Chapter 8
Chapter Eight
“ T ime is going too fast,” Lucy complained after they were dropped off at the campground.
Since they were traveling in the RV, one of ManPower ’s cameramen, Mack, had been tasked with driving Joey’s car to Nashville and serving as chauffeur while they were filming, so they weren’t driving around the city in the monstrous RV.
“You’re not kidding.” Joey wondered where in the hell the last four days had gone.
He and Miles had been dreading this trip to Nashville ever since receiving the production schedule. Not that they didn’t want to travel to the city but because they hadn’t been looking forward to interviewing their guest.
While Jeff Barber, King of the Catio, had proved to be just as annoying as the last time they’d met him, the filming wasn’t as unbearable as Joey might have expected.
Probably because Lucy was there.
It was impossible to be in a bad mood around the woman. Once she shook off her initial brief bout of reticence, her enthusiasm for the road trip hadn’t waned. If anything, her excitement grew with each passing day as they took in the sights.
Joey didn’t realize when they invited Lucy to come along that she didn’t just have a list of dream cities she wanted to see, but a detailed itinerary for each one as well. He had been to Nashville a handful of times and considered himself fairly well versed in what the place had to offer. Lucy had shown him the error of his ways quickly, introducing him to attractions he didn’t know existed—like Marathon Motor Works and Printers Alley.
Then she’d started playing a one-dollar-sign, five-stars game on Yelp, searching out affordable places for them to eat. According to her rules, they couldn’t eat anywhere that didn’t have a four-point-five rating or above and it could only have one dollar sign. Joey had protested, assuring her their food budget was more than sufficient to feed them in style, but Lucy wouldn’t be moved. And damn if she hadn’t found them some of the best food in the city.
She also seemed to attract people like flies to honey, striking up conversations with random strangers whenever they went out. Strangers who felt like friends by the time they parted.
Their first night in Nashville she had befriended a woman, Emily, at the bar where they’d stopped for a quick dinner. When Lucy told Emily about Kiss and Tell , she’d begged Lucy to do an interview with her and her wife of twelve years, Tate, which was how he, Lucy, and Miles had found themselves in the living room of a quaint little townhouse in Germantown their second night in Nashville.
Joey had insisted on accompanying Lucy for the interview, just to make sure she was safe. He’d told Miles it wasn’t necessary for both of them to go, but he refused to stay behind.
Watching Lucy work had been eye-opening, as he and Miles quietly discussed the way people naturally gravitated toward her. She was approachable and funny and an incredible listener. It was probably why her show was such a success. She took a genuine interest in the love lives of her guests, asking insightful questions.
Lucy had accompanied them to Jeff’s workshop each day while they were filming, either watching them work or finding a quiet corner to edit her new interview for Kiss and Tell on her laptop. The entire crew had already fallen in love with Lucy, the cameramen even teaching her tricks she could use while doing her own interviews.
Joey had expected Miles to push back after that initial flirty tickle fight in the RV on their way to Nashville, and his friend had sure as hell tried. Unfortunately for Miles, Lucy had proven herself to be a worthy adversary. Every time Miles tried to disengage himself from them, she found a way to reel him back in.
The last couple of days, Miles had stopped trying to distance himself, going so far as to start seeking out his own restaurants that satisfied Lucy’s game requirements. Last night, they’d taken Miles’s suggestion and eaten at an amazing Greek café that was out of this world.
They were four days into their adventure, and Joey never wanted it to end. As far as he was concerned, he and Miles had found their third Musketeer, their third Stooge, their third Amigo. She was the perfect partner in crime, sliding into place with him and Miles like she’d always been there.
They walked into the RV, Miles placing the take-out bag of hot chicken they’d picked up on the dining table. Even though it was their last night in Nashville, they’d opted to eat in since the past few days had been a whirlwind of nonstop activity.
Lucy grabbed plates, utensils, and napkins, while Joey pulled a beer for each of them from the fridge. Miles unpacked the food. In addition to the chicken, pickles, and bread, they’d ordered sides of macaroni and cheese and coleslaw.
The three of them had become comfortable companions, so for a few minutes, they ate in silence, enjoying the delicious chicken with a chorus of “mmms” and happy sighs.
“You were right about Nashville, Joey,” Lucy said, breaking the silence. “This place is amazing. I hate the idea of leaving tomorrow. Even if we did have to spend four days with Jeff.” Lucy followed her comment with a spot-on imitation of Jeff’s braying laugh, which cracked up him and Miles.
