A Daring Journey

by Jeanne St. James

  She tapped Damon’s glass then Trevor’s before lifting it to her lips. Damon slid a hand in between her mouth and the flute to stop her.

  When she looked at him in surprise, he smiled with a glint in his eyes. “No. I have something to say first.” He held his glass up, cleared his throat and in his deep voice said, “I knew the minute I saw you, you were meant for me. That you were the one. It wasn’t just a physical or sexual attraction; it was something deeper,” he tapped his chest, “in here. You complete me, you make me whole. And I love you. Thank you for being a part of my life. Now and forever.”

  Trevor blinked. Who was Damon talking to? Him or Mac?

  Damon leaned forward and met Trevor’s eyes. “Do you believe everything I just said?”

  Trevor blinked hard again and nodded. “Yes. I feel the same.”

  Damon turned his dark brown eyes to Mac, repeating, “Do you believe everything I just said?”

  Mac’s mouth opened, closed, then opened again as an audible breath rushed from her. She was blinking just as quickly as Trevor. “You meant that for me, too?”

  Damon smiled softly and swept a lock of her long, red hair out of her face. “Yes.”

  “You love me?”

  “I wouldn’t have said it if I didn’t.” He tucked a finger under her chin and lifted her face toward him. “Don’t tell me it’s too soon. It’s been almost two months now. I know what I’m feeling.”

  “Me, too,” Trevor said.

  Mac twisted her head toward him. “You, too, what?”

  “I love you, too.”

  “But—”

  Trevor cut her off. “There’s no but. Be happy. We love you. We love each other. We have champagne and a custom-sized bed that fits the three of us. We have our health. We have good jobs. We have each other to lean on. My life is full right now. Isn’t yours?”

  “Yes, of course.”

  Trevor wanted to ask her if she felt the same way, if she loved them in return, but he didn’t want to push her into saying it if she didn’t mean it. He knew it would come eventually, if not today or even tomorrow.

  He could wait. He was used to waiting.

  He’d waited to return to Damon because he wanted to be better before he did. He’d been anxious to come home, but knew the time wasn’t right. Maybe the time wasn’t right for Mac to tell them she loved them.

  He had no doubt she would.

  Once she did, he would talk to Damon about doing one of those commitment ceremonies for the three of them. Not anything big or extravagant, but possibly on a beach somewhere on a Caribbean island with the clear blue surf tickling their bare toes.

  He could picture Damon in white linen pants and shirt, with the sleeves rolled up and the buttons undone far enough so his dark skin was a beautiful contrast to the light fabric.

  Yes, that would be sexy.

  Mac’s red hair would be in an up-do, with tendrils floating around her long, delicate neck. She’d be in a white sundress with her freckles multiplying over her cheeks and shoulders like crazy because of them being out in the sun.

  Trevor didn’t care what he wore, he just wanted to be with them. To pledge his love and loyalty to both Mac and Damon. Forever.

  He shook his little fantasy clear and looked toward Damon who was staring at him with concern. “Everything okay?”

  “Everything’s perfect.”

  “Where did you go?” Damon asked him.

  “I’ll let you know firsthand once I book the trip and plan that day.”

  Damon’s brows rose but Trevor was glad he didn’t insist on knowing the details. Instead, their lover clinked his glass with Mac’s and then Trevor’s and Trevor did the same before they lifted their flutes and took a sip.

  The bubbles tickled his nose, and while the champagne was good, the company was even better.

  And he would do his best to make sure the rest of their lives were spectacular.

  Epilogue

  Damon gripped Mac’s hand tighter as he glanced around the party. He’d never been invited to a child’s birthday party before.

  And he’d definitely never been to a party for twins.

  Or one in which most of the adults at the party were in threesomes.

  But they were.

  He counted six triads, including theirs, as they were introduced to other guests by Gryffin Ward.

  There were a few “normal” couples, like Grae and Gryff’s parents. And some single people like Gayle Ward. But for the most part, the party was full of people related to the Wards in some fashion, be it blood or otherwise.

