Hopelessly Devoted to You: A Contemporary Christian New Adult Novel (The Imagination Series Book 6)
Author: Stallings, Staci
Date: 2019-08-28

Hopelessly Devoted to You

The Imagination Series
Book 6

By: Staci Stallings

KINDLE EDITION

~*~*~*~

Spirit Light Publishing

Hopelessly Devoted to You

Copyright © 2019 by Staci Stallings

Cover Art by Lynnette Bonner

Indie Cover Design
http://indiecoverdesign.blogspot.com/

Author’s Website
http://www.stacistallings.net

Kindle Edition License Notes

This eBook is licensed for your personal enjoyment only. This eBook may not be resold or given away to other people. If you would like to share this book with another person, please purchase an additional copy for each person you share it with. If you’re reading this book and did not purchase it, or it was not purchased for your use only, then you should return to eStore and purchase your own copy. Thank you for respecting the author’s work.

Publisher’s Note: This is a work of fiction. Names, places, characters, and incidents either are the product of the author’s imagination or are used fictitiously, and any resemblance to actual persons, living or dead, events, or locales is entirely coincidental.

What Readers Are Saying About

“Hopelessly Devoted to You”

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Contents

What Readers Are Saying About

Dedication

Chapter 1

Chapter 2

Chapter 3

Chapter 4

Chapter 5

Chapter 6

Chapter 7

Chapter 8

Chapter 9

Chapter 10

Chapter 11

Chapter 12

Chapter 13

Chapter 14

Chapter 15

Epilogue

Shhh!  Sneak Peek

Also Available from Staci Stallings

About the Author

Dedication

To all those who are learning to change,

God has a plan.

Learn to take one step at a time,

And know that things can get better.

Hopelessly Devoted to You

Chapter 1

Greg

Elbow-deep in sandwich fixings, Greg Everett felt his cell phone buzz in the pocket of his jeans. Of course, he couldn’t answer it now.

“Welcome to Subs,” he said on the ding of the door to the sandwich shop. It was just after one o’clock on Thursday afternoon, and it seemed like every person within a ten-mile radius had decided that a sandwich was the best way to go for lunch. “A little help out here,” he called, ducking quickly to the back on his way to toasting the meatball sub he’d just prepared. “Hi, welcome to Subs. What can I get you?”

It was two hours later before he remembered the text, and finally on his ten-minute break, Greg pulled the phone out and sat down in the back in a veritable heap of exhaustion. If this kept up, he wouldn’t have to worry about practice tonight. He’d be dead by then anyway.

Just checking to make sure you’re remembering practice tonight. Wes.

Greg heaved another sigh and typed in his reply. Yep. I’ll be there. Hitting send, he shook his head with a frustrated swipe of his forehead. Practice was about the last place he wanted to be tonight, or any night for that matter.

First of all, there was the fact that Nelson and Paige were such a couple now. You couldn’t be around them without feeling all the love between them. Sure, Greg was happy for them, but seeing them together reminded him every, single time how very alone he was, and that hurt in ways he just couldn’t even admit to himself. Paige had even stopped coming to church. Okay, she hadn’t stopped. She had just started going to the one all the others went to across town—with Nelson, of course. Not that Greg blamed her for that. After all, it was him, not her that had called off their ill-fated, doomed-from-the-very-beginning romance.

Noble. That’s what he had told himself it was at the time. Stupid was probably a better word for it. He’d known from that very first time he’d kissed her if Nelson ever showed up again…

Not that he didn’t want the two of them together. He did. They were “right.” Meant to be. Soulmates if ever there were two. He knew that as well as anybody. It had just been so nice going with Paige. So very low-key and comfortably easy for way the most part. She wasn’t all high-maintenance like so many of the other girls he had gone out with since high school. In fact, a big part of him wanted to give up on the romance scene altogether, but showing up alone to everything didn’t sound appealing either. Especially with all the others—Wes and Lauren, Nelson and Paige—all showing up at everything paired off like the loading of the ark.

His one, lone, hopefully-not-paired-up-for-forever friend, Taylor Grayson had been more than a little scarce lately. Off to college at Tech, she was more than an hour away—for the time being anyway. The good news was their high school band, Rev4 was getting together again for a weekend gig, playing for Nelson’s dad’s upcoming wedding. The bad news was, Taylor could as easily be a no-show as she could deign to grace them with the honor of her presence. It wasn’t like she hadn’t bailed on them before.

High maintenance. He laughed at that. If Paige was low-maintenance, then her older sister was definitely on the high maintenance list. They’d been friends since third grade when they’d played jacks on the classroom floor during recess together for two days. Him with a broken arm, her with a sore throat so she couldn’t go outside. And that pretty much summed up their relationship, doing things together because the other options weren’t really options.

Still, he smiled at the thought of her. Taylor Grayson. She always made him smile, always made his days a little more worth living. She’d definitely grown up since all those years before with those jacks. In fact, without even trying, Greg well-remembered many of the milestones in her life. Spelling Bee champ in fifth grade. Braces in eighth. Boys in ninth. A beautiful, strong, talented young woman by the time they graduated from high school and went their separate ways. And always, always, always, he’d had a soft spot in his heart for her.

That probably wasn’t as wise as it might have sounded. For one thing, Taylor hardly even knew he was alive, which was ironic since they’d been in Rev4 together since sophomore year, singing love songs to each other in her basement almost every day for three whole years. He had lived for those days back then, and even now, when he thought about them, it didn’t take much for the sad, wistful smile to drift over his heart at the futility of it all. It was probably a good thing he’d never been dumb enough to tell her how he felt about her. After all, Taylor was the epitome of uber-popular. She surely would have laughed in his face.

Still, seeing her again… Especially if she brought what’s-his-name. Greg’s entire being locked on that memory and growled. Taylor sitting on that jerk’s lap in her basement while Greg tried his best to focus on his then-girlfriend Paige. Awkward did not do that memory justice.

His head started to hurt at the thought of seeing her with the jerk again, and everything in him said he should figure out a way to get out of practice tonight or the whole weekend altogether. If she showed up with that jerk…

Unfortunately, he couldn’t do that to Nelson… or to Wes. No, they needed him, and he wouldn’t let them down. And so, he would show up, just like he always did, and he’d stuff all the ridiculous feelings down inside himself, put on a smile, and somehow get through it.

It wasn’t great, but this was his life. So he didn’t have much other choice.

“I’m headed to the bank,” Maria Gonzalez, his latest manager, said, striding in from the front. “Hold down the fort.”

Greg clicked off his cell phone and put it back in his pocket. “Will do.”

Nelson

“Well, as much as I don’t want to say it,” Nelson Samuels said as he, his girlfriend Paige Grayson and his two best friends from Seattle, LJ Stewart and Yolanda Salazar, sat at Mikey’s Bar-B-Que joint, “we really better get going.”

“So what’s the plan?” LJ asked as they threw their napkins onto the bar-b-que stained cardboard bowls and stood.

“I guess we’ll take the girls to Paige’s and then we’ll go on over to the new house.” Nelson half-led them out though they were moving more like a herd than in any kind of line. “That way everybody can get settled before practice tonight.”

“So you got moved then?” LJ asked.

“Yep,” Nelson said, his mind helpfully recalling all of his stuff stacked and strewn about the new room he’d acquired just the week before.

“Are you really going to play for your dad’s wedding?” Yoli asked as they traipsed out into the bright August sunlight and straight to Nelson’s car.

