I'd been thinking about how to handle this situation non-stop since the night we'd discovered Ethan was pregnant. Larry had really helped me focus and see the big picture, pushing my worries to the side. I already knew providing for Ethan and the baby were top priorities, but before talking with Larry most of that night—instead of watching the movie, though it was good background noise—I would have just waited for Ethan to tell me what he needed.

Waiting for Ethan wasn't going to get us anywhere.

Even the brief snippets about Ethan's ex that Larry had shared had made my blood boil. Ethan had been burned—badly. He fell for a charmer, and look where that got him? Charm—not that I had any—and willingness—of which I had plenty—wouldn't be enough. I had to be active. I had to step out and show Ethan he could count on me without having to say anything.

This wasn't going to be easy. When I say I suck at reading people, that's kind of an understatement. But I had Larry as backup, and to bounce thoughts off of. I just had to act with Ethan's best interests in mind and hope I didn't fuck up too badly. What was the saying? Nothing ventured nothing gained?

I was glad Larry had volunteered to make the first move, though. I hadn't been sure what he was planning, but the princess ice skating thing was perfect. It helped that being surrounded by so many kids put me at ease. Bella was a doll, too. Her excitement was contagious, and warmth filled my body from the inside out when Ethan cast several smiles at the two of us, with her on my shoulders.

Even with the relief of having a good night with both men, I hadn't been certain Ethan would accept me pushing for us to stay longer for some adult time after Bella went to bed. Not going to lie, I was relieved his mom was... occupied. I'd felt like a kid picking his date up for prom earlier. Not the best mindset when you're trying to prove to the man carrying your future child—mine and Larry's child—that you were a dependable grown-ass man.

I smiled as Ethan pulled out a box of hot chocolate packets.

Larry slid an arm around my waist. "Hitting the hard stuff, I see."

Ethan's face was the most open and relaxed it had been all night as he turned to look at us, though his eyes tightened after a moment. "I need all the help I can get with you two."

Larry and I exchanged looks. We'd talked about this. Ethan shutting down. And Larry had told him earlier that shit wouldn't fly. We needed to talk.

Instead of retreating back to the comfort of the couch, Ethan placed the mugs on the kitchen island and leaned back against a counter, keeping the island between us. Larry didn't hesitate. He deliberately picked up his mug, handed me mine, and then pushed the island out of the way. I blinked in surprise; I hadn't realized it was mobile. Then Larry stepped closer to Ethan, not crowding him, but making it clear nothing was going to come between us tonight, and I joined them, the three of us separated equally, a cozy little huddle.

I looked down into my cup and took an obligatory sip. I didn't really want a cup of cocoa. I just wanted to snuggle Ethan and tell him everything would be alright.

"Tonight was fun," Ethan said. "Thank you. Both of you." He made sure to catch both our eyes with his sincerity.

"We should do it again," Larry said firmly. It wasn't one of those, "Oh, we should make plans... someday," throwaway comments you say to someone you don't care about. It was more of a certainty. We would do it again sometime. Unless Ethan decided to shut us out of his life forever.

That just couldn't happen.

Ethan sighed. "You understand why this isn't easy for me, right?"

Larry nodded. "And you know that neither of us is like Milton."

Ugh. Just the guy's name made me angry.

"I know you're not... but let's be real, here. I don't exactly have the best taste in men." Ethan twisted his mug in his hands.

"Well I do," Larry said, draining his hot chocolate and setting the mug to the side. He wrapped an arm around each of our waists. His chocolate dipped mustache bounced up and down as he said, "And I've picked two pretty amazing guys right here."

The silence was awkward. I wanted to agree with Larry, or support his statement or something, but I knew the moment I opened my mouth I was going to lose it. He looked like a man-child with that chocolate rimmed sweeper.

Ethan lost it before I did. He set his mug to the side, he was laughing so hard, which set me off. "It's hard... to take you seriously... like that."

Larry looked at me in confusion and I touched my upper lip. His tongue darted out to taste his mustache, making Ethan and I laugh more. It was nothing, such a tiny little amusement, but it broke the tension that had been simmering under the lighthearted evening. Larry withdrew his hands and crossed his arms until we calmed down a bit.

He looked so serious, waiting for us like a couple of rambunctious kids, it took a while. All it took was one look at Ethan and I'd start laughing again, which would start him laughing.

Finally, we were calm enough that Larry spoke. "If it bothers you that much, you could clean it off for me."

Ethan started to reach for a washcloth, but for once, I picked up on the subtext. I stopped Ethan by grabbing his hand and kept a hold of it as I leaned in to lick Larry's mustache. It was bristly and strange. I was used to whiskers while kissing, but actually licking his mustache felt silly. But it felt freeing to be silly with these men. To not worry that they were going to think I was too strange.

