Persuaded (27 page)

“Probably.” I chuckled.

“Excuse me. You’re Gregory Wentworth, right?”

I turned to blink up into Taylor Anderson’s smiling blue eyes. “And you’re Amanda Ellis, right?”

“Yes.” I was surprised he remembered my name. “Gregory, this is Taylor Anderson. I’m sure you’ve heard a few people talk about him.”

“So, you’re the guy the town has missed like crazy. Glad to meet you.”

Taylor laughed. “What, are you kidding? All I’ve heard about for the last two months is Gregory Wentworth. You sounded like Zeus come to life, so I had to come and meet you myself. My girlfriend Chloe is coming over in just a sec—she’s gotten tied up with my mom at the moment.” He turned back toward me. “So, Amanda, I hear you’re the one responsible for saving Kylie’s life.”

Gregory was all smiles as he pulled me closer to him. “Yep, she’s our hero.”

Taylor grinned and turned to a girl behind him, then gently pulled her to his side. “Here’s Chloe.” I watched his face light up as he smiled down at the pretty redhead a moment before addressing us. “We were just talking about how Amanda saved Kylie’s life. You remember Amanda, don’t you?”

Chloe’s smile included everyone. “Yeah, vaguely. You were a senior this year, right?”

“Yes.”

“I heard about what you did for Kylie in Moab—that was really amazing. Were you sacred to death? I would’ve been.”

“Oh yeah, we were both scared.” I looked up to include Gregory. “He was there too and actually helped a lot.”

“Yeah, right,” he said. “You know I hardly did anything.” He looked at Taylor and Chloe. “Don’t let Amanda fool you—she’s the real champion.”

“I heard Collin was there, too. Is that right?” asked Taylor.

“Oh yeah, he was awesome!” I looked up at Gregory. “I don’t think either of us expected him to be as wonderful as he was in that situation. Seriously, he totally kept his cool the whole time.”

Chloe shook her head “I just can’t believe he and Kylie are getting married. I mean, it floored me—well, both of us—when we received invites to this party. Has Kylie changed a lot since the accident?”

Gregory and I both nodded. “Yes, a lot,” I answered. “You haven’t talked to her in a few months, have you? Just wait. She’s a new person. I think that falls and near-death experiences must have a way of changing people.”

“Well, I was amazed just to be included on the invite list,” Chloe explained. “But I was anxious to see her and get to know her again. I don’t know if you heard, but she and I didn’t hit off this year.”

Taylor laughed. “That’s an understatement.”

Chloe shook her head. “It’s not as bad as he makes it sound. Kylie liked Taylor—Taylor liked me. End of story. Besides, in the end she was the one who got us together, though she probably doesn’t know that. So I have a lot to be grateful for when it comes to her.”

“Well, there’s nothing for you to worry about now,” Gregory remarked. “She is definitely head over heels in love with Collin. And the funny thing is, I’m grateful to Kylie for almost the same reason you are, Chloe.” He grinned down at me.

Twenty-Five: Always
&
Forever

After Chloe and Taylor had gone off to chat with other people, my stepsister walked in the Wentworths’ front door. My heart sank.

“Well, were you going to answer the door, or what?” she grumbled at Gregory.

Ever since I had told her that he and I were together, Sydney had been more horrible than ever. “Sorry, we didn’t hear the doorbell ring,” I said.

She spun around to face me. “You know what, Amanda? Shut up, okay?”

I flinched from her glare, but Gregory lost it. He took two firm steps forward and hissed, “Sydney Ellis, let’s get one thing straight right now. I have kept silent for as long as I can, and I’m through. You will step up and act like a decent human being, or you’re gone. I will personally kick you out of this house. Do you understand me? No one—not one of my guests—needs to witness your tantrums. If you don’t like something, suck it up and deal with it!”

“But I—”

“No buts! You disgust me, and if I didn’t love your stepsister, you wouldn’t have been invited here in the first place. She is the one who insisted that you come. And another thing, if you so much as look rudely at my girlfriend—whether she’s your stepsister or not—you will answer to me.”

“A–are you threatening me?”

“You better believe it. I love her. Period. And I will not tolerate someone hurting the person I love. You got that? You’re comprehending, right? I don’t want there to be any more misconceptions between us. As of right now, the line has been drawn. You cross it, and you will lose whatever tiny hold and status you have over this town, and Sydney Ellis will become a nobody. You won’t be included in anything or invited anywhere, and no one will remember you.”

The doorbell rang. With a sneer, Sydney stormed out of the room.

Gregory looked at me, anxiously scanning my face for my reaction. I was still in such shock I couldn’t even respond. No one had ever told Sydney off before. No one had the guts to!

“Uh, Andy, I’m sorry,” Gregory said. “I didn’t mean to lose my cool like that. I know she’s your stepsister and . . . and do you hate me now?”