“Yeah. Paige and I are going to play one at the actual wedding.”

“You and Paige?” Yoli asked, looking at Paige as the two of them got in on the passenger’s side, Yoli in the back, Paige in the front.

“It’s one we wrote together,” Nelson said by way of explanation, “back in high school. The church only has a piano, and rather than drag a bunch of equipment in, we figured it would be easier.”

“I thought you said we were moving the equipment,” LJ said from the back as Nelson started the car and pulled out.

“We are. To the hall where the reception is. Plan is to start that about ten in the morning. I’m going to snag some dollies from my job. Hopefully that will make things easier.”

“And we’ve got to carry this stuff up from a basement?” LJ asked.

“You got it.”

“I got it,” LJ said sarcastically. “I ain’t got nothing, and I think you’ve got rocks in your head.”

“Gee thanks.” But Nelson wasn’t mad. In fact, he was beginning to agree. Whose dumb idea was this anyway?

Paige

The unreality of it all hit Paige when the guys let her and Yoli off at her house. It wasn’t totally awkward until the two of them were standing in her living room with Yoli’s luggage as the door closed on the guys’ departure.

Yoli, a young woman of around twenty-two, was older than Paige by at least four years, but it felt like far more. From the information she had gleaned from Nelson, Yoli was a senior at Northwestern in Seattle. That’s where Nelson had gone for two of his college years before transferring back home. In the fall, she and Nelson would be going to Tech with Wes, Lauren, and Greg. Fall had once seemed so far away. Now it was only a week until the big move. Crazy how time did that.

“Uhm. Hm.” Paige cleared her throat and kicked herself reluctantly into hostess mode. “I think I’m going to let you have Taylor’s room. That way you don’t have to sleep on the floor.” Taylor, Paige’s older sister, was already off at Tech living her amazing life. With a thwack, Paige chopped that thought in half as she turned down the hallway and went all the way to the end. “Even if she comes home, she won’t stay overnight, and you might as well have something more comfortable than the floor.”

“Oh. Okay. Are you sure? I’d hate to ace your sister out of her own bed.” Yoli, a Latina beauty of epic proportions, looked casually cool with her hair up in a high bun and a strappy, navy T-shirt over form-fitted jean shorts that rolled up at the ends. Even her black choker necklace was casually amazing.

“Nah. It’s okay. Tay hasn’t stayed here in… well… a while.” Swallowing the words she wanted to add about her sister going AWOL from the family over some tattooed, big-mouthed jerk of a guy, Paige shrugged. “She won’t even know the difference.”

Yoli put her suitcase down by the bed. “Well, all right. If you say so.”

A breath as the awkwardness threatened again and Paige yanked her gaze down and turned. “Uh, the bathroom’s just down here.” She headed back down the hallway where she clicked the light on in the bathroom. “You’re welcome to anything and everything. Towels are in this cabinet, extra supplies in this one.” Going in, she touched each one in turn. “I don’t know if you brought your shampoo and stuff, but there’s some in the shower. Help yourself if you need it.”

In her pocket, her cell phone beeped, and without thinking about it, she pulled it out as Yoli stood in the doorway looking very out of place.

“It’s Lauren,” Paige said by way of explanation, and she’d answered the call before she thought about giving more explanation or declining it for politeness sake. “Hey.” She glanced at Yoli before dragging her gaze down. “Yeah, they’re here. Yeah. Yeah. Uh-huh. Sure. K. Yeah. That works. Okay. K. Yeah. I’ll see ya. Bye.” Holding up the cell, she waved it once. “Lauren, my best friend. Her and Wes are going to be here around six.”

“And Wes is…?” Yoli asked clearly trying to fit all the moving pieces into the right place in this puzzle.

“Nelson’s best friend,” Paige said as she stuffed the cell phone back in her back pocket. “Well, one of mine too I guess.”

“So you and Nelson are best friends with…”

“Lauren and Wes.” Paige smiled. “It’s kind of a thing. They were in a band—Nelson and Wes and Greg… Everett, their other friend. The guys and Taylor.”

“Taylor, your sister?”

“Right. Her. Anyway, in high school they were pretty much the ‘it’ group. They practiced in our basement so they were hanging around here all the time. Of course, Lauren and I were up here studying, and…”

Yoli nodded slowly. “Well, I guess that’s one way to find someone, just have your sister bring in a whole slew of guys for you to choose from.”

That dropped Paige’s gaze. Taylor had accused her of practically that same thing though she knew Yoli was kidding. “Yeah. Guess so.”

“Greg,” Yoli said all of a sudden and her eyes widened though she was trying to hide her shock, “wait. He’s not the one that…”

Brushing her bangs from her forehead, Paige lifted her gaze. “Yeah. He is.” As much as she wanted to, Paige found she couldn’t hold Yoli’s gaze.

“Oh.” Yoli looked like she’d just been sucker punched. “I guess… Wow.”

Paige laughed softly. “Yeah. It was a little weird for a while.”

“I can imagine,” Yoli said, but her tone was compassionate rather than gossipy. “But everything’s okay now, right?”

Thinking that through, Paige nodded. “I think so. Nelson and I are good. It took a while to get going in the same direction, but I think we finally have. Lauren and Wes are…” She rolled her eyes. “Wait ‘til you meet them. You’ll see what I mean.”

“And Greg?” Yoli asked gently.

With an exhale, Paige felt her heart pang for him. “Greg’s great. Fact, I think he mostly went out with me because I was still struggling so bad with Nelson being gone. He really is awesome, just wait ‘til you meet him, you’re going to love him as much as all of us do.”

“But Greg is single,” Yoli asked to confirm her clear suspicions.

“Yes. Greg is single. But knowing Greg, he’ll probably bring someone to the wedding. He’s always got a girl on his arm.”

“So he’s not the broken-hearted ex, pining for the one that got away?”

Paige laughed softly. “Ah, no. No. Me and Greg… I mean, don’t get me wrong, we’re great friends, but the romance thing is way in the past for both of us.”

Looking at her gently, Yoli nodded. “It’s good that you can still be friends with him.”

“You think?” Paige asked, surprised at how she could talk so easily to Yoli, even standing in the middle of her bathroom which didn’t feel nearly as weird as it sounded.

“I do.” Yoli leaned on the doorframe and folded her arms. “I’m a youth counselor back in Seattle, and if I’ve learned anything it’s that dating these days often leaves wakes of heartache and bitterness behind it. Most of the girls I work with think romance happens in three stages. You don’t know the guy. You meet him and fall head-over-heels, so in love, you can’t breathe. And then three weeks later, you hate each other’s guts.” She dipped her head. “That’s pretty much the pattern these days. It’s just nice to see that you guys have worked it out so when it’s over, you don’t go into ‘I hate their guts’ mode.”

Shaking her head, Paige laughed at that. “I could never hate the guys. Oh, I get frustrated with them, and I want to wring their necks sometimes, but I could never hate them.”

“Even Nels when he went to Seattle?”

Paige smashed her lips in her teeth as she shook her head at that one. “No. I never hated him.” Her gaze dropped. “I knew Seattle was what he wanted.” She nodded slowly before dragging her gaze up. “It just about killed me to let him follow that dream.”

A slow smile slipped onto Yoli’s lips. “Probably shouldn’t tell you this, but he never stopped being hung up on you. It took us forever to convince him to give coming home another shot. I think he was just scared, scared of what trying again would mean. I know the last thing in the world he wanted was to ever hurt you like that again. It just about killed him what he did to you.”

