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I caught a glance of Kim from across the room after Jolene’s photos were done. Kim gave me a nod and started heading right toward us.
My stomach lurched.
“Incoming,” I told Jax as Kim approached.
“Tonight was great,” Kim said immediately, her eyes wide as she looked between both of us. “Really, guys. Spectacular.”
“I liked seeing him up there on the big screen,” Jax told her. “It really makes you proud, doesn’t it?”
“It did, actually,” Kim said, like it was the first time she’d considered it. “I’m proud of what you two have built.”
I felt for Jax’s hand, holding it, bracing for what was coming next.
“Season two is going to be even more fun,” Jax said. “And if tonight is any indication, I think another season is in the bag.”
“I can’t make any promises, but I think you might be onto something, Jax,” Kim said, giving him a rare smile. “And I think the breakup will be perfect for it.”
Wham.
I squeezed Jax’s hand.
There it was. She’d dropped the bomb I’d been dreading. Only now, it didn’t feel like some harebrained idea from out of left field.
Now it felt like a threat. And some part of me that I hadn’t seen in a long time got activated, rearing up like a tiger inside me, ready to strike.
“We aren’t doing it,” I blurted out.
“Hm?” Kim said, as cool and calm as ever.
I swallowed hard. I wasn’t just jeopardizing my relationship with Kim—I was threatening the entire future of the Fixer Brothers’ show. Threatening Shawn and Nathan’s promise of a long, fruitful relationship with a powerful executive producer.
“Jax and I aren’t breaking up. We’re… getting together, actually.”
She gave a curt nod. “Right. You were getting together, in season one. But that’s already been filmed.”
“In real life, Kim,” I said, glancing over at Jax.
“I’m very confused right now,” Jax said.
“Charlie didn’t tell you yet?” Kim said. “We decided that the best idea for next steps was to sow the seeds for a breakup. Get people talking a lot again. You know, how they always do when Brad Pitt or Taylor Swift goes through a breakup? Not that you two are anywhere near their level of notoriety—”
“Okay, okay, we get it, we aren’t Brad Pitt,” I interjected, sucking in a breath of air. “Jesus, Kim.”
“You wanted to break up with me?” Jax said, and when I saw the look in his eyes, my heart ached.
“Jax,” I said, forgetting about Kim for a moment. “If you got down on one knee and fucking proposed to me, right now, I’d say yes to that sooner than I’d say yes to a breakup.”
Pink slashes formed on his cheekbones as he blushed, and all traces of the hurt in his eyes were gone in an instant. “God, the way you say things, sometimes,” he told me.
“All I’m trying to say is, fuck the breakup,” I continued. “Kim came to me with the idea, and I thought you would want the breakup, actually, when she suggested it to both of us. But I guess she never ended up telling you, yet.”
“Why would I ever want to break up with you?” Jax said, as if I’d just suggested the craziest idea he’d ever heard. “I’m in love with you. I mean—”
“Okay, okay, stop for a second,” Kim interjected crisply. “I’m thinking.”
Suddenly I felt myself building up walls and boundaries inside me. This was my real life, at this point. It wasn’t just a show. And while I cared deeply about the success of it, I had to finally live.
No matter what she said, I was going to push back.
And if it meant getting kicked off of the TV show, I was going to have to deal with those consequences as they came.
“Is that why you were acting weird all night?” Jax leaned over and whispered to me.
“I’m dumb. I know,” I said.
“So,” Kim said, her voice loud and firm, slicing through the air. Her face was screwed into concentration, like she was thinking so hard it hurt. “Season two—if it happens, of course. You two aren’t breaking up. In fact, you’re head over heels. So we go the power couple angle, not the breakup angle. It’s harder to work with, but we’ve got this.”
Jax and I exchanged a glance. And suddenly, I found it hard not to burst out laughing.
It all became clear in an instant.
Kim wasn’t going to try to interfere with our personal lives. Not even a little bit. She was, however, going to try to frame our relationship in whatever way would get the show more attention.
And at this point, it didn’t matter if she tried to frame me and Jax as a power couple or kings or fucking flying space monsters, for all I cared.
As long as we were going to be together, nothing else even crossed my radar.
The churning look on her face began to dissipate, and she nodded, like she’d gotten the hang of it. “Right. This is good. Not as good, but good. A breakup would be more immediate attention, but this… this could be something real. Something long-lasting. Good work, boys. I have to jet soon, but I’ll be in touch this week. Ciao, darlings.”
