by Leigh Lennon
My frenzy at tearing into the letter overtook any anger at Bo. I tore it from his hand and coveted every word staring at me. It had been six weeks, and I ached to hear anything from him.
Dear Foxy and Bo,
I hope I’m still able to call you my own. I haven’t gone a day without thinking of you both, and Declan and the plans we’d made the night before I injured Dec. I’ve been in contact with Shelby and Willow Burns, Mitchell’s wife and daughter. I’ve been honest with them, expressing my guilt for surviving when he hadn’t. Willow had told me she’d wanted to reach out to me, to ask me to walk her down the aisle, but thought it would be too much. I told her it would be my honor to fill in for her father. The ceremony is in Green Bay on March 25th. I’m flying straight to the ceremony, but I’d love nothing more than the three of you there with me, if there’s still an us to come back to.
I continued to read the details of the ceremony and the address, looking up at Bodhi. “Well, what do you think?” I was almost too nervous to ask.
“Well, it looks like we’re going to Green Bay to stake claim to our man. And this time, we’re not returning without him.”
38
Jack
I hadn’t seen Shelby or Willow since the funeral, but they welcomed me back in their lives as family.
“Is anyone with you?” Shelby asked, sitting down with me, a cup of coffee for the both of us, after Willow had hugged me and introduced her groom to me.
“I actually hope there will be.” Shelby was a beautiful woman, and though she’d aged, time had been kind to her. It wasn’t hard to see the reason Mitchell fell in love with her so many years ago. “You know about me and my sexuality, right?”
A little smile peeked over the top of her mug. “Of course I do. Mitchell told me everything, and I mean everything. Plus, I’d cyber-stalked you since I missed you so much. And saw you had something with a married couple, a few years ago.”
“Ah, the same Shelby,” I teased, “still snoopy as ever.”
“Yep, that’s true. Just ask Willow. She won’t have any issue telling you how invasive I can be.” She took a sip of her coffee. “So, tell me, I know you’re not with the last couple, so who is it now?”
I started at the beginning, spilling everything, and as the nosy yet caring person Shelby Burns was, she sat on the edge of her seat, immersed in every detail. “Well, Jack, I have to tell you, if they come tomorrow, I’ll be the first one to kick your ass if you ever let them go again.”
Willow was adamant she’d marry in her childhood home, with the memories of her dad as the backdrop. To say I was honored to give this woman away was an understatement. In the years I’d known Mitchell, his daughter meant everything to him in this world. He’d been ready to return to knock Shelby up again, as he’d always teased, though he’d been serious. He’d wanted a whole gaggle of kids, and it was his dream to be at every game, every play, every recital, being everything for his children. I always thought his dream died with him, but as I watched Willow walk out of her childhood home, I understood his dream stood right in front of me.
“Your dad would be so proud.”
In all her twenty-one years of wisdom, she took my arm with the largest smile covering her face. “My dad is here. He’s on the other side of me. He’d want me to be my happiest, never giving up what he fought to protect.” She paused, placing a kiss on my cheek. “And, Uncle Jack, he’d want this for you, too.”
My eyes were focused ahead and not on the guests. What if they didn’t come? I didn’t want my disappointment to interrupt this day for my best friend’s daughter. In her long and slender gown, her resemblance to Mitchell was uncanny. Her strawberry hair, her daddy’s brown eyes, and his smile gave me a gift Willow Burns had no idea she was giving me. It was peace finally after all these years.
“Who gives this woman away?” the pastor asked. Leaning down, I pulled the veil over her head and placed a kiss on her cheek, then I handed her over to her soon-to-be husband.
“I do, in honor of her late father, Captain Mitchell Burns.” A small tear fell from Willow’s face as she mouthed, “Thank you,” and I turned to sit next to her mother, in the wonder and fear that when the ceremony was over, I’d see my people, the loves of my life, who I’d never leave again.
“You may kiss the bride.” After the pastor’s proclamation, everyone erupted in applause for the happy couple. I took Shelby’s arm, following everyone back up the aisle. Again, like before, my eyes stayed on Shelby and Willow. When we got to the end, I hadn’t turned around as a little person catapulted himself at me. “Dackity Dack,” he cried, his arms wrapping around my neck. “Did u leev cause of mees?”
I hadn’t had a chance to adjust to Dec being on me when the strong arms of Bodhi enclosed me. It happened so fast, I hadn’t seen Clara between us until her lavender aroma filled my senses.
“Oh, never, son, never!” I couldn’t take my eyes off him.
Tussling his hair, I watched as his sweet gray eyes filled with tears. “Doen eva leeve us adain.”
Clara pressed between Bo and me and reached for my hand. “Yes, promise us, you won’t ever leave us again?”
My glance turned to Bodhi, his fingers raking through my hair. “Please, don’t ever leave us again. We need you.”
All three sets of eyes were on me, and in them, I knew the answer before I was able to articulate it. “Never, I’m never leaving you again.” And it was the one promise I’d never break.
Epilogue
Clara
Six months later
“Are you sure?” I would have been happy either way. Actually, happy wasn’t the right word. Ecstatic was a better way to describe how I was feeling, but I’d hoped to even out the testosterone in our family a little bit.