“You’ve perfected it.” Joey applauded her, while Miles covered his ears, pretending to wince in pain.
“Never do that again,” he begged.
Lucy crossed her heart, though she was mischievous enough that neither of them believed her promise.
“We’ll come back to Nashville one day when we have more time and don’t have to work.” Joey had been talking about their future lately like it was a done deal, making lots of plans. Every time he did so, Lucy’s smile wavered, while Miles either sighed or shook his head.
What neither of them did, however, was correct him.
So Joey was calling that a win.
“I guess we’re getting up and out tomorrow?” Lucy asked.
Miles nodded. “Yeah. We’ve given ourselves three days to get to Texas, but it’s still a twelve-hour drive. We figured if we put each day’s four hours behind us early, we’ll have the afternoons to either relax at the campground or explore wherever it is we decide to stop.”
Lucy wiped her hands. “Sounds perfect.”
“You sure you’re finished shopping for your family?” Joey teased.
Lucy had insisted on buying every single Storm a tiny trinket from Nashville since they were, as she said, “carrying her load” at the farm.
Lucy’s eyes twinkled as she reached for the backpack sitting on the floor near her. “I know you’re joking, but I better check.”
He and Miles exchanged amused glances as she pulled out a pile of shot glasses, magnets, bags of hot peanuts, bottles of barbeque sauce for Aunt Claire and Mila, and a large bottle of Tennessee whiskey for her cousins to share. Lucy appeared to do a mental checklist as she tried to remember which souvenir went to which family member. She frowned for a second before she dug back into the bag, finally pulling out a guitar pick.
“Phew. Thought I’d lost the pick Billy asked me to get for him.” Lucy started tossing everything back in her bag.
“Billy?” Miles asked.
“Yeah. You met him when we were filming. He works in the brewery.”
“Tall, thin guy, blond hair?” Joey asked.
Lucy nodded. “That’s him. He started playing guitar in high school. We were dating at the time, and he insisted on learning my favorite song, ‘Just the Way You Are.’ The Bruno Mars song, not the Billy Joel one. He’s got a really great singing voice. He plays at the brewery tasting room one Saturday a month.”
Joey frowned. “You dated Billy?”
Lucy nodded. “Yeah, for most of our junior year.”
“Was he your first boyfriend?” Miles asked, his arms crossed. He didn’t appear pleased to discover Lucy was working with an ex. Joey could relate. He’d never been a particularly jealous guy…until now.
Lucy added another scoop of the macaroni and cheese to her plate, oblivious to their sudden black looks. “Yeah, he was.”
Miles must have realized he’d asked the wrong question because he went back in with a follow-up. “As in, your first time first boyfriend?”
Lucy blushed and giggled. “Well, yeah. But things didn’t work out. In the end, we realized we were better off as friends, so we split the summer before we were seniors.”
“And now he works at the brewery?” Joey asked.
Lucy’s smile began to fade under their third degree. “To be fair, he’s always worked at the farm, started part-time when he was a sophomore. After he graduated, he came on full-time.”
Miles leaned back in his chair. “And that’s not awkward?”
Lucy’s nose crinkled up adorably whenever she was confused. “Why would it be awkward?” She paused a second before her expression cleared. “Oh, you mean because we had sex? No, it’s not awkward. For one thing, it’s ancient history, and for another, I was serious about us being great friends.”
“Is he dating anyone? Married?” Joey hoped she’d throw them a bone because, while she didn’t have a problem working with her former lover, he wasn’t so sure he felt the same way.
“Nope. He’s single.”
Joey blew out a slow breath, trying to get his shit together, knowing his reaction was super misplaced. Especially since he and Lucy hadn’t kissed since their first day on the road, and it wasn’t like they were a couple. While he’d flirted with her nonstop, he’d been hesitant to push the envelope until Miles was on board.
He was trying to follow Tony’s advice by being patient, while showing his friend just how well the three of them fit together. There were moments—like now—when he felt like he was making progress. Because Miles was as hot under the collar about Lucy and her ex working together as he was. Unfortunately, so far, those optimistic glimpses had been too few and far between.
Miles ran a hand over his head, and Joey got the sense he was doing the same mental exercises—talking himself off the ledge before he said something stupid.
“Do you work with any other exes we should know about?” Miles was going for levity, but his husky, almost grunting tone belied the forced smile.
Lucy laughed and shook her head. “Nope. Only Billy. My other ex lives in Chicago.”
