Page 163 of Heal Me, Love Me

“No.” I shook my head. “Don’tKeatonme.”

“It wasn’t some conspiracy.”

“Really?” I asked. “Because it feels a lot like one.”

“It was a fight suggestion.”

“Based on the fact that you knew about my relationship with Rowan.” At that moment, another thought hit me hard, and I felt the anger building as I spoke. “Did you tell the promoters about us?”

“No. Ididtell them you used to train together, and they liked that angle. Apparently, Marcos did too, since he brought it to you.”

“That’s not the point.”

“Grant Bishop liked it too. Otherwise, he wouldn’t have considered it for Rowan either.”

I stared at Devon. The fact that others agreed with him didn’t help his argument since they didn’t know the full story about my history with Rowan. “Did you ever think about talking to me first?”

“I knew what you’d say. You would’ve shut it down before you even considered it.”

I barked out another humorless laugh. “So instead, you decided to go around me.”

“I decided to create an opportunity for you.”

“No.” I pointed at him. “You put together a fight that will bring your gym some good publicity using a situation you had no business trying to exploit.”

He leaned forward, resting his forearms on the desk. “You really think that’s why?”

I crossed my arms over my chest. “Why else would you do it?”

“I watched you spend months fighting your way back from that shoulder injury. I watched you wonder whether you’d ever get back to where you were. I watched you work your ass off to get back to your pre-injury self, while other fighters kept moving forward. I watched you drag yourself through rehab and training sessions when most people would’ve quit.”

My jaw tightened. “So what? That doesn’t give you the right?—”

“I’m not saying it does.” His voice stayed calm, which somehow made it worse. “I’m saying I’ve been watching you. After you went to Miami, you were here every day. You trained. You fought. You did everything you were supposed to do, but there were times when it was clear your head was somewhere else.”

I immediately looked away. “You don’t know what you’re talking about.”

“I do.”

“No.”

“Yeah, Keaton, I do.”

The certainty in his voice made my chest twist. For months, I’d convinced myself nobody noticed. Hell, I’d tried to convince myself I’d moved past my heartbreak. Sitting there, listening to him talk, I knew my efforts hadn’t worked.

“Obviously, the breakup didn’t affect my fighting. I won in Vegas,” I argued.

“A win doesn’t prove you weren’t distracted at times.” He leaned back. “Besides, in Vegas, I talked to Rowan.”

“So, I heard.”

His eyes widened a fraction at that, but he went on. “He asked about you, and it was clear he hadn’t moved on either.”

I felt my shoulders stiffen. “You don’t get to analyze how either of us handled our breakup.”

“I’m not.”

“That’s exactly what you’re doing.”