Although she hadn’t known she needed that, Paige was grateful for the gift. “Well, I know how much he’s missed you guys since he’s been here. I’m so glad you could come. I know it means a lot to him.”

That made Yoli smile like a ray of sunshine. “I think it made LJ’s year. Those two.” She shook her head and rolled her eyes. “They are about as different as night and day, but somehow, they just… fit.”

“It’s too bad you guys are all the way up in Seattle,” Paige said. “Wouldn’t it be cool if you were down here, and we could just hang out and talk like this all the time?”

Yoli looked around. “Yeah, well, maybe we could do it somewhere other than the bathroom.”

Paige laughed. “We really could go out there, or I could go and let you get settled.”

“Or you could come with me and help me get settled.”

“Deal.”

Nelson

Turning in to the guest room at the new house, Nelson went over and opened the empty closet. “It’s all yours. Whatever you need.”

“Nice digs,” LJ said, tossing his bag onto the bed. “Kinda empty though, don’t you think?”

“Yeah, well, we just got moved over here last week,” Nelson said. “I’m barely moved in. That’s why you can’t stay in my room. There’s no floor to speak of right now.”

“And yet, you’re moving again next week.”

Hands on his hips, Nelson heaved a sigh. “Yep. Once again.”

“So how’s that going? You ready?”

“I think it’s going to be okay. Wes and Greg and I are getting a house not too far from campus. Of course the girls will be in the dorm for the first year, so they won’t be too far away.”

Nodding, LJ didn’t bother to unpack. Instead, he stood next to the bed and folded his hands under his arms. “I guess that’s going okay. You and Paige, I mean?”

Nelson tipped his head. “It was a little rocky at first, but yeah, it’s good now.”

“She seems great, really sweet.”

“She is.”

“I have to say, I was a little worried you were going to come back and it wasn’t going to work out.”

That made Nelson laugh. “Yeah, you and me both. But no, it’s good.”

“Nels… Oh,” his dad said from the door.

Turning, Nelson was surprised at how his heart jumped rather than fell. “Oh, hey, Dad. Uh, this is Jeremiah Stewart. He was my roommate back in Seattle.”

“Oh, Jeremiah.” His father came all the way into the room.

“Mr. Samuels,” LJ said, shaking hands with Nelson’s dad.

“Please, call me Joe.”

“Okay, and you can call me LJ.”

Nelson’s dad puzzled at that a moment, but LJ just laughed.

“Long story,” LJ said, and Nelson’s dad smiled.

“Well, we’re really glad you’re here.” He stepped back by Nelson’s side and clapped his son on the shoulder. “I was actually wondering if you all were going to need help tomorrow with the equipment. I don’t want you to f-feel like I abandoned you especially when y-you’re going to all-all-all this trouble for us.”

However, Nelson just shook his head and smiled at his dad. “Nope. I really think we’ve got it. We’re going to move the equipment in the morning. I’ll pick up the tuxes on the way back over, and then we’ll be at the rehearsal.”

“Great. Oh, and you’re all invited to the rehearsal dinner,” his father said. “All of you.” His gaze encompassed LJ as well.

“The only one I haven’t heard from yet is Taylor,” Nelson said, “but I can text her and see if she’s planning on it. I know she’s coming on Saturday for sure.”

“Okay, well, one more or less for the rehearsal isn’t going to break anything,” his dad said.

“K. I’ll let you know.”

“Great. Well, I’ll leave you guys to it.” He went to the door and waved. “LJ, nice meeting you.”

“You too, Mr. Samuels. Joe.”

Nelson’s dad winked at their guest. “Much better.”

When his dad was gone, Nelson hit send on the text to Taylor, sighed, and put the phone in his pocket. “Have I told you how glad I am that you guys came?”

LJ grinned. “So am I, man. So am I.” He clapped his hands together. “So, how long do we have before the… thing tonight… the practice thing?”

With a glance at his watch, Nelson calculated the time almost without effort. “About an hour.”

“Good. ‘Cause I’m thinking a shower wouldn’t be out of the question. I smell like travelling.”

Nelson laughed. “Make yourself at home.”

“Feels like it already.”

Funny, Nelson couldn’t agree more.

Chapter 2

Nelson

“We might as well run through ours while we wait,” Nelson said to Paige when they were downstairs with LJ and Yoli ensconced on the couch watching them. He hated feeling all on display with them sitting there like that, but short of making them feel awkward about it, he didn’t know how to remedy that situation.

At the piano, Paige took out her violin. “I sure hope you remember how to do this because I’m not sure I even remember how it goes.”

Nelson sat down at the piano and ran his fingers up and down the keys in a few broken chords that sounded impressive but were actually quite easy. “You need an E?”

“You know it.”

Playing the notes she needed one-by-one, Nelson had to work to tamp down the crazy panic of stage fright zinging through him. Other than down here playing with the guys a few times since his return, he hadn’t performed for anyone. This, however, never seemed to get easier on his nerves.

“Do you need the words and chords?” he asked when Paige was ready.

“It might not hurt. I’m pretty much flying blind here.”

He laid the lead sheet on the piano for her. Thankfully, he’d been practicing at the new house on his piano, so he had the song etched in his memory once again. “Let’s just do a little of it and see how it goes.”

Nodding, she laid the bow to the strings. “Ready when you are.”

Paige

Although it had only been three months since she’d played, Paige’s fingers felt not just rusty but shaky as well. It was like putting your relationship on the block to be judged. Yoli’s comment about them wondering if Nelson had done the right thing coming back wisped through her, and it was hard not to sense them sitting there, still wondering, judging if he had, in fact, made the right decision.

The opening notes on the piano, however, still made her smile. She couldn’t help it. They were like touching life itself. She joined in, carefully, trying not to overshadow or fall into a mistake. Playing with Nelson could be so intimidating because you knew he wasn’t going to mess up, so if someone was going to ruin the performance, it was going to be you.

“Only together does life feel right,” Nelson sang in that voice of silk that had practically fallen from heaven itself. They played the three notes together. “Only when I’m with you can I ever hope to fly.” With a brush of a smile at her, he shook his head and let his gaze fall to the keys as she drew out the harmony to his melody from the strings. “Give me a chance, a chance to show you… That only together, everything is right.” He let out a breath. “Everything is right.”

“Suddenly,” he continued to sing after only a couple of measures, “I’ve lost control of my life. I’ve let go of having my own way. You’ve captured me heart, body and soul, and now all I want is to be… with you.”

“Cause,” Paige sang with him, dropping the violin as she smiled down at him and his eyes connected with hers. “Only together does life feel right.” Her smile seemed to vibrate into reality from the center of her heart. “Only when I’m with you, can I ever hope to fly... Give me a chance, a chance to show you… that only together everything is right…” She nodded at him even as she raised the violin to her shoulder once again. “Everything is right.”

“You’re every dream I’ve been dreaming of,” Nelson sang as the piano and violin created a swirling duet beneath the words. “You’re everything I need.”

“You’re everything I’ve been searching for,” they sang together though she never really dropped the violin. “You’re everything to me.”

And once again, they were flying together on the wings of the music. It was so easy. Forgetting everything other than him so that all she had to do was listen to the song in her heart and let it find its voice as it had when they had first written it in this very basement.

“Only together,” he sang, and her heart heard the emotion in the words, and she knew. He wasn’t just singing some song. He was singing this to her, so she would know he meant the words maybe more than he even had all that time ago. “…does this feel right. Only when I’m with you can I ever hope to fly. Give me a chance, a chance to show you… that only together, everything is right.”

