“Vaughn—” Elli tried, but he shook his head.
“No, you know I’m worth a lot. Even if I sucked for the next two years, I would still get somewhere for a hell of a lot more than you are paying me. I won’t let you do this.” Sucking in a breath, he squeezed Brie’s hand once more. “I care for you, Elli, you know I do. I love your kids and your husband too, but I will ruin all that for her. She deserves her job, and she is comfortable here. Her brother needs her, and he lives at NateWay and, no, I won’t let you do it.” He then looked to Brie, who couldn’t stop staring at the side of his face as she fell in love with him all over again. “Can I sue her for this?”
Brie shook her head. “It’s in our contracts, apparently.”
“Do you have copies of that?” Vaughn asked.
Elli handed over two sheets of paper, and when he lifted them, Brie saw her signature at the bottom. Reading it over, since Elli had highlighted it for them, he nodded, his lips going into a grim line. “I’ll figure something out if we walk out of here and you are still on this ‘you guys can’t date’ shit. I don’t care what this says,” he said, laying the paper down. “I’m not breaking up with her. You breaking up with me?”
When he looked over at her, his eyes full of fear, she shook her head. “Never.”
“We’re good, then,” he said, looking back to Elli. “Puck’s in your zone, Elli, ’cause I’ve said my piece.” He sat back as Elli slowly shook her head. A grin pulled at Elli’s lips, but before she could say anything, Vaughn sat up again. “But let me say, the fact that Reeves and the photographer get a pass because they were together before you signed him, I call bullshit. If anyone has something to say about it, one, send them to me. I’ll kick their ass because it isn’t their business. And two, tell them we’ve been together since before Brie started.”
Silence filled the office, and Brie swore all she could hear was her heart pounding in her chest, rattling her soul. She couldn’t believe this, believe him. Who was this man? Giving up everything for her? Closing her eyes, she shook her head as the tears leaked out the sides of her eyes. She wasn’t crying because of the threat of losing her job; she was crying because of the love he was showing her.
He loved her.
He loved her like she loved him.
When Brie glanced back to Elli, she was holding Vaughn’s gaze. “I’m impressed, Vaughn.”
He just watched Elli as Brie’s heart stayed stuck in her throat. She, too, was completely impressed. She almost didn’t recognize the man who held her hand, but that was Vaughn. He was a guy of big gestures. Her guy.
Crossing her arms over her chest, Elli scoffed. “I don’t know too many players who would give it all up for a girl—”
“Shea would. In an instant. And you know he would.”
A smile played on her lips. “He would.”
“It takes the right girl. The right circumstance.”
“You’re right.”
“And she is the girl, the circumstance.”
Brie was speechless as Elli’s face curved, and she met Brie’s gaze. “Same for you?”
“Excuse me?” she croaked out, and she felt Vaughn’s gaze fall on her.
“Would you give it up for him?”
Would she? But before she could really think of all the specifics, Rodney, her life in Nashville, anything, she declared, “Absolutely.”
Unable to move, Brie watched as Elli looked down at the paperwork laying in front of her and sucked in a deep breath. Reaching for the papers Vaughn had thrown down, she got up, walking around her desk. Brie looked to Vaughn, and he just smiled before they both watched Elli go to the paper shredder. Turning it on, she put the two pieces of paper through it as she looked up to them. “If anyone is to bring you two up, I will not send them to Vaughn, for one. And for two, as far as I know, you two have been dating on and off for the last two years.”
As Brie’s eyes fell shut, Vaughn let out a sigh of relief. “Thank God ’cause I really don’t want to go to another team, and I’m not really one to suck.”
Elli laughed as she nodded. “And I didn’t want to let either of you go. Now get out of here. I need to call my husband and tell him I love him.”
Vaughn stood then, going to Elli and hugging her tightly. “Tell him he’s welcome when you two find yourself in the bathroom for that sneaky sex.”
She laughed out loud as Brie came to her, hugging her too. “Thank you.”
“Just don’t break up and cause issues. Stay professional. Please.”
They both nodded. “Of course.”
“No problem.”
“All right, get out of here, and we won’t speak of this ever again.”
“Done,” Vaughn said, taking Brie’s hand in his before he pulled her out the door. When it shut behind them, Brie let out a laugh as she met his gaze. He smiled, and she smiled back before he gathered her in his arms, pressing his lips to hers in a heated kiss. As she got lost in his kiss, her emotions were swirling around like crazy, and she couldn’t handle them. Couldn’t handle him. He had been ready to give it all up. For her.
But most of all, she knew he loved her.
Pulling back, he kissed her nose. “Told you we’d be fine.”
As she held his face, she knew her heart was in her eyes. “I can’t believe you did that.”
“I’m not losing you.”
Her lip started to tremble, and she couldn’t keep it in. She had to say it. So with the biggest smile imaginable, she declared, “I love you, Vaughn Johansson. So damn much. I love you.”
She had never felt so good in her life as she did saying those three little words. But when his smile dropped, his eyes filling with terror, Brie’s heart stopped.
And in that second, she realized she had it all wrong.
Panic.
That was all Vaughn felt as he held his girlfriend in his arms and stared down into her quickly saddening blue eyes.
Say it.
Fucking say it.
You know you feel the same.
Don’t you?
Fuck.
Covering up the tears he was sure were about to fall, she laughed, “Vaughn? This is the part when you say, ‘I love you too, babe.’ Or something clever that includes those three words.” But he didn’t say anything. It was like his mouth was glued shut as he stayed in her heated gaze, his heart pounding so hard that was all he could hear. “Really? Wow. Okay,” she said, moving out of his arms and running her hands through her hair.
