Beautiful Sacrifice Chapter 15: Back Off, Trabby

When we left off, Taylor confronted Falyn, thinking she’d killed Olive’s brother when she was drunk driving. In fact, Matthew and I were both starting to think this would actually be the plot twist.

But actually, the plot got twisted in typical McGuire fashion in that a lot of confusing misdirects, but my initial suspicions were confirmed. I had guessed that Falyn had given her child up for adoption and that this child was in Eakins. What I did not predict is that this child is somehow Olive. I have no idea how Olive is now almost as integral to the Maddox mythology as the fight ring fire or tattoos.

Beautiful Sacrifice Chapter 15:

“You thought I was the one who hit and killed Olive’s brother, Austin?” When he didn’t speak, I continued, “Now, it makes sense when you mentioned earlier that I didn’t drive.”

Well, yeah. But I guess Falyn’s random PSAs about drunk driving make sense given what happened to Olive’s brother would be something that weighed heavily on her mind.

Falyn keeps trying to tell Taylor that Olive is her daughter, but he’s just not getting it.

“I’m not here because of Austin. It’s Olive.”

He wrinkled his nose. “Olive?”

“My parents didn’t want anyone to know about her because of my father’s plans. My father was the mayor in Colorado Springs. He decided to run for governor of Colorado in the next election.”

“So, this year,” Taylor said, unhappy. “What does that have to do with Shane and Liza… or Olive? I’m really fucking confused right now. You’re saying a lot, but you’re not telling me anything.”

On the one hand, I get it because I am always confused when reading a Maddox Bro book (BUT WHAT HAPPENS IF THEY LOVED BEFORE AND THEN MEET SOMEONE NEW? CAN THEY LOVE AGAIN OR DO THEY JUST IMPRINT ON ONE PERSON FOREVER AND ALWAYS?), but on the other hand it’s really fucking clear what Falyn is saying.

Also, “You’re saying a lot, but you’re not telling me anything.” could basically be my summary for every book on BBGT.  Thank you, Taylor.

It’s actually really sad. Falyn’s parents manipulated her into giving her daughter away.

“…They held college over my head, saying that if I didn’t sign the papers, I would be throwing my life away. And then,” I said, almost breathing the words, “I realized it didn’t matter. None of it mattered. I’d already thrown my life away because she was gone.”

Taylor’s reaction is infuriating. I’m pretty sure he’s actually mansplaining the situation to Falyn:

He shook his head. “Falyn, I don’t know what’s going on here, but”— he cringed, already regretting his next words—“ Olive wasn’t adopted. She is Shane and Liza’s daughter. There’s been a mistake.”

“You don’t believe me?” I asked.

“It’s just that… this is weird as fuck. I mean, what are the odds? She ends up with a couple from Eakins, who live next door to my dad, and then you and I meet and become friends. I don’t want to upset you, but this is wrong. I remember when Shane and Liza moved in. They have baby pictures of Olive on their walls, ones of Liza holding Olive in the hospital. They moved in next door when Olive was two. They’ve never mentioned that she was adopted.”

I don’t even know where to begin. Firstly, it feels like this conversation only exists to try to have McGuire signal to the reader that she knows this is W I L D and unlikely. But we already know that. This is not making that pill easier to swallow. In fact, it’s making things worse because unless the real twist is that Falyn invented all of this in her mind–fuck…that sounds amazing–then it’s weird that he’s so adamant that this isn’t true, and it would make no sense for her to invent this bananas story.

Falyn convinces Taylor a mere line or so later by pointing out that Olive looks like her and not her parents. I mean. That’s not the most compelling piece of evidence, but sure. Okay. At least Taylor is on board now. Falyn also points out that the pictures of Olive as a baby were taken at the hospital when they came to pick her up…which also makes complete sense. And why the fuck would Taylor remember these photos anyway?

It gets super sad again when Falyn promises Taylor she isn’t here to upset Olive and her family’s lives. It’s so heartbreaking to hear how young she was (barely eighteen) and thought she had no choice but to give her daughter up like her parents wanted and now she has to live with that. I’m not made of stone. This shit gets to me. McGuire has found my weakness, and for that I respect her.

She somehow managed to hide her entire pregnancy from her parents until she was about to give birth.

“My mother heard noises coming from my room. She found me and took me to the emergency room.” I touched my fingers to my lips. “After Olive was born, I only had a few hours to decide. My parents said if I didn’t give her away, I would lose everything. My entire life, I had planned on going to college, having a career, making my parents proud.” I choked on my words. “A signature seemed like an easy solution. I didn’t understand what I was giving up.”

