“I’m going to miss you, too,” I said softly. “Without you, I would’ve drowned this summer.”

He kissed me, and something shifted that night. His kisses felt different, more real than the fictional story we’d been telling one another every single day for so many weeks. He hadn’t said the words, and I hadn’t either, but our kisses felt like we were begging for a little more time, a few more touches, a few more skipping heartbeats.

I stayed longer that night as our touches almost mimicked something that could’ve been confused with love. As the sun began to rise, I began to put on my clothes and started heading back to my place.

“I’ll walk you home,” he offered.

I smiled and yawned. “You know I’ll decline.”

“Text me when you make it back?”

“I can do that.”

“Okay.” He smiled, leaning against the doorframe.

“Okay,” I replied.

“Gracelyn Mae?”

“Yes?”

He cleared his throat and placed his hands into his pockets. “Do you think I can take you out on a date sometime? Like a real date?”

Butterflies filled me up inside.

“I didn’t know Jackson Emery dated people.”

“Not people…only you.”

More butterflies.

“Actually, I was going to ask you if you’d do something with me.”

“What’s that?” he questioned.

“Each year, for as long as I can remember, my parents host a summer gala at the town hall ballroom to raise money for charities. It’s a big deal, and everyone in town dresses up like it’s the Oscars or something. There’s a big dinner and dance and literally everyone in town will be there.”

“The Harris Gala. Yeah, I’ve heard of it.”

“Be my date?” I asked him. He grimaced for a moment, and I felt my heart crack. Embarrassment hit my cheeks. “If you don’t want to, you don’t have to. I swear, I just thought—”

“I want to come,” he told me, giving me some reassurance. “I just worry people will give you a hard time if you show up with me. I don’t want to stress you out and add more drama to your life. People will talk.”

“Let them,” I told him, placing my hands against his chest. “We just won’t listen.”

He smiled. The kind of smile that made my heart skip a few beats. He leaned into me, placing his forehead against mine.

His lips grazed mine, and I knew I was ruined.

“So…” He whispered. “It’s a date?”

“Yes.” Chills raced throughout my body. “It’s a date. Good night, Jackson Paul.”

He kissed me gently on the lips, and I felt it in every fiber of my body as his hands fell behind my neck. He massaged my skin then softly spoke with his smoky voice. “Good morning, Gracelyn Mae.”

39

Jackson

“Closing early today?” Alex remarked, a bit stunned. “You never shut the shop down early.”

“Yeah, well, I got plans tonight.”

He cocked an eyebrow. “Plans? With a woman named Grace?”

“Don’t do that,” I told him.

“Do what?”

“Smile.”

“I always smile.”

“Yeah, and it’s annoying,” I joked, tossing all the dirty towels into the back room.

“So, are you two, like…a thing?”

“What? No. We’re just…friends.”

“With benefits.”

“Something like that.”

“But it’s more,” he commented. “It’s so much more.”

“Alex, I’m going to need you to shut up right about now.”

“All right, but I’m just saying, it’s okay for you to like people, man. I know you think it’s not, but it is. It’s part of what makes humans…human.”

I frowned and shrugged my shoulder as I began tossing my supplies back into the toolbox. “I can’t like her, Alex. Even if I did, she’s leaving town in a few weeks.”

“So? Go with her.”

I rolled my eyes. “Right.”

“Dude, I’m serious. Get out of this hellhole and go live your life. Even if it’s not with Grace, you’re allowed to leave this place.”

I huffed. “It’s not like I can leave my dad. The only reason I was able to go off to rehab was because you stepped in, and I wouldn’t ask you to ever do that for me again.”

“Buddy, your father is not your burden.”

“I’m not going leave him to die. I’m all he has.”

“Okay, I’ll drop it because I can tell you’re getting upset. I just want you to know that the world will keep spinning even if you go off and live your own life. My main point is this: you are allowed to be happy—maybe more than most people, and I think Grace makes you happy. I think you make her happy, too.”

I swallowed hard. “You think so?”