As tears pooled in her eyes, she nodded at him, loving him more than she ever had.

“Everything is right,” he breathed, and then together, they played to the end.

Only when it was finished did she really remember their audience, and self-consciousness crashed over her when LJ started clapping.

“Wow,” LJ said as he stood, shaking his head in awe. “That was amazing. You guys, seriously. Wow.”

“Thanks,” Nelson said as he scratched his ear.

“I think my A string is still out,” Paige said, trying it again even as LJ came over leaving Yoli on the couch.

“Girl, your A-string is on point. That was incredible. And you wrote that?”

“Uh, mostly I just did the music for it,” Nelson said. “Paige did most of the words.”

“No, now you did the chorus,” she said, testing and trying that pesky A-string. It still sounded wrong. “Would you hit an A?”

“Uh, yeah. Sure thing.” Nelson did as noise from the top of the stairs dragged their gazes that direction. “Oh, no. Trouble has arrived.”

“What, did you guys start without us?” Wes asked as he and Lauren made the bottom of the stairs. “I thought you said six.”

Paige’s gaze slipped from them over to Yoli, and she felt the young woman’s desire to disappear. She knew that feeling, understood it, and she wasn’t going to make her feel awkward more than one moment. “Hey, uh… LJ, Yoli, this is Wes and Lauren.”

At the couch, Yoli stood and came over though with definite hesitation.

“Hey,” Wes said, shaking LJ’s hand. “It’s great to finally meet you.”

“Yeah, you guys too,” LJ said. He stepped back and over to Yoli. “This is my girlfriend, Yolanda Salazar.”

“Yolanda,” Wes said, shaking her hand before stepping back beside Lauren who also shook Yoli’s hand. “It’s nice to meet you.”

“You too,” Yoli said. It was funny because Yoli had seemed so together when it was just her and Paige earlier. Now she looked intimidated and withdrawn.

“Uh, we were just running through the one for the wedding,” Nelson said to Wes. “Figured you guys didn’t need to be here for that one.”

“Yeah, I guess not.” Wes put his hands on his hips. “So, do you know what we’re going to do for the dance? I mean, the first dance, that’s kind of a big deal.”

“I’m not sure,” Nelson said. “I wasn’t sure what you guys would feel comfortable with.”

An awkward pause settled there for a second.

“Uh, you know,” Paige said, and all gazes swung to her, “I was kind of thinking about ‘Hopelessly Devoted to You.’ That’s really romantic and I think it would be easy to dance to.”

“Actually, that’s a great idea,” Wes said as noise at the stairs yanked their attentions that way again.

“Never fear, Greg is here!” As always, Greg held out both hands to announce his arrival.

“What?” Wes asked in shock. “You’re early?”

“I know, right?” Greg said with a laugh. “Second shift actually showed up at five for a change. What a concept!” He put his hand up and caught Wes’s coming the other way. In seconds, he had given both Lauren and Paige hugs before putting his hand up for Nelson as well.

Yoli was right. It was good that they could all still be friends after everything that had happened between them.

“Greg, this is LJ and Yoli,” Nelson said, waving his hand their direction. “My friends from Seattle.”

Greg grinned at both of them as he shook their hands. “Any friends of Nelson’s are friends of ours.”

LJ returned the grin and the handshake. “Right back at you.”

“So,” Greg said, seeming to take over the festivities, “has anybody heard from Tay? Is she planning on coming or what?”

Instantly everyone reached for their phones to check.

“I actually sent her a couple messages today,” Nelson said, “but I haven’t heard anything back.”

“I sent her one yesterday,” Wes said, “but nothing so far.”

“Hm.” Greg pursed his lips and shook his head. “Same here. Tell you what, I’ll just give her a call and see if she’s nearly here. If she is, maybe we should wait for her.”

Paige felt Yoli’s glance and knew what it meant, but she just smiled and shook her head to get Yoli to not worry. It was Taylor. No way was Taylor staying even if she did come, which seeing as how she had fallen off the grid with the others, was looking less and less likely all the time. No. The bed was Yoli’s probably for as long as she wanted it.

Greg

The last thing he needed was an audience for this call, so Greg headed to the stairs and then up them as the conversation below resumed.

“Hello?” Taylor’s voice came on after three rings, but she sounded like she’d been sleeping.

“Hey, Tay. It’s Greg.”

“Greg?” she asked like she didn’t remember who he was. That made what little hope he’d had of seeing her tonight fall to the ground in a Hindenburg-style flaming heap of stupid hope. “Oh. Hey.” The fact that there was an underlying note of apology in the two syllables told him without asking that she wasn’t coming.

“Hey,” he said, softly, gently because what he really wanted to do was scream at her for blowing them all off. What was it with his friends that made him so expendable? “We were just wondering if you’re almost here.”

“Oh,” she said like a breath. “That was tonight?”

Just how many texts had she gotten as reminders? “Yeah. It was. It… is.” Greg put his head down as his hand found his hip. “We’re all here, ready to start. We were wondering where you are. If you’ll be here soon.”

“Oh.” She said no more, and in the long pause, his heart to hit his shoes. “I… Uh…”

“Taylor,” he said, and it was a fight to keep his emotions from spilling over, “you said you’d come and sing with us this weekend. You’re not going to bail, are you?”

“What? No. No,” she said, each word coming quicker and quicker. “I’m… not. I just, tonight…”

The breath he let out was slow and barely held from ripping through him. “Tay?”

“No, Greg. I know. I know. I’m sorry. It’s just… I have class tomorrow morning, and I didn’t want to be on the road late tonight…”

At that moment, Greg heard another voice in the background. It was deeper and had hints of suspicion and anger. Worry and anger of his own dredged up in his spirit, and his gaze slipped up to the angled ceiling above him.

“Listen,” Taylor said. “I’ve got to go, but you guys have fun. Okay?” How could she suddenly sound so happy and bubbly? Greg had no idea.

“Uhm.” His mind raced twice around the track in barely a breath. “Well, are you coming on Saturday?”

“I’ve really got to go.”

“Tay? Tay,” he said in ever-growing concern. “Tayl…” But she was gone.

Frustrated beyond his ability to hold it, Greg hit the off button on the phone and knocked his fist on the wall hard enough to make a thump. That girl. She was going to be the death of him yet.

A breath to tamp down the over-spilling frustration, and he glanced back at the stairs in reluctance before closing his eyes and shaking his head. Did it really matter what excuse he gave them? They were all going to know the instant he said anything that she wasn’t coming and why.

Seeing no other way around it, he clumped back down the stairs. Wes already had his guitar strapped on, and Nelson had one too. They were both in the center of the equipment and cords. Paige and the others were over on the couch, talking. The second he stepped down into the basement, Greg felt all three of them look right at him. He mashed his face into a smile and shrugged as he held up the cell phone.

“She’s got some studying to do tonight,” he said, feeling bad for lying and worse because his heart knew the truth. But it took next-to-nothing to know they all did too.

With a disgusted look, Wes shook his head and went back to the guitar.

“Seriously?” Nelson asked and it wasn’t hard to hear the hurt.

At that moment, Greg wanted to get in his face and explain in no-uncertain terms that this was what it felt like to be blown off by your best friends and how did he like it. Of course, he couldn’t do that, but oh, oh, oh, how he wanted to.

