His expression shifts, confusion mixing with something warmer. “Of course.”
“How did it feel?”
A small smile tugs at his lips, despite himself. “Like I was the luckiest guy in the world.”
A few murmurs of agreement ripple through the crowd behind the ropes. I feel their energy shifting, getting invested in this moment.
I nod toward Leah. “She just told me she loves me for the first time. Right here, in front of all these people.” My voice catches. “This is the biggest round of my career, and having her there when I finish… It would mean everything.”
“Come on, Jim!” someone calls out from the crowd. “Let love win!”
“Make it happen!” another voice adds.
Jim looks at Leah, then he glances at the crowd, all of them invested in our story, now.
“Player Guest credentials,” he says finally, pulling out his radio. “I’ll make it happen.”
More cheers and applause from the crowd.
“Thank, man,” I say as he steps away to make the arrangements.
Leah shakes her head in amused disbelief. “That was smooth. Reminds me of that time you bribed my waiter.”
“Anything for you. But hey, I have to get back to warming up.” Even though everything in me wants to stay right here, holding onto this moment, I do have to go.
“I know.” She reaches to wipe lipstick off my lips with her thumb. “Go show them what Hays Granger is really made of.”
I press a kiss to her dark hair. “I love you, too,” I whisper. “More than any major championship, more than any win. You’re my trophy, sweetheart.”
“Go,” she says, giving me a gentle push, her blush beautiful in the midday light. “Play this round, so we can celebrate properly tonight.”
As I walk back to my bay, the ball marker warm in my palm, I feel like a million bucks. Filled with the kind of bone-deep confidence that comes from knowing exactly who you are and what you’re capable of.
The media wrote me off after yesterday’s round. Six shots back, playing in the third-to-last group, they’ve already started crafting narratives about my “disappointing week” and how the pressure got to golf’s golden boy.
But they don’t know what I know. They don’t understand everything just changed.
I close my fist around the pressed penny, thinking about my dad. About the nine-year-old boy who learned life doesn’t wait for you to be ready, that when something matters, you go all in.
“Well?” Rory asks as I approach, but his wide grin tells me he already knows exactly what I’m about to say.
“Let’s do this.”
He whoops loud enough to turn heads then pulls me into a fierce hug that’s part celebration, part relief.
“About damn time,” he says against my shoulder. “Congrats.”
When he pulls back, his expression shifts into the focused intensity I’ve seen a thousand times. “Alright then,” he says, shouldering my bag. “It’s on.”
I take one last look toward the ropes where Leah still stands. She raises her left hand in a small wave, the diamond flashing like a promise. For the first time all week, I can’t wait to get to the first tee. I already have everything I want. And now, I’m about to show the world what happens when I have nothing to lose.
Chapter twenty-four
Hays
The roar from the gallery builds as I stride up the eighteenth fairway, the sound rolling toward me like an ocean wave. Close to eight thousand people are on their feet, their cheers almost deafening. But instead of feeling the pressure, a quiet calm settles over me. I shoot a smile at Rory on my left.
My approach shot sits twelve feet from the pin, a manageable putt that could put me in the clubhouse lead. Behind me, the final groups work their way through the course. One glance at the leaderboard shows two players still have a chance to catch me, maybe force a playoff, but right now, all that matters is this moment.
