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“Hmm,” he sighs contentedly, pressing a kiss to my hair. “I love you, Sunshine.”
EPILOGUE
Levi
Sixteen months later
The straps of the backpack dig uncomfortably into my shoulders, and I quietly try to adjust it. But the movement draws a loud meow from inside and I wince, giving the little asshole a subtle glare through the ventilated top.
The people around me coo and aww, and I roll my eyes. The backpack is strapped to my chest, so that Gus can have a clear view out of his bubble.
Ezra takes one look at me from his spot on the terrace and snorts. “I can’t believe you brought Gus. You are so whipped.”
Rosie snickers and slaps the back of her hand across his chest in admonishment. Her engagement ring glitters and glints in the sunlight. Ezra catches her hand with his and brings it to his lips, kissing her knuckles.
Hazel and I have been together longer than these two have, and yet, they’re already engaged. I’m happy for them, but I can’t shake the feeling that Hazel might want that too at some point. A big wedding, a ring on her finger, a promise of forever.
I look away from their intimate moment and squint ahead at the course instead, a swirl of anxiety taking root. My eyes zero in on Hazel as she gets ready to take a shot out of the bunker, and I use that as a distraction.
Gus meows again and I snort down at him. “Settle down. You’ll see her soon.” I’m well aware of all the cameras pointed my way today as I cheer on my girlfriend, but I’ve gotten used to it at this point. “C’mon, Sunshine,” I say, gripping the rail in front of me.
After passing her exam last year, Hazel didn’t have a chance to enter the qualifying series for the LPGA as the dates interfered with her exam. However, she did slowly start to put together a team of her own, including Rosie and Bryan, who she poached from my own team.
Besides working as an assistant coach, she also played more and more, training for this moment—the qualifying series final. And if she manages to put the ball in the hole within the next two moves, she’ll finish in the top three overall.
Regardless of her final position, she’s already accomplished the biggest feat. All she needed was top twenty-five to earn her LPGA tour status.
The crowd quiets as she takes her swing, lifting the ball out of the sand. I hold my breath as it rises in a perfect arc and drops just shy of the hole.
“Hell yeah, let’s go!” Ezra says, patting my shoulder.
I grin at him and wink before turning my attention to the course once more. Holding my breath, I wait for her opponent to take her own shot, and—my eyes widen, my fingers grip the rail tighter. She fumbles it. The ball rolls past the hole and stops in the fringe.
“Holy shit,” Ezra says, slapping both hands to his mouth. “Is she—”
“She’s gonna take second,” Rosie says, smiling from ear to ear.
Hazel taps it in and the crowd explodes into cheers.
I hug both Ezra and Rosie and make my way to the crowd of people, looking for David, her dad.
He’s been doing much better over the last year when it comes to his health, which has allowed him to travel to some of Hazel’s games, and even to visit us for an extended period of time while his divorce was getting finalized.
A pang of sadness always hits me when I think about Hazel’s mom and how, even though she’s alive and well, unlike my own, she chooses to hurt her daughter and husband with her actions. We even offered to try to get her help, but ultimately, she didn’t really want it. And Hazel finally had to give up on someone who didn’t want to be helped.
“David,” I say, squeezing his shoulder. When he turns, there are tears in his eyes and a look so proud, it’s like he’s never witnessed anything more magnificent than seeing his daughter take second place in a qualifier.
Little does he understand that this is just the beginning for her.
“Levi!” He laughs, doing a double take when he sees my outfit: Gus strapped to my chest, and a hat on my head with the words “cat daddy caddie”.
“I can’t believe you actually brought Gus,” he says, shaking his head fondly at us.
“I lost a bet. What can I say? I’m a man of my word,” I say, lips twitching.
When Hazel was discouraged, unsure if she was going to perform well, I made her a deal. If she made it to the final day of qualifiers, I would bring Gus to the game and wear the ridiculous hat she custom-ordered for me. If she didn’t make it, she would have had to bring Petunia to one of my matches.
My girlfriend stands a few feet away, giving a final interview. She glances over at us and once she’s done, she sprints over, grinning from ear to ear. Ezra and Rosie catch up to us, and we all take turns hugging and congratulating Hazel.
