Page 30 of Mine to Love
Charlene and Oswald were too busy with whatever parties they were attending to give her a second thought.
“If she’s going to actually give up the badge, it will be next month.” Trinity lifted her glass. “Let’s hope she does it. All the boys love their mother and have enjoyed working for her, but it’s time for Nathan to take over. He’ll do it for ten years, then maybe Emmett will for two or three. After that.” Trinity shrugged. “Well, this town might see a chief of police who doesn’t have the last name Kirby for the first time in like forever.”
“What about Emmerson? Doesn’t he want to be chief?”
Trinity laughed. “God, no. He loves being a cop, hates managing people, and there’s a good chance he retires when his baby is born. He’s been talking about getting his PI license and working with Rhett while helping Jameson expand his handyman business.”
“All the Kirby boys have so much in common, yet they are all so different.” Not that she really knew any of them, but they were all staples at the diner. Everyone in town knew who they were and for the most part, they all had good things to say about each and every one.
Except Miles.
But that was just a handful of women who had either heard she was living next door or who had seen her chatting with him and made it their life’s work to warn her off because he’d done them wrong somehow. But even they didn’t say he was a badperson, just not dating material, unless all you wanted was a good time because that’s all Miles was capable of.
“All you really need to know about them is they are good people and they will show up when you need them, and sometimes when you don’t.” Trinity laughed. “So, tell me. What’s going on with you and Miles?”
“Absolutely nothing.” She took a big gulp of her wine. Only that man had gotten under her skin and tickled all her girly parts. The ones she thought her ex-husband had successfully killed. Miles ignited a fire in her belly and it had roared to life and no matter how many times she tried to put it out, a spark caught and it exploded.
He crept into her daily thoughts and visited her dreams.
She’d never sworn off men. But she had tabled the idea of them until she got on her own two feet. She needed to know she could take care of herself, and her brother, before she allowed anyone back in her life. It wasn’t that she didn’t want a life partner, she did. But she had a lot of shit to deal with before that happened.
“You’re kidding, right?” Trinity swung her legs over the side of her chair. “Isn’t this a double date?”
“With a fifth wheel named Gabriel?” Liberty did her best to make a joke, but it fell flat. “No. It’s not. I just couldn’t say no to Gabriel and honestly, when Miles said you’d be here and I’d have girl time, I jumped at it.”
“That’s a nice compliment and I’m certainly having fun getting to know you better.” She set her glass down and adjusted her hair. “But I have to ask. Are you not interested in Miles because of his reputation as a ladies’ man or are you just not into him?”
Now that was a loaded question. One she wasn’t quite sure how to answer. Maybe being honest might help her sort it out. “Can I be honest? Without it being repeated?”
Trinity raised her hands. “This is the circle trust. I’m not telling anyone, including my husband.”
“Do you have any idea how many women have warned me off at the café? It’s laughable. Has he really left that many broken hearts behind?”
“No.” Trinity sighed. “But some of those girls have taken him on as a challenge. Especially in the last couple of years. It’s like they have all gotten together and made a little pact about who can tie that man down. I’m not even sure any of them liked him that much going in. It was all about who could get him to fall in love. Wrong way to go about things if you ask me, and Miles, he’s got some dumb ideas about love and what it means. Watching all his brothers fall hard, it’s softened him to the concept, but he thinks it will change him and he has some other issues.”
“But you have to agree as a woman madly in love with her husband that it does change you.”
“I suppose it does, but not for the worse. Only, that’s what he grew up with and he’s guarded himself.” Trinity leaned a little closer. “I don’t know if you know anything about his childhood. But that poor man was picked on relentlessly as a kid.”
“I heard a little about that and his learning disabilities.”
“It was horrible for him and he still struggles. He also has generalized social anxiety,” Trinity said. “Last year, there was a massive party in honor of his mom. He really didn’t want to go, but we all talked him into it. He was a mess. Even with all the coping skills he’s learned over the years, he ducked out early. Crowds are not his thing.”
“Mine either, but for different reasons,” she said softly. “I understand why he’s so good with Gabriel.”
“Miles understands misfits because he thinks he’s one and while he’ll never say this out loud, he doesn’t believe he’s good enough for any woman. It’s why he has these stupid short-lived flings, except for Trixi, though I wasn’t around for that.”
“He told me about her, but only after I got an earful from her and asked him about it.”
Trinity blinked. “He’s almost never honest about that one. He doesn’t like to admit how much he actually cared about her. He once got real with his brothers and told them he was afraid a girl would stick around long enough and find out he was just a dumb man incapable of taking care of her properly, which is something Trixi’s father drilled into his head. The next morning he chalked it up to being drunk.”
Liberty opened her mouth, but only a gasp escaped. She cleared her throat. “That’s kind of sad.”
“It is.” Trinity rested her hand on Liberty’s knee. “I see the way both of you look at each other. It’s not lost on any of us. But Miles is the kind of man who gives up when a girl shows little to no interest and we all know he’s asked you out and you’ve said no at least four times. He hasn’t called it quits.”
“He’s helping me with my ex-husband and my little brother does work for him, so there’s that.” Liberty stared into her drink. Her cheeks flushed.
“Holy shit. Something has happened between the two of you.” Trinity held up her hand. “I think I need to repeat my question about what’s preventing you from continuing to date my brother-in-law.”
