Page 97 of Don’t Go Breaking My Heart

I nodded, resting my chin in my hand, feeling the cool surface of the table beneath my elbow. “Yeah, it’s not the first time. It feels like he gets flagged every time we fly.”

“That must be frustrating,” she said, closing her book completely now, giving me her full attention.

I realized she must think he was a criminal. “He’s innocent,” I blurted out. “He doesn’t have a record. He doesn’t even fly all that often. I have no idea what’s going on.”

“Are you sure, honey? How long have you known this man? Do you need help?”

I almost laughed. She was a sweet lady looking out for me. She was the grandmother I didn’t have. “I’ve known him most of my life. Since we were kids. He’s a good guy. I don’t know if this is mistaken identity or what is going on.”

“I’m sure it’s just one of those unfortunate situations,” she said. “I’ve heard of it happening to others. I’ve spent plenty of time in airports and heard plenty of horror stories.”

I sighed. “Great. Just what I needed to hear.”

She reached out and gave my hand a gentle squeeze. “Hang in there. They’ll let him go soon, you’ll see.”

Each minute that ticked by stretched into an eternity of waiting. Our flight was set to board in less than twenty-five minutes. If they didn’t release him soon, we were going to miss it. I kept glancing at my phone, hoping for some kind of update, but there was nothing.

I didn’t know what to do. I was a grown-ass woman but I felt like a kid that needed an adult. Years ago, I would’ve called my dad. He would have known what to do. But that wasn’t an option anymore. It was just me, stranded in this airport, with no idea who to call or how to help. I chewed on my thumbnail, watching the minutes tick by.

“I’m going to check on the situation,” I said. “Thanks for talking to me. Enjoy your flight.”

“Good luck,” she said.

I walked back to the last place I had seen Kannon disappear. I didn’t want to land myself in trouble, but I felt like I should do something. Kannon was being held and needed someone to stand up for him.

Finally, the door to the security office opened, and Kannon strode out. Relief flooded through me, but it was short-lived. His face was like thunder, jaw tight and eyes dark with fury. He moved with a coiled energy, like he was barely holding himself together.

“Let’s go,” he snapped, not even looking at me as he brushed past.

“Kannon, what⁠—”

“I don’t want to talk about it,” he bit out, his voice low and grating. “Let’s just get to the gate or we’ll miss our flight.”

I swallowed my questions and nodded, falling in step behind him. Or trying to, anyway. His long strides forced me to hurry, doubling my steps just to keep up. My chest ached as I tried to match his pace, huffing and puffing by the time we reached the gate.

We made it with minutes to spare. They were already calling our boarding group.

Once we were seated on the plane, I glanced at Kannon, trying to gauge his mood. He was slouched in his seat, arms crossed and jaw still tight. His energy radiated frustration. I could feel it like a storm cloud hovering over us.

“Are you okay?” I asked softly, breaking the silence.

He didn’t look at me. “I said I don’t want to talk about it.”

That was the last thing he said to me for the rest of the flight.

I sat back in my seat, my mind spinning. This wasn’t how things were supposed to go. We’d taken a huge leap deciding to be together—putting all our baggage and fears aside to make it work. And now, after one disagreement, he was shutting me out completely? Giving me the silent treatment?

That wasn’t something I could just brush off. I understood that he was upset—hell, I was upset too—but this wasn’t the way to handle it. We were supposed to be a team.

There was so much tension between us. The slightest noise from the plane seemed amplified. I didn’t want things to be this way, but every effort I made seemed only to reinforce the walls Kannon had put around himself.

As the flight dragged on, my mind played over and over the scenes of the day. It was unlike him. Something must have happened in that security office—something more than just a routine check.

“Kannon, is there something I should know?” I asked.

He shot me a dirty look. “Are you asking if I’m on some terrorist watch list or a fucking criminal?”

“I’m just wondering what happened in there,” I said. “Were they questioning you? Do they have you mixed up with someone else?”