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I walked into Jace’s arms and closed my hotel room on anything but his loving embrace.
    His groupies got him for two hours.
    I was going to love him for a lifetime.
     
     
    CHAPTER THREE
    San Francisco, CA
    January 1 7, 2012
     
     
    We arrived a day early in San Francisco beca use Titanium and Lace, a hip and popular clothier located in the city, wanted to meet with Jace for a possible endorsement. The clothes were geared toward an eclectic blend of hipsters and urban youth, and they wanted Jace’s model good looks to be the new face of their ad campaign.
    Jace was ready to blow it off entirely, but I encouraged him to take advantage of the opportunity. “Might as well strike while the iron is hot,” I advised as I twirled my finger along the chiseled perfection of his chest.
    “I agree,” he grinned as he pushed me back on the bed. After he’d thought about it, though, he realized that it was great PR for the show. The producers of Fierce set out to prove anyone could chase any dream. Why not put someone the world often dismissed as handicapped or lesser than on the cover of every single fashion magazine from coast to coast, the poster boy to what was hip and current? It opened a door to other models, honoring individuality over the ever-elusive state of perfection.
    It wasn’t his favorite endorsement by far. He’d already been tapped to endorse a new motorcycle, designed to match his sleeve tattoo. It was deeply layered with things that meant something to him, and he would add layers to document each stage of his life. Before the war, he opted for a waving American flag over a lightning backdrop. After the war, he added a proud eagle flying across the face of the flag, holding an olive branch of peace in its beak to signify his quest for peace over battle. Now there was a banner below the eagle, which stated simply: “Dream Big. Live Large. BE FIERCE.” It was sexy, hard core and patriotic – which summed up Jace’s philosophy toward life.
    He made it clear to me that if Titanium and Lace wanted to cover up this proud piece, he’d walk on the deal entirely.
    Turned out, though, the executives at Titanium and Lace were more than accommodating. The only caveat they seemed insistent upon was that they wanted to do a couples theme in order to show off their men’s and women’s fashion. Jace had suggested me immediately, given I was the runner-up to Fierce . Unfortunately, their sizing cut off at XL, a size I had left in the taillights in middle school. Even now, after losing the weight I had lost, I still found myself reaching for a 2X for the truest fit. In some shops, I could get away with a 1X, it just depended upon how large the sizes ran.
    Some stores made me feel skinnier than others, but places like Titanium and Lace – l ike many hipster clothing spots – made me feel like a freak living off the grid entirely.
    “They want to set me up with another model,” he told me on the phone, as the car brought him back to the hotel. “It doesn’t feel right if it’s not you.”
    “I don’t want you to miss this opportunity,” I replied. “I mean, it’s a photo shoot. It’s not marriage.”
    “There are other clothing lines. If I’m supposed to represent the inclusivity of our show, then shouldn’t it include all of us from Fierce ? And if it doesn’t, why would I be supporting it?”
    I shrugged, though he couldn’t see. I was used to these types of hurdles when shopping for clothes. That was why I could never get excited about it unless it was a specialized boutique, made to honor and celebrate my particular figure. These other restrictions were the standards we all had to live by. It seemed silly to penalize Jace when he’d worked so hard for these opportunities. I said as much to him.
    “Maybe I’ll get Lavender,” he said, and I could almost hear the smirk over the phone as he referred to our loud and proud transgender cast mate.
    “I’d love to see that!” I chuckled.
    Later that