Page 78 of Fake It For Glory

“You hired her.”

“Yes, but that’s not what it’s about. I mean it is, but it isn’t. She’s more than just some chick I randomly hired.”

“She’s a badass, Jensen. I was cheering her on.”

I couldn’t agree more. “She absolutely is,” I said proudly. “She’s been a driving force behind this project, and I couldn’t have asked for a better fake girlfriend. She surprises me on a daily basis, and I don’t know if that’s a good or a bad thing.”

“Sounds like you think it’s a good thing,” he said. “You’re smiling. A lot.”

I nodded with the smile still on my face. “You know, Christian, there’s something about her that I find incredibly refreshing. She believes in people, in right and wrong. She’s an optimist, trustworthy, dependable. What you see is what you get with her. She doesn’t care about appearances or money. You know how many women I’ve taken out. All of them wanted to go to the most expensive restaurant and order the most expensive dish with the most expensive bottle of wine.”

Christian raised an eyebrow, a teasing glint in his eye. “Sounds like you’re starting to fall for your hired girlfriend, Jensen.”

I laughed, unable to deny the truth in his words. “I don’t know about that, Christian, but what I see? It drives me wild with need.”

He let out a hearty laugh. “It sounds like you’ve got it bad.”

“I’ve got something,” I muttered.

“I’m going to go out on a limb and say you’ve slept with her,” he said.

“I’m not about to kiss and tell.”

He laughed. “But you have.”

I leaned back in my chair, contemplating the unexpected feelings that had surfaced. “You know, it’s not just about the hired girlfriend thing. It’s more than that. It’s about who she is as a person. She’s got that same inspirational quality that my dad had. She’s not just a woman I’m paying to be at my side. She’s someone who’s making me question what I want in life.”

Christian studied me for a moment, his expression thoughtful. “Sometimes, the most unexpected people come into our lives and change everything. It’s the ones who challenge us, who make us question ourselves, who have the power to leave the deepest marks. It’s been a while since you’ve met anyone that will challenge you.”

“I know,” I said, nodding. “I guess it’s refreshing. I like that she’s not afraid to speak her mind. I don’t think she’s afraid of anyone. She doesn’t get intimidated. If you saw the video of her facing off against Reid, you’ve seen her bravery.”

“Finding someone like Merida is a rare and beautiful thing,” Christian said, smiling.

I couldn’t help but agree with him. Merida was unlike anyone I’d ever met before. She was fearless, confident, and unapologetically herself. She challenged me in ways I never thought possible, and I found myself drawn to her in a way that scared me.

“Are you guys an official couple?” he asked. “I saw that interview you gave and you put on a pretty big show. I thought that’s all it was, a show.”

I shrugged. “That was what I thought it was, but when I started talking, none of it was rehearsed. It just all came out. It was exactly what I felt.”

He laughed. “I never thought you’d be the one to fall so fast and hard.”

“I don’t know,” I said honestly. “I mean, technically, we’re still in the trial period. But I don’t really care about the label. I just know that being with her feels right.”

Christian nodded in understanding. “Labels don’t really matter in the grand scheme of things. What’s important is how you feel with her. If being with her makes you happy, then that’s all that should matter.”

“Thanks.”

“Where is she at in all of this?” he asked.

“I don’t know,” I said, shrugging. “We haven’t had the conversation. It’s weird, but it feels like we’ve been together for years. It’s all very easy. I don’t have to try to be anything other than who I am. She’s like someone I would have grown up with. Nothing like the women that people keep pushing at me.”

“Not me,” he said defensively.

I gave him a look. “What was that beautiful goddess you set me up with a couple months ago? Tina? Tonya?”

“Taryn,” he said, smiling. “She was hot.”

I got up and got two more beers for us. “She was looking for a guy to pay her bills. Do you know she asked if I would buy her a purse? We were walking into the restaurant, and she saw some purse another lady had. She asked if I would buy it for her!”