  “We fit right in here,” Trevor said under his breath as he leaned in and wrapped an arm around Damon’s waist.

  “We’re not retired football players or high-powered attorneys,” Damon murmured back.

  Trevor laughed. That laughter sounded good in Damon’s ears. He wanted them to have a lifetime of laughter and love. The past year had been almost perfect with only a couple bumps along the way, which was to be expected. But taking Rayne’s advice, they made sure to never go to bed angry. No matter how long it took, even if half the night, they talked their problems out and figured out a way to make things better.

  And a few times, Damon had to be the one to give up control. It was difficult but, in the end, worth it.

  Mac squeezed his hand before slipping it free. “I’m going to go talk to Gia.”

  She leaned in for a kiss from him and he gladly obliged, then she gave one to Trevor before heading over to her best friend who stood with Paige and Connor and their kids under one of the many pop-up tents set up in the backyard. The sun was now high in the sky and the day getting warmer, so shade was needed.

  Mac’s best friend was no longer in the single column. But she also wasn’t in the triad column, either. Her very own “handsome hunk of dark meat”—her description, not Damon’s—had not only swept her off her feet but, from what Mac said, worshipped the very ground Gia walked on in her ridiculously high heels no one should wear to a birthday for one-year-old twins.

  But even though she only had one man, she was very happy, which was evident by the big, bright smile she wore as her man, Davis, wrapped an arm around her shoulders and whispered something in her ear.

  “I’m going to go talk some football with Trey,” Trevor said, leaning in to press his lips lightly against Damon’s before taking off. “They have a keg of beer in ice over there. Want something?”

  Damon shook his head. “I’ll get some in a bit.”

  Damon watched his lover wander over to where Trey Holloway, Cole Dixon, Ren Landis, Ty White, and Grae Ward stood in a huddle by the beer. When Trevor joined them, he was the only male in the group who never played football. But they accepted him with a slap on the back and some friendly teasing.

  Damon saw Trevor shake his head when he was offered a beer. Good boy whispered through Damon’s head. He was relieved that Trevor was sticking with his alcohol-free regimen, since booze could be such a depressant. And right now the look on Trevor’s face was joyous and carefree.

  His heart ached with how much he loved the man. He might never had accepted him back if it wasn’t for Mac. He owed her so much.

  “You don’t want to talk football?” Grant Lane, one of Gryff’s attorneys, sidled up to him, carrying his young son, Alix. The baby didn’t look anything like him. It was obvious the man wasn’t the child’s biological father, but he sure didn’t act as if he wasn’t. He loved the baby as if he was his own. Which was the case with all the fathers in the group. No matter if the kid’s DNA was theirs or not, they called them their sons or daughters and treated them as if they were blood. In their eyes, they were.

  Damon shook his head. “No, while I don’t mind watching it, I’m not an expert and would probably get bored quickly. Or sound like a fool.”

  Grant threw his head back and laughed. “Thank fuck. Because I hate football. Eli’s not a big fan, either. So it’s nice to have someone to talk to besides the ladies. Usually when the men start
talking football or sports, the women all run to their own corner to escape it. However, I also don’t want to talk about breast pumps or periods, either.”

  Damon grinned. “I could understand that.” He lifted his chin to Alix. “How old is he now?”

  “Not quite a year yet.” Grant leaned closer. “We won’t be having a party like this, so don’t be offended if you’re not invited to one.”

  Damon chuckled and lifted his hands with the palms out. “None will be taken.” He glanced around the group and his gaze bounced from one child to the next. “A lot of boys.”

  “Yes, the jock squad over there say they’re all future football players,” Eli Stone said with a sigh, stepping up to join them and taking Alix from his husband’s arms. He pressed a kiss to the baby’s chubby cheek.

  “Including yours?” Damon teased.

  Eli studied Alix for a long moment. “He can be whoever and whatever he wants to be. I won’t stop him.”