“She is coming on Saturday though, isn’t she?” Lauren asked, sounding worried enough for all of them.

Greg’s gaze went that way, and he dredged up every shred of hope and peace he had left. “Uh, yeah. She said she’d be there.” And she will be if I have to drag her there myself, he thought but managed to not say.

“Well, okay then. So, what’re we going to do tonight?” Nelson asked in frustration. “We need Taylor to sing or this is basically pointless.”

Nodding, Greg thought that through, feeling as guilty about all of it as if he was the one who had chosen not to come. Then he struck on an idea and his gaze swung over to the couch. “Paige could do it.”

Instantly, her eyes went wide with fear even as her face went white. “Me?”

“What?” he asked as if he didn’t know how awkward this could be for all of them. “You sing with us when she’s not here.”

“That’s… no,” Paige said, her gaze snapping around the room. “That was just messing around. I wasn’t… I’m not…”

“Come on, Paige,” Greg said as he folded his arms and tipped his head at her. “It’s not that different. Besides, it’s just for tonight, and it’s just a couple of songs.” Oh, how he hoped that was true though he knew maybe better than all of them that Paige needed to practice now in case her older sister actually didn’t show up on Saturday.

Her gaze went past him and right to Nelson’s. Greg felt it, and his eyes fell with his heart to the carpet at his feet. He shouldn’t be talking her into this. This wasn’t for him to push. This was their decision, not his. A second and he swung his gaze back over to Nelson.

“It’s just for one night,” Greg said, shaking his head at them as if they were all being completely ridiculous.

“Yeah,” Nelson finally said with only a glance at Greg before his gaze connected with Paige’s. “Yeah, of course. You should.”

“I…” Paige started as she stood like a zombie coming back to life. Her arms were wrapped around herself, and her fingers were playing with the strands of hair on her neck. “Are you sure?”

“Yeah,” Nelson said, and he worked to get peace onto his face. “I’m sure. We need to practice, and it’s cool.”

Her glance at Greg never really jumped the entire gap between them. “Okay. Uh, if you’re sure.”

“Okay,” Greg said. “Then let’s do this thing.”

Chapter 3

Nelson

“We probably need to start with Hopelessly,” Nelson said desperately trying not to feel the words of the song even as Paige came over to get the front microphone set. Although it was a song he had written, Nelson had never sung more than a harmony or two on it. No, this was a song Greg and Taylor normally did together, and even as he tried not to think about it, Nelson remembered every word of the tender love song.

At the mic, Paige tested it with a ‘one, two, three,’ and her sweet voice niggled right into the softest spot in him. It was impossible not to let it. To his left, Greg went over and without really looking at any of them fired up the keyboard and hit a chord to test the volume of the thing. It blared to life causing all of them to jump and look over at him.

“Oops. Sorry about that.”

“Oh, wow. Hang on.” Nelson went over to the soundboard and amp and fiddled with the dials. “Wes?”

Wes hit a few bass notes.

“Greg,” Nelson said, and after only a small pause, Greg added in the keys. With a nod of growing satisfaction, Nelson played a little on his guitar before stopping all of them with a wave. “That’s a lot closer. Okay. Now, Greg, test your mic.”

Greg did as he was told, never even glancing over at any of them. In fact, it was like they were all hovering in their own little worlds to protect the fragile peace and keep it from spontaneously combusting.

“Okay,” Nelson finally said. “Paige, do a test.”

She did, and he readjusted the volume of hers a little.

“Okay.” Careful not to trip on the cords, he came back over. “I think let’s try that.”

“So, Hopelessly?” Greg asked, and Nelson caught the reluctant glance his best friend took at his girlfriend. She looked petrified. In fact, neither of them looked overly excited about doing this—more like they knew their duty and were fulfilling it even if it killed them.

Greg was right though. Paige was their best worst option in the situation, and Nelson knew it was him making this awkward for all of them.

“Yeah.” He looked at Paige and nodded with a small smile of gentle affection that dragged one out of her as well. With that, he strummed to start them off and in two more beats, Greg came in on the keyboard.

The truth was, Nelson had always loved this song. It was one of his favorites from back in the day, and it had a way of transporting him there without much effort. Melting back and down into the guitar strings, he let himself fall into just making the most of the intertwining of the melody he knew like his own heartbeat.

“Hopeless,” Greg sang, leaning to the microphone by the keyboard. “Hopelessly devoted… to you. This is my anthem. This is my song. This will be my melody my whole life long.”

“You’re my fascination,” Paige joined in.

“My every temptation,” Greg sang with a timid smile at her, which she returned.

“You’re my solid ground.”

“My bluest sky.”

“My peace of mind.”

“My wings to fly,” Greg sang, and it was as if the longer they went, the less awkward it became between them. “And I’m hopeless…”

Wes and Nelson added the harmonies. “Hopeless.”

“Hopelessly devoted,” Paige sang, and Nelson couldn’t help but feel how truly beautiful her voice was. It was softer than Taylor’s, breathier and far less confident. Of course, he had sung Only Together and even a couple of other songs with Paige, but honestly, he’d never really thought of her doing more than filling in a few parts here and there. Now, seeing her like this, stepping so far out of her comfort zone, singing with Greg, hearing how her voice blended in with his so nicely, Nelson wondered why he’d never made it a point to have her sing with them before.

“To you,” Greg sang.

“And I’m hopeless…” she sang back to him.

“Hopeless,” Nelson sang the harmony of the repeat with Wes as he smiled and nodded at the feeling that he could get used to this. His song, her voice melding with theirs in raw perfection in real life. It was a dream he’d never thought to dream before.

“Hopelessly devoted,” she sang before Greg joined her, “To you.”

Paige

When the song ended, Paige let out a long, nearly exhausted breath. After the music stopped, she realized her grip was still attached to the microphone. She’d been holding onto it for dear life, hoping she could live through the experience. She was beyond glad she hadn’t tanked the song, but singing with Greg like that was a whole lot harder than she had even thought it would be. They had sung together when Nelson was in Seattle, but this felt very different. Her mind zipped forward to Saturday night, and hatred and annoyance at her sister for not coming barreled over her.

Of course, Saturday hadn’t happened yet, but Paige knew it was coming at the speed of light and there was nothing she could do to stop it. Taylor would find a way to bail. That was a given, and Paige would be left singing love songs with her ex while her boyfriend sang back up at his own father’s wedding. This was a set up for a real disaster.

“That was great,” Wes said, breathing a sigh of relief. “Well, at least if we have to, that will work.” He was messing around with the strings on his guitar as Paige stepped away from the mic, wanting to run with everything in her. “What else are we going to do?” Wes asked then. “We’re not really going to haul all of this all the way across town just for one song, are we?”

Coming around the microphone stand to in front of it, Paige turned to them and crossed her arms. Her heart was jerking and jumping something awful. If they decided to do more, escaping and then being called back would be worse than never actually leaving in the first place. But standing there was getting more and more awkward with each passing second.

“Well,” Nelson said, and he wasn’t really looking at any of them.

Paige wanted to go and put her arms around him, to tell him he was the only guy for her, that it was just a stupid song nothing more. She glanced over at Greg, but he wasn’t looking at her either. It was like they all knew looking at her would be a horrible idea and none of them were going to take the chance.

“That one will be when Dad and Janet do their first dance,” Nelson continued like he was drunk on being distracted. “Then I guess Janet will probably dance with her dad.”

“Oh?” Wes asked in surprise.