“Other…” Joey repeated quietly. “You’ve only dated two men?”
Lucy gave him an exasperated look. “You’ve seen where I live, Joey. It’s not like there are available guys hanging out on every street corner. I grew up in a small town, so I know every single man in Gracemont who’s my age. The pickings are slim, believe me.”
“So who was the other ex?” Joey was aware they hadn’t really engaged in the standard past relationships conversation yet.
Which might be the only topic they’d missed in the past few days, because God knew they’d talked about every other thing under the sun. Joey would have bet money that he had already learned everything there was to know about Miles, but damn if Lucy hadn’t drawn out no less than twenty new stories about his best friend’s childhood, his most embarrassing moments, as well as his philosophies about life and death that Joey had never heard.
“Marco,” Lucy replied. “He was also a Gracemont guy, but we didn’t start dating until after graduation. I didn’t go out a lot socially after high school because I was helping take care of Grandma, and then Granddaddy. I went to Whiskey Abbey on my twenty-third birthday and Marco was there. We ran into each other around town from time to time, and we were always friendly, but that night he asked me to dance. Then he called me the next day and invited me to the movies. We dated for a couple years.”
“Why did you break up?” Miles asked.
“He left town in search of greener pastures. One of the things we had in common was our desire to see more of the world. Marco went through with it, packing up his car and heading west. He asked me to come with him, but I couldn’t leave my family and the farm.”
Joey wasn’t sure how to feel about that response. Lucy was close to her family, and she took her responsibilities at the brewery seriously. He’d hoped the fact she’d come out on the road with them meant she was open to the possibility of a different kind of life than the one she was living. The fact that she’d said no to Marco left him wondering if the only reason she was here now was because they had couched their invitation as a vacation, not a lifetime.
“He’s doing really great in Chicago. Got engaged last Christmas. We catch up whenever he comes back to Gracemont to visit his family.”
Joey grinned. “You stay in touch with your exes.”
Lucy took a sip of her beer. “Neither of my breakups were bad, and they’re both nice guys, so why not? So do I even want to ask about the millions of ex-girlfriends in y’all’s pasts?”
Miles jerked his thumb at Joey. “This guy could probably entertain you for a few years on that subject.”
Joey shook his head. “Actually, I think I could tackle my list quicker than yours, Miles, because she asked about ex- girlfriends . While I’ve gone on lots of dates, I’ve only called a few women girlfriends, and those relationships happened so long ago, there’s not much to tell.”
“No broken hearts?” Lucy asked, eyes wide.
Joey shrugged. “Sure. A couple. First big one was in high school. Got dumped by Mandy Preston, the head cheerleader.”
Miles rolled his eyes. “Of course, you dated the head cheerleader.”
Joey reached across the table and punched Miles on the shoulder. “Jealous bastard.”
“What happened with Mandy?” Lucy placed her elbow on the table, resting her chin in her hand.
“We dated for a few months my junior year. I thought it was love. She felt otherwise. I remember thinking it was the end of the world when she dumped me for another guy, but when I look back now, I wonder if my overblown reaction was because of my mom.”
“You were still grieving,” Lucy said.
To be honest, this was the first time Joey had considered the connection between his broken heart and his mother’s death, though it made sense. “I suffered from an extreme broken heart, crying in my room, swearing off women forever. Drove my brothers crazy for weeks talking about Mandy nonstop, wavering between ways to get her back and bemoaning my lonely state. Finally, Tony stormed into my room one afternoon and told me to suck it up.”
Miles chuckled. “That sounds like Tony. Did you do it?”
Joey nodded. “Yeah. Of course, it helped he’d also set me up on a blind date with the sister of the girl he was dating at the time. Nothing helps mend a broken heart like the captain of the volleyball team.”
Miles and Lucy laughed.
“Since high school, it’s been a lot of casual relationships. Nothing to write home about, I’m afraid to say.” Joey hated to admit just how bad his track record was. “But that hasn’t stopped me from looking for the one.” He looked at Lucy as he spoke, grinning when she blushed. He wasn’t exactly hiding the fact he hoped she might be that one.
“How about you?” Lucy asked, turning to Miles. “How long is your list?”
Joey wondered if Miles would answer her question. Rhiannon certainly seemed to be a taboo topic for his best friend, considering Joey hadn’t even heard the nitty-gritty details of their relationship until just over a week ago.
He was surprised when Miles wiped his mouth, then said, “There’s only one woman on my list.”