“No, you know I’m worth a lot. Even if I sucked for the next two years, I would still get somewhere for a hell of a lot more than you are paying me. I won’t let you do this.” Sucking in a breath, he squeezed Brie’s hand once more. “I care for you, Elli, you know I do. I love your kids and your husband too, but I will ruin all that for her. She deserves her job, and she is comfortable here. Her brother needs her, and he lives at NateWay and, no, I won’t let you do it.” He then looked to Brie, who couldn’t stop staring at the side of his face as she fell in love with him all over again. “Can I sue her for this?”
Brie shook her head. “It’s in our contracts, apparently.”
“Do you have copies of that?” Vaughn asked.
Elli handed over two sheets of paper, and when he lifted them, Brie saw her signature at the bottom. Reading it over, since Elli had highlighted it for them, he nodded, his lips going into a grim line. “I’ll figure something out if we walk out of here and you are still on this ‘you guys can’t date’ shit. I don’t care what this says,” he said, laying the paper down. “I’m not breaking up with her. You breaking up with me?”
When he looked over at her, his eyes full of fear, she shook her head. “Never.”
“We’re good, then,” he said, looking back to Elli. “Puck’s in your zone, Elli, ’cause I’ve said my piece.” He sat back as Elli slowly shook her head. A grin pulled at Elli’s lips, but before she could say anything, Vaughn sat up again. “But let me say, the fact that Reeves and the photographer get a pass because they were together before you signed him, I call bullshit. If anyone has something to say about it, one, send them to me. I’ll kick their ass because it isn’t their business. And two, tell them we’ve been together since before Brie started.”
Silence filled the office, and Brie swore all she could hear was her heart pounding in her chest, rattling her soul. She couldn’t believe this, believe him. Who was this man? Giving up everything for her? Closing her eyes, she shook her head as the tears leaked out the sides of her eyes. She wasn’t crying because of the threat of losing her job; she was crying because of the love he was showing her.
He loved her.
He loved her like she loved him.
When Brie glanced back to Elli, she was holding Vaughn’s gaze. “I’m impressed, Vaughn.”
He just watched Elli as Brie’s heart stayed stuck in her throat. She, too, was completely impressed. She almost didn’t recognize the man who held her hand, but that was Vaughn. He was a guy of big gestures. Her guy.
Crossing her arms over her chest, Elli scoffed. “I don’t know too many players who would give it all up for a girl—”
“Shea would. In an instant. And you know he would.”
A smile played on her lips. “He would.”
“It takes the right girl. The right circumstance.”
“You’re right.”
“And she is the girl, the circumstance.”
Brie was speechless as Elli’s face curved, and she met Brie’s gaze. “Same for you?”
“Excuse me?” she croaked out, and she felt Vaughn’s gaze fall on her.
“Would you give it up for him?”
Would she? But before she could really think of all the specifics, Rodney, her life in Nashville, anything, she declared, “Absolutely.”
Unable to move, Brie watched as Elli looked down at the paperwork laying in front of her and sucked in a deep breath. Reaching for the papers Vaughn had thrown down, she got up, walking around her desk. Brie looked to Vaughn, and he just smiled before they both watched Elli go to the paper shredder. Turning it on, she put the two pieces of paper through it as she looked up to them. “If anyone is to bring you two up, I will not send them to Vaughn, for one. And for two, as far as I know, you two have been dating on and off for the last two years.”
As Brie’s eyes fell shut, Vaughn let out a sigh of relief. “Thank God ’cause I really don’t want to go to another team, and I’m not really one to suck.”
Elli laughed as she nodded. “And I didn’t want to let either of you go. Now get out of here. I need to call my husband and tell him I love him.”
Vaughn stood then, going to Elli and hugging her tightly. “Tell him he’s welcome when you two find yourself in the bathroom for that sneaky sex.”
She laughed out loud as Brie came to her, hugging her too. “Thank you.”
“Just don’t break up and cause issues. Stay professional. Please.”
They both nodded. “Of course.”
“No problem.”
“All right, get out of here, and we won’t speak of this ever again.”
“Done,” Vaughn said, taking Brie’s hand in his before he pulled her out the door. When it shut behind them, Brie let out a laugh as she met his gaze. He smiled, and she smiled back before he gathered her in his arms, pressing his lips to hers in a heated kiss. As she got lost in his kiss, her emotions were swirling around like crazy, and she couldn’t handle them. Couldn’t handle him. He had been ready to give it all up. For her.
But most of all, she knew he loved her.
Pulling back, he kissed her nose. “Told you we’d be fine.”
As she held his face, she knew her heart was in her eyes. “I can’t believe you did that.”
“I’m not losing you.”
Her lip started to tremble, and she couldn’t keep it in. She had to say it. So with the biggest smile imaginable, she declared, “I love you, Vaughn Johansson. So damn much. I love you.”
She had never felt so good in her life as she did saying those three little words. But when his smile dropped, his eyes filling with terror, Brie’s heart stopped.
And in that second, she realized she had it all wrong.
Panic.
That was all Vaughn felt as he held his girlfriend in his arms and stared down into her quickly saddening blue eyes.
Say it.
Fucking say it.
You know you feel the same.
Don’t you?
Fuck.
Covering up the tears he was sure were about to fall, she laughed, “Vaughn? This is the part when you say, ‘I love you too, babe.’ Or something clever that includes those three words.” But he didn’t say anything. It was like his mouth was glued shut as he stayed in her heated gaze, his heart pounding so hard that was all he could hear. “Really? Wow. Okay,” she said, moving out of his arms and running her hands through her hair.