“Yeah. Her parents are coming from Iowa, I think. I’ve only met them a couple times. I guess this will make like three times total. Her sister and her family are coming in from Arizona too. She’s the maid… uh, matron? Of honor? Something like that. Anyway, so, probably one for them too. I don’t know. Four? Five?”

“So, Hopelessly and then what?” Wes asked.

The three of them continued to toss out suggestions, and feeling rather pointless to the whole process, Paige glanced over at the others on the couch really wishing she could just go join them. Lauren looked more than a little worried about the situation, and she smiled ruefully and tipped her head at Paige. With a roll of her eyes and a shake of her head, Paige retrained her gaze to the three guys still deep in discussion.

“Yeah, I think we can make that work,” Greg said, and he glanced at Paige before dropping his gaze to the keyboard and shutting it off.

“We need to go through all of them, maybe even a couple times,” Wes said. “I definitely do not want to screw up your dad’s wedding.”

“Yeah. That makes two of us.”

“Great,” Greg said, going over and retrieving the acoustic guitar from Nelson who jumped over three cables and went back to retrieve the electric. “So let’s start with Enough, then we can do One More Night and Forever and The Hope of You.” He strummed a couple times and let out a breath before looking right at her. He smiled like he regretted it. “Looks like you’re up again. Do you know One More Night?”

“I… uh…” Paige’s eyes widened. “Maybe? I can… try.”

Greg nodded as he flipped the guitar cord behind him and looked over at Nelson at the piano. “We need to get her lyric sheets just in case.”

Nelson nodded. “Probably wouldn’t hurt.”

Panic lit through Paige at what they weren’t saying. How many times had she dreamed about performing with Rev4? Nelson on the piano, the guys on the guitars? Now that it might be happening, all she wanted to do was to run the other direction.

“Well, come on already,” Greg said with a grin at her. “These songs ain’t gonna practice themselves, you know.”

Reluctantly, Paige went back around to the mic, and at the couch, Lauren gave her a hopeful thumbs up while Yoli clapped silently and smiled to cheer her on. And then the music started, and she couldn’t look at anyone or she would remember nothing.

“You’ve been walking through life without me,” Greg sang, stepping up to the microphone right next to her. “Never knowing what you’re missing out on.” He looked over at her and smiled, but it was the smile you give to encourage someone to come out of their shell. “I’ve been wondering if you don’t see me. Always hoping that you would…”

It was then that Paige remembered him singing this song with Taylor. What she saw on his face now was friendship and safety, but she wondered if she had ever bothered to look when he was singing it with Taylor what she might have seen. She smiled to let him know he was as safe with her as she was with him. If she had to, she would do this for him so her sister’s stupid, vapid life wouldn’t shatter his yet again.

“Whatever you’re going through,” Paige sang. “Whatever you’re searching to find…”

“I’ll love you enough,” they sang together, and she spun her gaze out to their audience, glad she was among friends who understood and wouldn’t judge, “to hold you tightly each and every night. Enough to think about you and stay by your side. Enough to climb the mountains and swim the deepest sea. Enough to want you right here, next to me…”

“I love you enough,” Greg sang, and Paige echoed, “I’ll love you enough…”

It was true though not quite in those words, her heart said. He had loved her enough… to hold onto her and then to let her go, and she knew, maybe better than anyone, just how much love doing that took.

She wished as she sang the next verse that someone would realize just how amazing of a guy he was. Greg always had everyone’s best interests at heart, and he would take a bullet for his friends if necessary. In fact, he had taken several of them. He had stepped in to ease the blow for her when Nelson left even though she knew just how much he was hurting at the time as well. He had been front and center during the whole up, down, and sideways courtship of Wes and Lauren, never pushing but always being their soft place to fall when they needed it. Yes, Greg Everett deserved someone amazing.

Now that they’d all be going to Tech, maybe Paige should find someone to set him up with. Surely every girl in the known universe couldn’t be that dense.

They finished Enough and sang through the other three, and she found, the more she simply sang with him as a friend and not as an ex, the more fun it became. Yes, if they had to, they could do this on Saturday night. She did need to talk with Nelson, just to reassure him, but by the time the clock hit nine-thirty, she knew she could do that without a single thread of lying anywhere in her.

“Not to break this up,” Wes said after they’d gone through all the songs twice, “but are we planning to eat something tonight? Not that you have to feed us, we could go out somewhere, but I haven’t eaten anything since lunch, and I’m about to starve to death.”

“Oh,” Paige said. She had been so intent on getting Yoli settled and then the whole singing thing that she hadn’t even thought about feeding them. “Uh,…”

“Can we run through Rock It before we do that?” Nelson asked. He swiped the electric guitar from his shoulder and headed over to the drums. “Just in case.”

“Yeah,” Paige said as she stepped out of the band. “You guys do that. We’ll go find something to eat. I’m sure Mom’s got something we can scrounge together.”

“I’ll go with,” Lauren said, hopping up. “Come on, Yoli.” She put her hand down for Yoli’s. “Leave no soldier behind.”

“What, are we in a war?” Wes asked.

“It’s called trying to protect the innocent,” Lauren said as she crossed past where they were, but she leaned across the mics to give him a quick kiss. “Love you.”

He laughed. “Yeah, I can tell.”

She grinned at him as she hustled the two girls ahead of her up the stairs. “Don’t forget about us.”

“Not possible!” Wes called back.

And with that, they escaped the basement.

Nelson

With the girls gone, Nelson snagged on how out of place LJ looked sitting over on the couch all by himself. He had leaned forward so his elbows were on his knees, his hands locked in front of him.

“Hey, LJ,” Nelson said as he handed Greg the electric, went over to the drums, and retrieved the sticks, “what do you say?”

“’bout what?”

“’bout joining us.” Doing a two-count riff on the drums, Nelson backed up to reset the tom.

“Yeah right,” LJ said, and he never moved.

“You play?” Wes asked in surprise.

“Oh, uh, only a little keyboard,” LJ said. “Ain’t nothing to brag about.”

On the electric guitar, Greg tested out the strings. “Well, they’re all yours if you want.”

“Oh, I don’t know,” LJ said, still not moving. “I think you guys go ahead. I’m not really…”

“Hey,” Nelson said as he sat up and hit a four-count that ended in a cymbal crash, “stop arguing and get over here already. You’re holding up progress.”

Looking like he wanted nothing more than to keep arguing, LJ stood but slowly. “You know, seriously. I’m not…”

“It’s three chords,” Nelson said, holding the crash cymbal with his outstretched hand. “Trust me, you can handle it. Now get over here.”

Another protest went across LJ’s face as he twined his arms in front of him, but he closed his mouth and swallowed it. With a half-shake of his head, he came over and skirted the set up all the way around to the keyboard on the side. It took him a few seconds to find the power button before he laid his fingers on the thing without making any sound.

“Like Nels said,” Greg said, turning to him. “It’s three chords. G.” He hit that on the electric, and watching him, LJ followed on the keys but tentatively. “C.” One strum, and LJ followed again. “D.” They played that together. “And if you want to get fancy with it, D7 going back into G.” Two more beats, and they were back to the main chord. “Now it is fast, and it’s kind of got a syncopation to it. So…” Slowly Greg strummed out the rhythm, going from chord to chord to chord.

On the second pass, LJ followed on the keys as Wes added in the bass.