“Rhiannon?” Lucy asked. Joey had mentioned the other woman’s name the other day in the kitchen. Obviously, Lucy had been paying attention.
Miles nodded…and then, to Joey’s relief, he opened up, telling Lucy everything he’d shared with him about their ups and downs. Lucy listened attentively, asking questions throughout.
“So you’re texting and calling each other now?” Lucy asked as Miles’s story wound down.
Miles didn’t seem pleased with his own answer when he said, “Yeah.”
Lucy quickly waved her hands. “I didn’t mean that as a judgment. I mean, I’m still friends with both my exes, and you and Rhiannon had an even longer history.”
“I’m just not sure…” Miles hesitated.
“That you’re over her?” Lucy asked gently.
Miles shook his head. “No. I’m over her. I’m just not sure I should be opening the door to friendship.”
Joey didn’t point out that Miles had told him point-blank he hadn’t intended to. He was curious why Miles hadn’t held firm to that assertion.
Lucy seemed to understand. “Maybe not. But I can’t imagine it helps that your mother still wants you to be with her.”
Miles frowned. “I’m a grown man. While I don’t go out of my way to disappoint my mother, this is one time when I can’t give her what she wants. I’ve moved on.”
“Have you?” Joey asked.
“I have. Jesus, man.” Miles rubbed his jaw wearily. “I played the dumbass the last three times we were together. Fourth time is not going to be the charm. Besides, I can never trust her again. Ever.”
Joey tried to be appeased by Miles’s reassurance, but he wasn’t wholly convinced.
Lucy reached out to take Miles’s hand. “Only you know what you’re capable of handling, Miles. If you think you can be friends with Rhiannon, you should be. If not, then walk away. Just make sure to protect yourself…and this.” She reached over, placing her other hand on his heart.
Miles covered her hand with his. “I will.” His fingers grabbed hers so he could lift her hand, placing a soft kiss on her palm. “Thanks for listening.”
Lucy gave him an adorable grin. “It’s sort of what I do. Romance guru and all that shit.”
They laughed, then fell quiet again as they finished their meals.
Joey considered everything they’d just shared, enjoying the contentment he felt with them, the closeness. It was as if every time the three of them were alone together, they peeled off another layer, revealing bits and pieces of the things they typically held inside.
“What do you say we clear the table and watch a movie?” Joey suggested.
Miles rose, grabbing his plate. “Sounds good.”
The three of them worked to pack the leftovers, then wash and dry the dishes.
Twenty minutes later, they settled together on the couch, as Joey flipped through their choices on Apple TV while they debated which movie to watch. In the end, Lucy made the choice, insisting Miles needed to see When Harry Met Sally , so he would better understand why her couples sat on their couches for the Kiss and Tell interviews.
Lucy was curled up in between them for the first half, until Joey decided he didn’t like the distance between them. Shifting toward her, he placed his arm around her shoulders, crowding her closer to Miles.
Miles shot him a knowing look over her head, smirking.
Joey liked the smirk because it felt like permission to keep going. He played with Lucy’s hair, enjoying the way she nuzzled against him. He was debating how to move things up another level, when Lucy took over for him, pushing her bare feet beneath Miles’s thigh.
Miles glanced at her, grinning when she said, “My feet are cold.”
Joey chuckled. “Oh yeah? How about your hands? Are they cold?” He reached for them as he asked, cupping them between his before lifting them to his mouth to place warm kisses on her skin.
“That helps,” she murmured.
From his peripheral vision, he could see Miles’s hand resting on her calf, his thumb slowly stroking it.
They pretended to watch the movie for a little longer, even as they continued to touch each other.
Lucy shifted her feet to Miles’s lap, groaning softly when he deepened his massage of her calves, his hands slipping under the legs of her jeans to do so.
Joey ran his fingers through Lucy’s hair before gripping her neck, using his hold to pull her toward him so that he could place a kiss on the top of her head.
Lucy wasn’t idle, her hands digging into Joey’s thighs, her feet into Miles’s, giving each of them a massage of their own. She giggled briefly, capturing Joey’s attention, and he realized Miles was tickling the sole of her foot.
Before long, the movie was completely forgotten as Joey did what he vowed to himself he wouldn’t.
He stepped over the line.
Guiding wasn’t working.
Time for some force.
Tilting Lucy’s face upward, he cupped her chin and kissed her. It was a long, slow kiss that drugged his senses as time stood still. Lucy’s hands drifted higher, her fingers brushing over the crotch of his jeans. She drew in a quick intake of breath when she felt his erection tenting the denim.
