Page 138 of All We Carry Home

“I thought you were in Virginia.” Eva moved to Phantom, who nuzzled her affectionately. She put her hands on his cheeks and kissed the bridge of his nose.

Patches bleated as he walked up the aisle and sniffed the ground for anything to nibble.

I kept a few steps back, allowing Eva space for a reunion she probably had never expected. I’d moved Phantom a few weeks ago and asked the trainer at Mountain View not to let her know.

“I don’t understand.” She shook her head and turned to me. “What is all this? What about the Senate race?”

“I withdrew from the Pennsylvania race.”

She took a few steps closer to me. “What?”

“I have my eye on a different seat.” I pointed to the ground. “In Oregon, in two years. That means I return here in between legislative sessions.”

Her expression went somber again. “Oh, I see.”

For her, this meant that nothing about her resolve had changed. There was still no future for us—not with what she believed about her past and her family’s reputation.

I picked up a handful of papers on the desk in my office and brought it out to her. It was a typed report that my campaign staff had worked on for a solid eight weeks.

“Read this.” I extended the stack.

“What is this?” she asked, taking it from my hands. She held my gaze a little longer, searching my face for any sign of what was to come.

“Read it,” I said. “Please.”

She turned away, pacing slowly as she read. After the first few pages, her jaw flexed, her eyes filled with tears.

“I knew nothing I could say would convince you,” I whispered. “I had my team run scenarios and talk to focus groups about the public perception of a potential US senator married to the daughter of Raymond and Irene Chalmers and the electoral implications.”

She blushed and arched an eyebrow. “Married?”

That pink on her cheeks was a good look. I needed to see more of it. “Thought I’d shoot for the stars.”

She frowned, waving the sheets at me tauntingly. “So, is this a proposal, then?”

“Only if your answer is yes.”

She rolled her eyes, turned the page.

The conclusion of the report was clear. Overwhelmingly, the public sentiment was either positive or neutral. The Chalmers child was of interest, but in the same way I didn’t blame her for her parents’ actions, neither did the public we’d surveyed.

Her deepest fears and insecurities were unfounded. And I had more than just a gut feeling to reassure her.

After I knew she’d absorbed the highlights, I stepped up to her. I couldn’t hold back anymore.

I tossed the papers onto my desk and took her hands in mine. “None of that really matters to me. You won’t face the frenzy alone, Eva. The only last name I care about is you taking mine.”

She closed her eyes, and I expected her to shake her head and dig in further. Instead, she smiled and brought her hands up to hold my face. “And what if the report is wrong?” she breathed.

“I’m by your side, regardless.” Chills shot to my toes. “We’ll deal with whatever comes our way.”

“What if it does derail your political plans? Would you come to resent me?”

“Never.” I slipped my hands around her middle and pulled her to me. “If God closes that door, so be it. I can’t go back to life before you. You changed everything for me, Eva. I’m a better person when I’m with you. Our dreams are stronger together.”

“I missed you so much.” She pressed her forehead to mine.

Her words filled me with relief, and her nearness overwhelmed my senses. I brushed her hair back, put my lips to her ear. “I love you, Eva.”