Lucky Baby (Crescent Cove 11)

It was barely two o’clock in the afternoon.

I took a fortifying sip of my coffee. I was well-versed in dealing with happy drunk boys as my brothers often started out that way and ended up throwing punches five minutes later.

“Tissssh!” Caleb toddled my way like a drunk baby. “Hey, we missed yoush.” His face was sweetly soft after consuming what I guessed was far more beer than was wise this early in the day.

“Does Luna know where you are?”

“Pshhh. It’s fine. She’s working. It’s fine.” He bumped into the wall. “Hey, where’s the cooler?”

“You left it on the elevator, dumbass,” Lucky said then started singing again. He walked toward me in an almost straight line. “What are you doing here, grouchy?” He poked me.

I blinked at the combined scents of sweaty male and beer. Wow, that was rough. “I was going to work.”

“Hey…no. No, you should drink with us. We’re going to get more beer to party it up on the rooftop.”

“Pretty sure you partied it up for three, Thor.”

“Ha. I like when you call me Thor.”

He kissed my forehead and I tried to step back out of fume range. “All right. I’m fairly sure you don’t need any more.”

“Oh, we do. Don’t we, buddy?” He stepped back to slap Brady on the back. “This is my friend, Brady. He was really nice to me today. Didn’t even give me a ticket.”

Brady stumbled forward. “It’s okay, man. Girl trouble.”

“Yeah.” Lucky’s face went from happy to sad. “Girl trouble sucks.” He stepped to the side and leaned on the wall. “These beers are really strong. I can usually drink a twelve-pack on my own.”

“Micro brewskis,” Brady said with a squinty grin. “I confis—took it from some teens at the hayride last night.”

I took the bottle from Caleb.

“Gimme, that’s mine.”

I held up a finger and read the label. “Fourteen percent. That’s not your average beer, boys.”

“Def not averageee,” Caleb slurred and took it back. “So tasty. We’re gonna get some more.”

I took another two gulps of my coffee and set it on the small table by the door. “All right. Time to put you idiots to bed.”

“No. It’s sunny out. There’s no bed.” Caleb tipped the bottle back then stuck his tongue out when nothing came out. “Damn. All gone.”

“Thank God.” I took the bottle and turned him back toward the elevator. “Come on, you too, Thor.”

“No.”

I hung my head for a second. Luckily, the other two were a little more helpful. Brady was singing “Dream On” by Aerosmith now, but at least they were in the elevator. Caleb was trying to help out, but he just sounded like a howling hound dog.

Lucky waved. “Imma just sit here.” He slid down the wall and thumped to the floor. His legs were too long, so he looked more like a collapsed giant in a dollhouse.

“Hey, is he okay?” Caleb stuck his head out of the elevator.

I palmed his face and pushed him back inside. “He’s fine. Come on, let’s get you guys settled.” I propped up each of them in a corner and said a small prayer of thanks that the elevator was finally finished. If I’d had to get them up the stairs, it would not have been fun.

While the boys serenaded me with a very butchered version of “Dream On”, I pulled out my phone and texted Luna.

I have your husband to be.

Why?