Reckless (65 page)

Still laughing, I patted Kellan’s leg. “You should probably just let this one go.”

A laugh escaped Kellan, and he lightly held his stomach. “Damn idiot,” he muttered, his face scrunched in discomfort.

Feeling like Kellan was in good hands, I squeezed his leg and headed out of the room with Anna. Once in the hallway, she whispered, “Thanksgiving really isn’t on the same day every
year?” I almost stopped myself from laughing at her. Almost.

I explained to Carly what we were planning as Anna called a cab. The helpful nurse seemed a little surprised, since I’d told her that Kellan and I were already married, but a romantic
smile lit her face as she agreed to help us out. When Anna and I exited the hospital, our cab was waiting for us near the front doors. I was surprised by the number of fans loitering around the
hospital. The window in Kellan’s room hadn’t given me a full view of them. Not only were they directly across the street, but they were also along the side streets, huddled at the
street corners and in large clumps around the entrances. The various groups started pointing and whispering when they noticed me.

Probably remembering the footage she had watched of me accidentally being pushed into the street by a mob, Anna was immediately on edge. “Let’s hurry and get in the cab,
Kiera.”

I couldn’t stop staring at the mass of people waiting, though. They looked genuinely distraught; some were even wiping tears away. Tears. For Kellan. It broke my heart. I was sure no one
from the hospital had given these people any clue as to how Kellan was doing. They had probably only asked them to leave, or at least repeatedly asked them to stay out of the way. Tory had issued a
dramatic statement to the press, but a blurb from a record label wasn’t exactly comforting. Maybe
I
could be comforting.

Feeling every muscle in my stomach tighten, I locked gazes with my sister. “I’ll be right back.”

She narrowed her eyes at me. “What are you doing?”

Swallowing, I looked back at the crowd. What the hell was I doing? “I just want to let them know he’s okay.”

As Anna and I started to cross the street, the crowd along the sidewalk seemed to simultaneously shift in our direction. My whole body started shaking. I fought down my fear and anxiety and
approached them with my head high. How did Kellan conquer his nerves when he first started going on stage? Do I picture the crowd naked? Unfortunately,
I
was the only one I could picture
naked, and that wasn’t helping my anxiety any. Instead of picturing them, or me, I imagined Kellan beside me, walking toward his eager fans with a charming half-smile on his face. I thought
of the symbiotic relationship he had with these people, how important they were to each other, and how I could help bridge the gap between them today. My nerves vanished.

As soon as I got close enough, the fans started speaking. And all of them were asking me variations of the same question:
Is Kellan okay?
I held up my hands, and they instantly
quieted.

In a more confident voice than I ever believed I was capable of using when addressing a swarm of people, I told them, “Kellan wanted me to tell all of you that he’s fine.”
Remembering his pained face whenever he stood or laughed, I added, “Sore . . . but fine.” As tears pricked my eyes, I brought my hands to my heart. “He is touched beyond words
that you’re here, sending out your love and well-wishes, and I know he would come down and thank each one of you individually if he could. Your support means a lot to him. To us. And we
can’t thank you enough.”

The emotion of the last twenty-four hours caught up to me. It sealed my throat shut and forced the water in my eyes to run down my cheeks. As I hastily brushed tears away, I heard the crowd
murmuring grateful thank-yous. As I turned to leave, someone in the back shouted, “Are you really his wife?”

A slow smile spread across my lips.
Yes, I will be.
Feeling close to this crowd of strangers, who deeply loved the same person I deeply loved, I told them the truth. “We’ve
been married in our hearts for a long time, but . . . we’re making it official this week.” Not able to stop myself, I giggled as I said, “I’ll be Mrs. Kyle by Thursday
night.”

Surprising me, the crowd erupted into screams and cheers. It made me laugh even more. And cry. Amazed that they were accepting me, my words escaped my mouth in an emotional jumble. “I have
to go find a dress now.”

Names and addresses of nearby stores were shouted at me. I was too overwhelmed to take it all in, but I saw my sister nodding as she absorbed it. She may not know when Thanksgiving falls on the
calendar, but she was a savant when it came to memorizing sales.