It stopped being silly when Ethan copied me, our cheeks pressed together, and when our tongues bumped together, we gave up any pretense of "helping", and dove into a full kiss.

Ethan's tongue twisted around mine while Larry tangled his hands in my hair. He must have done the same to Ethan, because after a minute, he pulled Ethan away to kiss him soundly, then turned to me to do the same.

"Fuck," Ethan said when we pulled back. "I have to tell you guys, sex is awesome, but it's not going to change my mind. I can't let it. I've been down that road before."

I leaned my head against Ethan's, my heart breaking at what he'd been through in his life. Before I could do something stupid, like promise celibacy to the two hottest guys I'd met in my life, Larry pressed a kiss to each of our foreheads.

"I would never use sex to try to change your mind."

Ethan drew back and gave him a look. "I may only have had one relationship, and a sucky one at that, but even I know that sex wins a lot of arguments."

Was it weird that the idea of either of these guys using sex to win an argument with me sounded really hot?

Larry laughed. "Okay, fair enough. I promise I won't get angry if sex doesn't change your mind, but I reserve the right to employ it at will. Fair enough?"

Ethan closed his eyes, and I wondered what was going on behind them. I wasn't as good with words as Larry was, but asking to stay earlier had worked out well enough. I nuzzled Ethan's ear and squeezed Larry's hand for moral support. "Give us a chance, Ethan? I can't imagine not trying to work things out with you. Both of you."

My words weren't beautiful. I don't even know if they really made sense. But they made Ethan open his eyes. His eyes darted between mine, and he nodded. "We'll give it a try. I don't know what that looks like. I'm not really sure what it will look like at all. But... we can figure that out."

Larry wrapped his arms around us tightly, nearly squeezing the life out of us.

A frightening noise interrupted our moment, and we all spun to look at the door.

"Was that Bella?" Larry asked.

Ethan groaned. "Definitely not Bella. I don't want to know what could make my mom make that sound."

Larry wiggled his eyebrows. "We could drown her out." His hand dropped to caress down my back and grab my ass. Ethan jumped at the same time I did.

"Not in my mom's house!" Ethan protested.

I shrugged with a little smirk. "That makes it kinda hotter."

Ethan and Larry looked at me with wide eyes.

"That seals it," Larry said finally. "We can't lose this opportunity for our little teach to explore his taboo side."

"Who are you calling little?" I protested, but I kind of liked the nickname.

"Oh... fuck." Ethan shook his head. "I hadn't exactly pictured you as a teacher, Ryan, even though you are. You don't look like one. But if we could pop some glasses on you?"

Larry nodded. "I definitely would have had some bad student fantasies about you when I was a kid."

I found myself blushing with their attention. "I actually do wear contacts most of the time..."

"Tell me you have some really dorky glasses somewhere," Ethan said. "I can just imagine you looking over their rims in disappointment." He shivered.

Fuck. I'd never had anyone tell me they fantasized about me in anyway... but Larry and Ethan fantasizing out loud, right in front of me? They made me feel like a different person. A bold person. A sexy person.

Maybe that's what emboldened me to grab their hands and pull them toward the kitchen door, though I didn't know exactly where I was going. "So... can we do this?"

The indecision playing across Ethan's eyes nearly made me retract my question, but Larry said, "Why don't you check on Bella first?"

Ethan squeezed my hand. "I'll do that and then we’ll go to my room.” He looked down at the floor for a moment, then up into our eyes. “Don't take this the wrong way, but I'm not ready for you to spend the night yet, okay?"

The smile that erupted on my face nearly hurt, it was so big.

"I'll be right back," he said, giving us each a quick kiss before leaving us in the kitchen.

I turned to Larry immediately. "This is okay, right? I didn't push Ethan too much, did I?"

Larry caressed my face and kissed me gently. "I would have stopped you if I thought you were. Ethan is a grown man. But remember, tonight is about reassuring him. This is but one step, but one door into his heart. I don't think any of us planned on this tonight, but it's a bonus, and I'm not going to say no." His grin reassured me. "Phase Two of ‘Operation Woo Ethan’ is in effect."

Before I could ask exactly what Phase Two would entail, if it was just sex or if Larry had something more in mind, the horrifyingly clear voice of Mrs. St. John reached us.

“What are you doing up so late, dear?”

The next part of their conversation was murmurs, but then Big Dick boomed, “A cup of tea sounds just right after a good round of vigorous activity.”

I gave Larry a hopeless smirk. “I’m assuming Phase Two didn’t involve Ethan’s mom and her boyfriend.

Larry’s eyes were pained as he said, “Maybe we can bow out politely?”