Joey broke the kiss, placing his forehead against hers briefly before letting his gaze travel to Miles.
Lucy followed it, turning to face Miles, who remained still. While he didn’t seek to close the distance, he didn’t move when Lucy shifted toward him. Joey figured his friend was going for plausible deniability. If Lucy made the move, Miles could feign innocence.
Or he could have if Miles hadn’t grasped her shoulders at the first touch of Lucy’s lips on his and tugged her body against his.
“Lucy,” Miles whispered against her mouth. “Sweet Lucy.”
Joey watched until he couldn’t resist joining in. God only knew how Miles would react, but his strength was gone, and he doubted it was ever coming back.
Moving across the couch, Joey wrapped his arm around Lucy’s waist, drawing her long blonde hair over one shoulder, baring her neck. As Miles consumed her lips and her soft cries, Joey placed a long line of kisses down the side of her neck, nibbling and licking every luscious inch.
He felt, rather than saw, Miles still when he realized just how close Joey was, but that response was mercifully brief as Miles deepened the kiss, moving a hand to grip her hair in his fist.
When Lucy whimpered, Joey lifted his head, watching as Miles tightened his hold, pulling her hair. Joey wanted to produce one of those whimpers himself.
Slipping his hands under her sweater, he drew his fingers up her stomach, cupping her breasts over her lace bra. Lucy wasn’t overly endowed, but she had more than enough to fill his hands. Her back arched, silently demanding more.
Miles continued to kiss her, and Joey had a front row seat. Miles stroked his tongue along her lower lip before nipping it.
Lucy jerked slightly, though he didn’t know if it was from Miles’s love bite or because Joey had slipped his fingers beneath her bra to pinch her nipples.
They were offering her smalls tastes of pain, testing to see if they added to her pleasure. Given the sounds she was making and the way her body was writhing between them, Joey would say they’d found one of their girl’s hot buttons.
Lucy was the first to break the kiss, sucking in deep breaths even as her hands kept a tight hold on Miles’s head.
Miles was gasping as well, his eyes closed. When he opened them, they landed first on Lucy’s flushed face, then on Joey.
Something shuttered in his expression, and Joey had to bite back a curse when his best friend disentangled himself from Lucy’s arms, scooting away from them.
“I…” Miles started. “We…” He frowned, clearly unhappy with himself for getting carried away.
Lucy stiffened in Joey’s arms.
No. Fuck that.
He wasn’t going to let this moment turn awkward, wasn’t going to let Miles pretend this is wrong.
“That was hot,” Joey murmured in Lucy’s ear. “You’re so beautiful, honey.”
His words penetrated, Lucy giving him an almost shy smile over her shoulder. “It was hot.” She held Joey’s gaze, and he got the sense she was avoiding looking at Miles.
Joey wasn’t going to let his friend off the hook that easily. He exchanged a glance with Miles, lifting one eyebrow, a clear invitation for him to say something.
Miles remained stubbornly silent.
Sighing, Joey reclaimed his side of the couch, Lucy scooching back to the center. The movie was almost over, but none of them were interested enough to rewind it.
Joey took Lucy’s hand in his, giving it a squeeze as they pretended to watch the movie.
After another fifteen minutes, the credits began to scroll.
Joey expected Miles to make a quick escape, but Lucy spoke before that could happen.
“Can I ask you guys something?”
He and Miles nodded.
“Have the two of you ever…” Lucy waved her hand in the air, clearly uncomfortable with her question. “I mean, I was wondering… Never mind.”
“Ask your question, Lucy,” Joey demanded.
“You told me about your siblings, Joey. About their relationships. Is that something that, um, the two of you are looking for?”
Miles shook his head, saying, “Absolutely not.”
At the same time, Joey replied, “Yes.”
Her gaze traveled between them. “So the two of you have never…”
Lucy never struggled to speak what was on her mind, so Joey wondered if her issues now were based on embarrassment or something else.
“What just happened on this couch is as close as Miles and I have ever come to sharing a woman.” Joey’s response took Lucy’s cheeks from pink to bloodred in an instant.
“I shouldn’t have let things go that far,” Miles added.
There was no denying the hurt in Lucy’s expression at his comment. “Because you don’t want?—”
“Don’t,” Miles interjected, lifting his hand. “Don’t even think that, Lucy.” Softer, he added, “But please don’t ask either.”