I was still giggling about my very surreal life when Anna and I climbed into the cab. Anna pulled out her phone as she gave the driver the name of the store that was on top of her mental
rolodex. I relaxed back into the seat, content. I was finally marrying Kellan. I couldn’t wait. After a minute or so of silence, my sister nudged my arm. “Have you seen this?” she
asked.

She showed me her phone. She was on a gossip site and, not surprisingly, the story about Kellan’s accident was being featured. The still shots were horrifying. There were successive
pictures of Kellan pulling me to my feet, shoving me behind him, holding out his hand, and the truck striking him. It made all of the fear from yesterday fresh in my mind. It made the injury upon
my scalp burn anew, like it had just happened. If the truck had been going just a little faster, if Kellan had fallen back and smacked his head against the curb, if more internal organs had been
damaged, I would have lost him.

As I swiped tears from my eyes, I noticed what my sister had wanted me to see. Below the photos were comments from fans. Hundreds of comments. And all of them were praising Kellan for his
actions and proclaiming him a hero. Reading all of their heartfelt thoughts and prayers for his recovery warmed me. Reading about myself in the comments surprised me:
He stepped into traffic
for her! He saved her life! That’s true love. They belong together. They’re perfect together. I never believed he was with Sienna.

The outpouring of support for our relationship took me back. It was as if our accident had flipped a switch on the masses, and they were all announcing us as the new power couple. In the blink
of an eye, I’d gone from the condemned other woman trying to steal Sienna’s man to Kellan’s soul mate. The change was so fast and drastic that my mind almost couldn’t grasp
it. And the fact that my head hurt and my stitches itched wasn’t helping anything.

I looked back at Anna, floored. “They love us.”

Anna gave me a humoring smile. “
Everyone
eventually falls for the two of you together. You’re meant to be.”

We had so much to do in so little time that I quickly put the mystery of ever-changing public perception out of my mind. When we were finished with dress shopping, I felt like I had run a
marathon I was so tired. But I had everything I needed. Anna and I had even worked out the marriage license. I’d been worried about that one, but Anna had poured on the charm and the clerk
had agreed to come to the hospital so Kellan and I could fill out the application together. Honestly, I think the female clerk just wanted to see Kellan in person. Her eyes had shone like the stars
when she’d figured out just who was asking for permission to get married.

This was really going to happen.

Preparations began in earnest the following day when my numerous bridesmaids arrived. I squealed when Jenny, Rachel, Kate, and Cheyenne walked into Kellan’s hospital room. My four friends
encased me in a tearful group hug while the boys in the room shook their heads in amusement. Boys just didn’t understand the power of girlfriends.

Overwhelmed and emotional, I sniffled as I told Jenny, “I can’t believe you’re here. Thank you for flying back out so soon.”

Jenny’s hazy eyes drifted to the healing cut along my forehead. “I wouldn’t miss your wedding day for the world.” Her gaze shifted to Kellan lying in his bed, smiling at
us. “And I had to make sure you were okay. You scared the crap out of me, Kellan.”

Kellan’s lips curved up in a wry grin. “My apologies.”

Jenny laughed at him, then walked over and gave him a quick hug while I thanked each girl in turn. Kellan and I had paid for their plane tickets and arranged for hotel rooms, but they’d
each had to shift their lives around to make this happen for us. I was extremely grateful to them, to all of the people who were there.

After the greetings were over, Rachel cuddled with Matt, Kate nervously stood by Justin, and Cheyenne tried to get Gibson away from my mother. She failed. Jenny wrapped her arms around Evan and
giggled. “While I’m thrilled to be here, I can’t believe you’re getting married in a hospital room, Kiera.”

My mom sighed in agreement. I rolled my eyes at Mom as I faced my troops. “We’ve got a lot to do today.” I indicated the stale hospital room around me. “We need to make
this room suitable for a wedding tomorrow.”

Standing beside me with Abby, Denny slowly shook his head as he took in the garish medical equipment and utilitarian furniture. “That is not going to be easy,” he murmured.

I nodded in agreement. “No, but thank you for helping me.”

Wide smile in place, he told me, “It’s what I do.”

Looking over at Mom, I asked her, “Did you find someone to marry us?”

