Page 55 of Don’t Go Breaking My Heart

Riggs rolled his eyes, like I was the one being unreasonable. “The two of you are meant for each other, Kannon. Everyone’s always known that. Hell, Leah knew that.”

My body went cold. I stepped closer, anger pouring off me in waves. “Don’t you fucking say that.”

Riggs didn’t flinch. “I’m not telling you anything you don’t already know,” he said, his voice steady. “She knew it. You knew it. And today, sitting at my bar, I think Merritt knew it too.”

His words were like a sucker punch, knocking the air out of me. Before I could respond, his eyes dropped to my torn-up jeans and the raw, bloody patches of skin on my arms.

“What the hell happened to you?” he asked, his brow furrowing.

“Doesn’t matter,” I muttered, brushing past him toward the back door.

“The hell it doesn’t.” Riggs grabbed my arm, his grip firm but not aggressive. “Come on. Let’s get you cleaned up before you keel over.”

I didn’t have the energy to argue, so I let him lead me inside to the break room in the back. The fluorescent lights buzzed overhead as Riggs grabbed a first-aid kit from the cabinet and gestured for me to sit.

“I’m fine,” I said gruffly, but the my groaning injuries said otherwise.

“Shut up and sit down,” Riggs shot back, his no-nonsense tone leaving no room for argument.

I dropped into the chair, wincing as the movement pulled at my torn skin. Riggs crouched in front of me, opening the first-aid kit and pulling out some antiseptic wipes.

“This is gonna sting,” he warned and then got to work.

The silence stretched between us as he cleaned my wounds, the sharp bite of the antiseptic making me grit my teeth. Finally, Riggs spoke.

“You’re having an asshole flare-up,” he said matter-of-factly.

I blinked. “What?”

“You heard me.” He glanced up at me, his expression serious. “Merritt’s back, and she’s stirring up all the feelings you’ve been trying to bury. You’re pissed off because you don’t know what to do with them.”

“Don’t talk to me about feelings, man, what the fu—” I started, but he cut me off.

“Leah’s gone, Kannon. And yeah, that was a tragedy. But you know what would be an even bigger tragedy? If you and Merritt messed up the last chance the universe is willing to give you to make it work.”

I clenched my jaw, his words hitting a little too close to home. “You don’t know what you’re talking about.”

“The hell I don’t,” Riggs shot back. “I’ve been watching you two dance around each other since high school. You’ve been waiting for this moment for years, man. Don’t blow it because you’re too scared to deal with your shit.”

I didn’t respond. I didn’t know what to say to that. He might be right but that was the last thing I wanted to deal with.

He finished cleaning my visible wounds, muttering under his breath. “You need to go to the hospital,” he said. “I’m not a doctor or nurse. This looks bad. And that’s just what I can see.”

“I’m fine,” I said. “Just a little road rash.”

“You’re a stubborn bastard, Kannon,” he said finally, standing up and putting the first-aid supplies away. “But you’ve got a good thing staring you in the face. Don’t let it slip through your fingers.”

I stayed silent. I didn’t know if Riggs was right or if he was just spouting the kind of optimistic bullshit he thought I needed to hear. All I knew was that Merritt had gotten under my skin, and I didn’t know how to get her out.

Or if I even wanted to.

24

MERRITT

The fork clinked against my plate as I stabbed at another piece of chicken that I knew I wouldn’t eat. The creamy alfredo sauce, perfectly seasoned and homemade, looked divine. But my appetite was long gone, buried somewhere under the weight of guilt, exhaustion, and the jagged edges of my fight with Kannon.

Lucia’s voice still echoed in my mind from our earlier phone call, soothing but firm, telling me to stop spiraling. “You poked the bear,” she’d said. “But he didn’t have to maul you.”