Reward of Three

Had to do a little shouting about this book simply because the author, Kelly Jameson, is one of the nicest gals I know. Had the opportunity to hang out with her at the RT convention in New Orleans in May and she was one of the highlights of that trip for me. She’s classy, funny and she is never without a glass of wine in her hands. That alone means she’s “good people”! lol She had a new book out today, Reward of Three, that is the third in a series that takes a look at three people trying to find happily ever after in a menage. Kelly’s really taken a look at the dynamics and difficulties that come into play once you leave the realm of fantasy and enter that of reality. But don’t worry–it’s a Kelly Jameson book–hotness abounds! You really should check it out.

Sometimes the darkest nights produce the brightest stars.

Rule of Three, Book 3

When the pregnancy test turns positive, Kassidy, Dag and Chris are thrilled they’re going to be parents at last. Their polyamorous relationship has blossomed, and there’s more than enough love to go around for their long-awaited little “Belly Bean”.

Then reality sets in. Dag grew up without a father. Does that mean he’s too damaged to be a good role model? Kassidy is at a critical point in her career, working long hours on a high-profile project. And Chris gets a disappointing—but not exactly unexpected—reaction when he contacts his parents with the news.

As worry nibbles at the edges of their happiness, fate is poised to tear it to shreds, leaving a loving foundation three years in the making cracking under the weight of grief and guilt. And the trio in the fight of their lives to repair their unconventional bonds.

Product Warnings

Our sexy threesome is back for their happy ending. Keep extra tissues on hand for tears, a fan on standby for hot sex, and a post-it note to remind you to take a deep breath. It’s time to find out if the juice is really worth the squeeze.

Excerpt:

She didn’t know how to tell them.

There was the straight-up, open and honest way. There was the sneaky cute way. There was the vague hinting way.

Kassidy wasn’t sure if she was any good at sneaky and cute. Maybe if she thought about it enough, she’d come up with an idea. Vague hints might work. But sometimes her guys were clueless. They also weren’t always good at subtle. That left straightforward.

But this was a pretty momentous moment. Heh.

In the end, the sneaky cute way came to her like a divine intervention at the most mundane time. Friday nights they often stayed home and watched movies or played board games. Dag had scoffed at the tameness of it all, but as the three of them had settled into their poly relationship, he’d been the first to stretch out on the couch with a beer Friday night and ask what movie they were watching or what game they were playing.

“Scrabble,” Chris said tonight.

There was a brief argument between the guys because Dag hated Scrabble. Kassidy sipped her herbal tea and watched them with a smile. Then the Scrabble board came out.

“Man, we’re acting more and more like old people,” Dag commented, lining up his tiles. “Friday night sitting at home playing Scrabble.”

Chris laughed, eyes on his own tiles. “You are old. Besides, we’re going out tomorrow night.”

Kassidy nibbled her bottom lip, her insides fluttering. Was this going to be good news for them? For Dag? If he was worried about staying home on a Friday night, living a staid, boring life…well, this might not be news he wanted to hear.

But they’d talked about it. They’d all agreed. They wanted this.

The game began, and Kassidy glumly surveyed her tiles. She had nothing. She managed to add a couple of tiles to Chris’s “ascot” and create “cat”. She rolled her eyes. The game continued and then Chris spelled the word “gnat”. Kassidy looked at her tiles and the letters P, R and E jumped out at her. Pregnat. Her eyes widened. And then she saw the I and M tiles. Her heart started thumping as she waited for Dag to take a turn, praying he wouldn’t touch that word.

He didn’t.

Her fingers trembled as she tried to place the little tiles on the board, messing them up, then straightening them. When she drew back, she read her creation: IMPREGNAT.

She looked up at Chris and then Dag. They both frowned at her word.

“That’s not a word, sweetheart,” Chris said. “You need an E on the end.”

“No,” she said, “actually I need another N. Right here.” She touched the tiles with her index finger. Then she totally cheated by picking up an N from another word and moving it there.

“You can’t do that,” Dag objected.

She laughed. She’d been so right about the subtle thing. “Oh my God. Read it.”

They both looked at the word again and then she saw their faces change at the exact same moment as understanding dawned. They turned shocked eyes to her and she smiled at them. They blinked and in unison, their gazes dropped to her stomach, then back up. She nodded.

“F**k,” Dag breathed. In a flash, they were both kneeling in front of her where she sat on the couch.

