, complete with a replica of a childhood scar, wearing a shirt that reads “BFF.” It is immediately clear that someone has been watching him far too closely.

That same evening, Brooklyn Armstrong’s plans fall apart when her father, Blackcastle’s head coach, cancels dinner. She ends up at Scarlett and Asher’s place, where she unexpectedly runs into Vincent. Their banter is easy and flirtatious, but the mood shifts when Vincent explains the break-in and shows them the doll. Scarlett is alarmed enough to insist Vincent has a stalker and needs protection. Vincent files a police report and begins bouncing between friends’ homes, never quite feeling settled or safe.

Eventually, a solution presents itself at brunch. Brooklyn reluctantly agrees to let Vincent move into her spare room, partly out of concern for his safety and partly because she refuses to be intimidated by her attraction to him. Their shared space quickly becomes a minefield of teasing, pranks, and simmering tension. Brooklyn lays down strict house rules, including no bringing women home, while Vincent jokes that she is the only woman he wants anyway. To manage their growing attraction, Vincent proposes a bet. Whoever initiates a kiss first owes the other £100. It is meant to keep things light, but it only sharpens their awareness of each other.

The stalking escalates. Vincent receives threatening messages, and a photo of the crochet doll is left on his car. The police offer little reassurance, and Brooklyn increasingly becomes both his emotional anchor and a potential target.

Outside pressures complicate everything. Brooklyn struggles with being seen as a nepo hire at Blackcastle and ultimately rejects a job offer to carve out her own path. Which makes her relationship with her father even rockier. Vincent, forced to live under Coach Armstrong’s roof as punishment of kissing Brooklyn, grows more possessive and aware of how deeply he cares for Brooklyn. At a charity gala, Brooklyn impulsively bids an enormous sum for Vincent at a bachelor auction, only to leave hurt when he cannot reach her afterward, and Brooklyn did not even win the bid. That night, the tension finally snaps, and they sleep together, choosing exclusivity despite knowing how explosive the fallout could be. Vincent confronts Coach Armstrong and earns his grudging approval. Brooklyn faces her emotionally abusive mother in California, with Vincent at her side, and finally cuts ties with the version of herself that craved her mother’s approval. Brooklyn also finds out about Vincent's "Do Not Text" reminders. He is adopted, and he found out who is real mother is. He has to remind himself to not reach out to her. Just as they find solid ground, the stalking resurfaces with new urgency. Another photo proves the original suspect was not acting alone. Vincent moves them into a hotel, increases security, and encourages Brooklyn to take a job in Chicago for her safety, even though it means separation.

Long distance tests them, but it does not break them. Vincent considers a career-altering transfer to be closer to her, while Brooklyn builds a future she chose for herself. When she returns to London to surprise Vincent, the danger reveals itself in the most terrifying way. Seth, the team’s kit manager, is exposed as the real stalker. His obsession escalates into a violent attack on Brooklyn, only stopped when Vincent and his bodyguard arrive in time. 

Brooklyn’s job allows her to return to London permanently, Seth is convicted, and Vincent wins the Champions League with Brooklyn watching from the pitch. By the end, they share a quiet life pet-sitting Truffle and watching Bake Off together.