“Oh God, the slang just keeps getting worse and worse,” Chris groaned.

Lucas clapped his brother on the back. “Come on! Don’t you remember what it was like in college? I know it was a long time ago for you, but you have to remember—the booze, the women, basketball. Let’s bring that back for him.”

“Minus the women,” Chris clarified.

Clay shrugged. “There are some very hot women right down the beach.”

“It’s a bachelor party. We’re not bringing Liz over here. If we get him sloppy, it’s on us. No one else has to know.”

Clay and Lucas exchanged a glance that said they would both be taking videos of this shit later and then nodded. “Deal,” they said at the same time.

That was how Clay and Lucas piled into his hybrid and rolling to the liquor store later that day. They’d given Brady some bullshit excuse about going to pick up lunch. Guess they’d have to do that now, too.

He and Lucas grabbed some more beer, a handle or two of tequila, a few bottles of whiskey, and some mixers. They hauled it all back out to his car and deposited it into the trunk.

“So,” Clay said as they walked to the sandwich place next door, “are you and Savannah a thing?”

Lucas grunted and shrugged.

“What does that mean?”

“Dunno. Where’d you hear that?”

“Someone mentioned it once. That the case?”

“Look, man, it’s not a big deal. We were kind of an on-and-off-again thing. But, now, Savi and I are ancient history.” Lucas looked up at him and seemed really unconvincing. “She has a boyfriend, you know?”

“Yeah, I know. I know that don’t mean shit though if you really like her. Or if she really likes you. Didn’t matter for Brady and Liz.”

“Hey, I tried with her. If she really likes me, then she has a funny way of showing it.” He rubbed his jaw, like he was remembering a particularly painful memory.

“Well, that’s good for your health.”

Lucas cocked an eyebrow. “That so?”

“Yeah, because, as her brother, I have to let you know…I’d kick your ass.”

“Cool, man,” Lucas said with a stiff laugh.

They returned to the beach house after picking up enough sandwiches that it looked like they could feed a small third world country rather than four guys all over six feet tall.

Brady took one look at their liquor loot and shook his head. “What’s all this?”

“The party!” Lucas cried, pulling out the tequila and pouring it into the small shot glasses they’d picked up.

“Drink up, big brother.” Clay patted him on the back.

Lucas passed Brady a shot.

“I promised Liz no strippers, but if we don’t finish all this booze, I can’t guarantee I’ll hold to that promise.”

Brady laughed, raised his shot of tequila into the air, and said, “Bring it on.”

Chapter 20

BOOZE & CIGARS

Several hours and a shit-ton of alcohol later, Brady Maxwell was hammered. It was easily the drunkest Clay had ever seen his brother. Not that he had seen Brady get drunk all that often, but Chris had seen him drink all through college, and even he swore, he had never seen Brady like this. Claimed he’d never gotten this wasted at school. Clay thought that just meant Brady had been way too uptight in college.

They’d lit cigars at some point, and the air was still perfumed with the scent. Brady’s was half-discarded in an ashtray they’d found in their father’s office. Clay had felt like a proper gentleman, smoking his cigar with the guys, but the very idea of it made him laugh.

“I just…I just love her,” Brady slurred. He smiled dopily before taking another shot on the table.

“I’d hope so. You’re marrying her,” Clay told him.

He rolled his eyes at Brady, who just smiled back at him. He was so wasted. It was hilarious to see him try to hold on to the vestiges of his political self even now.

“You’re going to find this…this one day,” Brady began. He swung his beer around, trying to aim at all three of them. “All of you.”

“That’s right, man,” Chris said, trying to hide his laughter.

“Giving speeches, even when he’s drunk,” Clay said. He shook his head.

“It’s who he is.” Chris just shrugged one shoulder and waited for whatever Brady was saying to make sense.

“You’re going to find…it. And when you do…” he said, taking a sip of the beer. “When you do, I’m going to be…there.”

“What are we finding?” Lucas prompted. He was beyond wasted all on his own, kicked back in the lounge chair. His eyes were glassy.

Clay was pretty sure, at some point, he’d gone down to the beach to smoke a blunt because he’d come back smelling like it. No one else had seemed to notice or care.

“Her. The one,” Brady told them.

Clay and Chris cracked up at him spouting his unconditional love. Neither of them had gotten as drunk as Brady. Chris had had more than Clay though, as he was under orders from Liz to take care of Brady.

“And I’m getting y’all this drunk when it happens!” Brady yelled.

“Done!” Clay agreed.

“I just want you to all be as happy as I am. She’s a fucking incredible woman.” Brady started wandering around, teetering and nearly falling over.

“Oh, there. Hold on. Don’t fall over,” Clay said. He put his hand out to steady Brady.

“I’m fine. I’m fine,” Brady said, shaking him off.

“I don’t think so.”

Brady patted him on the cheek and laughed. “Look at you.”

Clay shook his head in despair. What the fuck?

Brady stumbled and fell into the chair next to Lucas.

“Fuck, is this what it’s like, dealing with me?” Clay asked as he helped Chris haul Brady back to his feet.

“Worse,” Chris told him.

“Ass. That was rhetorical.”

“Call ’em like I see ’em.”

“No wonder I don’t have any friends,” Clay said.

“I need to take a piss,” Brady announced to the room before pushing past them, making his way toward the bathroom.