No More Pretending

Grace unlocked the apartment door, stepping inside with a satisfied sigh. Shopping with her mom had been exactly what she needed—some normalcy, a distraction, and a few new outfits that she definitely didn't need but couldn't resist.

She placed the bags by the couch, running a hand through her hair before realizing something. The apartment wasn't empty.

There were voices coming from the kitchen.

Male voices.

Curious, Grace walked in, stopping just at the edge of the doorway.

Jax was sitting at the counter, elbows resting on the marble surface, a half-empty beer bottle in front of him. Across from him sat a guy she hadn't met before—broad shoulders, easy grin, and a sharpness in his eyes that told her he wasn't just some random friend.

Jax noticed her first.

"Hey," he said, his voice softer than usual.

The guy turned, giving her a once-over before smirking. "And you must be Grace."

She blinked. "Uh... yeah."

Jax exhaled, rubbing the back of his neck. "This is Damon."

Damon leaned back in his chair, shooting Jax a knowing look. "So this is her, huh?"

Jax narrowed his eyes. "Don't start."

Grace frowned. "Start what?"

Damon ignored her question, turning back to Jax. "You gonna tell her, or should I?"

"Damon," Jax warned.

Grace folded her arms. "Tell me what?"

Jax sighed, running a hand down his face before finally meeting her gaze. "I was just... talking to Damon about us."

Grace's stomach tightened. "Okay..."

Jax hesitated. Then, finally, he said it.

"I want this to be real."

Grace's breath hitched.

Damon grinned, clearly enjoying the tension. "Told you she'd be shocked."

Jax shot him a glare. "Dude, not helping."

Damon just shrugged. "Hey, I'm just here for moral support."

Grace barely heard him. Her mind was spinning too fast.

She and Jax had spent weeks pretending. Weeks of fake dates, forced smiles, and staged moments that had started to feel... not so fake.

And now he was saying he wanted it to be real?

"Say something," Jax muttered, shifting in his seat.

Grace opened her mouth, then closed it. She wasn't sure what to say.

Damon sighed dramatically. "Wow. Great talk, guys. Really emotional."

Jax shot him another glare before looking back at her, his voice softer this time. "Grace, I know this started as a deal. And I know I was an ass about it at first." He exhaled. "But somewhere along the way, it stopped feeling like an act. At least for me."

Grace's pulse quickened.

Was he really saying this?

Did he mean it?

Damon took a swig of his beer. "For the record, I told him he should just ask you out like a normal person. But, you know, Jax loves to complicate things."

Jax ignored him, his attention fully on her.

"I don't want to pretend anymore," he admitted. "I just want us—whatever that looks like."

Grace swallowed hard.

This was insane.

But as she looked at Jax, at the way he was watching her so carefully, so uncertainly, she realized something.

She wanted this too.

Maybe she had for a while.

Finally, she took a breath and spoke.

"Then stop pretending."

Silence hung in the air after her words.

Jax's grip tightened around his beer bottle, his eyes searching hers like he was trying to make sure he'd heard her right.

Damon let out a low whistle. "Well, damn. Didn't expect that."

Grace ignored him, her focus locked on Jax. Her heart was racing, but she kept her expression steady.

Jax blinked, like he was processing what she'd just said. Then, slowly, the corner of his mouth lifted. "Yeah?"

Grace nodded. "Yeah."

Damon groaned. "Okay, this is cute and all, but are you guys gonna kiss or just keep staring at each other?"

Jax huffed a laugh, shaking his head. "You're the worst."

"I try," Damon said with a smirk, standing up and stretching. "Alright, my work here is done. I'll leave you two lovebirds to figure the rest out."

Grace barely acknowledged him as he grabbed his jacket and headed for the door. Her thoughts were still tangled, her emotions all over the place.

Jax wanted this to be real.

And... so did she.

As the door shut behind Damon, Jax leaned forward, resting his elbows on his knees. "You sure about this?"

Grace inhaled deeply, then nodded. "Are you?"

Jax's eyes softened, and for the first time in a long time, he looked completely unguarded. "Yeah."

A small smile tugged at her lips. "Okay."

Jax exhaled, like he'd been holding in a breath for weeks. Then, he reached for her hand, threading his fingers through hers. "No more pretending."

Grace squeezed his hand, feeling something settle in her chest.

"No more pretending," she echoed.

Jax ran his thumb over the back of Grace's hand, his touch warm and steady. The weight that had been pressing on his chest for weeks felt lighter now—like he could finally breathe.

Grace looked down at their hands, her brows pulling together slightly, like she was still processing everything. "This is... a lot," she admitted.

Jax let out a short laugh. "Tell me about it."

She looked up at him. "So... what happens now?"

Jax smirked. "I was hoping you'd have an answer for that."

Grace rolled her eyes but couldn't hide the small smile playing at her lips. "You're the one who wanted to talk about this. Shouldn't you have a plan?"

Jax tilted his head, pretending to think. "Well... I figured step one was admitting I actually like you."

Grace raised an eyebrow. "And step two?"

Jax squeezed her hand. "Taking you on a real date."

Grace blinked. "A real date?"

Jax nodded. "No cameras. No press. No contract. Just us."

Something in her chest fluttered. "That... actually sounds nice."

Jax grinned. "Good. Because I already have an idea."

Grace gave him a suspicious look. "Do I even want to know?"

Jax chuckled, leaning back in his seat. "You'll find out soon enough."

She narrowed her eyes. "That doesn't sound reassuring."

Jax smirked, his eyes glinting with amusement. "You'll love it. Trust me."

Grace huffed but didn't pull her hand away. If anything, her fingers curled tighter around his.