Page 91 of Kiss and Tell

Neither man had asked for or promised more, but she wasn’t sure if that was because they didn’t want more or because they thought she didn’t.

She had let herself get carried away, had built this up to something much bigger in her heart and in her mind, and while Joey and Miles hadn’t admitted to feeling the same, she felt like they had.

Lucy wiped her eyes, wondering if things might have ended differently if she’d told them how she felt.

She dismissed that idea immediately because she knew it wouldn’t have made a damn bit of difference.

Her place was here.

Theirs was on the road.

It was as simple and as difficult as that.

ChapterFourteen

Miles shook Killian Collins’s hand. “That was a great show.”

“Thanks,” Killian replied. “I have to admit, I enjoyed that more than I thought I would. I’m not one for standing in front of a camera, but Justin refused to let me say no when your producer called to set it up. That guy is happiest when he’s front and center.”

Miles chuckled, glancing across the construction site to where Killian’s partner, Justin, was chatting with Joey, their producer, Sherri, and the director.

He and Joey had been in Baltimore for four days. Four long, painful, lonely, miserable days.

They’d tried to fill every minute of their waking hours with activities, be it filming the show, hanging out with Layla, Finn, and Miguel, touring around Baltimore, or watching a hockey game at Pat’s Pub. Neither he nor Joey allowed themselves a second of downtime.

Because downtime was bad. It gave them too much time to think about…

Fuck it.

That was his current internal mantra. Every time that blonde-haired, blue-eyed beauty’s name tried to sneak into his head, Miles just closed his eyes and thought “fuck it.”

The only time that intonation failed was when Miles allowed himself to stop moving. Every night, when he crawled into bed alone, he was forced to remember what—who—they’d left behind. Consequently, Miles was running on fumes after four shitty, restless nights spent tossing and turning and regretting every single one of his life choices. This was why he’d stayed away from relationships after Rhiannon. He had sworn to himself years ago, he’d never put himself through the gut-wrenching pain of loving and losing ever again.

What a joke.

Less than a month. That was all it had taken for Lucy to revive his dead heart, for her to stake her claim. He’d missed her every single one of the 345,600 seconds that had passed since he and Joey said goodbye and left her on that damn farm.

And if that wasn’t bad enough, Joey was in the same state. His typically jovial, good-natured best friend was currently absent, replaced by a shell of a man who was simply going through the motions.

Considering the two of them had been about as much fun as dental surgery, Miles was surprised this week’s filming had been so successful. They had Killian and Justin to thank for that. What the hosts lacked in charm and wit, the guests had more than made up for. At this rate, he and Joey would be lucky if the production company didn’treplacethem withJustin and Killian.

“I enjoyed getting to know you, Miles. I spent quite a bit of time with Joey when he and his brothers were helping me and Justin rebuild the pub after the fire, but you and I have never really had the chance to talk. My family was thrilled when we heard Joey landed the hosting gig, and we haven’t missed an episode ofManPowersince the debut. The two of you are a good fit.”

Miles had met Layla’s uncle-by-marriage a couple times in the past two years, but he was right; they’d never had a real conversation before this week. Killian was a bear of a man, size-wise, which was saying something, considering the Moretti men weren’t exactly known for being small. Killian dwarfed Miles and Joey, as well as his partners, Justin and Lily.

Like all of Joey’s siblings, Killian was also in a committed threesome relationship. Averycommitted one.

When they were at Stormy Weather Farm, Miles had told Joey that his siblings’ relationships didn’t count because they were all still in the honeymoon phase. He didn’t really mean that. After all, Tony and Layla had been with their partners for years and he had eyes, and he could see they were very much in love. But at the time, he’d been shaken by Rhiannon’s reappearance in his life and trying to ignore his growing attraction to Lucy.

Killian, Justin, and their wife, Lily, had been married for well over thirty years, the three of them raising a son together, Fergus. So it was safe to say their honeymoon period was over. Though…maybe not. He and Joey had been invited to dinner with the trio last night at their house. The bloom was definitely not off their romantic rose.

When Miles had complimented Lily’s cooking, she’d grinned, telling him she’d been slaving in the kitchen the entire afternoon. Justin had taken great delight in outing her, claiming she’d ordered takeout from Pat’s Pub, then putting the food in her own dishes to make it look home-cooked.

Lily laughed as she slapped her husband’s shoulder, chastising him, though it was obvious she’d intended to confess herself. Killian had leaned toward her, placing a kiss on the side of her head, assuring her they didn’t marry her for her cooking. Justin, the jokester, couldn’t resist chiming in to say they’d married the successful marine biologist for her awesome 401K and health benefits.

The love the three of them shared for each other was almost palpable. And again, while it should have been a great night, one he and Joey would have enjoyed under regular circumstances, last evening they’d been subdued. He wasn’t sure what had been going through Joey’s head, but Miles had spent the entire meal wishing it was him, Joey, and Lucy sitting at that table, hosting guests together as a married throuple.

Killian glanced over at Justin and Joey, deep in conversation now that their director and producer had moved on. “Can I ask you something?”

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