“Do you hear before they announce on television?” Liz asked.
“The results come to us first and then they’re reported out,” Elliott informed her.
Liz realized she was wringing her hands and quickly hid them behind her back. Composed. Resolute. Strong. She repeated the words that Heather had uttered like a chant in her head. It helped her get through the next few agonizing minutes.
“Just got it,” Alex said. Brady’s campaign manager walked forward. “Here we go. Final numbers read fifty-nine to forty-one percent to Congressman Maxwell.”
A cheer rose up from the people backstage with Brady. Liz turned and threw her arms around him. She didn’t know why she had been so freaked out. She knew the likelihood of his losing was small, but this was her first election. She felt compelled to hold on to her nerves for the unknown. Maybe one day this would all seem like a piece of cake, but right now it was fresh and new and exhilarating.
“Congratulations,” she whispered in his ear.
“Thanks, baby.” He squeezed her and then placed her back on her feet.
Everyone backstage seemed to want to come over and congratulate him too. Liz took a step back as Brady shook hands with the team that stood behind him the whole time and then his family. Just as Brady bent down to give his mother a hug, uproarious applause broke out in the convention center.
“They’ve just heard the news,” Heather explained.
It was so strange sometimes to see all of this from the other side. To get the election results before the news media, before she would have gotten them as a reporter.
And then she heard one of her favorite sounds. A cheer rose up from the crowd. Max-well. Max-well. Max-well.
“That’s our cue,” Heather said with a huge smile on her face. Liz had never seen Heather smile so brightly. “Congratulations, Brady.”
“Y’all act as if you were worried,” he joked, but it was clear all the tension had left his body. He had an entire general election to contend with, but at least one obstacle was out of his way.
Heather strode out onto stage, a total natural before the audience. She stepped up to the microphone, with a smile. “Ladies and gentlemen, we’re pleased to have you here tonight at the celebration for Congressman Brady Maxwell III.”
The crowd cheered at the mention of Brady’s name.
“With the announcement that he has won the nomination for the Fourth District, I’m happy to introduce you to the man who you entrusted two years ago and who you continue to believe in today. Congressman Maxwell!”
Brady’s campaign mask slipped easily into place as he walked with confidence and power onto the stage as if he owned it. He was bred for this. It was what he was best at. He could wow a crowd, and tonight was his moment.
The crowd started up their chant again and the applause hit a record high. Bulbs flashed as people took pictures from all areas of the room. Red, white, and blue MAXWELL FOR CONGRESS banners hung everywhere. People were holding the signs above their heads and waving American flags in the air. It was a madhouse; Brady couldn’t even speak because the enthusiasm was all-consuming.
He laughed softly into the microphone. “Thank you. Thank you.”
It proceeded like that for nearly five minutes before Brady was finally able to speak. And then he delivered the acceptance speech that she had written for him.
She could hardly listen to her own speech without tears welling in her eyes. Brady had worked on it with her to tailor it to his cadence, and still she felt emotional. It mirrored the speech he had given at his last acceptance in some ways and spoke of the people he had met along the campaign. Liz had met many of the people that she referenced. An older woman who always donated to candidates she believed in each race, even though she didn’t have much money to spare. A young man who organized his high school to try to get all of the eighteen-year-old students registered and voting, and he was now actively working for the campaign.
There were so many stories. She couldn’t ever hope to capture them all. But she just wanted to focus on the things that were important to Brady—dedication, ambition, trust, hope, and working for the good of the community.
And when he finished, the cheers were even louder than they had been before.
Heather leaned over toward Liz and spoke low. “You did a really good job with that speech.”
Liz just stared at her, stunned. She was still not used to Heather acting normal, but ever since Liz had confronted her at the gala she seemed to be trying harder. “Thank you.”
Brady came offstage and scooped her up into his arms. “Brilliant. So brilliant. Like nothing else I’ve ever experienced,” he muttered against her skin.
Liz breathed in for what felt like the first time. She had survived her first election, and not just survived—Brady had won!
Chapter 27
MINE
The celebrations seemed to last forever.
Brady spent hours talking to reporters and answering questions about his victory. Then he spent even more time with the constituents who had come out tonight to see him. He was a star—smiling for pictures, shaking hands, kissing babies—the politician’s agenda. The room had an energy about it that seemed unstoppable.
It was certainly infectious. Every second that she felt as if she was getting tired, her feet were hurting her, or she couldn’t keep a smile on her face, she saw the people who greeted Brady. They were the reason they were even here today, the reason Brady had won.
After the primary party, they moved to another celebration for his high-end donors. Most of them had been at the fund-raising gala last weekend. They had been seated at the primary party, but Brady liked to thank them in additional ways. It was good to keep donors happy.
Liz sipped champagne and smiled at the faces that she had seen over and over this summer. She wondered what each of them wanted in return for their donation. How many of them had agendas they wanted to press on Brady, as Chelsea had?
She forced those thoughts out of her head and just enjoyed a night of celebration. Brady had the rest of the week off before delving into the general election, and she looked forward to those precious moments alone with him before school started. Between school and the campaign she wasn’t sure either of them would have much time together. Her chest ached at the thought of not being there to help with every speech as she had over the summer, but she had to sacrifice some of that for the greater good—her own independence.
She loved Brady like mad, but she needed a life beyond him. Liz was ready to begin anew. The more she thought about it, the more excited she got about her work in the PhD program. The thought of working in journalism, creating original research in the field, to maybe one day become a professor like her mentor was all too intriguing.