“Right!” I returned, shoving up from the bed. “Get it.”

I was halfway down our short hall when I heard Ethan’s excited, “Hey, Merry!”

“Hey, man.” I heard Merry say back.

I hit the living room to see them breaking their handshake.

Ethan whirled to me.

“Look, Mom! Merry’s here!” he told me, something he’d already told me.

Suffice it to say, when I’d told my kid we were going out to dinner with Merry that night, he’d been in fits of glee.

In fact, he was so excited, he’d even told me he wanted to cancel plans with Teddy so we could all go to the game together and then get ice cream after.

Therefore, the first time in my life acting selfishly with my kid (but also because I didn’t want to push things too hard too fast for Merry, thinking a quick dinner might be better than forcing him to spend hours with Ethan), I’d told him no.

Due to his exhilaration, I’d expected devastation.

But I’d forgotten in his childlike excitement that my kid was growing up. And apparently, part of that was him understanding that Merry and me needed some time just him and me, especially this early with what we were starting.

So Ethan had relented easily.

That didn’t mean he wasn’t jazzed about dinner.

Obviously, seeing as at that moment, he’d totally forgotten to hide his excitement and act the man of the house around Merry.

“I see,” I muttered, moving in and looking to Merry, who stood in the open front door, watching and waiting for me to get to him.

Also watching and waiting for me to give him clues as to how to play this in front of Ethan.

I’d taught him that too, the hard way, and he’d learned, giving me what I needed.

God, Merry.

I moved close, lifted a hand, touched his chest, and held his gaze as I tipped back my chin.

He moved a hand to my waist and bent in, touching his lips to my cheek.

We broke apart.

“You can be gooey,” Ethan declared, and both Merry and I looked to him. “Mom loves gooey. She’d be gooey all the time if I let her,” he went on to share. “With me, she has to cap it. It’ll be good to have another guy around so she can get more shots at bein’ gooey.”

I stared at my son.

Then I said, “Shut up, kid.”

He looked at me, grinning wickedly. “Forget that, Mom.” His eyes went to Merry. “I’m almost eleven,” he announced. “Eleven years, dude, where it’s been just Mom and Gramma and me. They’re ladies. I’ve had no other guy around. They rock, but I’m a guy with two ladies. I think you get me. Now I’ve got a guy. That’s a big thing for me. So, just sayin’, I’m so totally spilling anything you need.” He jerked his thumb at himself and completed his grand offer. “You wanna know, I’m your man.”