Once and Again (Barrett Creek #1)

Riggs Wheeler was my first everything.
My first crush.
My first kiss.
My first heartbreak.
He was my older brother, Beck’s best friend, and I used to follow them constantly—begging to be included.
Go home, Tagalong. You’re too little to keep up.
That’s what Beck always called me.
Tagalong.
Not Riggs though—he always called me Gem.
I used to think it meant something. Grew up believing that someday he’d open his eyes and see me. Someday, he’d realize that what he’s been looking for has been right in front of him all along. When he joined the military, I panicked because someday wasn’t coming soon enough and if I wanted him to see me before he left, I’d have to make him look at me.
I’d have to tell him how I felt.
What I wanted before it was too late.
When I kissed him that night, he kissed me back.
I thought that meant something too.
I was wrong.
Now Beck lives in LA—a big-time movie star and I’m still little Tagalong. Still trying to keep up. Still looking for a place to belong. Someone to call home.
When Riggs comes back to Barrett it becomes my job to take care of him.
A wounded warrior, he’s so bitter and broken I barely recognize him.
But he still calls me Gem.
Still looks at me like I’m something worth seeing.
Still kisses me like he means it, and maybe, just maybe... that’s enough to heal us both.