And she hadn’t even known he was coming.
“So I’m very proud to introduce you to my father, Senator Mitchell Preston.”
The applause was thunderous, the people in the convention center already one hundred percent behind Gray’s father. Evelyn took it all in as Mitchell came out and gave his son a handshake, then a very gentle hug. The looks they gave each other were filled with genuine warmth.
It was a perfect moment, and the media caught it all. But it was more than that, because Evelyn saw the bonding between father and son, and that meant more than anything.
She stood and listened to Mitchell’s speech, one she’d helped him prepare. But her gaze followed Gray off stage. She wanted to go to him, to talk to him, but her job was to be there for the senator, so she stayed put while he spoke of the country’s needs and his ideas on how to fulfill them. She was so proud of him, and when he finished, the convention floor thundered its approval.
It was a shining moment, one she was fully caught up in.
It wasn’t until hours later, when all the interviews for the day were finished, that she was able to ask the senator about Gray’s appearance tonight.
“I had no idea he was going to appear. I told him not to,” the senator said.
“I thought he was in Daytona.”
The senator smiled. “I put him up in a suite here at the hotel.”
Her eyes widened. “He’s been here the whole time?”
“Yes. He didn’t want you to know.”
Hurt clenched her stomach. “Why is that?”
“He wanted you focused on what you needed to do here, not on him. He said your job is your priority.”
“I see.” How nice of him to make that decision for her, or to think she couldn’t juggle both. A familiar refrain, and one she’d heard before. “Is he still here?”
“Of course.” The senator gave her Gray’s room number and, once she was certain the senator didn’t need her anymore that night, she headed up there.
It was unfair to fight with a man who was physically down. But then again, he’d looked capable standing at the podium tonight, hadn’t he?
She knocked at the door and a very attractive woman answered. She wore a pantsuit and looked official. And gorgeous, with her dark hair pulled back in a ponytail and her exotic eyes all sexy.
Dammit.
Evelyn cocked a brow.
“May I help you?” the woman asked.
“I’m here to see Gray.”
“He’s not receiving visitors.”
“Oh, he’ll see me.” She brushed past. The woman objected, but Evelyn didn’t care.
“I tried to stop her, Gray,” the woman said.
Gray was sprawled on the sofa, his casted foot resting on an ottoman.
“Hey,” he said, smiling at her. “It’s okay, Cathy. This is Evelyn, my dad’s aide. And Evelyn’s a good friend of mine. Evelyn, Cathy’s my nurse.”
His dad’s aide? That’s how he introduced her? And yeah, this Cathy chick totally looked like a nurse.
Not.
Evelyn gave her a clipped nod.
“Cathy, why don’t you take off for the night? I’m good here.”
“Are you sure?”
“Yup. I’ll call you if I need anything.”
“All right. Good night.” Cathy picked up her bag and left the suite.
“Come sit down. You want something to drink?”
“No. I want to know why you didn’t tell me you were here.”
He grabbed the remote and turned off the television, then gave her a smile that heated her all the way to her toes. She ordered her body to ignore that physical response to him.
“Because I didn’t want you worrying about me or fussing over me. I knew you had a big job to do this week. I knew how much you’d been looking forward to it. And that’s what you needed to focus on. Not on me.”
She folded her arms over each other. “I see. And you think I’m too stupid to multitask?”
“Uh, I didn’t say that.” He studied her. “Are you pissed at me?”
“You’re damn right, I’m pissed at you. Do you have any idea how worried I was about you? My God, Gray. That accident was horrific. I’ve thought about you all week, worried about you, wondered how you were doing.”
“Exactly. And this was your week to shine. The last thing you needed was to think about me.”
She rolled her eyes. “Don’t treat me like I’m a simpleton. I could have handled your father’s appearance at the convention along with caring about you. And don’t presume to make decisions for me and my life. I thought you were better than that, better than those people who told me I couldn’t be the kind of woman who could have a career and a man in my life, who couldn’t have everything I wanted.”
“So what are you saying?”
“Right now I’m saying I’m damn angry with you for pulling yourself out of my life when you were hurt because you thought I couldn’t handle it and my career, too. I thought better of you. I guess I was wrong.”
“Now hang on.” He struggled to get up, and he winced, reached for his side.
It gave her the advantage. His crutches were across the room. “Just stay where you are.”