  Grant brushed a hand over the boy’s short but curly black hair. “We won’t stop him.” He turned gray eyes back to Damon. “Any kids planned in the near future?”

  “We haven’t discussed it yet. We need to plan a commitment ceremony first.”

  Logan Reed stepped up to the small group and offered Damon a red plastic cup. “You haven’t had a commitment ceremony yet?” he asked with surprise.

  Damon accepted it and took a long sip of the cold, refreshing beer. “No. Soon. We thought about doing it on a tropical island with just the three of us, but...” Damon shook his head. “But nothing. We just need to do it and stop putting it off.”

  “Is everyone ready? All three of you want that?” Logan asked, his green eyes narrowed.

  “Yes, I don’t think there’s any doubt.”

  “Then what are you waiting for?” Grant asked.

  Grant’s question was valid. What were they waiting for? There was nothing Damon wanted more than to spend the rest of his life with Mac and Trevor. And if they were going to start a family—if Mac was agreeable— then they should start soon. He was creeping up on forty and wanted to be able to keep up with young children. Especially when he looked around and saw how active the toddlers were at this party. The two older children, Preston and Cayden—Logan, Ty and Quinn’s children—were playing contently, but the others appeared as if they had drunk a case of Red Bull.

  Would he have the energy to chase young children around and be able to entertain them for hours? He hoped so.

  However, he really wanted to do the ceremony first, even if it wasn’t legal in the eyes of the law. In his eyes, it would bond them together even more, be that strong glue that held them together as a family.

  They needed rings, too. And while some of the threesomes there today legally changed their last names to hyphenated names, would Trevor and Mac be willing to do the same?

  And what would it be? Phillips-Brooks?

  They could name their first son Donovan after Mac’s last name.

  He shook himself mentally. He was getting ahead of himself.

  All three of them needed to agree with this. Having children was a big decision because once a baby was brought into the world, there was no going back.

  “Do any of the kids have problems with having three parents? Do they get bullied? Things like that?”

  “If anything, Noah and Liam, Cole and Ren’s boys, are worshipped in their school. They have two former pro football players as dads, which to other boys is cool. It’s not the kids that are judgmental, it’s the parents. It’s all in what the parents teach their children. We all tell our kids to come to us immediately if there are any issues so we can address them,” Logan said.

  Logan seemed like a no-nonsense father. But then, he seemed like a no-nonsense man in general. Damon had easily recognized him as the dominate in his triad when Damon first met him.

  “But there’s still that potential,” Damon murmured, his brows drawn low.

  Logan shrugged. “Yes, but then bullies will always find a reason to bully. Skin color, clothes, religion, or lack thereof. It doesn’t matter, it could be over anything. If you’re going to avoid having children just because you fear your sons or daughters being bullied, you’d be missing out. I can’t imagine not having our kids.”

  “Me neither,” Eli said, kissing Alix’s temple. “And we want more.”

  “Yes, we want more,” Grant agreed with a laugh. “However, Liv needs to forget the whole birthing process before she agrees to more.”

  Logan laughed. “While it’s supposed to be an emotional experience, it usually ends up being horrifying for the attending fathers. I never saw a black man turn green before, but Ty managed it. Both times.”

  “Yes, and I had to hide my expressions from Liv,” Grant added, not laughing anymore. “I think I turned an ugly shade of green, too.”

  “Great,” Damon muttered.

  Logan smacked him on the back. “Don’t worry, once you’re holding your son or daughter, you’ll forget everything that happened to bring him or her into the world.”

  “Sure he will,” Grant said under his breath.

  “Come on. Let’s not scare him off of having kids... Instead...” Logan clapped his hands together once, sharply. “Why don’t we get them hitched today? We’re all gathered here together. We have booze, friends, family, food and a beautiful day. We can all be witnesses.”

  The blood rushed into Damon’s ears and his knees wobbled just a bit. “What?”

