Isn't It Bromantic (Bromance Book Club #4) by Lyssa Kay Adams

            Vlad gulped. “If I do this—”

            The guys whooped in unison. Vlad held up his hand and glared. “If, I said. If I do this, it is only about my book.”

            Colton shrugged innocently. “Of course. What else would it be about?”

            “I mean it. If any of you think you are going to use this to try to save my marriage, I will put a stop to it.”

            They all raised their right hands as if swearing an oath.

            “Just about the book,” Yan said. “Promise.”

            For the first time ever, Vlad wasn’t sure if he trusted his friends.





CHAPTER SEVEN





When Elena got home two hours later, she eased the car into the garage but didn’t immediately get out. The guys were still there, so there was no avoiding them this time, and she needed a few minutes to gather her strength.

            The first and only time she’d met Vlad’s friends, it was through a sheen of tears as she fled Mack and Liv’s wedding. She doubted they would welcome her warmly today. But this wasn’t about her. It was about Vlad. So, if she had to endure another round of skepticism and hostility from another set of his friends, so be it. Elena gulped down two deep breaths of oxygen and slid out of the car.

            The door from the garage led to a back room, which opened into the kitchen. She walked in to find six men circling the island. There were seven of them in all—two Black men, a Latinx man, and four white guys—and together they looked like a photo from a sexy calendar shoot. They were whispering like conspirators, but when she cleared her throat, they jumped apart, looking guilty.

            She lifted her chin. “Good morning. Thank you for being here. I’m Elena.”

            A heavy pause followed her words, but then the guys all began to introduce themselves at once. She could barely keep their names straight as they went around the room. Malcolm. Mack. Colton. Del. Gavin. Yan. Noah. She recognized most of them even though she’d only seen them from afar at Mack’s wedding.

            “How is Vlad?” she asked.

            “Sleeping like a baby,” Colton said. “He took a pain pill and fell asleep in mid-sentence.”

            “And his bath? You made sure he didn’t get his incision wet, right?”

            “Yep,” Mack answered.

            “And he didn’t put any weight on his leg?”

            “All good,” Del said, darting his gaze around the room to communicate something with his friends.

            “Did he eat something before taking his pill?”

            Noah nodded. “He had some tea, and I brought him some gluten-free muffins.” He pointed to a bakery bag on the counter with a logo for a shop called ToeBeans Café. “My fiancée owns it. There are some more, if you’re hungry.”

            He had probably only offered it to be polite, but she hadn’t even expected that, so it took her a moment to respond. “Thank you,” she finally said.

            “So, can we help you carry in the groceries?” Yan asked.

            “That is not necessary but thank you.”

            “Nah, we got this,” Mack said, gesturing with his head toward the garage. They all followed him, and a task that would have taken her ten trips back and forth was done in two. She unpacked the bags as they brought them in.

            “Wow,” Colton said, surveying what she’d bought. “So, like, did you just raid the gluten-free aisle at the grocery store?”

            Elena adopted a sheepish look. “I want to make him his favorite meals, but I wasn’t sure what to get to adapt my recipes, so I sort of got a little of everything.”

            The guys all exchanged more of those none-too-subtle looks that made her squirm.

            “So,” Mack said, shoving his hands into his back pockets. The pose was far too casual to actually be casual. “Vlad told us you’re almost done with school.”

            Her hands stilled against a box of gluten-free crackers. “Um, yes. That’s right. I’m getting my master’s degree.”