“Good,” Greg said with a nod. “Yeah. Just like that. Now we’re going to speed it up a little.” The rhythm increased a couple of notches as Nelson added in the kick drum. “That’s it. Yep. Now faster.” Greg literally rocked his body to the beat as if he was the metronome keeping them all together. “Yep. Now…” Just like that, his fingers flew into motion so that he was no longer just strumming.

Wes picked up the increased speed and Nelson did a run on the drums. Stepping over and through the cords, Greg headed to the microphone.

“Are you ready to get your rock on?” he called into the microphone. “Let’s do this. One. Two. A-one, two, three, four…”

Lauren

Laughing as they pulled out bread and sandwich fixings upstairs in the kitchen, Lauren took the deli meat from the refrigerator to the island. “Man, they haven’t sounded this good since they were back in high school.”

“They really are good,” Yoli said. “I’ve got to admit, they sound way better than most of the people that call themselves bands back home.”

“I can’t believe how much I’ve missed hearing them down there,” Paige said as she put out the mayonnaise and mustard. “Sure brings back a lot of memories.”

“Just like old times,” Lauren said.

“Plates,” Paige said, looking over the spread. She went to the island and pulled out three. “Well, that’s not going to work.” Setting the three on the island, she headed into the utility room to grab more.

“I think it’s great,” Yoli said when Paige was gone. “You all are such great friends. Wish I’d had friends like that in high school.”

Lauren laughed. “Yeah, well, we’re a work in progress.” She sat down by the island. “It’s so weird sometimes, being here like this, with them. I mean, I remember so many days sitting up here with Paige, painting our nails or doing homework, listening to them down there. Just like this really. And then they’d come up here and grab something to eat, joke around about girls and homework and stuff.” She smiled. “They were so cool back then.”

“And they’re not now?”

With a shrug, Lauren shook her head. “It’s different now. They’re not gods anymore. They’re just guys… with hang ups and problems and dreams and plans.”

“They didn’t have those back then?”

“Oh, I’m sure they did,” Lauren said. “But now I know about them. Like I know Greg really has a hard time with Paige and Nels. I mean, he tries not to show it, but…”

Yoli nodded. “Yeah, I kind of noticed that too.”

Slowly Lauren heaved a sigh. “It’s just hard because I want them all to be happy, you know? I just wish it wasn’t so confusing all the time.”

“Jeesh,” Paige said, coming back, “they were at the bottom of the cabinet. I think we need to have these parties more often again.” She opened the little plastic bag and dug out some plates. When everything was set, she put her elbows on the island and joined the conversation. “What’d I miss?”

Panic lit through Lauren as she glanced at Yoli, but Yoli never so much as hesitated.

“We were just talking about how good the guys are. In fact, you know, I could be wrong about this, but I think LJ said that Nelson wrote a lot of their songs, didn’t he?”

With a laugh Paige grinned. “Pretty much all of them.”

“At least until Paige came along,” Lauren said with a grin of her own.

“Eh. I only helped on a couple.”

“Man,” Yoli said, “is there anything you guys can’t do? It’s so cool because you fit so well together, like everyone has a place, and when you just do your thing, it all works. Even the guys while they play. One plays this and the other plays that, and then switch!”

“Yeah. They’ve always been like that,” Paige said.

“I could be wrong,” Lauren said, “but I think Nelson was the one who got them to believe they could do that. Least that’s what Wes says. Nelson’s like fearless.”

Paige looked at Yoli who smiled back. “Yeah, well, at least he plays fearless on TV.”

Lauren nearly asked what that meant, but noise coming from the hallway stopped her.

“Seriously, dude,” Greg said, coming in with LJ right behind him. “We are doing that one. That was awesome.”

“No lie,” Wes agreed. “I think we just found our missing piece.”

Lauren went over to Wes and put her arm around his waist before angling her lips up to his for a kiss which he gave her with no hesitation. Snuggling in to him, she looked over at LJ. “Be careful, LJ. If you let them, they’ll talk you into all kinds of stuff you never thought was possible.”

On the other side of the island by Yoli, LJ slung his arm over her shoulders and grinned. “Too late. I think I already got suckered.”

“You all sounded great,” Yoli said to LJ. “Were you playing?”

He laughed. “I was trying. Playing might be a little strong of a word.”

“He was awesome,” Greg said. “And he’s playing with us at the wedding.”

Yoli’s eyebrows went up as she looked at her boyfriend. “Really?”

“I… Uh? I’m not so sure about that.” But LJ got no more of the protest out.

Looking at the food, Greg folded his arms and laughed. “Sandwiches?” He sighed. “Really?”

“Sorry,” Paige said from where she stood with Nelson shadowing her. “It’s all we could find.”

Greg shook his head. “I’m telling you, that is one thing I am not going to miss after next week.”

“Hey,” Wes said, “at least you don’t have to make them for everybody.”

That brought a laugh out of Greg. “Truer words, my friend. Truer words.”

And with that, they all commenced gathering their food and eating around the island. As Lauren watched them, it was like seeing them with new eyes. Yoli was right. They were all so different. Nelson, the quiet one who subtly lined everything out in front of them. Wes, the out-spoken one who took the lead when everyone else hesitated. Greg, the dependable one who was hardly the star but never shied away from the spotlight. All pieces of a puzzle, built in intricate, exquisite detail. She smiled at that. It was nice they were finally together again maybe even better than before because they appreciated it now in ways she knew they hadn’t back in high school.

And maybe that was true for all of them. She appreciated it all the more for what they had been through together. Now, she didn’t take even this moment with them for granted because it had become so clear to her that there was no guarantee there would ever be another like it.

Paige

“I hope that wasn’t too weird,” Paige said as she walked with Nelson out to his car. Wes had already left with Lauren, and Greg was just pulling out as well.

“It’s fine,” Nelson said, but it was like he was trying to get her to stop the conversation, not settle it.

They had left LJ to say goodnight to Yoli back in the house, and Paige hoped she could find the words to ease things between them before LJ came out.

The night was warm and calm around them. The stars above them twinkled as night took over watch from the day.

“It’s not like… I mean, Greg and I…” Paige said, trying again.

“No, Paige.” Nelson glanced over at her before letting her hand go so he could put his arm around her and pull her closer. “Really. I’m fine.” At his car, he turned her to him and pulled her into his embrace. “Seriously. You were great in there.” He backed up just a bit and brushed the hair from her shoulder. “Just like you always are.”

Gently he kissed her, and oh, how easily she could get lost in that kiss and never want to be found again. With a tired sigh, he pulled her back to him and held her there. Unfortunately, she could feel the wobbling of his spirit.

“How’s things?” she asked with concern, knowing something was bothering him. “You seem kind of… distracted.”

“Stressed,” he said, letting out a harder sigh, and he shook his head. “There’s just so much to get done. To tell you the truth, I’m freaking out a little bit.”

Paige nodded, knowing Nelson if he admitted to freaking out, he really was one fraying thread away from doing just that. “Well, just remember, we’re here. Let us help. Okay? I mean, me, Lauren, the guys, we’re all here for you. You don’t have to do this alone. Remember that, okay?”

That dragged a small smile to his face, and he pulled her closer once again. “What would I ever do without you?”

Rubbing his back, she closed her eyes and drew what it was like to be next to him deeply into her soul. “Let’s not ever try to find out again.”

He laughed softly at that. “Deal.”

Nelson

They were headed back to the new house as his mind ticked everything off that needed to happen in the morning.

“That was fun,” LJ said, and Nelson’s gaze swung that direction as if he was surprised someone else was there. “Your friends are cool.”

“And?” Nelson asked, hearing more.