So I found the above more affecting than anything else that’s happened in a Maddox Bro story, but unfortunately that feeling doesn’t last long. Instead of focussing on what is a heart-wrenching tragedy in and of itself, the story just piles on more and more off-screen complications that undermine the power of this initial revelation.

“I went away to college. It’s easier to think when someone isn’t in your ear all the time. I realized it wasn’t what I wanted, but it was too late. I couldn’t take Olive from her mother twice. I got sick not long after I started college. I thought it was the stress of everything. So, after a year at Dartmouth, I came home. That’s when it happened. Blaire took me to the doctor, and they told me I had developed endometriosis. That was my punishment for what I had done.”

So not only was Falyn coerced into giving up her child, which she regretted shortly after, but she also had to drop out of college/developed endometriosis, which means she can’t have children, and she…thinks this is punishment for giving up her child. That is a lot to stuff into a few paragraphs of exposition.

Let’s get back to breaking my heart again! I liked that! It was super refreshing.

“I just wanted to see her,” I said. “I can’t raise her. I accept that. But I can still be in at least one of her memories. Some days, I think that’s the only place where I want to exist.”

STEP ASIDE, TAYLOR. I will be hugging Falyn right now.

Falyn’s parents, who are basically the super-villains of parents in the Maddox Bro world, were unsupportive in their own ways. Falyn’s father “refused to even look at his grandchild, the thing threatening his entire campaign.” While Falyn’s mother told her “It’s called sacrifice. It’s the most loving thing you can do for her.” A beautiful sacrifice some might say.

I take Falyn’s mother’s point, and maybe it’s not entirely wrong, but the motives are clearly not pure. This well-to-do family could have easily afforded to keep Falyn and her baby together and let perception take precedence. This was a tainted sacrifice.

Somehow this conversation turns into whether or not Taylor should want to be with Falyn given she’s “nothing” and is “going nowhere”. Taylor only wants Falyn more because of her noble sacrifice and because he thinks she’s a good mother, and we know all the Maddox Bros have mommy issues.

Taylor assures Falyn that now she’s in Eakins they’re somehow going to fix everything. They’re about to start kissing again when Abby (oh hi, Abby!) knocks on the door…and inserts herself in this situation for some reason.

“What the hell is going on?”

“She’s okay,” Taylor said.

Abby glared at him with accusing eyes. [As opposed to glaring at him with happy eyes?] “She’s bawling. She’s not okay.”

Taylor tries to assure Abby that Falyn isn’t crying because of him. Then Travis joins the fray too to ask a question that has been haunting me for many books now: ““Since when does a Maddox not fight with his girl?” Travis, you were the wisest Bro of all.

Falyn tells them they’re talking about things from the past.

“Oh,” Travis said, suddenly enlightened. “Past shit. We know all about past shit.”

Shut your damn mouth, book. The only time Travis Maddox has ever been enlightened happened mere moments before this. If Travis was truly enlightened here he’d be like, “Oh whoops, we will leave you to it, bye!”

Abby continues to berate Taylor even though I thought we’d all agreed he was comforting Falyn for something that he had nothing to do with. Which…prompts Taylor to announce he’s been trying to tell Falyn he loves her. This feels like too much too soon, so we are right on Maddox schedule.

Taylor ignored our audience and took a few steps until he was just inches away from me. He scanned my face with such adoration in his eyes that I began to tear up again.

“Don’t cry,” he said.

He’s right! Don’t cry. RUN, FALYN!

“Pussy,” Travis said, hooking his arm around his wife.

Taylor took an offensive step toward his taller, younger brother, and Travis leaped back with an amused smile.

Why is Travis calling him a pussy? Why are Abby and Travis still standing there? What is even going on?

Taylor finally shuts the door on the has-beens, and gives Falyn a speech about how much he loves her and how they were meant to meet. Falyn admits she loves him too.

He pulled me into his chest and hugged me tight, relieved. “I can’t fucking believe it. I have never trusted in this kind of thing before, but it’s hard to deny.”

That sounds about as passionate as someone in an infomercial talking about the effectiveness of a Vitamix.

“Before I applied at Alpine, before Shane and Liza decided to adopt— is it crazy to say that this goes way back? That we go way back? Someone knew I’d need to hold your hand before I ever had one.”

Beautiful Sacrifice is really leaning into this whole fated thing.

They’re swept up in the moment, and things get sexy. Taylor does slow things down to check if Falyn’s okay given she was just crying fifteen minutes ago, and he doesn’t want to take advantage of her. Falyn touches his abs, and has no doubts that it’s time for them to bone. I gotta give the book props for explicit consent and being well-written enough that no I can go pages without quoting anything to you!

The chapter ends with both of them admitting they’ve never told anyone else but family that they loved them. Falyn feels less alone than she has in a long time, which warmed my heart.