30. Shelby #2
Beau sits back and thinks, truly digging into his mind to go back twenty years. “I looked over at my card, that Chad was keeping, and it was correct. I signed it…”
Beau trails off, and I swear I can see an actual lightbulb go off over his head.
“Beau? What is it?”
“The tournament official I handed it to…was Mr. Ashcroft.”
My heart drops into my stomach. “Was Chad still at the table at this point?”
Beau nods, and I can tell things are coming together for him.
“They did it. The Ashcrofts fucking did it. Chad said he had to talk to his dad about something. That he would meet me before the ceremony started. I didn’t think anything of it, Shelby.
Why in the world would I think they would change the cards!
They used me as a fucking pawn in their fucked up game. ”
Now it’s my turn to comfort Beau, because Gabi was right, we were both victims in this situation.
I feel awful knowing how everything went down back then, but I have forever to make amends for how I treated Beau all these years.
Right now, I have to comfort him, because I have a feeling no one is going to beat himself up more about this than Beau.
“If I hadn’t been blinded by anger, I could’ve seen that it was something like this,” I admit.
“I thought the Ashcrofts liked me back then. They were always nice enough to me when I went over to their house, but I knew I wasn't the girl they wanted their precious Chadwick to end up with. But to make me lose in a tournament? To take that scholarship away from me. Did they hate me that bad? And if Chad wanted me to break up with him so he could go fuck a cart girl, he didn’t need to go that far.”
My joke does the trick, as Beau sits back up.
“None of what they did surprises me. But what I can’t wrap my mind around is what did they gain from it?
If they’d have made Chad win, okay, they were doing it because cheating was the only way he was ever going to beat either one of us.
But what did me beating you accomplish?”
“Exactly. Did they do all of this just because they hated me that much? Were they trying to ruin me? For what? I wasn't doing anything besides trying to golf. Were they that misogynistic? I know that answer is yes, but this even seems far-fetched. Also, he cheated on me and then broke up with me, so it’s not like this was some kind of high school relationship bullshit revenge. I’m so damn confused. ”
“The problem is, unless we confront Chad, or his father, we’ll never know,” Beau says. “And even then, do we expect Chad to tell the truth?”
“Never. And honestly? At this point in our lives, rather than him admitting how he and his prick father screwed with my life twenty years ago, I’d like him to tell me the truth on whether or not he was actively trying to ruin my shot and my career.”
Wow…those are words I never thought I’d say.
For such a long time, I let that day, that moment, define me.
I let it affect my mental state for years.
For a girl who already had a chip on her shoulder, that day made it a boulder.
That day changed me. I let it affect my friendship with Gabi. It hardened me to so much in the world.
It made me hate my husband.
“Beau…” I try to fight back the tears, because I know I’ve apologized, but what I’m about to say is so much more.
“I’m so sorry. I spent all those years hating you.
Blaming you when I should’ve been angry at douchey country club men who tore us apart.
I’m sorry I never believed you. I’m sorry I didn’t let you explain. I’m just…I’m so sorry.”
Beau has my hand in an instant, gently tugging me toward him. Needing his comfort, but now never knowing if I’m going to deserve it, I allow him to bring me to his lap, where I cry out twenty years of misplaced anger and regret.
“I forgive you, Shelby. I understand why you’d think the way you did.
And I’m sorry for not doing more. But you’re right.
It was twenty years ago, and this man is still trying to fuck with you to this day.
Who knows? Maybe if we play things right, we can find out why he treated you like that then, and why he’s doing what he’s doing now.
Then we can watch him wither away. Crawl back to his daddy in Louisiana. We can wave and laugh, knowing we won.”
“That sounds nice,” I say through ugly tears. “But can I kick him in the balls one more time? You know, for him to remember me by?”
I shake against Beau as he laughs at my joke that’s in no way a joke. “Of course you can, Belle. And maybe you can take your five iron and knock his windows out for good measure.”
“Now that sounds like a good time.”
We pause and reflect for a moment, and I don’t know what corner of my brain this is coming from, but I think I have a way to get him back.
“Question: Do you have a national media contact you could call? You know, if you wanted to have a specific kind of story written? Preferably someone neither of us have slept with.”
Beau thinks for a second. “Yeah. I do. National golf writer for U.S. Daily. Emily Harwell.”
“Oh, I’ve talked to her a few times,” I say. And because I know her type, I know she hasn’t slept with Beau. Good pick, hubby. “I like her. You think she’d be game?”
“She’d be crazy not to be,” Beau says, bringing up his phone and sending her a text. “What are you thinking?”
“Oh, I don’t know,” I say nonchalantly. “Maybe she wants the exclusive on a certain pro golfer’s injury comeback and the swing coach who tried to ruin her?”
Beau nearly drops his phone. “You’re going to expose Chad?”
I nod and think the idea over again. It might’ve come to me out of the blue, but I don’t think I’ve ever been more certain that I’ve wanted to do something.
“For years, he’s been able to spin this narrative that he’s the best. People have clearly lied for him.
And how I see it? He wanted to try and ruin my life. Why shouldn’t I ruin his?”
“You…Shelby Lynn…are diabolical.” He leans in to kiss my lips, and whispers against them, “And I fucking love it.”
My resulting grin turns into a light kiss that quickly becomes heated. Yes I’m tired. Yes my legs are Jell-O. But Beau’s hands are now up my shirt and his tongue is down my throat and yeah…I’m going to need to fuck my husband again.
“Beau…”
“Yup!” he says, reading my mind. He stands up with me still in his arms, wrapped around him like a koala, and walks us down the hall toward the bedroom.
“We didn’t eat though,” I say, only kind of upset that I didn’t get a wing.
“Oh, believe me, Belle, this isn't gonna take very long. Just going to have you sit on my face until you’re screaming my name, then I’m going to fuck you from behind. Then back to pizza.”
I laugh as Beau nibbles on my neck, still wondering how I got here.
I want to blame Chad and his father for fucking with my life. For maybe steering it off course.
Or, maybe I should thank them. Because I don’t know if Beau and I’d be here now if not for all the little events that have led up to now. Would we have ever dated? Slept together? Would it have been weird because he’s Gabi’s brother? There are so many unknowns, it’s impossible to say.
But I know where I am now. I’m one of the best golfers in the world. I live in the town where I can see my best friend every day. And I’m married to a man who will storm into battle with me.
And can eat my pussy like a goddamn champ.
Now that’s what I call winning.