Damn him.

“Are you sure you want to talk about me and Drew, considering you’re having hot sex fantasies about my brother right now?”

She jerked her attention back to Carolina. “What? I am not.”

Carolina laughed. “Yes, you were. Your tongue was practically hanging out. And you might want to wipe the drool from the side of your mouth.”

She reached up to touch her lips, then gave Carolina a glare. “You are not funny.

And you’re changing the subject so you don’t have to talk about Drew.”

“Caught you, though.” Carolina took another swallow of lemonade. “There’s not much to tell. I had a stupid schoolgirl crush on him that went very badly.”

“How badly?”

“I followed him around the college campus. I was two years behind Drew and Gray and the others, so once I hit campus, I thought I could meet all the hot guys through Gray. My big brother, of course, wanted nothing to do with his dorky little sister. And Drew teased me incessantly. I was a late bloomer, too, so it wasn’t until I hit twenty or so that I learned all about makeup and fashion—”

At Evelyn’s shocked look, Carolina nodded. “I know, I know. You’d think since fashion is my life, I would have wrapped myself in designer clothing from age twelve.

Not so. I was a big, dumb moron who didn’t know how to dress or make myself look decent until I took some classes.”

“I find that so hard to believe.”

Carolina laughed. “Sometimes I look back and I’m appalled at my younger self.

And you know those cartoons where the cartoon character has a big lightbulb go off over their heads? That was me. It was like I had this sudden awareness of fashion and what clothes fit my body type and looked good on me. I styled my hair and learned all about makeup, and suddenly guys noticed me.”

Evelyn’s lips curved. “Bet that was fun.”

“Oh, it was. By the beginning of my sophomore year of college, I was partying like there was no tomorrow. I gained a lot of knowledge that year.”

“I’ll just bet you did.”

“I felt very worldly and experienced, when in reality I had no clue what men were about. So when Gray graduated, I decided to hit up my smoldering crush with my newfound expertise about men.”

“Your smoldering crush being Drew.”

She nodded. “Yes. And he, having a penis, didn’t turn me down. We had one blistering-hot night of no-holds-barred sex. I thought I had seduced him and he would fall head over heels in love with me, now that he’d seen the transformed Carolina.”

Evelyn could sense where this was going. “But that didn’t happen.”

Carolina let out a short laugh. “No. He left me in bed the next morning, packed up, left school, and I never heard from him again.”

“Ouch. I’m sorry.”

She shrugged. “It’s ancient history. I was heartbroken at the time, of course, all those youthful dreams being shattered.”

“I’m sure you were. Young men can be so insensitive.”

“Well, in retrospect I realize now it wasn’t entirely his fault. He’d made no promises to me of forever or love. But at the time I had stars in my eyes because I was convinced I was in love with him. And he used my feelings for him to get me in the sack. At the time I was crushed. And he could have handled letting me down a little better.”

“Yes, he could have. But men can be such assholes.”

“Yes, they can. The problem is, because he’s stayed friends with Gray, I’ve run into him over the years here and there. So I can’t forget that hideously bad decision I made.”

“So you still have feelings for him.”

Carolina frowned. “No. Not at all. I’d just like Drew Hogan to go away and not come back so I never have to think about that stupid mistake I made.”

It was obvious Carolina still had feelings for Drew. Denial was a powerful protector. “I’m sorry.”

“Don’t be,” Carolina said with a slight laugh. “It’s in the past. Too bad Drew can’t stay there.”

EIGHTEEN

GRAY FIGURED IF HE MANEUVERED HIS WAY THROUGH the crowd often enough, he could avoid his father the entire day.

Having Trevor and Drew here had helped. He’d spent most of the day hanging out with them. It was always great to see his friends from college. With all their busy schedules and their respective sports keeping them occupied, it was hard to find time to get together, so he was grateful they’d made the trip out here today.

Plus, it helped him steer clear of his father. If he could, he’d avoid him the entire trip. It was doable, except for one major obstacle—make that two—Evelyn and his mother. He could avoid one person just fine, even two people. But three? Impossible.

Evelyn approached from one direction, his mother from the other, and it would look obvious if he turned tail and ran.

“I’ve been looking for you,” his mother said as she grasped his hand. “Did you eat?”

His fill of barbecued ribs, and then some. “Yes, Mom. I ate. Did you?”

She laughed. “I nibble.”

“And that’s why you and Carolina stay so thin.”

“Carolina does look fantastic, doesn’t she? She’s talked me into taking yoga classes.

She claims the flexibility will be good for me. I’m going to sign up next week.”

“Good for you.” He kissed the top of her head and watched Evelyn approach.

“It’s nearing time for Mitchell’s speech,” Evelyn said. “Gray, would you like to talk to your father before?”

Not particularly. He’d like to get through the day not having spent any time with his father at all. But his mother was right here and she’d tan his hide if he avoided his dad. “Uh, sure.”

“Great. If you’ll excuse us, Loretta, we’ll get that started.”

“Of course.”

He moved in beside Evelyn as they made their way through the crowd.

“You’ve been avoiding me,” she said.

“No, I haven’t. I was just catching up with my friends.”

“I think you’ve been doing your best to avoid your father.”

“That, too. You know I don’t want to be here.” He stopped, turned to face her.

“Check that. I love being home again. I just don’t want to talk to him.”

She brushed fingers with him, and the contact was electric. “I know you don’t, but it’s a part of what you agreed to.”

He gave a short nod. “Let’s just get this over with.”

