We spend another five minutes saying goodbye to our little man who doesn't seem to have a care in the world.

"Okay,” I look at Selene. Ready?"

She's giddy, and her blue eyes are twinkling like stars in the sky. Did I really just think that? When the fuck did I become such a sap?

"Ready!"

"Let's do this!" I say picking up our suitcases and heading to the door.

"You look good holding him. So what do you think? You want one?" I stop dead in my tracks and hold up my hand signaling for Selene to wait.

"What a baby?" Lexie answers.

"Baby? Husband? Happily ever after?"

He's doing it. He's finally doing it. Son of a bitch has been carrying that ring around with him for months waiting for the right moment.

"What? Like ever?" Lexi asks with a nervous giggle.

Noah's not saying anything. I wonder if he's chickening out. I give him a look. If I could do it so could he.

"Like as soon as you agree to be my wife." He drops down on one knee and holds the little black velvet box open for her.

"Yes!" Lexi squeals. "Yes, yes, yes!"

I wink at Noah before yelling out behind me. "Hey, no engagement sex in my bed!"

"That's okay, baby," I hear Noah say loud enough for me to hear. "There's always the couch."

Thank you for reading Man Up Playboy If you enjoyed it, please leave a review on the site where you purchased it, and recommend it to a friend!

Continue reading for an excerpt of Man Up Party Boy

Other books by Danielle Sibarium

For Always (Eternity 1)

And Forever (Eternity 2)

 

The Heart Waves Series

Heart Waves (1) (Free)

Breaking Waves (2)

Waves of Love (3)

 

Stand Alones

To My Hero: A Blog of Our Journey Together

Into You

Regret Me Not

Man Up Party Boy

 

Man Up Playboy

Man Up Husband (winter 2015/2016)

Chapter 1

Noah

"You're kidding." He has to be joking. "Please tell me this is your lame attempt at humor." Cooper may be my best friend, but right now, if he was standing in front of me I'd put his head through a glass window.

"No, dude. I'm serious."

"Italy?"

"I'm sorry, but I can't pass this shit up. It's a free trip. As in, I'm not paying for airfare or the hotel."

"That doesn't sound like 'Sorry, Noah, I'm just fucking with you.' Doesn't sound like it at all." I crumple a piece of paper on my desk and toss it at the trash can. I miss. Great. Another sign that this is going to be a fucking awesome day. Not.

Three months of planning-- talking to realtors and giving them our parameters to find the perfect rental-- down the drain. We had to act fast and jump on the deal when we found the house on the boardwalk. It's right off the beach. Not too close to any sort of activity so it affords us privacy, and not too far from it either so we could drink all we want and not have to worry about getting in a car to drive anywhere. And now what?  My best friend is dicking me over for a last minute trip to Italy with his flavor of the month.

"It was a non-refundable deposit, and unlike you, I'm not fucking flight attendants that can whisk me off to Europe or some exotic country. I can't afford to flush a grand down the toilet."

I didn't like the idea of pre-paying and giving extra money up front for security, but we wanted to close the deal. It's a house, not a cheap piece of crap bungalow, or a shitty hotel room. This is a house complete with dishes, linens and nothing but a strip of boardwalk separating us from the sandy, New Jersey beach.

Now because my best friend is thinking with the wrong head, I'm looking at no vacation, and a substantial monetary loss. Bastard.

"You broke the code man, bro's before ho's."

"I didn't break the code. I'm just making the most of an opportunity. Besides if I don't go, I'll never hear from Selene again."

"And that's a problem? You barely even see this girl."

"That's exactly my point. She's thirty thousand feet in the air most of the time. She's gorgeous, with the hottest body I've ever seen, and I don't have to see her every day, or even every fucking week. That means no clinginess. No answering to her when I spend a night out with guys getting drunk."

"And getting laid."

"And getting laid," he parrots.

"And when we're out and you're doing your thing, you ever wonder what or who she's doing?"

"It doesn't matter, Noah. We have an open relationship which is a beautiful thing. We don't see each other enough to get on each other's nerves. There's no commitment. And it's the best sex of my life."

"Whatever. I'm letting you know you're putting a serious crimp in our friendship."

"I'm not leaving you totally high and dry. I found someone to share the house with you."

"Who? Marlena won't let Troy out of her sight, especially since the baby is due in two weeks. Mickey's so strapped for money he's selling his swimmers."

Cooper snickers on his end. "Whatever, dude. I think he just likes jerking off into a cup. But you're right, it's not the guys."

"A girl? Are you shitting me?" I lean forward against my desk. Now I'm interested. For the right girl I'd consider forgiving him. "A flight attendant? Is it one Selene's friends? She better be hot. Is she hot? 'Cause if she isn't you can forget . . ."

"Hey, hold on there. Yes, it's a girl. And no she's not hot."

Great. Way to let the air out of my sails.

"And even if she is, you wouldn't be seeing any action from her."

"Then what the fuck is the point?"

"The point is you still get your beach vacation. You have your distraction to help you forget the fact that Dina's getting married, and I get my money back."

Why does he have to keep bringing her up? I know she's getting married in two weeks. Why can't he let it go? "I keep telling you I don't give a shit about Dina getting married."

He snickers on the other end. "And I'm with Selene because she's got a big heart. Dude you've been hung up on that one since high school and she never so much as gave you the time of day."

"I'm not hung up on her. We're just friends. That's all we ever were. That's all we'll ever be."

"Friends. Great. You've been locked safely away in the friend zone for ten years. How's that working for you?"

I bounce the tip of my pen on a pile on a pile of papers on my desk. Sometimes I can't stand Cooper's jackass side, like right now. But I often find there's a hint of truth to what he says, like right now.