Chapter Thirty-Four
Hailey
I couldn’t help but scream in excitement when I saw Caleb make his shot and win the Masters. I was jumping up and down, probably looking ridiculous, but I didn’t care. He had won, and I was insanely proud of him for doing so.
He had finally made it, and he was over the moon. He had his hand raised in the air, the club shooting for the stars; he looked so happy, and tears filled my eyes as I watched him revel in his well-deserved win. I watched as many people went up to him and congratulated him on the win. He deserved it, and I was thankful that his parents were there to see him win. His father would not be able to hound him any longer.
It was the job of the previous winner to put the green jacket on the new winner, and it wasn’t long before the festivities were under way. Perry Davenport approached Caleb and presented him with the jacket and shook his hand. Caleb was grinning from ear to ear, and I couldn’t help but smile right along with him. I made my way through the crowd and got closer to him. I didn’t want to disturb him, though.
Caleb’s parents were there suddenly surrounding him with congratulations and hugs. His father was practically glowing, and I felt happy for the whole family. I hoped that the pride his father felt would last a very long time. Caleb deserved to be there for all the hard work that he did. He had finally made it, and I was happy that he no longer had to go into the media and be laughed at. I decided to make my way over to him and congratulate him myself.
As soon as he saw me, he grinned. “Hailey!”
“Congratulations! I’m so happy for you.”
He leaned over and pulled me to him, kissing me hard on the mouth. I melted into his arms, not caring that his parents were standing beside us. We parted, and I looked over at them and almost laughed at the surprised expressions on their face.
“Hi, I’m Hailey. It’s nice to meet you.”
“Hailey, it’s a pleasure. You have changed our son; he’s barely recognizable.”
I laughed while Caleb rolled his eyes. “Oh, I didn’t do anything. He was always in there somewhere.”
“Well, it’s just wonderful having you here.”
“Thank you; you must be very proud of Caleb,” I said, looking at him and winking.
“Oh, we are,” said his father.
“Very proud,” his mother added, beaming up at her son.
Caleb turned to me and kissed me on the forehead. I loved when he did that; it made me feel cherished. “Thank you, Hailey, for all your help. Most especially for believing in me.”
I smiled. “Of course I believe in you. I always have and I always will. You’re an awesome golfer; you just needed to believe in that yourself.”
“I know. But I couldn’t have done it without your hole. I’ll always remember the twelfth hole.”
I started laughing, “Me, too, you bad boy.”
He kissed me again on the lips, and then I pulled away from him as other people started coming up and congratulating him.
I watched as he got dragged off into a crowd of people. I had never seen him happier than at that moment, and he deserved every bit of it. Tears welled up in my eyes as I knew that it was all over. It was finally over, and although I was happy for him, I was also very sad that it had to end so quickly. Suddenly, an arm wrapped around my shoulder, and I looked over in surprise to find Matt there smiling.
“Hi, Matt! You scared me.”
He laughed, “Oops, sorry. Are you all caught up in the moment?”
“Yeah, what a great moment.”
“I’d say. I’m proud as hell of him. What a game he played today. I got worried a couple of times, but he pulled through every time. Fuck, he really deserves this win – it’s been a long time coming.”
“Yeah, he looks so happy, doesn’t he?”
“Yes, he does. So, are you ready for a big ass celebration, or what?”
“Hell, yeah, I am.”
He grabbed my hand and led me away. We would leave and go back to the hotel where they had arranged to have a huge party in one of the banquet halls. His parents had spared no expense.
The party was insane, and there were so many people there. I often got lost in the crowd; it was so intense. I was pretty much on my own except for the times I would find Matt in the crowd. Caleb was busy, surrounded by all his fans as well as his friends and family. Everyone was basking in his glow and wanted a piece of him now that he was a big winner.
I didn’t want to intrude on his night, so I decided to go up to the hotel room and relax for a bit. I needed to separate myself from him, anyways. The job was over, and I would be returning home soon. There was no point in me being attached to his hip any longer.
When I got back to my room, I laid out on the bed and thought about the long day. I was proud of the job that I did, getting Caleb to where he needed to be in order to win. I sat up and pulled my purse over to me. I pulled the contract from my purse and read it over slowly. I was literally flying out the very next morning and returning home. Just like that, it was all over. The gig was up, and my job was done. Caleb had done what he needed to do, and now the whole world loved him. I could totally understand that feeling.