  “That’s a great idea,” Eli said. “Dix not only did our commitment ceremony but Gryff’s. He’d be happy to do yours, too.”

  Damon’s eyes slid to Cole, standing with his back to them talking excitedly about something since his arms were swinging wildly in the air. Probably football. Or endorsements. Or something of that nature. “Dixon can do commitment ceremonies?”

  “Sure can. Anyone can do them. He just enjoys speaking in front of people, so he’s a natural at it,” Grant said.

  “No, Dix likes hearing himself talk, that’s why he likes to do them. But I think he’s an ordained something or other now, too. He did whatever he needed to do online. Not that it matters. The ceremony isn’t a legal proceeding.” Logan clapped his hands together once more. “Okay, so we have the space, the witnesses, and now the officiant. We just need the three people to agree.” He cocked an eyebrow at Damon.

  Damon’s gaze roamed over the backyard from one adult to another, remarking to himself how inclusive this group was. A warmth stole through Damon as he noticed the varying shades of skin tones among the children. He had no idea what color his own children would be, but he didn’t care. Whether dark or fair-skinned, or somewhere in-between, with red hair, blue eyes and freckles or with black hair and dark eyes, he’d embrace whatever they were lucky to have just like the rest of the adults at this party.

  Just like they embraced polyamory. Which made Logan’s suggestion of doing the ceremony here, today, make sense.

  Damon’s thumping heart slowed and he clearly saw what he wanted when he glanced from the redhead with the blue eyes sitting with other women to the dark-haired, gray-eyed, bearded man talking football.

  Trevor and Mac were his and he wanted the world to know it. He also wanted to make a family with them.

  He only hoped Trev and Mac agreed.

  A broad hand landed on Mac’s shoulder and she glanced over it to see Damon looking way too serious for a children’s birthday party. Trevor stood behind him wearing a wide smile with excitement lighting up his gray eyes.

  Maybe whatever was bothering Damon wasn’t so serious. But now she was curious about what those two were up to.

  “Can we steal Mac for a few minutes?” Damon asked the women who were sitting in a circle in the shade of a pop-up awning. A few of their children played in the grass center of the circle with toys.

  Mac was surprised how a longing to have children had overcome her while sitting with the women. Some of the comments about the challenges of motherhood made everyone laugh
or sympathize but that didn’t deter her from wanting a baby. Though maybe only one. Two at the most.

  “As long as you three don’t disappear for some hanky-panky, I’ll allow it,” Gia said. “Just not for too long, since I hardly get to see her.”

  “You two talk on the phone for hours,” Damon grumbled, “and often.”

  “I said see, not talk,” she explained. “Not the same.”

  Damon fought the roll of his eyes as he helped Mac to her feet, then guided her and Trevor across the yard to stand in the shade of a tree away from the others.

  “Is everything okay?” she asked.

  “I think he’s just nervous,” Trevor said, coming behind Mac to put his hands on her shoulders.

  She covered one of his hands with her own. “Why?”

  “Because we’re getting hitched today. And Damon likes to plan everything perfectly and this is way too spontaneous for him.”

  Mac blinked, pulled away from Trevor and turned to face him. “I’m sorry. What?”

  Out of the corner of her eye, she noticed Logan approaching his sister Paige and her face lighting up as she nodded at whatever he was saying. Then Paige rushed over to Grae and Connor, animatedly saying something to them. Connor shrugged and Grae nodded, both of them looking in their direction.

  And what was even more suspicious was Gia running—yes, running—through the grass in her three-inch heels over to where Davis stood talking with Mr. Ward. She was going to break her damn neck.

  Mac’s heartbeat quickened. “What’s going on?”

  “Logan suggested we get hitched today. Here.” Trevor swept an arm out. “In front of everyone. And even better, Cole Dixon will be doing the hitching!”

  “What?” she asked once more. Surely, she misunderstood.

  “I told you not to get so excited. She has to agree,” Damon grumbled.

  “How can we get hitched? Three people can’t legally get married.”