“Ninety-nine percent positive,” the doctor confirmed. Bo was on the left of me, his one hand on my stomach, and the other laced with my fingers. Jack was only staring at the monitor, the beat of our son’s little heart being the only thing he was focused on.
“A boy, another boy. You hear that, babe?” Bo asked, but I didn’t think Jack was listening to anyone. “Jack, babe, are you okay?”
His gaze shifted from the monitor, to Bodhi, and then to me. “It’s just become so real. I love Dec. He’s mine as much as this baby will be. But I missed so much with Dec. Seeing this heartbeat, hell, I can’t believe it.”
Jack often talked about his life with his last triad. He didn’t think he was worthy, not in the least. It took all the lessons of life to make him understand true biology didn’t make you a dad. Sure, technically, it made you a father, but a dad was the one who came to all the doctors’ appointments, got up with your sick son when they had court the next day, and simply loved him as his own, every day of his life.
“Babe, this is your baby. Our baby. He will be everything to us, as Dec already is.” Bodhi’s words filled the room, and when the doctor gave us some time alone, he moved over to Bo and me, bringing us both in his embrace. “I love you both so much. Thank you for giving me the life I never knew I deserved.” With that, we held one another, knowing our bond as three was always stronger than just the two of us together could be.
Bodhi
Two years later
“I’m as big as a fucking house. Why does my premiere have to be tonight of all nights?” Clara whined, meeting us in the living space of the swanky hotel in New York City. We’d left Dec and Anthony, our one-year-old, at home with Laura. At twenty-six weeks, she was as big as she was with Anthony right before she gave birth to him. But no one, and I mean no one, would tell our wife this.
Yes, she was our wife, Jack’s and mine. It wasn’t in the legal sense. On paper, she was married to Jack, but in our ceremony, the one we celebrated a month after Anthony arrived in this world, the three of us were joined together in every way that mattered. We’d also been asked to move to the compound, where several sets of our threesome friends had started their families, but we loved the hustle and bustle of the city,
though we visited quite often.
Clara had on a gown in her favorite color, black, that showcased her beautiful chest, which had only gotten bigger with this pregnancy. “They couldn’t have done the premiere three months ago when I was barely showing. No, Savannah and Bryant’s story had to come to the big screen when I look like Shamu the fucking whale.”
I leaned into Jack. “Isn’t Shamu dead?” I asked, and in his chuckle, he pulled me in close to him to answer.
“The original one, yes, but since then, there have been several Shamus at Sea World. And I’d certainly not lead with that, babe. I’d tread lightly.” The endless amount of random trivia this man knew shocked me, and this only made me laugh harder, catching Clara’s attention.
We both surrounded our bride on each side, touching the baby bump as we called it, so she’d think we hadn’t noticed how round her belly had actually gotten.
“Foxy, you’re so sexy.”
Her eyes threatened to spill tears over her made-up face, and this would only make her cry harder, knowing her makeup was ruined.
“You have to say this. You’re married to me.”
I pulled her tight to me with Jack behind her. “No, we don’t, and tonight, after watching Bryant and Savannah, we’re going to show you how fucking sexy you still are.”
“Promise?” she asked.
We both answered her at the same time. “We promise.”
Bonus Epilogue
Ten years later
Jack
“We’re going to be late, son,” I urged, throwing his jacket at him.
“Do I have to go? It’s a baby party, and I’m not a baby.” Declan’s argument was the same one he led with every time we were invited to a party for one of our friend’s growing families. Gone were the days when we’d been drunk or have sex on the bathroom countertops. I didn’t realize I was smiling with the memory of how all of this began when Declan’s voice called out for my attention.
“Dad, why do you have that goofy look on your face?” Our son still hated crowds and lots of people. Elliot had insisted so many years ago I stay at Daria’s surprise party, and it changed my life. Maybe Dec will have the same happiness one day.
“I’ll tell you what. Maggie is going, too.” It was hard when it came to Dec’s apparent crush on Maggie, since at one time, she was like a daughter to me when I was with Dane and Cami. But now, her life was as perfect for her as my life was for me. Looking at my son, I continued, “Maybe you two can hang out together. She isn’t fond of this stuff either.” I was still close to Maggie and Bridget, but more so, Declan didn’t have to be told more than once about Maggie’s presence. He quickly put his coat on and waited for me by the door of our home, the same apartment Bodhi and Clara bought ten years ago as they waited for me to return to them.
“Come on, Austin, hurry up,” Declan demanded of his younger brother passing his room.
“You told him Maggie would be there. That’s how you got him so eager to leave the house, right?” Clara asked, pulling her gray hair, still laced with pink into a high messy bun. She was zipping up her jacket when I stopped her. “Don’t cover the girls. I love being able to move the rearview mirror when I’m driving, getting excited for what we’re going to do with you tonight.”
She obeyed me, just as she had since the day it was revealed she got off on my bossiness. “It’s the only girls around here, besides myself,” she replied.
It was true; a house with two husbands and four boys meant our wife was outnumbered for sure. Even the cat she finally talked us into getting last year was a male.