“Hate you? No. Surprisingly, I feel relieved.”

“Relieved?”

“Yeah.”

“Relieved is good.”

I smiled. “Yeah, um—thank you. It’s nice to have someone to fight my battles for me.”

The doorbell chimed again.

“Grr.” Gregory reached for my hand. He opened the front door, and there stood Collin, carrying Kylie in his arms.

“Hi, guys!” she beamed. “Collin insisted on carrying me, instead of wheeling me around in my wheelchair. I told him he was crazy, but he wouldn’t listen.”

Gregory and I chuckled and stepped back to make way for them.

“Kylie’s here!” someone called out. All of a sudden there were squeals of delight and a swarm of people around us as everyone greeted her. Gregory and I stepped farther back to allow the people who hadn’t seen her yet to say hello. I felt bad for Collin as he tried to make his way through the crowd. Kylie didn’t weigh much, but she had to get heavy eventually. At last, through the midst of well wishes and congratulations, he set her on the chair Gregory’s parents had decorated for her.

Kylie deserved every bit of this, and I was so happy for her. She looked really pretty—as pretty as I’d ever seen her—and she simply glowed. After all she had faced the last few weeks, it was nice to see that so many people had come to support her. I think she was surprised, too. Earlier that day, when I’d helped her choose her outfit, she’d been worried no one would come to the engagement party.

Silly girl! See how much you are loved,
I thought.
Look how many people are here to celebrate that you are alive.

“She looks happy, doesn’t she?” Gregory said to me.

“Yeah, she looks almost as happy as I am.”

“Come here, you!”

I giggled as Gregory pulled me back into a now-empty receiving room and kissed me. My knees were a little weak by the time he was done.
Wow.

He chuckled and leaned his forehead against mine. “I feel much better—I hadn’t got to kiss you for a good two hours.”

“Has it been two hours?” I teased. “Are you sure?”

He kissed me quickly on the lips again. “Yep, I’m positive. I was having withdrawals.”

“Withdrawals? That sounds serious—we’ll have to do something about it.” I peeked up at him from under my lashes.

“Excuse me, Amanda.”

I turned. It was Collin. “Oh, is it time for Kylie’s song?” I asked.

“Well, yeah, if you don’t mind.” He looked a little nervous about interrupting us.

“Okay, I’m right behind you.” Reluctantly, I pulled out of Gregory’s arms and looked up at him.

“You ready for this?” He grinned down at me.

I took a deep breath. “Yeah, I think so. Kylie’s so going to freak out when she hears it.”

“You’re going to be amazing. So don’t worry about anything, okay?”

I nodded my head, not nearly as nervous as I’d thought I would be.

Gregory held my hand and walked me through the crowd of people to the piano bench. Sitting nearby, Kylie looked at me funny. Then Collin picked up the microphone Gregory had hooked up for him.

“Excuse me, everyone,” Collin’s voice boomed through the house. “There’s a little something I would like to dedicate to Kylie. This is a song I wrote for her. Amanda Ellis has graciously helped me arrange the accompaniment. I hope some of you old-timers aren’t too thrown off by its rock sound, but I really wanted Kylie to see how much she means to me—and how special she is—by creating something that is, in a sense, a piece of me. Here’s to you, Kylie, the most awesome girl in the world.”

With that he gave me a nod and I began playing the song in a slow tempo that would eventually morph into a rocked-out chorus. After the intro, I made sure Collin and I were on the same beat when he started singing. His gruff, harmonic voice glided easily over the lyrics, and it still amazed me how well he could sing.

Funny how some things we think will last forever,

Like friendships, laughter, and dark, stormy weather.

But what we don’t realize is nothing is here to last,

And soon all of it will be memories in the past.

Soon it will all be gone

Like fires and things gone wrong.

Soon nothing will be left

Except that kiss, the mem’ry, the feeling you were
blessed.

You came into my life—I thought all was lost,

And you stayed by me not thinking of the cost.

With talks of angels and happily ever after,

You made the world seem bright, like it would last
forever.

Soon it will all be gone

Like fires and things gone wrong.

Soon nothing will be left

Except that kiss, the mem’ry, the feeling you were
blessed.

If I could keep your happiness by my side

To cheer me through my pain, my grief, in its stride,

I’d try to find words to thank God for the gift you are,

To speak, to sing, to pray you’re in my life.

Your joy spreads far.

Ev’rything I’ve thought is wrong.

You’re my hope, you’re my song.

It will last, I have no fear,

Like the kiss, the mem’ries, and the feelings right here.

It’ll always be there for us.

With you I lay my trust.

By the end of the song, Kylie was in tears. I had never seen her so emotional before. Of course, if a guy had just sung like that to me I would probably be in tears, too. The whole room exploded in applause, and I searched the sea of people for Gregory.