The door to the room creaked open and Elliott’s head appeared in the doorway. “Brady, it’s about that time.”
“Thanks.”
“Are you going to be able to recover?” Elliott asked him, moving into the room and shutting the door.
“Recover from what?” Brady asked, standing and straightening out his suit. He’d had someone pick him out a new one for the occasion, and after he had gotten it tailored, the thing fit perfectly. “I just won the primary.”
“As your lawyer, I should tell you that ditching your reporter would be in your best interest.” Brady narrowed his eyes. “Yes, I know she’s in the crowd. Yes, I know that you’ve still been seeing and talking to her.”
“What’s your point, Elliott?” he asked. His voice had a steely edge to it.
“As your friend, I’m sorry that you have such poor timing. I know you wouldn’t put your career at risk for just anyone,” Elliott said, walking over to Brady. They had known each other a very long time. “What is it about her?”
“I don’t want to have this conversation right now,” Brady said sternly. He couldn’t think about Liz after the abrupt end to their conversation. “I have a campaign to win.”
Brady brushed past Elliott and walked to the door.
“You really do love her, don’t you?” Elliott asked when Brady reached for the door handle.
“Frankly, it doesn’t matter at this point,” Brady said, before swinging the door open and exiting.
Brady walked back toward the stage, knowing his time was almost up. Campaign staffers and friends patted his shoulder and congratulated him as he walked by. He forced on what Liz called his campaign mask and accepted all of their praise with poise and charm.
His family was waiting for him at the stage. His father looked happy. Brady knew that his father had always wanted him to enter politics. Brady had practically been bred for it. He was achieving what his father had always hoped for his son.
His father’s arm was sitting loosely around his mother’s waist. She had short blond hair styled into a bob. She had frequently been compared to Jackie O for her style, beauty, and intelligence. She smiled warmly at her son, a proud gleam in her eye.
Clay and Savannah stood side by side wearing drastically different expressions. Clay, as usual, looked bored and as if he would prefer to be anywhere else. Brady didn’t even know why Clay even still showed up to events for him. The longer Clay was around Brady, the less pleasant he became. Savannah, however, was bursting with energy. He and Savannah had always gotten along better than he did with Clay. She was excited for him, and Brady could tell she wanted to crush him with hugs, but she was restraining herself.
That was all any of this was. It was one big game of restraint. No one could be too happy or too sad or too mad. Any of that could be caught on camera and look negative on the campaign. He would play the game and get what he wanted. He knew the costs.
“We’re so proud of you, honey,” Brady’s mother said, walking out of his father’s arms and moving forward to straighten his suit.
“Thanks, Mom,” he said, looking down at her petite form. She had on a navy-blue skirt suit with a white blouse underneath her blazer. She had on makeup ready enough for the camera crew and bright stage lights, but Brady knew that his mother was beautiful without any of it.
“Not to jinx you, but you’re going to win this race,” she said with a wink before stepping back.
“Are you ready, son?” Brady’s father asked.
“Yes, sir,” he responded immediately.
“Then I think it’s time.”
Brady nodded before turning around and walking to the entrance to the stage. He watched Heather walk up to the podium. She was a natural in front of an audience, and he knew that no matter where he went in his career she would follow him.
“Ladies and gentlemen, thank you so much for attending this party for State Senator Brady Maxwell III,” Heather began her speech.
The crowd boomed.
“He’s very pleased to be here with you all tonight. We’re all very happy to announce that Senator Maxwell has won your nomination to the House of Representatives and will be fighting for your vote at the general election in November.”
Brady smiled at her enthusiasm. She had this audience so easily. They were here for him. These were the people who believed in him. It was going to be a close race on Election Day, but the people surrounding him were going to help him get there.
“Without further ado, I would like to introduce you to the man who won your vote, State Senator Brady Maxwell.”
That was his cue.
Brady took a deep breath and steeled himself for what he was about to do. He had made hundreds of speeches and he would do thousands more before he was done with his career. The stage was his battleground, and he was ready to fight to win this election.
He stepped out on the stage, into the blaring lights and flashing cameras. The crowd of supporters cheered, and he could hear his name rising from all sides.
Max-well. Max-well. Max-well.
The room was a collage of red, white, and blue. People were holding VOTE FOR MAXWELL signs and waving the signature Stars and Stripes. His logo was plastered everywhere on banners, balloons, T-shirts, and the projection screen on the wall.
Brady’s heart contracted as he realized that all of this was because people believed in his plans. He let himself feel that for a second before resuming his confident stride to the podium. He smiled at the crowd, knowing that hundreds of pictures were capturing his every move.
As he stood and waited for the crowd to quiet down, his eyes searched out Liz. He wanted to find her and somehow convey to her across this distance everything he was feeling. She read him so easily, but he wasn’t sure whether she would understand when he gave his next speech.
Brady searched through the reporters at the center of the room, and his smile widened when he found Liz. She looked gorgeous in a dark pantsuit and heels with her blond hair hanging long over her shoulders. His eyes shifted to the person next to her, and it took everything Brady had not glare. The guy, Hayden, was talking directly into Liz’s ear over the deafening noise while his hand rested on her arm. And Brady couldn’t. even. react.
Liz shifted marginally away from Hayden and smiled up at Brady. Her hands moved to a long necklace dangling down past her breasts. His locket.
What is she thinking? Brady wondered.
“Thank you. Thank you,” Brady said, raising his hands and attempting to quiet down the crowd. After another minute, the noise had died down enough for him to begin.
“Thank you all so much for coming out to my nomination party. Who would have guessed four years ago that I would be up for nomination for the House of Representatives? I’m humbled and honored that so many people believe in the vision I set forth when I started campaigning for office. It’s been a tough road already on the campaign trail, but I never once doubted that y’all would get me here.”
Brady focused in on Liz in the crowd. He couldn’t read her face from that distance. She was standing very still and seemed to be soaking in what he said.
“I’ve made sacrifices to get here, and I’m going to keep making them. Everything that I’ve done to get where I am was worth it to better represent the people of North Carolina.”
Liz bristled at those sentences just like he knew she probably would. She crossed her arms and stared straight ahead. He knew he was hurting her.
“When I was growing up, I watched my father working for the people as a Congressman, and I always said that was what I wanted to do as well. I want to work for you. I’m listening to your concerns and taking those concerns with me to Congress.”
Brady paused to catch the effect his words had on the crowd. He could still feel Liz staring at him, but he had to scan the room. When he met her gaze once more, he felt his heart rate pick up. His hands were clammy, his cheeks heating, and he found it hard to swallow. He felt his focus shifting away from what he knew he needed to say, but she paralyzed him in that moment. He felt like he was hyperventilating all over again, like he was about to board an airplane. How did she have such power?