Page 35 of Kiss and Tell

“Yeah.” Joey put his cup down. “And don’t think that didn’t go over like a lead balloon. Layla was the only one of my siblings upset when the family moved back to Philadelphia from Baltimore when we were kids. So none of us were surprised when she decided to live there as an adult. The shock came when she returned home for a visit with Finn and Miguel in tow. I thought my brother Tony was going to have an aneurysm.”

Lucy’s eyes widened. “I bet. My cousins probably would have taken a couple swings.”

“Oh, we thought about it. Until we got to know Finn and Miguel. Hard to stay mad at two stand-up guys who love your sister and basically worship the ground she walks on.”

“As they should,” Lucy added with a giggle.

“Damn right. The three of them have been together for years. Layla legally married Finn, but she and Miguel exchanged vows as well. She’s seven months pregnant with their first child, and I’ve never seen three people more excited to become parents.”

“That’s…” Lucy paused, still trying to digest this new information. “Nice,” she finally added lamely.

“After that…I don’t know,” Joey said, rubbing his beard. “It was like a door opened, and once my brothers took a peek inside, they decided they liked what they saw.”

“So they’re all in threesomes?” Lucy was having a hard time wrapping her head around this whole conversation.

“It’s not as unheard of as you might think,” Joey added. “I’ve read a few articles lately talking about the rise in polyamory relationships. Given the state of the world, sadly, these days it takes three salaries to buy a home and pay the bills.”

“Ain’t that the truth,” Miles added.

“You should plan a trip to Philly to interview some of my siblings and their partners.” Joey reached out and grasped her hand, holding it. Lucy saw Miles’s gaze locked on their linked hands. “Just think, you could explore different kinds of relationships onKiss and Tell. My brothers all have great stories to tell. The Morettis are masters of romance.”

Miles scoffed, his response causing Joey to frown.

“You’re really not a fan of romance, are you?” Lucy asked, recalling his jest about her show being cheesy.

Miles shook his head. “Romance novels and romcoms are called fiction for a reason. That shit doesn’t happen in real life.”

“That’s Rhiannon blowback,” Joey muttered.

“Rhiannon?” she asked. Miles had started to mention his neighbor’s name before cutting himself off earlier.

“My ex,” Miles replied, shooting Joey a dirty look. “Who we are NOT talking about.”

Joey put his free hand up in surrender, refusing to relinquish his hold on Lucy’s. “How can you say romance isn’t real after spending the last couple of years with my family?”

Miles crossed his arms. “Those relationships are still relatively new. Your family seems to embrace extended honeymoon phases, all hot sex and hearts in their eyes. Let’s table declaring them soul mates and all that shit until they’ve been together twenty years, faced some hard times, raised a few smart-mouthed brats, and waged countless wars over doing the laundry and washing the dishes.”

Joey shook his head but didn’t bother to belabor the point. “Looks like it’s up to us to show Miles the ways of romance, Lucy. Speaking of, what’s the deal with you and the mayor?”

Lucy wrinkled her nose in disgust. “Ugh—that sure as hell isn’t romance. Thereisnodeal. And there willneverbe a deal.”

Joey looked pleased with that response. “Good.” Then he released her hand, glancing at his phone and rising. “Shit, we gotta go, Miles. Our director will be here soon, and I want to get a shower first. Wash the horsey smell off.”

“The plan is to pick up filming after lunch,” Miles reminded her as he stood as well.

“Sam and I will be ready,” she assured him.

“We’ll see you later, honey.” Joey leaned forward, giving her a too quick, too platonic kiss, though she was secretly pleased it was on the lips and not her cheek. When he cupped one side of her face affectionately, she melted. Especially when he stroked it with his thumb, looking at her like she was the most beautiful person in the world.

She gave him a soft smile that morphed to a breathy laugh when he bopped the tip of her nose with his finger.

Lucy expected Joey to leave, so she was shocked when he glanced in Miles’s direction, tilting his head toward her with a grin that was the definition of shit-eating. For a split second, Lucy prayed Miles would take Joey up on his unspoken suggestion.

Unfortunately, Miles just narrowed his eyes at Joey.

“See you later, Lucy.” Miles’s farewell didn’t include a kiss, but the way he reached out and slowly stroked his fingers along her arm was just as hot.

They left together, leaving Lucy reeling in their wake.

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