“She was about to rip out some woman’s hair at the festival because they were talking about you. She’s as protective of you as you are of her. I’ve never seen something that made no sense yet made complete sense until I laid eyes on the two of you together.”

“She’s just so…good.”

He laughed, walked over to me, and patted me on the back. “So are you. I’m going to get out of here. Have a good time tonight, all right?”

“Okay. Have a good night.”

He headed out of the shop, and I kept cleaning so I could finish up before going back to my place to jumped in the shower. I rented a suit for the event because there was no chance in hell anything in my closet was going to be good enough for the Harris Gala.

I wanted to look my best for Grace. I didn’t want to let her down.

Her taking me to this event, her allowing my arm to be wrapped around hers was more than just a small gesture. She was making a statement to the whole town that she was free to live however she chose to live.

I loved that fact, and I loved that I was going to be the one holding her hand.

She showed up at my place around seven thirty p.m., and when I opened the door, I took a few steps back.

She was beautiful.

From her burgundy curls to her fitted silver gown, she looked like a goddess.

“Wow,” I breathed out. She began to blush, and I loved it.

“Wow,” she replied, eyeing me up and down. She held her hand out toward me. “Shall we?”

I took her hand into mine, and we walked down the streets of Chester together. People saw us, and we didn’t care. People judged, and we didn’t listen.

When we arrived at the town hall ballroom, everyone’s eyes turned to us. I felt it hit my gut, and I could only imagine what they were thinking.

How I wasn’t good enough to be holding Chester’s royalty.

How I was simply a deadbeat.

Right as I was about to ask Grace to retreat, she squeezed my hand, giving me comfort. “Powerful moments,” she whispered, pulling me closer to her. She then raced her lips against mine and kissed me as everyone watched. I kissed her back, because how could I not? All I ever wanted to do was kiss those lips lying against mine.

“Powerful moments,” I replied as we slowly pulled away.

Somehow, at that exact moment, everyone’s opinions were officially void because she chose me.

In front of the world, she held my hand.

40

Grace

People gathered around me right away and started asking me questions about Jackson and me as he wandered off to get drinks. It all felt overwhelming, but I took it the best I could because he was worth the risk of people judging us.

And boy, did they judge.

“It’s a bit soon, isn’t it? To be dating again.”

“You should be by yourself for a while.”

“I think Finn and you can work things out.”

“Finn obviously still cares for you.”

So many opinions. So many nosy souls.

I just smiled through it all and did my best not to let it get to me. “If you’ll excuse me, I have to go find…something,” I said, grinning ear to ear.

The second I got away from the crowd, I ran into Marybeth Summers.

Marybeth was a quiet soul and always kept to herself. She looked my way and nodded once. “Hey, Grace.”

“Hey, Marybeth.”

“I think you two are beautiful together.”

“Thanks.” I smiled, still feeling a knot in my stomach. I was waiting for her next comment to be like everyone else’s.

Yet instead, she just said, “You deserve to be happy.”

She gave me a hug, and it felt so sincere. I held on a bit longer than I probably should’ve.

Maybe not everyone in town was filled with a gossiping heart.

Perhaps some did truly wish me well.

“Gracelyn Mae,” Mama stated, walking my way. She seemed stunned to see me as she smoothed out her dress.

“Hi, Mama.”

“What are you doing here?”

“I’ve never missed a gala. I didn’t think I’d start now.”

“Are you…” She shifted around in her high heels. “Are you here to just make a scene? To act out?”

“What?”

“I saw you walk in with that boy. I just don’t want any drama. Did you bring him here to get back at me for our last conversation? For what I said?”

“Oh, Mama.” I smiled her way and moved in close. “Not everything has to do with you.”

I walked away and ran straight into Josie, who was grinning ear to ear as she looked my way. “Oh, my, my, my. Did I just witness you telling your mother off?” she asked me, sipping at her champagne.

“I think you did.”

“I see you brought a certain guy as your date tonight,” she remarked with a wolfish grin.

“I did.”