Page 113 of The All-Inclusive

As Logan tucks Ella into her car seat, the guys start to bicker over who will be driving this time. It’s not what you think, though. Not some macho control thing with cars.

“It’s my turn to ride with Ella.” Logan’s got the advantage of being back there already, buckling her into the car seat. “I drove us to story hour yesterday.”

“WellIdrove to our pediatrician appointment,” Trent fires back. “That took twice as long, so I got less time in back with Ella.”

Logan rolls his eyes. “You’re full of it, Frogman. I drove all last week when you were OUTCONUS.”

“Doesn’t count,” Trent argues. “I drove the whole way from Redding to Portland on our way here. That’s nearly seven hours without squooshing or smooching this sweet little baby who?—”

“I’ll drive,” I tell them, snatching the keys from my purse. “You dum-dums fight it out in the backseat together.”

There’s a little more grumbling, but eventually they settle on each side of Ella in back. As I glide down the driveway, I catch sight of my trio in the rearview mirror. Two rugged warriors and one tiny baby. My heart swells to the size of a watermelon.

“Everyone buckled up?” I call.

“Yep.” Trent starts singing some song I recognize as a Navy anthem. Logan joins in, singing over the top of him with some tune about US Marines.

Rolling my eyes, I see little Ella bouncing with glee in her car seat. She loves this game almost as much as the guys do.

It’s been a wild few years. Not everyone in our families took to the notion of throuplehood easily. My father spent four months not speaking to me, and it took Mom some effort to coax open his mind and his heart.

I’m not sure what did it. Her passionate plea on behalf of thelove is loveconcept? Or maybe the sex strike she threatened if Dad didn’t agree to just meet Logan once.

He was toast after that. There aren’t many people who can resist Logan’s charm. By the end of the evening, my father had made plans to play disc golf with both of my guys. They go whenever we visit and my father’s been scoping out disc golf courses near our place in California. He’s talked about getting a second home so he can be closer to his granddaughter and two favorite sons-in-law.

Go figure.

Trent’s family situation isn’t quite as rosy, at least not for his dad. To the shock of all who knew her, Mrs. James agreed topress charges against her husband. It turned out he had several previous assault charges on his record, so Mr. James got a dishonorable discharge and Mrs. James got the house, along with Logan’s mom as her new best friend.

Maybe it did all work out like it needed to.

So now we’re a throuple, and honestly, it’s even sweeter than I expected. Three sets of hands are better than one with a baby, and having two men around means I never get lonely when Trent is deployed. And when Logan flies back to visit old Crystal Bliss pals, I get alone time with Trent. Or sometimes I’ll go out with girlfriends and come home to find the guys snuggled on the sofa, our sweet little girl nestled between them.

Suffice it to say, we’ve altered the Marshmallow Rule.

It’s one of many ways our relationship keeps evolving. We call ourselves married, but it’s mostly a series of legal protections. Polyamorous marriage isn’t really a thing, but we’ve got all the right legal docs in place. Explicit wills and beneficiary agreements, power of attorney paperwork, all the forms designating legal guardianship of Ella. It helps that one of Camille’s sisters is a kickass attorney who specializes in unique family law.

We’re pretty much the luckiest people on the planet.

By the time we reach Eve and Kit’s house, wedding guests spill from the backyard where they’re hosting this informal ceremony. Ash and Camille pull up right behind us, and she rushes over to snatch Ella from Logan.

“There’s my favorite baby!” She swoops her into the air, beaming at Ash as he approaches in charcoal Armani. “Promise me our baby will be this cute.”

“I promise.” He darts a pointed look at her rounded belly. “How could it not be, with such stunning maternal genes?”

Camille laughs and smooches our baby again. “I paid him to say that.”

Trent chuckles. “Clearly, he needs the money.”

The six of us start toward the backyard. This wedding issmall, and as we stroll through the gate, Eve looks up from a chat with her mom.

“You made it!” She hurries over, her pale-blue dress fluttering behind her. Wrapping me up in a hug, she smooches my cheeks in a cloud of perfume. “I’m so happy you drove all this way. With a baby and all, I know it’s a lot.”

“Are you kidding?” I laugh. “I wouldn’t miss this for the world.”

Kit ambles over, dashing in a tan summer suit. He beams at his bride, looking happier than I’ve ever seen him. “Hey, guys.” He gives Logan a hug, then Trent. “Thanks for coming.”

“Glad to be here.” Logan chuckles as Camille absconds with our baby. “We’d never miss the chance for a free sitter.”

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