Page 136 of Third and Ten

“And you’re ready?” he asks. I smirk at him. “You’ve been ready.” He says it as a statement this time.

“I’d like to know how you feel about it, though, since this means that you and I will be family, too.”

“Well, yeah, I sort of assumed that’s how this works,” he says with a smile. “But I guess you’re talking about living together.”

“I am. I want you both to move in with me.” My voice is a little shaky now.

“That all makes sense, except for the part about the two of you getting married after only knowing each other for a few months.”

“You don’t think it’s a good idea, then?”

“I’m not doubting that you guys belong together, or that you would take care of her and all that. It’s just…this is all happening so fast for something so…permanent. I don’t want either of you to rush into marriage because of me,” he explains.

“Maybe we wouldn’t be as motivated to get married right away if you weren’t in the picture, but we also have our own reasons.”

Ethan huffs. “Why, is she pregnant or something?”

I look away, unable to meet his eyes. “No, she’s not. But I want us to live together as soon as possible, and we agree that we should be married first.”

“Because you want to get her pregnant?” he ventures with a smirk.

I clear my throat, resisting the urge to revert to the maturity level of the kid sitting across from me. “I don’t know how soon we’ll be ready to have more kids, but that’s definitely something I’m looking forward to, as well as the sanctioned, regular practice.”

He shakes his head in amusement, and I’m relieved. “I’m not sure how you went from being desperate for her to go out with you to getting married and having kids this quickly, but I guess I shouldn’t be surprised.”

“It was probably the topless lawn service,” I answer, leaning back in my chair and crossing my arms. “Or maybe the time you passed out at the homecoming dance and made me carry your little punk-ass home. Either way, she’s a fan of all this.” I flex my arms, and the teenage-boy half of my brain is satisfied when Ethan cringes.

“Are you going to do that kind of crap at home? I don’t know if I want to live with you guys if it means I’ll be subjected to any more of you walking around half-naked and trying to impress her. I’d rather not be stuck in a documentary about the mating habits of thirty-year-olds for the next few years.”

I tilt my head back and laugh this time. I’m still not sure where the kid gets his sense of humor or his ability to read people, but he’s absolutely one of a kind.

“It’s been a minute since I’ve had a roommate, so I doubt I’ll be developing any modesty now. And as for the mating-habits part, once we…” I trail off when I realize I’m giving too much away again. “Once Tenley and I are legally and sacramentally sharing a bed, I only plan to leave for food and work, at least for the first few months.”

He groans. “Aren’t you supposed to be convincing me to move in?”

“Hey, I’m offering to keep most of that stuff contained to our bedroom. I think that’s pretty generous, to be honest. I’ll be sacrificing a lot of my rights and privileges as a married man.”

“Ugh, make it stop,” he grumbles, covering his ears.

I glare at him until he drops his hands. “Remember that reproduction chapter we covered in bio last month? You do realize that process works the same for Tenley and me as it does for other humans, right?”

“Yeah, but I’d rather just pretend otherwise. Besides, Aunt Ten makes enough jokes about that as it is. I don’t need to know that she’s not actually kidding.”

“Does she?” I ask with an eyebrow cocked.

He looks at me strangely. “I’m not…just—no. Changing the subject, Coach Thirsty.”

“Fine.” I sigh. “But what do you say, wingman? Do we have your blessing?”

His expression softens, and he looks genuinely pleased when he nods his approval. “Of course you do. But, uh, how soon is very soon, anyway?”

“We’d like to get married before the custody hearing, so within the month?”

He narrows his eyes. “I thought you said that you weren’t doing this for me.”

“I said we have our reasons, though you are one of them. We’ve told you before that you’re important to both of us. And I’m not saying we need your permission to get married, but we do want to make sure you’re okay with everything. Like I said, we’re a family now. This is about all three of us.”

He’s quiet for a while. “What if it doesn’t work? What happens if I’m stuck with Ryan?”

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