Page 107 of Kiss and Tell

When they parted, Joey smiled, then picked her up and spun her, just as he had the day she’d told them she was coming on the road with them.

“You’re hogging her,” Miles complained, when Joey placed her back on her feet.

Lucy laughed as she disengaged from his arms, giving Miles the same warm—okay, scorching—welcome. Joey spared a glance toward the front porch, where all three of Lucy’s sisters were smiling widely. Given the lack of surprise on their faces about the hardcore kisses Lucy was planting on them, he’d guess she had come clean about their change in status from just travel buddies to travel buddies with benefits.

With any luck today, they’d be upgrading that status again to boyfriend/girlfriend/boyfriend.

Joey waved at them when they caught him looking. Mila and Nora returned the wave, while Remi simply grinned and gave him two thumbs-up.

“You’re a sight for sore eyes,” Miles said, when he and Lucy parted.

She giggled. “We saw each other five days ago.”

“Felt like forever,” Miles grumbled.

Joey silently rejoiced when Lucy replied, “Tell me about it.”

Unable to keep his hands to himself, now that she was so close, Joey stepped behind her, wrapping his arms around her waist while she faced his best friend. Miles had taken hold of one of her hands so he could kiss every single one of her fingertips.

“Why are you here?” she asked.

Miles countered her question with one of his own. “What’s the suitcase for?”

As they’d driven up, Joey had noticed her backpack, laptop, camera case,andsuitcase all piled up beside her on the porch, and he was wondered the same thing.

“I was about to take a little trip,” Lucy said coyly. Given the playfulness of her tone, Joey thought he had a good idea where she’d been headed.

“Oh yeah? Where are you off to?” Joey asked, as he placed a kiss on the top of her head.

“Oh, you know. Here and there.” She was deliberately keeping her answers vague to tease them. “So, it’s a surprise to see the two of you here.”

While Joey got a kick out of their silly back-and-forth, Miles clearly wasn’t in the mood to play. He’d been chomping at the bit ever since they’d woken up this morning, ready to get here and get things settled. Joey was glad he’d been the one driving because there was no question Miles would have broken every speed limit in his haste.

“We know we don’t have a right to ask you to leave your home and your family, Lucy, but we’re doing it anyway. You belong withus. On the road. We film our show, you film yours, and then we head on to the next city. World travelers. Together.” Miles was still holding her hand, and as he spoke, he pulled it to his chest, her palm resting flat against his heart.

“You want me to come with you?”

Joey couldn’t see her face clearly, but he could hear the joy and maybe a touch of disbelief in her tone.

“We don’t work without you, honey,” Joey admitted. “We’ve spent the last five days just going through the motions. You didn’t just take your girly underwear and questionable cooking skills with you when you left. You took all the fun, all the happiness, all the life right out of us.”

“I have zero questions about my cooking skills,” she said. “They suck. As for the rest…”

Joey hated the pause, so he filled the silence with the words they should have said to her the last time they were together.

“I love you, Lucy,” Joey murmured in her ear. His gaze lifted to Miles. He’d been deliberate to keep his words just about him. Because it wasn’t his place to speak for his friend when it came to something as meaningful as this.

“You love me?” she whispered, looking over her shoulder.

“Welove you,” Miles stressed, smiling at Joey as he said it.

“Oh God,” Lucy breathed.

She started to say more, but Joey wanted to make sure all their cards were on the table first. “And even if you don’t want to leave the farm and your family, we’ll find a way to make this work, become farmers ourselves if that’s what it takes because this—you—are what we want.”

“I want that too,” Lucy admitted, smiling. “So much.”

Joey whooped, picking her up and tossing her over his shoulder.

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