Standalone

Let it be Me

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Vaughn Johansson is the Nashville Assassins’ star player. He’s brash, cocky, and talented. And he isn’t afraid to let anyone know it. He lives his life on his own terms, never forming romantic attachments, and only allowing his very closest to see his true, caring self.

Brie Soledad has the weight of the world on her shoulders. As the staff reporter for the Assassins, she balances her high-profile job and its heavy travel schedule with being the sole provider for her adult brother with Down syndrome. Sure, she’d like to find love. But who has time for that when there are bills to pay?

Brie has been the match to Vaughn’s gasoline since the day she first held out her microphone to him. They strike sparks off each other, keeping their friends, the team, and the Assassins fans in stitches. Brie’s refusal to fawn over Vaughn sets his teeth on edge and his blood boiling. Especially in that body part...

Brie’s been let down by love before, but she knows she deserves nothing less than real, forever love. Vaughn’s past has left deep, hidden scars, and there are some secrets he cannot bear to reveal. As much as Brie wants him, Vaughn may be too big a risk for her wary heart to take. But he is at his best under pressure. When the delayed call is in effect and he has no choice but to score, Vaughn always delivers.

To Laurie, Heather, Jessica, Althea, Joanne, Franci, Nikki, Susie, Janett, and Heather.

My betas.

A few of you have been with me since the beginning, and some have just joined me. But all of you hold a special place in my heart.

Thank you for helping me be a better writer, a better person, and a better mother.

Y’all mean the world to me, and this book is for you.

“He’s cute.”

“She’s a sweetie, too.”

“Oh, she’s a she?”

“Yes.”

“Girls don’t usually like me,” Vaughn Johansson said with his brows pulled together as he looked into the dark brown eyes gazing back at him. They were full of such hope, wanting… And instantaneously, he fell in love.

“Well, I think she loves you.”

Looking up briefly at the adoption counselor, Vaughn gazed back at the little black French Bulldog and smiled. She was a cutie; her little nub tail was wiggling, and her eyes were so wide that Vaughn felt like he could fall into them. But just as quick as he fell in love, he noticed something was missing. “She only has three legs.”

The adoption rep smiled grimly. “Yes, she was brought in having been hit by a car, and we fixed her up. That’s what throws people off, her not being whole and all.”

Making a face, Vaughn crouched down and took ahold of the fence as the little girl wiggled in excitement. She wanted to come through the fence. He could feel her eagerness, especially when she started to lick his hands, her eyes telling, or better yet, begging him to take her home. The thing was, she didn’t have to beg. The little three-legged dog was his from the moment he saw her. As he leaned into the fence, his nose went through the links before he whispered, “Don’t worry, girl, I’m not whole either.”

She licked his nose before letting out the sweetest little bark, and Vaughn was hooked. Standing up, he clapped his hands together. “I scored three goals last night, a hat trick, so it only makes sense that my first dog be a three-legged one.”

“Oh, cool.”

She had no clue what he was talking about. “I play for the Nashville Assassins.”

The lady, who obviously had never seen a game of hockey a day in her life, nodded happily. “Cool. That’s fun.”

“You know what team that is, right?”

“Yeah, football. Right?”

Vaughn blinked in dismay, but then, what did he expect? She was barely an adult and probably hadn’t been exposed to the great sport of hockey. “Hockey.”

“Oh, I don’t like hockey,” she said, wrinkling her face up. “But the players are hot.”

He couldn’t disagree, but then she looked him up and down with very sinful eye, and he froze. There was no way in hell he was going to prison for this jailbait, so that was his cue to get his dog and bounce. Yet, he asked, “Have you been to a game?”

“Oh, no, I don’t have time.”

Rolling his eyes once more, he looked back at his new girl and smiled. “Well, that’s too bad because I’m naming this girl Tricksie, and that won’t make sense to you.”

“Oh, you want her?”

“Yes, I do. You know what a hat trick is, right?”

The fact that she had no clue what he was speaking of was all over her face as she only nodded. “Like tricks with hats?”

Vaughn wanted to cry. The poor youth of the world. “It’s where you score three goals.”

He might as well have told her the answer to the greatest unsolved math problem in the world, because she was more lost than the three blind mice. “Cool. That’s hard, huh?”

Smiling, he shot her a wink. “For some. But for me, it’s easy peasy, lemon squeezy.”

Her face scrunched up more. She thought he was an idiot. “That’s corny.”

“Well, that’s because you’re ten.”

She pressed her lips together in annoyance. “I’m twenty.”

“Same thing. Can I get my dog, please?”

Rolling her eyes before popping her gum, she turned for the front. “Yeah, let’s go to the office, and Linda will get the paperwork done.”

She started to walk away, but Vaughn didn’t move. “Can I have her?”

Letting out a long breath, she nodded before reaching for her keys, which made Tricksie jump to the best of her ability and howl louder. A huge grin spread across Vaughn’s face as he bent down and the little girl came running for him, jumping into him and scrambling to climb up his body. Holding on to her overactive little body, Vaughn laughed as he stood, kissing her head. “I think she’s happy.”

“That’s an understatement,” the girl said dryly as she started for the front of the adoption center, but Vaughn was in complete paradise.