Page 66 of The Senator

Denver put his arm around Pacman’s shoulders and smiled at him. “Baby boy, will you go get me a coffee?” Denver gave me an imploring look.

“Oh, uh, yeah. The café is down the hallway near the concierge desk. Tell Tony to put it on my tab.” I pointed the direction and after Pacman left, I turned to Denver.

“I’m sorry to spring this on you. I wanted to tell you, but I wasn’t sure if you’d understand. I loved Clinton more than I ever imagined loving anyone. When he died, I wanted to die with him. Thought about it a couple of times, but then Henry came along, and he annoyed and needled and taunted and got under my skin so deep that next thing I know, we’re dating and I’m falling in love with him.

“You know I’d never betray Clint. I still love him, and I’m convinced I always will, but hanging around Henry reminded me that I only get one life. I want to live it with him, and I want you to be okay with that.”

I stood from the chair and sat next to Denver on the couch. I took one of his hands and held it between both of mine. “I’m very happy for you, Denver. I know for a fact how much you love Clint. I know he wouldn’t want you to be alone for the rest of your life. He was a happy guy, and he’d want you to be happy too. I’d be honored to be your best man.”

Denver kissed my cheek just as Henry returned with three drinks. “Everything okay, guys? Nash, I hope?—”

I stood and took the paper tray from him, handing it to Denver. “I’m so happy for you guys.” I hugged Pacman again. “Where’s the wedding going to be?”

They both laughed. “The club won’t let us have it anywhere other than Sparta. Think your man will come down to the country to see how an MC celebrates?”

I shook my head. “I’ll do my best to prepare him beforehand.”

SPENCER

Nash and I arrived at JFK on time, and when we came out of the security area, we were surprised to see a man in a suit holding an iPad with Brady Party on the screen in Helvetica Bold.

“Did you arrange a car service?” Nash held my hand and pulled his suitcase while I carried my messenger bag with a lot of work inside I hoped to get done sometime over the long weekend and dragged our shared garment bag on the other side.

“I didn’t think about it. I’m not that familiar with New York, sweetheart. I just assumed it would be easy to get a cab.”

“Okay, then, let’s go ask the man. Maybe there’s another Brady family.”

We approached the man. “Hi, uh, I’m Spencer Brady. Are you waiting for another Brady?”

“Do you know Jay Brady?”

I chuckled. “Yes. He’s my?—”

“He’s here.” We both turned to see Jay and Cole wheeling luggage behind them.

“Wait, I thought you guys were already here. What’s going on?” I looked at them, and they appeared to have tans? That made no sense.

“Where are you coming back from?” We all exchanged hugs. The driver took the garment bag from me and the suitcase from Nash, and we all headed to the parking garage.

The lights flashed on a black Suburban sitting close to the parking garage. “So, what’s your name?” Seemed rude not to know the name of the man making the airport run.

“I’m Josh, Senator.” Okay, Josh was a man of few words.

He opened the back and put the third-row seat down to fit our bags inside. I sat in the front seat with Josh while Cole, Jay, and Nash sat in the middle row. The three of them chatted about college.

“Do you like being a driver? I bet you get a lot of crazies, huh?” What did one talk to a driver about? I was such a dick. When I used the service at the Capitol, I was usually on the phone or reading work stuff, so I didn’t worry about talking. Now, I felt like an asshole.

“I’m not actually a driver. I’m a contractor. I’ve worked with Vanessa on some renovations for some of her clients, and she asked me to do her a favor.” All talking in the back seat stopped.

“Ah. Well, that’s… you’re a good friend. The airport pickup is a hell of an ask. Thank you for agreeing.”

Josh was about five-ten. He had a full beard and bright blue eyes. His hair was short, and he had full sleeves on both arms. I could see the dark ink under the white-dress shirt he was wearing, and the sleeves were rolled up, which gave him a cool vibe that was beyond me.

“This yours? It’s a beast. I have a Tahoe, but it’s not this big.”

“Yeah. I have a son who plays hockey and I end up driving his team around, so I needed the space.” Josh merged into the lane leading to Midtown.

“Your family live in Manhattan?” I noticed the guys in the back seat were oddly quiet.

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