Torn between his wish to have his daughter be happy and his thoughts on the subject as a man, Samuel was the first to offer his judgment. His pleasant smile and nodding of his head came off a little deceiving as he finally verbalized his thought. “My God, she’s got you trained already.”

“Yes, she does,” Brooke confirmed her father-in-law-to-be’s suspicion.

“It’s a hopeless cause, gentlemen.” Samuel shook his head. “She’s already beyond our help.”

“So, wait a minute…” Brooke raised an eyebrow in challenge. “If I answer right, does that mean I get to make all of you drink?”

“URP! Wrong answer.” Her father held out another filled shot glass for her to consume.

“Wait, what do you mean wrong answer?” Brooke looked to her father as she took the glass and then threw it back, along with her head.

“URP!” Brian mimicked Henry, “Wrong answer.” He smiled broadly as he brought a filled shot glass out from behind his back and presented it to his sister-in-law.

Stunned by the double team action, Brooke opened her mouth to speak but was stopped before she could utter a single word.

“Brooke,” Rick spoke up. “I’d be careful what you say,” he cautioned her holding a third shot glass for her to consume.

“Well, let me put it this way…” Brooke took Brian’s glass and downed it, then returned it to the table upside down. “Given a choice between watching grown men smack each other on the ass and scratch themselves or stay at home with Sam so she can smack my ass or scratch me…” she took Rick’s glass and consumed it, also turning it upside down on the table before continuing. “Which one do you think I’m gonna choose?” Brooke gave a little snicker as she wiggled her eyebrows.

Each of the four married men glanced from one to another then, as if timed perfectly with years of practice, they let out their battle cry for the night. “URP! WRONG ANSWER,” was shouted as each one righted their shot glass on the table. Taking the bottle from Rick, Peter hastily filled them up.

Brooke blinked at the sight before her. All of her esteemed party throwers stood there before her, gloating. “What’s the name of this game, anyway? Is someone going to tell me the right answers?”

They all glanced around to one another and smiled.

“Why, the name of the game, Brooke, is…” Henry silently counted off the cue on his fingers until at the thrust of the third finger, all yelled in unison. “TAKE IT LIKE A MAN.”

Brooke watched as they all started laughing. Singling out her soon to be father-in-law, Brooke directed her question to him. “What do you think, Mr. Moleson?” She waited until the man looked in her direction. “She’s your daughter, what do you think?”

Caught off guard, Samuel cleared his throat as he looked over to Henry. “Hmm…” Sam’s father crossed his arms over his chest and sized the woman up. “Right now, Brooke,” he nodded his head, “I’m kind of glad that you’re not a man. I think you’re going to make my daughter one happy wife.” Samuel let a subtle smile come to his face as Brooke got up from her chair.

Her long strides made the space between them disappear in no time as she threw her arm around him and gave Samuel a vigorous one-armed hug. “Take that one, guys.” She looked to the other men in the room, and then gave a laugh, squeezing the man’s shoulders even tighter than before. “Thanks, sir.”

“Okay,” Sam called out. “Bring on that next mystery box.” She looked around the group of women. “Whosez next?”

Hearing her future daughter-in-law’s slurred speech, Mable acted on her motherly instincts. “Sam, are you alright, Dear?”

Sam looked a little confused by the question. “I…well…yeah I’m…”

“Nervous, Mom.” Randi interjected before the blonde could finish. “It’s her nerves; remember how you were the night before your wedding?”

“Oh yes,” the matriarch giggled. “I was more nervous at the reception for the actual wedding night to come. Now that was a story in its own right. Why I remember being so nervous that…”

Sensing that all eyes were on Mable as she became caught up in one of her stories, Crystal took the flask from behind her and slipped it into her mother’s hand. She leaned over to Sandy and whispered in her ear, “Your turn now,” then stood back up. Keeping her eye on Mable, Crystal moved around the room, taking the first seat she found, and plopped into it as the story was drawing to a close.

Mable rocked back and forth in laughter as she ended her story. “Oh, God, I don’t know how any of you were conceived, especially you, Randi. I still can’t believe that you were conceived on that night.” The woman wiped a tear from her eye.

“Yeah, but Mom,” C.C. pointed out, “They’ve already gone through that rehearsal.” The brunette smiled impishly, letting her gaze drift over to Sam.

“Oh yeah? What would that be called then, the undress rehearsal?” Terri’s eyes sparkled in delight that she’d finally been able to tease the bride-to-be.

“Oh, enough. She’s going to be a part of the family.” Mable warned. “Randi, why don’t you go next?”

“Oh, excuse me,” Sandy tapped Randi on the shoulder. “May I?” The older woman motioned in the direction of the bathroom.

“Sure,” the lawyer got up, letting Sandy pass.

Seeing the direction that her aunt was heading for, Sam got up and started to walk with her. “I guess you’ll need me to show you the way, too?”

“No, Dear.” Sandy looked a little annoyed. “I know where it is. You…you just stay and open your gifts.”

“Oh…” the blonde’s brow furrowed in confusion. “Okay.” She stopped her forward motion and returned to her seat. “I guess you’re up, Randi.” Sam held out her hand for the box.

The lawyer reached out and handed her box across the table to Sam. “Here ya go, Sis.” Randi winked at the blonde and smiled as she sat back down.

Sam was struck by the term of acceptance from the woman. “Thanks, sis,” she said with a little lilt to it. It took the blonde several tries to open it, but the task was soon done. Sam peered into the box while she attempted to bring the words that were written on the lid into focus. “What is it, Randi? I can’t quit make it out.” Sam opened the lid and held up several of the irregularly shaped pieces in the air.

Peering over her sister’s shoulder, Sarah looked just as confused. “What is it, Sam?”

