“Well . . . I’m honored to be there.”

“I’ve been thinking a lot about how we started.” He fingered the necklace dangling between her breasts. She narrowed her eyes. “I know that it wasn’t the best of scenarios, but it brought you into my life. We might be unconventional, but who needs convention? I fell in love with you. You stole me away, and I’m glad that you didn’t give me back.”

“Never,” she insisted.

“Good. Now let’s go win an election.” He kissed her lips and then they exited the house together.

A town car drove them to the grand hotel downtown, where Brady’s election party would be in full swing in one of their massive ballrooms. His friends and family were congregated in a small reception room, where they would receive the news. Everyone he cared about was in attendance, just the way it had always been. Liz had even included Victoria and Daniel in the festivities. Chris was there with his family. Brady kept a close eye on Lucas, whom he still didn’t trust near his sister. Luckily, Savannah had brought her boyfriend, Easton. The guy seemed all right. Had a good head on his shoulders.

His mother and father greeted them when they walked into the room. His father wouldn’t be up for reelection until next term, and it was nice to have his constant presence here for him during the hardest two elections of Brady’s career.

Heather and Elliott appeared next, as serious and reserved as ever. But he knew them well enough to know that they were nervous but excited. They wanted him to win. They had staked their careers on it. They were two of his closest friends.

In just a few minutes he would find out if it had all been worth it.

Liz wandered off to talk to Victoria and Savannah. They fawned over her dress and giggled about nonsensical things. He was glad they were there for her. He knew that she was as stressed and nervous about the outcome as he was.

Heather looked as though she wanted to say something, but he just smiled. “Excuse me for a minute.”

She nodded and returned to her conversation with Elliott. There was something he probably should have done a long time ago, but the election had gotten in the way.

He approached his brother, who was sitting there seemingly bored by whatever his girlfriend was going on about. Clay turned his gaze to meet Brady’s and his brother scowled.

“Andrea, do you think you could give us a minute?” Brady asked.

“Uh . . . sure. Whatever,” she said, grabbing her cocktail and walking away.

“Did you need something?” Clay asked. He already looked bored again.

Brady stuck his hand out. “I wanted to thank you for helping me.”

Clay stared down at his outstretched hand as if it might attack him. “Is this some kind of joke?”

“No. Thank you for your time and especially for what you did for Liz. I really appreciate it.”

Clay tentatively put his hand into Brady’s and they shook. “Well, she needed the help.”

“I know. Usually she doesn’t.”

“That’s the truth,” Clay agreed.

They dropped their hands and Clay stood awkwardly, as if he was waiting for Brady to lay into him for something.

“You know, this morning I was thinking about when we were younger and how Election Day used to be like Christmas.”

“Are we going to go into one of your stories?” Clay jeered.

Brady ignored him. It was just Clay’s usual sidestep. “We’d wake up early and go to the polls with our parents even before Savannah was born. We’d get ice cream at the victory after-party. As we got older something changed between us. I know it might not be salvageable, but hope that one day we can change that.”

Clay stared at him blankly for a few seconds. Brady thought that he might laugh in his face and tell him to fuck off. Typical Clay. But after a minute he nodded. “I think I’d like that.”

They shook hands again, and a bond that Brady hadn’t felt since they were kids flowed between them. He hadn’t realized until that moment how much he had missed Clay.

He turned to return to Liz’s side. “What was that about?” she asked. She never missed a thing.

“Making amends like I should have done years ago.”

A bright smile broke out onto her face, and she was about to say something when the doors to the reception room opened. Everyone turned to face the front as Alex walked inside. His nose was buried in his iPad like always.

When he looked back up at his audience, Brady felt as if all of the air had been sucked out of the room in anticipation. Then Alex’s eyes sought his in the crowd and he smiled. “Congratulations, Congressman! You’re in for another term.”

Brady scooped Liz into his arms and swung her around as a cheer rose up from the room. Everyone was hugging, applauding, and cheering his victory. He had done it. Against all odds, he had won a second term.

“Congratulations,” Liz whispered into his ear. “How do you feel?”

“Like I’m on top of the world,” he admitted. “How do you feel?”

“Like I’m on the top of the world with you.”

“Every day for the rest of our lives.”

Epilogue

TWELVE YEARS LATER

Jefferson, if you do not stop tormenting your sister I won’t let you have ice cream after the conference,” Liz snapped at her nine-year-old son. He was the spitting image of his father, but had the devilish tendencies of his uncle.

“I wasn’t doing anything,” he said. He put his hands behind his suit as if he were innocent.

Liz bent down and wiped the tears from her daughter’s face. “It’s all right, Jacqueline. Jefferson will apologize. He didn’t mean it.”

“He did mean it! He hates me,” the five-year-old girl cried dramatically. Her blond hair fell in curls past her shoulders and seemed to be perpetually knotted, but her big blue eyes kept Brady wrapped around her little finger.

“He doesn’t hate you. Do you?” Liz asked. She looked warningly at her son. “Jefferson?”

“I don’t hate you, Jackie,” he said, rolling his eyes to the ceiling.

Well, that would have to do.

“All better?” she asked her daughter.

She sniffled twice and then nodded. “Do I still get ice cream?”

“Yes. Of course you do. Now, are you ready to join your father? It’s a big day,” Liz said with a bright smile for both of them.