Crazy Stupid Bromance (Bromance Book Club #3) - Lyssa Kay Adams Page 0,56
“But use the time to your advantage.”
“What does that even mean?”
“Do some hard work on yourself,” Malcolm said. “Figure out the why behind your own actions.”
Which is why, an hour later, Noah found himself carrying the book once again to his couch.
Missy found AJ red-eyed and snotty, a half-empty bottle of Jameson on the coffee table in front of him and a neglected glass in his hand. On the TV, he’d paused the video of Tara’s third-grade dance recital.
He looked up when she walked into the room. “I missed it all . . .”
“Yes, you did.”
He wiped his nose with the back of his hand. “Why did you give me these videos?”
Missy sighed heavily and sank down on the couch next to him. “You wanted to see them.”
“Well if your goal was to torture me, then you succeeded.”
“Why? Because you weren’t part of it? You’re romanticizing a past you wanted no part of when it was happening. You would have missed it all anyway. The dance recital? It was the same weekend that you played in your first Super Bowl. The Halloween talent show? Middle of October. That Christmas pageant? You would have missed it for a game.”
“I would have fucking found a way to attend my own daughter’s Christmas pageant.”
She stood. “These things you’re so upset about? That’s the good stuff. You’re sitting here crying over your whiskey because you missed the holidays and the birthday parties, but you don’t see the other stuff. There are no videos of the weeks of sleepless nights where I had to walk up and down a hallway with a colicky newborn. There are no videos to show you of the homework fights and the eye-rolling years or the long hours of potty training or the embarrassing time she threw a full-on tantrum at Target and I had to carry her out like a football under my arm. Can you honestly sit here and tell me you wanted all of that? That you would have been there for all of that?”
His eyes darkened. “We’ll never know, will we? Because you fucking kept her from me.”
“You should have answered your phone.”
“You should have fucking tried harder!”
She studied him quietly. “Maybe you’re right.”
His eyes widened in surprise at her admission.
“Maybe I should have called relentlessly every day for six months instead of one. Maybe I should have mailed ultrasound photos to your apartment. Hell, maybe I should have flown cross-country with a newborn baby to show up unannounced at the NFL Draft. The thing is, I’m willing to stand here and admit to you that I could have tried harder, but only if you are willing to admit that it wouldn’t have made a difference.”
He blinked, face stony once again.
“And until you’re willing to do that, there’s nothing more for you and me to talk about.”
Missy stormed to her bedroom and slammed the door. Several minutes later, she heard her bedroom door creak open. She rolled over in bed and saw AJ silhouetted in the doorway.
He leaned drunkenly against the doorframe. “I want to hear about the tantrum at Target.”
Missy stared into space. She should tell him to fuck off but didn’t. Instead, she scooted up in bed and leaned against the headboard.
“She was three, way too precocious, and long overdue for a nap. I needed to run in to grab a birthday present for one of her friends at day care. The minute we got in the toy aisle she saw something she wanted but my budget for the week only allowed for a toy for the little boy. She had a meltdown like kids do. Except I finally had to carry her out, and the minute we hit the parking lot she started yelling “HELP.” She damn near got me arrested.”
AJ’s bark of a laugh caught her by surprise. “What did people do?”
“They looked at me like I was kidnapping a child! I was like, she’s mine, she’s just mad.”
He laughed quietly again, but sober silence once again followed. “What was it she wanted?”
“I don’t even remember. Probably a Disney Princess toy. She was really into those at that age.”
He turned away from her, and then she watched as his shoulders dropped. And then his hands came to his face and . . . oh shit. He was crying. Openly weeping.
Missy threw back the covers and slid out of bed.
“AJ . . .”
He whipped around and yanked her against his hard body. His