Since I couldn't exactly pretend I was working today when Larry knew damn well I wasn't, I'd put aside my natural inclination to beg off on his invitation and responded to the text.

I laughed at his flirty response to my lame joke and tossed my phone down on the bed while I dug through my clothes in an attempt to find a pair of jeans that still fit. It was as if once I'd realized I was pregnant, my belly had started bloating. Perhaps if I didn't have a propensity for always picking skinny jeans, it wouldn't be an issue yet.

That was my one petty vanity, though—skinny jeans. I couldn't help feeling proud of my perky ass. No dad jeans for this bod. Although now that I was pregnant, I would have to look into some of those shapeless ass things, I guess.

I hoped this thing didn't keep us out too late. Tomorrow was a school day, and Mondays were always a bitch. After two days off, Bella wasn't ever happy about getting back into routine. Although maybe tomorrow would be different, since she'd have an exciting story to tell her little friends.

After I'd fruitlessly flipped through my meager wardrobe a few more times, I pulled on a pair of sweats and grabbed my keys. Time for a little retail therapy. Hopefully my last credit card payment had posted, and I could swing a pair of jeans.

A little after three, our doorbell rang and I heard Mom cheerfully greeting Larry... and Ryan? My heart sped up a little at the idea of spending the evening with both alphas, but I wasn't sure how Mom would react to an obvious group date.

I looked critically in the mirror at the fit of my baggy new dad jeans, still pleased by the way they hugged the curve of my ass. The tucked in polo accented it nicely, and the short leather jacket I planned to wear would do nothing to cover it, either. Good.

By the time I made it out to the living room after the fourth check of my hair and a quick tooth check, Mom had both men settled in the living room with cups of tea in hand. I bit back a smile at the sight of the delicate bone-china cup in Larry's meaty hand. Ryan seemed to be in his element as he and Mom discussed the current problems in our education system.

Bella was sitting next to Larry, all but salivating at the big gift bag at his feet—a bag festooned with Elsa and Anna from Frozen. Larry and Ryan looked up when I walked in, and both their faces lit with smiles.

"Shame on you, Ethan," Mom chided teasingly. "Here you have these two wonderful friends, and this is the first that I'm hearing about them? And what is all this about the four of you going to see Princesses on Ice Showsation? That sounds like an exciting evening."

Bella all but vibrated as she sat there with her toes tapping and her fingers fidgeting in her lap. Her eyes never left the bag as she asked excitedly, "Daddy? Did you already know that Mr. Larry was taking us to see that tonight? He says that even Olaf is supposed to be there, even if he's not a princess. Isn't that awesome?"

Right on cue, Larry quietly tapped the bag and looked at me with questioning eyes. At my subtle nod, he picked it up and set it in Bella's lap.

"I think this should solve your fashion dilemma, Princess Bella. Get in there and see if you don't find something that appeals to you, girlie."

Ryan and my Mom watched in fascination as Bella immediately went elbow deep into the big bag, tossing out pieces of pink tissue paper before pulling out the most god-awful glittery-assed tutu ever known to man.

Glitter was raining down all over Bella, the couch, the floor, and even—to my complete amusement—Larry's beard where he leaned in, watching her revel in her new dress. It was sky blue, with silver and darker blue glitter that gave it an icy feel.

Basically, it was everything Bella would have dreamed of in a princess style tutu dress. The puffy cap sleeves and almost ankle length skirt that puffed out with layers of taffeta were enhanced by swooping white ribbons and bows.

"What do you say to Mr. Larry, Bella?" I prodded at her manners, although I needn't have bothered. She was already laying the dress to the side and flinging her small arms around Larry's thick neck.

"Thank you, thank you, thank you! This is the most bestest, prettiest dress I've ever seen, and I'm going to look just like Elsa!"

"I'm glad you like it, Princess. But if you ask me, you're gonna put Elsa to shame in that get up."

Bella giggled and pulled away, scratching at her neck where Larry's beard must have tickled her.

"Alright, missy. Let's go try on your new dress while Daddy visits with his... friends," my mother commented dryly. She rose and held out a hand to Bella, while flashing me an amused look that said we'd be discussing this later.

She didn't seem fazed by it, though, which gave me a small frisson of hope. As Bella and Mom left the room, I looked back and forth between the men sitting on opposite couches that faced each other across the large coffee table. Deciding quickly to not decide, I skirted past Ryan's long legs and stole Mom's chair instead.

Ryan thankfully waited until Mom and Bella's footsteps were heard overhead before asking quietly, "How are you feeling? I've been worried about you."

I shrugged shyly. "I've been okay. I'm sorry I've been shit about returning texts and not answering calls. I'm still wrapping my brain around all this. At the risk of sounding trite—it's not you guys, it's me."

"We get it, Ethan. We'll get there, but you have to give us a foot in the door, you know? The only way the three of us are going to have a shot at working is if we communicate. To do that, we have to actually talk to each other." Larry spoke gently, but his firm intentions were quite clear.

Fuck. These guys wanted a relationship?

"I'm trying to respect your need for space, but it's hard being the odd man out when you guys work together," Ryan added honestly.

I nodded slowly, lifting my eyes from the gaudy floral centerpiece in the center of the coffee table to look first at Ryan, then over at Larry. "I'll try to be better about that, Ryan. You too, Larry. And thank you for thinking of a family-style outing today, if we're really going to be dating, or whatever—then including Bella is probably a good idea."