“And because you can’t keep your eyes off our wife’s tits when you drive, I’ll be driving to the compound this afternoon.” Bodhi appeared from our bedroom, swiping the keys out of my hands.
“You’ll pay for this later,” I warned him.
“Bring it on, Sir,” he teased, but Bo loved my punishments too much.
“Oh, gross,” Anthony called out, coming out of his room, the one that used to be my home office. “Can you guys not talk about sex for I don’t know, maybe forever?” Our ten-year-old was more dramatic than the others, and like me, he had to talk everything to exhaustion.
“Mommy, Dec be means to mees. I hurry and he yelly at me.” Bodhi popped his head around the corner.
“Declan Chambers-Calypso, don’t speak to Edmund like you just have.” Our littlest, Edmund Jonathon Chambers-Calypso was certainly the baby of the family, and Declan, at times, had very little patience for him.
“Instead of yelling, why don’t you help him?” Clara’s calm voice was received better by our sometimes broody teenager.
“Okay, Edmund, let me help you tie your shoes, buddy.” And like that, our son was on a mission, but it was to get to the compound, as we called the little village of threesomes, to hang out with the pretty girl he’d had a crush on since I could remember.
“Are you ready, Triple C?” Bodhi asked. Technically, Clara now had four C’s in her name, but Quadruple C didn’t sound as good as Triple C.
“Anthony, Austin, Edmund, Dec? You ready?” I called through the apartment.
All four boys responded at the same time. “Yeah.” Clara grabbed my hand on one side of me, Bodhi bent down to scoop up Edmund, pulling for my fingers with his free hand. We were out the door, continuing to embrace the second chance at life we’d all been given so long ago.
The End
What I learned along the way
There was a lot of research that went into this book from Type 1 Diabetes, to the autism spectrum, to PTSD, and prosthetics. Each subject, I wanted to handle with the utmost of care. Each has a level of sensitivity, and I never wanted to get any of them wrong.
Declan was loosely based on a person I love more than I have the words to articulate. He was portrayed as a boy on the spectrum who was highly functional. His character was fun to create, with a heart of gold. So many of my little kids are sassy little girls, because it’s what I’m used to in my world, but writing this little boy, was truly a wonderful experience. I hope you loved Declan as much as I loved writing him.
I’ve never written about a person who lost part of himself, physically like Jack had. Even though Jack appears first in Famous, his injury was not something that was deeply explained, like it is in this book. He’s had this injury for some time, by the time he begins a relationship with Clara. He’s learned to physically adapt. He can run, work out, and has learned to live with it in every way, except for the psychological effects that still plague him, which was one reason for his PTSD.
These are two subjects I’ve not had a lot of experience in, and so the research was intense. There was a lot of information, and I chose carefully how I’d write both his prosthetic and his PTSD.
As always, writing about the military, as I did in this book, is personal to me, but Jack was in the Army whereas I was in the Navy. I love finding out more about military jobs and titles because they differ greatly from branch to branch.
This was a deep book to write. There were so many hard subject matters from the beginning all the way to the end. It wasn’t a light story, by any means, but I hope you enjoyed Jack, Clara, and Bodhi’s journey as much as I loved creating them.
Until the next book,
~Leigh
Acknowledgments
It Takes a Village!
First and foremost, to the women who take the very rough draft of my words in the most raw form and treat it with the utmost care and respect. I can’t thank my beta readers enough! Nancy George, Megan Harris, Rebecca Berland, and Kelly Green! I could not do this without you! You all amaze me with what you do for me.
Auden, what can I say, we’ve made it this far.
Thanks so much, Najla Qamber, you rock! You did it again! My cover is absolutely beautiful!
Julie Deaton—you rock and are truly such a gem in this indie community! I adore you so much and consider it an honor to be able to work with you! Thank you for all you do for me!
Kelly Gree
n—Man, I hit the jackpot with you! You are honestly, such a godsend in my life.
Jenny Sims—Thanks for helping my words make sense. You are truly a wonder to work with!
Thanks to my dear friend, Elizabeth, who listens to my stories over and over again as if she’s heard them for the first time, which she hasn’t! I treasure you!
Dawn—Who knew after twenty-five plus years ago, we’d still be best friends after all this time. I’m so grateful for you!
I can’t say enough to my Facebook group page; Succulent and Sassy Reads! You all are so awesome and I am humbled you follow me and encourage me to continue writing.
Thanks so much to my wonderful beta readers and my incredible arc team and to everyone who read an advance copy and posted a review! You ladies are so valuable to me!
I want to thank my readers because without you, this would not be possible!
Of course, none of this would be a possibility without the Hubs and our little ones that call me mom! I love you more than I can express.
About the Author
Leigh Lennon is mother, veteran and a wife of a cancer survivor. Originally with a degree in education, she started writing as an outlet that has led to a deep passion, writing twelve books. Now ready to publish all of them, she lugs her computer with her as she crafts her next story. Her imaginary friends become real on her pages as she creates a world for them. She loves pretty nails, spikey hair and large earrings. Leigh can be found drinking coffee or wine, depending on the time of the day.
