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

            Noah smacked his arm. “He’s on a roll. Don’t interrupt him.”

            Vlad sighed and ran a hand down his jaw to cover the sudden tremble of his lip. “I couldn’t do it. Not if she was just going to leave me. I couldn’t survive that. So I stopped her and told her to make up her mind, and that led to an argument, and I told her I was a virgin, and she left.”

            Mack met Malcolm’s gaze, and together they shook their heads. Mack looked at the ceiling. “Jesus, you are so obtuse when you want to be.”

            “What am I being obtuse about? I gave her a chance to tell me what she wants, and she left.”

            Del leaned over and smacked Vlad upside the head. Vlad leaned away and rubbed at the spot that now stung from Del’s hand. “What was that for?”

            “For being an obstinate ball sack.” Del bent forward and glared menacingly. “You didn’t give her a chance. You made her feel like shit. She took a huge risk in kissing you, and what did you do? You blamed her for your own choice to remain celibate.”

            Vlad’s stomach lurched. “I didn’t blame her.” But he had. She’d even called him out on it. I didn’t ask you to wait for me. Don’t put that on me.

            “And as an added bonus, you cemented in her mind her greatest fear, that she has fucked up your life, that you’re better off without her,” Del said. “No wonder she left.”

            Vlad could barely hear anything over the roar of his own rapid heartbeat. “I’m going to be sick.”

            Mack backed up. “For real? Like, you’re going to puke? Or just, like, you’re going to be figuratively sick?”

            Vlad wasn’t sure.

            Colton pretended to study his fingernails. “Hey, guys? Do you think now might be the right time to put him out of his misery?”

            Noah crossed his arms. “Yeah, we’ve probably tortured him long enough.”

            Vlad glowered. “What are you talking about?”

            Colton shrugged. “She hasn’t left.”

            Vlad’s heart stopped. “What?”

            Colton grinned. “I happen to have it on good authority that Elena is currently just a few blocks away at Michelle’s house.”

            A small blood vessel burst in Vlad’s brain as an overload of conflicting feelings fried his nerve endings. She was still here. She was still here.

            Mack grinned. “Ooh, look at that. Plot twist.”

            “You knew this all along?” Vlad growled.

            Del shrugged. “We like Elena. We weren’t going to tell you until we were sure you deserved to know.”

            “I am going to break your balls.”

            Mack crossed his hands over his heart. “Is that any way to talk to the friends who are going to help you get your wife back?”

            Vlad’s hands shook as he moved the tray to the nightstand. “I—I do not know what to do.”

            Mack picked up Hazel and plopped her back on Vlad’s lap. “Well, I might not be a writer, but I would think your next chapter ought to include you making sure she knows you want her to stay.”

            Colton laughed and ruffled Vlad’s hair. “Drink your poop tea, little butt. Because you just got your midpoint moment, and you have to decide if you’re willing to start rewriting your own story.”





CHAPTER EIGHTEEN





Michelle’s bedroom was broken into three parts—the bedroom part, a sitting area, and a closet the size of a Starbucks.

            They told Elena to wait while they disappeared into the coffee shop.

            “What are you doing?” she said after five minutes. She had to raise her voice to be heard.

            Michelle came out loaded with a pile of clothes so high that Elena could barely see her face. Michelle dumped the pile unceremoniously on the other chair in the room. She leaned a hand against the wall to pant. “Lucky for you, I have way too many clothes.”