“Damned if I know.” Sam shrugged, and then looked over to Randy.

“It’s a puzzle, Sam.” Randi reached over and held up two more pieces, showing how they fit together. “Every time that you have sex you get to put a piece in place.” The eldest sibling looked around the room. “Hey, I got one and well, Brian and I kind of liked it.”

“Ah…” Sarah nodded. “So this puzzle will be completed by the time they leave Vermont, right?” The teen flashed her sister a toothy smile.

“Oh Lordy,” Mable shook her head as she fanned her face. “Do we even want to know what that picture will look like?”

Randi leaned forward, reaching out to get the blushing woman’s attention. “Psst! Don’t worry, Sam. I got the Lesbian sensitive one.” The lawyer smiled as her comment brought the roomful of women howling with laughter.

Terri leaned forward and peeked down the hall to the bathroom door, then called over, getting the blonde’s attention. “Hey, Sam…your aunt’s been gone for a bit. Why don’t you go check on her?”

“Suuurrrrreee,” Sam drew the word out as she handed the box away from her sister. “I’ll be right…right back, everyone.”

The blonde got up and gingerly walked back to the bathroom door. Standing before it, she steadied herself before giving it a little knock. “Aunt Sandy, are you okay in there?”

“I’m fine, Sammi. Come on in.” The sweet voice floated through the door. “Whew, that’s some good stuff there.”

Sam laughed as she opened the door to find the flask being shoved back into her hands.

“Drink up, my dear,” the older woman raised one finger up in the air and did a little dance in the confined space that the bathroom allowed. “I’m getting jiggy with it already.”

Giving a little giggle at the humorous display of dance, Sam put the flask to her mouth and tipped her head back, taking a drink. Bringing the container away from her mouth, she swallowed. “Hey,” she smiled, “that wasn’t so bad that time.” Immediately the blonde took another little drink just to prove that she was right. “Come on, Aunt Sandy, I want to get to Sarah’s gift.”

“That a girl.” Sandy took the flask back and capped it. “Let’s go.”

The sound of the infomercial that was coming on to the late night TV filled the room as Peter sorted through the cards one last time. “There goes the game,” he said tossing them one by one into the wastebasket.

Peter looked over to Brooke who was still seated at the table and shook his head. “Enough of the fun stuff, let’s just drink.” He walked over to the bottle and poured everyone in the room another round.

Collectively, they each grabbed a drink and, in a domino effect, threw them back, one after the other, until all six were done.

“Well, that was fun,” Brian said sarcastically as he scratched his neck, and then went back to watching the TV.

“Well, don’t have any fun without me,” Henry set his glass down on the table. “I’ll be back as soon as I drop my booster tank.” He walked past his daughter, giving a pat to her shoulder and a nod, and then ambled into the bathroom.

“Well,” Peter settled into a chair across the table from Brooke. “I guess that you showed them, eh Brooke?” He looked over to her with a satisfied smile on his face.

“Yeah, I guess that I did.” Brooke played with the shot glass in her hand as she thought about the past few hours. “Hey, I gots one for you guiz,” she smirked.

“Sure,” Brian turned from the TV and looked over to the table, “Hit us with it.”

Brooke looked to the other three for their approval. Hearing no protests, the woman sat back in her chair and slowly stated her question. “Sey that yoo’re having sets wif yoor wife…”

“Sets?” Brian asked, completely puzzled. “Is that some…ah…lesbian term for…ah…you know…” He looked to the rest of the guys present and thrust his hand in a pumping motion.

Four sets of eyes slowly turned to look to Brooke for the answer.

“Bite me,” she glared at them all.

“No thanks, but Sam might.” Rick let go with a chuckle.

Straightening up, Brooke carefully restated her question. “You’re having sex with your wife and you’ve almost got her to the edge, but not quite. What do you do?” She eyed the men carefully.

“Who’s having sex?” Brian looked around to the other men with children. “It must be you Rick, ’cause it sure isn’t any of us.”

Henry came walking back over to the table. “What did I miss?”

“Nothing, Pop. Sit down and take a load off.” Brooke turned her attention back to her brother-in-law. “It’s hypothetical, Brian.” She picked up the bottle on the table and poured herself a drink, then downed it. “You have to answer it. What do you do?”

“Well,” Brain rubbed his neck nervously. “Randi would kill me if this ever got out but…” he looked around the group. “She really gets off when I talk dirty to her.” Brian started to turn red as soon as he looked over to Henry, then quickly let his gaze go to the floor as he mumbled, “It’s got to be something about the street language that does it with lawyers.”

Brooke smiled like Satan himself. “URP! Wrong answer.” She poured him a drink, then handed him the shot glass. “Drink up, my man.” She watched as he took the offered glass and chugged it, then turned her attention to the next victim in her game. “Rick?”

“Me, ah…ah…” he wiggled nervously in his seat. “A…a little Viagra never hurts.” Rick looked to the men on either side of him. “You know, just to go a little stronger and longer.” He finished, looking a little sheepishly at Brooke.

The woman arched an eyebrow at his answer. “URP! Wrong answer,” Brooke was quick to say. She poured a shot glass for Rick and then one for herself. Handing Rick his, she held hers up and saluted him. Together, they downed their drinks.

Wiping her mouth with the back of her hand, Brooke looked over in her ex-band mate’s direction. “Petey?”

“Hey, I’m out of it.” Peter pushed his chair back from the table, as if to distance himself from the challenge. “You said if you were having sex with your wife.” He held up his left hand and pointed to his ring finger, smiling from ear to ear. “I’m not married.”

“Osay…a minor tecknicalidy.” Brooke stopped and rethought what she had just said, then shrugged it off, not seeing anything wrong with it. “Girl friend than…then.”