Pleased as punch, Mom kissed her granddaughter’s head as she beamed. “I did!” She pointed a finger at Kellan. “One of the nurses that helped sew him back together is an
ordained minister. She said she’d be thrilled to marry a rock star.”

Kellan laughed, then put a hand on his stomach. He still looked a little pale, and his eyes were still a little sunken, but he was slowly getting better.

Clapping my hands that everything was falling into place, I indicated all of the girls in the room. “Anna and I picked up my dress yesterday, but we’ll need to get you all bridesmaid
dresses.”

Abby blinked in surprise. “Even me?”

I peered around Denny to smile at her. “Definitely you.”

Abby flushed with color and seemed really touched that I would extend such a courtesy to her. She was a part of Denny though, and he was my best friend. They were as much of a unit as Kellan and
I, so it was only right that they both be included. Glancing over all of Kellan’s groomsmen, I frowned.

“Hmmm, will you guys be able to get suits today?” They were all dressed in holey jeans and threadbare T-shirts. I wasn’t such a bridezilla that I needed them in tuxes, but a
tiny step up from their typical wardrobe would be nice.

Grinning ear to ear, Griffin tucked his hair behind his ears. “Not to worry, I’ve got the suit I want all picked out.”

My frown even deeper, I pointed at Matt. “Do not let him leave the store if he’s wearing any sort of pastel color.” I paused, then added, “Or anything assless.”

After Matt wholeheartedly agreed, I shrugged. “That just leaves dinner.”

Gavin raised his hand. “Martin and I did a little reconnaissance yesterday, and we found the perfect place. They serve traditional Thanksgiving dinners and are open on the holiday.”
A Kellan-esque grin spread across his lips. “They even agreed to deliver to the hospital for us.”

I beamed at the two fathers in my life working together. Smiling at everyone, I shook my head. “Let’s get to work, then.”

The girls and I took off to find dresses, while the boys left to find suits. I felt a little bad leaving Kellan alone, but Carly assured me that he would be well taken care of, and he needed the
rest anyway. I made sure to kiss him at least a dozen times before I left, though.

Instead of finding matching dresses for everyone, I let them choose their own styles. I didn’t want anyone to be forced into something they found atrocious, like puffy sleeves. My only
suggestion was that they all chose the same color—a rich deep red that reminded me of Christmas, and Kellan, and love.

Hailey chose something fun and flirty, Anna chose something so tight I doubt she could breathe. The rest of the girls’ styles matched their personalities, demure and exotic for Rachel,
playful for Jenny, sophisticated for Abby, and romantic for Cheyenne and Kate. Anna picked out a stunning red frilly dress for Gibson; she was going to outshine us all. Even my mom went with the
red theme and found a nice cocktail dress that I was sure she’d wear over and over during the holiday season.

After dress shopping, we all brainstormed ways to romanticize the hospital room. Abby and Jenny were particularly good at decorating and came up with a plan that I thought would turn out nice.
It was also going to stretch the nurse’s patience, but hopefully they’d tolerate the slight disruption to their order. I mean, how often can you say a rock star got married at your
workplace?

I was greeted with loud cheers from the ever-vigilant fans when we returned to the hospital. Their numbers weren’t dissipating any, not even with the upcoming holiday. If anything, now
that news of my nuptials was out there, the number of people was growing. Even a few photographers were in the mix. I didn’t care, though. I held my head high as I waved to the group.

“We love you, Kiera!” was their response.

That still made me shake my head in disbelief.
They loved me?
Even if I disagreed with their statement—they didn’t really know me, so how could they love me?—I
appreciated the sentiment. It filled my chest with hope, love, and a general feeling that all was right with the world. And I supposed that was exactly how a person should feel when they were about
to get married.

The boys were already back from their shopping trip when we returned to the room. Abby and Jenny laid out their decorating plan. The D-Bags looked confused by the explanations, but Denny nodded
and instantly started getting to work. He had an eye for design and a knack for aesthetics. It was one of the many things that made him so good at his job.

Denny and Abby worked together seamlessly as they rearranged the room. There was an unspoken communication between the two of them that was adorable to watch. Denny would merely look at
something with an eyebrow raised, and Abby would nod and say, “Yeah, I think so too.” They really were a great match.