Page 81 of Kiss and Tell

He was dreading it.

Miles had known before crawling into bed with her that leaving Lucy would be hard. There was simply no way to be around her and not feel happy. Her optimistic view of life reminded him a lot of Joey’s, which was why Miles was so drawn to both of them. He wouldn’t call himself a pessimist, preferring the term realist, but spending time around such genuinely positive people was pleasurable and contagious.

Lucy was sweet and thoughtful, attentive and fun. Miles had thought her just Joey’s type when he’d first met her, never suspecting she was his as well.

He also thought he’d prepared himself for the inevitable end, but he didn’t expect it to be this hard.

They’d declared this time their brief escape from reality or, as Lucy called it, an adventure. It was that idea that had convinced Miles to lower his walls and give in to the undeniable desire growing inside him. Idiot that he was, he thought he could keep things between them casual, indulging in sex while holding his emotions at bay. He’d never had trouble doing that in the past. Miles hadn’t fallen in love even once since Rhiannon, and he’d wondered countless times over the years if he’d lost the ability.

Or if his heart simply refused to let anyone in besides his ex.

Lucy Storm had found the key.

To add insult to injury, Rhiannon hadn’t stopped texting or calling, despite the fact he hadn’t responded to her in over a week.

Today, Rhiannon had doubled down, his phone pinging no less than two dozen times as she sent him photo after photo of the two of them together, starting from when they were toddlers, holding hands as they walked through the New York Zoo. She’d included their junior and senior prom pictures, another of them standing outside their first apartment building dangling the keys, and countless other “couple” photos that included them dancing, cuddling on the couch, or making silly faces at the camera.

She said she’d finally found time to finish unpacking her things since moving back to New York. Apparently, the pictures had been in one of the boxes, so she’d flooded his phone with a lifetime of memories.

He should have blocked her number because with each new text, his mood got blacker and blacker.

There was no room for Rhiannon in his life anymore.

Period.

Not since Lucy came into his life and claimed his heart.

Miles picked at the label on his beer bottle and let that realization sink in.

In the past, whenever he and Rhiannon reconnected, he’d felt like a besotted teenager embarking on first love, always checking his phone for messages, lighting up whenever she called, counting down the minutes until they were together. She would sashay back into his life, crook her finger, and he’d go panting after her.

The fact that he didn’t want to talk to her…at all…

God, he was finally—FINALLY—over his ex for good.

That insight should have made him feel like a million bucks. But all it did was drive home another fact.

He’d just set himself up for another heartbreak. One that would be a million times worse than the ones he’d suffered over Rhiannon.

His gaze traveled back to the dance floor, where Joey and Lucy were swaying together to “Make You Feel My Love.” Miles loved the song, but he’d never really considered the words until this moment. When Lucy turned her head to find him, offering him one of those sweet smiles of hers, Miles realized he’d done it again. Fallen in love with a woman he couldn’t have.

Not that he could fault Lucy for that. She’d been very honest about her commitment to her family and the farm. Even today, as they were standing by the fire, she’d gotten excited about incorporating some of the flavors of the apple butter into a new beer, making notes in her phone and even texting Sam her thoughts. She’d admitted that her favorite part of working as brewmaster was developing new recipes, playing with ingredients to achieve a certain flavor profile.

Her life was on that farm, and try as he may, Miles couldn’t see a way to make her world blend with his and Joey’s. Not for the long-term.

His phone buzzed in his pocket and, despite his better judgment, he pulled it out.

Sure enough, Rhiannon had sent another photo, this one of the two of them kissing on New Year’s Eve, streamers falling over them. He stared at it for a long time before flipping his phone over and placing it face down on the table in front of him.

When the song ended, Lucy and Joey stepped apart. Lucy left the dance floor, drifting over to a table where Macie sat with the other women who ran Sparks Barbeque, including the ones Lucy had interviewed with their spouses forKiss and Tell.

Joey returned to their table, dropping down next to Miles. “You’re scowling.”

Miles shrugged.

“Rhiannon still blowing up your phone?”

“Yeah.”

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