"Even if it is a school night," Ryan added with a chiding smile to an unrepentant Larry.

Larry shrugged. "It's the only weekend night I can take off from the bar. Besides, she's in what... fourth grade? I think she'll be okay."

Ryan and I rolled our eyes and chuckled at Larry's naivete. Kids needed a lot more sleep than childless people would understand. And adherence to a schedule was key. Larry looked completely oblivious to what Ryan and I were laughing about, which only made it funnier for some reason.

Larry stood and walked over to where I was sitting. He leaned down a pressed a soft kiss to my lips that completely stole my breath and shut down my laughter. I looked up at him, blinking rapidly as he smugly reached for my hand and pulled me up. He led me over to where Ryan was seated and nudged me down to the center, taking a seat beside me.

"That's better. I didn't want to wait all night to give you a proper kiss, and I know without asking you'd prefer we not do that in front of Bella just yet."

Before I could answer, Ryan was turning my chin with two strong fingers and leaning in for his own possessive kiss. He only broke away with a satisfied gleam in his eye when the sound of Bella's feet came thundering down the stairs.

We all looked up at she burst into the room, her pigtails now pinned up in a circlet around the top of her head like a coronet. Wisps of fine, blonde hair were already breaking free, curling around her face and neck. That silky hair of hers was so hard to corral, it drove Mom and me nuts. But Bella had to have her fancy styles, and Mom loved to play the role of beautician to indulge her every whim.

"My goodness," Larry said as he stood and made a dramatic bow in Bella's direction. "We have a real princess in the house, gentlemen."

Bella beamed, then frowned as she remembered something. She lifted her skirt to show her tennies, her lip sticking out in a pout as she spoke in a voice that was just shy of a whine.

"Grandma says I hafta wear these. I told her that my ballet shoes would match better, but she won't let me."

"I think that Grandma was right. Besides, wouldn't it be awful if you slid on a patch of ice on the way into the stadium and ruined your pretty dress?" Ryan asked quietly.

Bella seemed to think about that, then nodded her agreement. "Okay, but... what if someone sees them?"

The dress fell a little long on her short legs, and would honestly be scraping the ground all night. It was a common problem with her petite size and long dresses. I knew already that the hem would be awfully bedraggled and filthy by the time it was removed, but knew better than to point that out. I didn't want to make Larry feel badly about his thoughtful gift, or make Bella worry too much to have fun. Besides, it was chiffon and taffeta. I'd cut a few inches off if necessary.

"Nobody will see them. Now go grab your coat or we'll be late," I said in a tone that brooked no argument. Bella, however, was immune to that tone. Her tiny fists went straight to her hips as she looked at me indignantly.

"Daddy, I cannot wear that ugly coat over this sparkly dress. Nobody will see it!"

"Bella, I can guarantee that nobody will see it if you don't put on your coat, because you'll be staying home with Grandma while we go see it without you."

She eyed me for a moment, as if gauging my sincerity, then turned with a huff to go get her decidedly not ugly yet fully functional pink winter coat. Mom looked over at us while Bella was gone, her eyes sliding over each one of us appraisingly before settling back on me.

"So, is this a new thing or am I just out of the loop?"

"Mom, can we talk about this later? We need to get going," I said in a fluster as I stood and stepped over Larry's booted feet. "It's not a big deal... but yeah, it's... kinda new."

"Okay, then. I'll just give both of you alphas the same speech then. Be good to my boy, and my precious girl. That's my only request. Whatever you do—or don't do—is your business, and I won't judge. Shoot, just half of one of you is better than what he brought home last time. I'm fine with unconventional, as long as my two babies are happy."

I rolled my eyes and slipped past Mom to go get my own coat. It was time to get the fuck out of dodge.

The next few hours were a blur of screaming children, loud music, and two excited alphas. Ryan put Bella up on his shoulders for a better view, while Larry dropped a ton of cash on princess gear. Seriously. Bella had so much swag, it was ridiculous.

In addition to the crown she now wore, she had a scepter in hand, waving around its pale blue streamers as she excitedly watched the show. The stadium itself was chilly, given its iced surface, but the body heat from hundreds of bodies pressed in there made it warm enough that Bella had gotten her way about the coat. The coat that was now draped across Larry's arm, along with the bag that held her souvenir mug, an Olaf doll, and a Princesses on Ice coloring book.

By the time we finally made it home, I was grateful to have the two alphas there. Larry carried an already sleeping Bella upstairs for me while Ryan carried all her swag. After I'd deftly changed her into her nightgown and turned on her nightlight, I turned to find the two alphas waiting to kiss her goodnight.

My heart tugged as I watched them each bend to kiss her forehead. Something about the moment felt so right—as though we were already forming the beginning of a family. I knew better from past experiences to not just jump right into family mode with them, and it would be a long time until I considered anything permanent. Still, this was a good start to—something.

I heard the low murmur of voices coming from Mom's room when I stepped back out into the hallway, but thankfully her door was firmly closed. The bass rumble I knew to be Big Dick's voice, and her answering giggle, had me rushing the guys downstairs.

"So..." Larry drawled out with a knowing grin. "Seems like Mama Bear has a beau of her own over, hmm?"

Ryan stepped up behind me and wrapped his arms around my waist while nuzzling his nose into my hair. He spoke hesitantly into my ear.

"Any chance of having a nightcap before you kick us to the curb? Or have we worn out the quota of your alpha tolerance for one night?" I quickly thought about it, and then led them both to the kitchen. A little cocoa sounded just right.