“Sweetheart. Really?” Chris gazed at her. “You’re pregnant?”

“Yes.”

“F**k,” Dag said again.

“Holy sh*t,” Chris said.

They both reached for her and she slid an arm around both their shoulders, bending her head toward theirs. The corners of her eyes stung and she squeezed them shut.

“You okay, babe?” Dag asked in a rough voice that sounded like he was near tears. “Feeling okay, I mean?”

“I feel great.”

“When is this gonna happen?”

“According to the website I used, we’re due November 9. I haven’t been to the doctor yet, but I did two pregnancy tests to make sure.”

“You need to go to the doctor!” Chris said.

“I will. I have an appointment next week.” She smoothed a hand over his dark gold hair. “I’m fine.”

“Wow. November. Okay.” Chris swallowed. “Wow.”

She tightened her arms around them and they hugged, heads together. “I know. It is pretty wow.”

Emotion rose inside her and she felt it in her guys too, their short breathing and vibrating bodies.

“This scares the sh*t out of me,” Dag muttered.

She touched his dark hair. “Why?”

He lifted his head and looked at her, lips pressed together. “It’s just…a lot.”

She studied him. “Talk to us.” She suspected where his thoughts were going. “Wait, get off the floor, both of you.”

They rose and sat beside her on the couch, flanking her as they almost always did, on the couch or in bed, or walking down the street. They were always there for each other, but even more, they were always there for her, protecting her, caring for her.

“Why are you scared?” she asked again.

Dag took in a breath. “I never had a dad growing up. My dad didn’t give a shit. He took off when I was three. I never had any kind of father figure.” He met Kassidy’s eyes. “I don’t know how to be a dad.”

“Yes, you do.” She laid a hand on his darkly stubbled cheek. “All you have to do is love our son or daughter. And besides, I don’t know how to be a mom.”

“At least you had a mom who gave you some kind of good example. Even my mother was a crappy parent. What if I screw up? What if I turn out to be like them?”

“You won’t.” Chris spoke up. “You’re not like them. And Kass is right. None of us knows how to do this. We’ll figure it out together. We’ll be there for each other like we always are.”

They didn’t mention the things they’d talked about in the past when they’d considered the decision to have children. They didn’t talk about bringing a child into their unconventional relationship. They didn’t talk about the kinds of reactions their child might encounter when people learned about their unusual family. They didn’t talk about who was the biological father of the baby…because they’d all agreed it didn’t matter.

They were all three going to be parents to this baby and genetics didn’t change that.

They’d learned a lot from the people they’d met through the counselor they’d seen when starting this relationship. They’d become friends with other poly couples, including some with children. They were fully aware that there were going to be obstacles and hard times. But they were also confident that they could give a child—or two, if Kassidy got her way—enough love and support that their children would be strong and resilient and able to deal with whatever life brought them.

They’d shared their doubts and misgivings, but the desire to have a child and be a family had prevailed and they’d stopped using any kind of birth control two months ago.

Happiness expanded inside Kassidy that it had come to pass, that she was carrying their baby and she was going to give that precious gift to these two men she loved so much.

“What should we name her?” she asked.

Chris and Dag both laughed. “Her?” they said.

She grinned. “It could be a girl.”

“You want a girl, babe?” Dag laid his palm on her stomach.

“I’m supposed to say I just want a healthy baby, but I kind of do want a little girl.”

“A little girl would be awesome.”

“But I really do just want a healthy baby,” she added. “Boys can be fun too, and since he’ll have two dads, I won’t have to worry that I don’t know how to entertain him.”

“We’ll take him to strip clubs,” Dag said. “And teach him how to shoot tequila.”

Kassidy giggled and gave him a little punch. “Right.”

“Hey,” he said. “Those are important things in a man’s life. Along with hookers, fast cars and guns.”

Kassidy stared at him in horror. “Hookers?” Her forehead tightened. “You’ve never gone to a hooker, have you?”

“Hell no. I’m kidding, babe. About the guns too. Fast cars, maybe not.”

“Oh. For a minute there I was having second thoughts about this.”

Dag nuzzled her neck and Chris laughed. “You know he’s full of it.”

“November.” Dag sighed. “That’s not far.”

“About nine months,” Kassidy said, trying not to smile, and earned herself a tickle.

“Can we have sex?” Chris asked.

“Right this minute?”

His lips twitched. “I meant for the next nine months.”