Joey stared at his best friend, grateful Miles wasn’t attempting to lie, to tell Lucy he didn’t want her. Of course, that was where the gratitude ended because the bastard also didn’t want to confess to his feelings either.
“So you don’t want to be part of a threesome?” Lucy asked Miles.
“I’m a one-man, one-woman kind of guy. There’s no way in hell I can take off my clothes and have sex with a woman while another man is lying in the bed. I’m not wired that way. I’m not saying there’s anything wrong with what Joey’s brothers and sister have, nothing wrong with Joey for wanting it too. It’s just not what I want.”
As much as he hated what Miles was saying, it also opened the door for Joey to probe a bit deeper. “Is your hesitance a jealousy thing?”
Miles didn’t answer immediately, which told Joey he was seriously thinking about the question. When Miles’s gaze drifted between him and Lucy, Joey realized Miles had found his answer. And he didn’t like it.
Finally, Miles shook his head. “I…I don’t think it is.”
“Can I ask you something else?” Lucy asked.
Joey got the sense Miles wanted to refuse, his friend struggling with the conversation as much as Lucy.
“Sure,” he said, somewhat begrudgingly.
“Did you like it when the three of us kissed?”
Joey had been looking at Lucy, but at her question, his eyes flew to Miles.
Miles dodged the question by asking one of his own. “Are you asking that because you want to participate in a threesome?”
Lucy bit her lower lip. “It’s not something I’ve ever thought about before Joey told me about his family.”
Joey leaned forward. “But you’ve been thinking about it since?”
“It’s pretty hard not to. I like kissing both of you,” she admitted.
She had to be the bravest woman Joey had ever met, to be so willing to lay out her feelings without reservation and in the face of rejection.
“I like kissing you too,” Joey said.
Miles grimaced, then admitted, “Fine. I liked it. But, dammit, kissing is a hell of a lot different from sex, Lucy.”
She nodded. “I know that. And I have to admit that while I love what we just did on this couch, I’m not a hundred percent positive I wouldn’t freak out or freeze up if we tried to take things any further.”
Joey kissed the side of her head. “We would never ask you to do something you weren’t comfortable with.”
She gave Joey a sweet smile. “I know that too. I trust you.” Then she turned to Miles. “I trust both of you. So…” She lifted one shoulder, her adorable expression letting Joey know that while she might not be totally on board, she wasn’t ready to jump ship like Miles. “Maybe we could extend this grand adventure, just a little bit, and keep kissing.”
Miles bowed his head and rubbed his temples. He didn’t agree outright, but in some ways, Joey thought what he said next was even better.
“Trouble,” he muttered under his breath.
Joey was reminded of their first afternoon in the RV, and he chuckled. “Grand adventure, huh?”
“I only have this limited amount of time to pack in as many experiences as I can,” she said.
“We could have more than just this trip.” There was no way in hell Joey was letting this end after Texas. “We can come visit you over the holidays. Or you could come see us in Philly.”
Lucy shook her head. “No. I have too many responsibilities at home. I can’t take any more time off and even if you came to visit, I would still have to work. I think it’s best if the adventure has an end date. The one we already agreed on.”
“End date,” Miles muttered in disgust.
For the first time, he saw Miles waver. Joey had been approaching this thing with forever in mind, and his best friend had balked. Big-time.
Now…
Joey sighed. One step forward, thirty-two back. He stood up and held his hand out for Lucy. “Come on.”
She placed her hand in his as she rose. “Where are we going?”
He pointed in the direction of the bedroom. “To bed.”
When she tried to jerk her hand from his, he clarified, “To sleep. Just sleep.”
“Then why not stay in our own—” Lucy started.
Joey cut her off. “Because you’ve started a damn countdown, and I’m tired of keeping my distance from you, honey. I want to lay down next to you and watch you sleep.”
“Perv,” she joked.
Joey winked. “Guilty as charged. Miles?”
He fully expected Miles to refuse to join them.
The fact that he didn’t sparked something dangerous inside Joey. Something stupid. Because he was a million miles away from getting what he wanted.
But that didn’t stop him from feeling…
Hope.
And it kept growing when—after each of them took a turn in the bathroom to change—they returned to the bedroom.
Lucy climbed in first, sliding to the middle, as Joey claimed the right side. He held his breath until Miles blew out a long, slow sigh and slipped under the covers on the left.
Joey had lived in a lot of different places, laid his head down on a lot of different pillows.
Tonight was the first time he ever felt like he’d finally found home.
It wasn’t this RV.
It wasn’t this bed.
It was them.