Gray had seen his father on television. He’d even texted him and talked to him on occasion over the past few years. He’d used the lodge last year for the get-together with the guys from school, so he’d had to talk to his dad about that. His dad had been generous and hadn’t put up a fuss about wanting to see him or asking for anything in return—surprisingly.

But he hadn’t seen him in person in years. Now, they approached where his father was sitting with some of his—what? Friends? Political associates? Hell, he had no idea who these people were.

His stomach tightened. He raised his chin and prepared himself for anything.

Mitchell Preston had lost a considerable amount of weight. He had always been on the hefty side. A lot of liquor and extravagant living would do that to a person. Now, he looked fit and healthier than Gray could ever remember seeing him. He still had a full head of thick hair, though it was mostly silver now, with a few strands of black threaded through it.

He stood, turned to his table of friends. “Gentlemen, I’d like to introduce you to my son, Grayson. Gray is one of the finest auto racers on the circuit these days.”

As he made the introductions, Gray was shocked. That was the first time Gray could ever remember his father even acknowledging what he did for a living.

“If you’ll excuse me, gentlemen, I need to talk to my son.”

Evelyn gave his dad a smile. “Senator, I hope things have gone well for you today.”

He shook Evelyn’s hand. Didn’t hug her or tug her close or even leer at her. “They did, Evelyn. Thank you for all you’re doing to help out.”

“It’s my pleasure. I’ll get an email out to you at the end of the week to update you.”

“I’d appreciate it.”

“How does it look for the nomination?”

He smiled, a genuine smile filled with hope. “It looks promising. The Cameron campaign has been in touch. It looks like the vetting process is in full swing.”

She laid her hand on his arm. “I couldn’t be more thrilled for you, Senator. I think they’re choosing the right man.”

“Well, let’s not get our hopes up, but my fingers are crossed. In the meantime, we still have a lot to do. And what you’re doing with Gray is a good start.”

“So tell me what else is being done and what I can do,” she said.

As they walked along, Gray listened. It was all purely professional as his father filled Evelyn in on the goings-on for his chances at becoming the vice presidential nominee. And Evelyn talked to him about social media and campaign strategy and some numbers for the candidate on the other side.

Pretty interesting stuff. Evelyn knew a lot off the top of her head, which led him to believe she was very knowledgeable about her job. And his dad didn’t once look at her boobs, her legs, or her ass, but instead kept eye contact, which of course could have been because Gray was right behind them. But he’d also watched his father during the day today, and hadn’t once noticed him looking at any other woman— except his mother. His dad had caught his mother’s gaze several times throughout the day today, and smiled at her. She’d smiled back. Hell, the two of them had looked more in love with each other than at any time Gray could remember.

Campaign strategy? Something put on for the public? Who the hell knew? He dragged his fingers through his hair, more confused than ever.

They stopped at a table just off the main stage where the band had been playing.

“Gray,” his father said. “I want to tell you how much I appreciate your being here.

How much I appreciate your agreeing to do all of this, especially since I know you didn’t want to.”

“I’m doing it because Mom asked me to,” he said before thinking.

His father lifted his chin, then nodded. “Well, for whatever reason, thank you. I know we’ve had our differences in the past. I hope we can come to an understanding in the future.”

“An understanding about what, Dad?”

“You know. The past. I want to move forward, not look behind.”

“Yeah. That would be easier for you, wouldn’t it?”

His father laid his hand on his arm. “Gray, let’s not do this today.”

Or, ever? That would be the Mitchell Preston way. Sweep it all under the rug, never talk about it. There were so many things he wanted to say, so many things that had been left unsaid in the past. So many things he wished his father would voice right now. He waited, but nothing was forthcoming.

He didn’t believe the pain he saw in his father’s eyes, didn’t care to see it. How could his father be in pain? Gray had never done anything to him. Gray hadn’t cast him aside and told him to get the hell out of his house, out of his life, and go fend for himself because he hadn’t lived up to expectations, because he refused to be molded according to someone else’s whims and ideals.

Screw his father and his fake pain.

“Gray.” Evelyn’s voice penetrated the haze of anger that shrouded him.

He shot his gaze to hers. “What?”

She blinked. “Are you ready?”

Fuck that. “No.”

Her eyes widened. “What?”

“I said no.” He started to walk away, but she grabbed his hand.

“Don’t do this. Don’t walk away.”

He pulled his hand away from hers. “Don’t f**king tell me what to do.”

Anger, old hurts, and just plain fury blazed the path in front of him. He didn’t even see the people around him as he made his way toward the house. The only thing he knew was he needed to get away from his old man before he suffocated, before the old memories choked him.

Evelyn followed him, all the way into the house, up the stairs, and into one of the bedrooms. He needed an escape, away from this place, from the memories of all the disappointments, the times when, according to his father, he’d failed to measure up.

Would one goddamned apology have cost him so much?

He paced the room while Evelyn sat on the bed and watched.

Finally, she asked, “What’s gotten you so pissed off?”

“I don’t want to talk about this.”

“You have to talk about it with someone. Holding it inside isn’t going to solve anything.”

“There’s nothing to talk about.”

“Obviously there is.”

He stopped, looked down at her. “Get out, Evelyn.”

She didn’t budge. “I’m not leaving you like this.”

“I said get out. This is my house and I want you out of here. I need some time alone.”

“That’s the last thing you need right now. You’re upset and you need someone to talk to.”

He let out a laugh. “Trust me, the last thing I need right now is to talk.”

She stood, came over, and grasped his arms. “Then tell me what you need. Let me help you.”

He needed to not think about his father, about his past and all the hurts that he’d buried for so long. One visit home, one short conversation, and the memories were all here, choking him, making it hard for him to breathe.