And maybe he was the only one emotionally invested in them.
But he’d also never been a coward. He loved Evelyn and he wasn’t going to let her walk away. He just had to figure out how to make this happen so they could both have everything they wanted.
*
EVELYN PAUSED, WAITING FOR GRAY TO SAY ANYTHING that would lead her to believe he felt something for her.
She was in love with him. Crazy in love with this lean, sexy athlete who was so much more than what he showed on the surface. Underneath, he was tender and romantic and vulnerable, and that he’d showed her all of that, that he’d trusted her with all his emotions, had meant so much to her.
When he’d asked her what was going to happen after the convention, she thought that was going to be the opening, that he’d start a dialogue about the two of them— about their future.
Because she really wanted a future with him. She knew it was an impossible future.
He had his racing career, which took him all over the country, and she was going to be firmly planted in D.C. once Governor Cameron and the senator won the election.
And they were going to win the election. She’d do everything in her power to make that happen.
It wasn’t like she’d be able to hop from city to city with him. She’d be so busy with the senator, who’d become the vice president. But Senator Mitchell was also Gray’s father. They’d find a way to make this work.
If that’s what Gray wanted.
Then again, maybe he’d brought up what would happen after the convention to start easing his way out of this relationship. He might want to let her down easy. After all, he’d never promised her anything. They’d been having a wonderful time, but not once had they talked about a future together. Given their differing lifestyles, anyone with half a brain would realize the two of them, as a couple, made no sense at all.
They both had brains, and she had always been a realist. The idea was ludicrous.
They’d never see each other. It would end before it ever got off the ground. The best, kindest thing they could do for one another would be to part as good friends, especially since she intended to be in his life at least for the next eight years. They’d run into each other whenever he saw his father, at least whenever he was in Washington. If their relationship ended badly, that could get ugly, and she’d worked too damn hard to lose her job over a relationship.
No, best to end things on a good note, so they could see each other and be friendly, remember the good times they had, and leave it at that.
After all, her career meant the world to her.
Someday, she’d figure out how to have it all.
But she wasn’t going to have everything she wanted with Gray.
“Tired?” he asked her as he smoothed his hand over her hair.
She nodded. “A little.”
“You’re juggling a lot. You know it’s okay if you want to head over to the convention.”
“Trying to get rid of me?” she asked with a faint smile, hoping he wouldn’t keep pushing her away, even though it was inevitable.
“No. Trying to make this easier on you.”
She wanted to ask if the “easier” part was her doing her part at the convention or the end of their relationship. But she couldn’t bring herself to say the words. She was brave in so many aspects of her life and her career, but in this, she felt weak. “I don’t need easy.”
“I’ll leave that up to you, then. If you want to stay for the race tomorrow, I’ll be happy to have you here. But it won’t crush me if you feel the need to get back to your job.”
In other words, he was giving her up, giving her the chance to be the first one to walk away.
Damned if she’d do that. “I want to see you race tomorrow.”
“Okay.” He pulled her back into bed and shut off the light. She lay there, staring into the darkness, trying to figure out how they were going to bridge this gap, this silent dance of the end of their relationship.
It hurt. And she hated it.
TWENTY-SEVEN
RACE DAY DAWNED BRIGHT AND SUNNY AND PROMISED to be miserably hot, just the way Gray liked it.
It was going to be a great day. He and Donny were both going to race well. He could feel it.
Having Evelyn in the pit box meant everything to him. He’d woken her up this morning by making love to her, a silent, smokin’-hot way to start the day. He’d rolled her over and slid inside her before she was fully awake. She’d run her hands all over him, kissing him with a quiet desperation that he couldn’t quite fathom.
It had felt an awful lot like good-bye, and he didn’t like that feeling at all.