Page 93 of Kiss and Tell

Miles didn’t even need to think about that question. “I do. Heisokay with it.”

Killian leaned back in his chair, crossing his ankles. “I’m struggling to see the problem. Was it Lucy? Was she uncomfortable about the idea?”

Miles smiled when he thought about Lucy’s outright enthusiasm. Once the three of them made up their minds to hop into bed together, Lucy was all but leading the charge.

“Okay,” Killian said. “The smile answersthatquestion. Lucy was in.”

“Oh yeah,” Miles murmured. “The thing is…she approached our time together as an adventure. One with a time limit. She lives and works on the family farm. Her future is tied to that land, while, God willing, Joey and I will continue to hostManPower.”

“Long-distance relationships aren’t unheard of. If the two of you care about this woman as much as you say?—”

“Well, that’s part of it too, isn’t it?” Miles interjected. “We’ve known her less than a month. We haven’t had enough time to get to know each other, to see if this is something that will go the distance. Committing yourself, giving your heart to someone is hard enough when it’s just two people. There are three of us, all new to…” Miles waved his hand.

“A threesome,” Killian helpfully supplied with a grin, clearly amused by Miles’s reluctance to say the word.

“Yeah. A threesome.”

“Love always comes with risks. Doesn’t matter if there’s one person in the bed with you or two.”

“How have you, Lily, and Justin held it together for so long?” Miles asked.

“The same way every other married couple in the world has. By putting in the work. Supporting each other through the rocky times, fighting our way through the bad stuff, remembering that, even when we’re arguing, at the core of everything is our love for each other. No marriage is perfect, but if you’re with the right person—or people—it’s perfect enough.”

Killian’s words soothed a part of Miles he hadn’t realized was so ragged. He’d been pushing away the idea of a committed threesome because, in his mind, it was a more difficult relationship to maintain. He’d genuinely believed that if he couldn’t make Rhiannon happy for the long haul, what chance did he have with Joey and Lucy?

“Thanks, Killian.” Miles had put the brakes on him and Joey seriously pursuing Lucy because of his own baggage, his own insecurities. Joey had wanted to find a way to make things work with Lucy—even if that meant a long-distance relationship—but Miles had piled on one excuse after another because he was afraid of getting hurt again.

“Not sure I helped much,” Killian said, rising.

Miles reached out and shook his hand. “You did. More than you know.”

Now Miles had to figure out how to fix what he’d broken.

Sitting at the bar at Pat’s Pub a few hours later, Miles was no closer to an answer about how to proceed from here. All he knew was that he wanted to. With their interview of Justin and Killian completed, he and Miles were basically off the clock for the holidays as far asManPowerwas concerned, until early in January, when they hit the road again.

Tomorrow, they were heading on to Philadelphia for Thanksgiving. Something that would take them even farther away from Lucy.

Loud laughter had him glancing over his shoulder. Joey was sitting with Layla, Finn, and Miguel, splitting a huge plate of cheese fries while chatting with Finn’s mother, Riley, and her best friend, Bubbles. Given the way Riley was waving her hands around as she spoke, Bubbles interjecting something every few words, it must be one hell of a story.

It was the first time in days he’d seen a genuine smile on Joey’s face. Miles hated that he’d played such a big role in robbing his best friend of his happiness.

Padraig placed a pint of Guinness in front of Miles. “Why aren’t you sitting with them?”

He shrugged. “Thought Joey might like some time alone with his family.”

The bartender frowned. “Pretty sure he considersyoufamily.”

Miles liked Padraig Collins. The man had definitely found his calling because on top of being a great listener, he was astute and a straight shooter.

“He does,” Miles admitted. “I just needed some quiet time. I’ve got a lot on my mind.”

Padraig nodded. “Want to talk about it, or should I just keep the Guinness coming?”

Miles chuckled. “How about both?”

Talking to Killian this afternoon had helped a lot, so Miles decided to go for broke. See if Padraig could drive him the rest of the way home.

“Hit me with it,” he offered, leaning his elbows on the bar.

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