“And… I guess this means you’re really not coming back.”

The small laugh barely found the air. “Did you really think I would?”

LJ shrugged. “I thought there was a chance. But now…” He shook his head. “Guess I’m going to have to train a new roommate.”

Nelson’s focus shifted from himself to LJ. “Well, just so you know, your old roommate ain’t forgetting about you any time soon.”

Gaze down, LJ nodded. “That’s good to know.”

“Besides, you’re here now. Don’t waste it worrying about tomorrow.” The second the words were out of his mouth, he laughed and shook his head.

“What?” LJ asked, surprised by the reaction.

“Just sometimes need to learn to take my own advice.”

LJ laughed. “I hear you there.” He nodded three times. “So, Paige and Greg? Did that bother you?”

This laugh was far happier. “Man, that’s like the question of the night.”

“Oh, yeah?”

“Paige was all worried about me, too,” Nelson said.

“Well, it can’t be easy for your girl to be singing those kinds of songs to your best friend.”

“Yeah, at first it was kind of weird, but it’s not like they mean them to each other or anything. Jeez, if just singing love songs to each other made you fall in love, Greg and Taylor would be married with six kids by now.”

“Oh, yeah, what is up with Taylor anyway? She seems a little…”

“Flaky?”

“Something like that.”

Nelson thought through his friendship with Paige’s older sister. It was complicated. “Taylor is Taylor. Always has been. If she comes Saturday, you’ll see what I mean.”

“If?”

“It’s Taylor. We’ll see what happens.”

Paige

Yoli was already in Taylor’s room when Paige got back in the house, so she cleaned up the rest of the kitchen so her mom would never know the difference. She had just finished wiping off the back cabinet when Yoli came out and sat on one of the bar stools.

“Quite a night,” Yoli said.

“It was that.”

Nodding slowly, Yoli narrowed her gaze. “Nelson okay?”

“Uh, yeah. Why wouldn’t he be?”

“You okay?”

Paige laughed softly at that as she rinsed the rag out and laid it on the sink. “Oh, no. Not you too.”

With a tip of her head, Yoli scrutinized her. “Just calling it like I see it.”

At the sink, Paige put her hands backward on it and shrugged. “We’re all still working through things I guess. But I think Nelson’s okay. We talked about it. He said he was.”

“And you?”

“I just feel bad for Greg, you know?” Coming over from the sink, she leaned her elbows on the island. “He’s such a great guy, but wow, has he been unlucky in the love department.”

“No girlfriend?”

“Oh, hundreds of them. Just not the right one.”

“He seems like a great guy.”

“He is,” Paige agreed. “It’s just he’s with a girl for like two seconds and then you never hear about her anymore, and he’s with someone else.”

“Was it like that with you? Two seconds and you were broken up?”

“No.” Paige sighed. “But it wasn’t right either. Not like it is with Nelson. Greg and I… we’re more like brother and sister. I mean he…” Her gaze flitted up as she thought about what he was to her. “He’s super-protective, and he always wants what’s best for you.”

“Even if that’s not what’s best for him.”

“Yeah. And he just… I mean, you would think given his looks and how he seems, he would be this huge playboy, and yet, that’s not how he is at all. He’s… actually kind of shy and really sweet. He’s not into the whole relationship game. I don’t know, I can’t really explain it.”

“He’s looking for real,” Yoli said softly. When Paige looked at her, Yoli shrugged. “Some people do the relationship thing like playing Russian roulette. They keep firing just to see what happens. But guys like Greg, and like Nelson, and, well, I don’t know Wes all that well, but probably him too. They aren’t in it for how quick they can score.”

Paige nodded in understanding. “They’re in it for real.”

“They’re looking for something more than what they can get out of it in a night or two.”

“I think that’s true. I think that’s the difference.”

“It’s so hard because everybody thinks that relationships are perfect or they’re wrong, and if they’re perfect, it’s like instant perfection. But when they go the distance, they really do take a lot of work.”

“Maybe Greg just hasn’t found the one who’s willing to do the work?”

“Maybe everyone looks at him and like you said, they think he’s a playboy,” Yoli said. “I think in today’s world, it’s tough being the one who is serious about finding long-term because so many people aren’t.”

“I guess I’m lucky that way because Nelson and I are both working on it.”

“What?” Yoli asked, with a teasing smile. “But you’re Nelson and Paige. It shouldn’t take work if you’re Nelson and Paige.”

Paige snorted at that. “Wow. Really? I think I missed the memo.”

A second and Yoli joined her in the laugh. “But that’s how people think. If it’s the ‘right one,’ the relationship should just be a bed of roses, no need to work on anything.”

That drew a roll of Paige’s eyes. “I hear ya, and before Nelson and me, I think I probably thought that too. But once you’re in the trenches, you realize just how wrong that thinking is.”

“Doesn’t help that like half of our generation thinks it’s insta-perfection or nothing.”

“Half?” Paige asked with a raise of her eyebrows just as her parents came in.

“Well, well, well, what have we here?” her father asked, putting two handfuls of bags on the cabinet.

“Dad, Mom, this is Yolanda Salazar,” Paige said, straightening.

“It’s nice to meet you, Yolanda,” her mother said.

“Thanks. You too,” Yoli said as Paige’s dad came over to the side of the island and put out his hand.

“Welcome. I hope Paige here has been taking care of you.”

Yoli smiled at Paige. “Absolutely. It’s been great so far.”

“Glad to hear it.”

With that Paige yawned. “You know, if we’re helping the guys move all that equipment in the morning, we’d better be getting on to bed. Oh. Yoli’s going to be in Taylor’s room. That’s cool, right?”

Her parents exchanged a not-so-subtle silent conversation.

“I’m sure it will be fine,” her mother finally said. “Please, Yo…”

“Everyone calls me Yoli,” she said.

“Yoli,” Paige’s mother said. “Just make yourself at home.”

Yoli

In the darkened hallway, Yoli said goodnight to Paige before going down to the room swathed in even more darkness at the end of it. If you laid the house out on paper, it would’ve been the bedroom closest to the street. In fact, once she’d closed the door, Yoli went over to the window and lifted part of the blinds. Sure enough, she could see the street beyond, but the house wasn’t in the city so the street itself had no signs of life.

Part of her wished they had let her sleep in Paige’s room, but that would be weird too—crashing on the floor of someone you had barely known for 12 hours? No. This was probably better, but at that moment, she could hardly be sure of that.

Going over to the luggage, she dug out her nightclothes and changed quickly without ever turning on the light. There was an unease in the room, as if it knew she wasn’t supposed to be there.

Quickly, quietly, she padded back over to the door, found the lock, and snapped it. Yes, she wanted to trust Paige and her family, but right now, she was hardly trusting anything about anything, and she couldn’t even say exactly why.

She crawled into the bed carefully, disturbing it as little as possible, and once down, she took out her phone and texted LJ. Holding the phone to her even after the text was sent, Yoli did not let it go. It felt like the only lifeline she had left to a world outside of the darkness.

After the long trip and the mountain of newness, she should have been exhausted enough to fall right to sleep, but even after LJ’s reply text came in, she did not fall asleep nor put the phone down. For some reason, it felt like she needed to be ready for anything.

It was hours later after she had finally drifted off to sleep that she woke to find herself in what seemed like a thatched hut. She was disoriented about how and why she was there though everyone around her seemed to be in the midst of a jubilant party.

“It’s time to go, Mija,” her mother said, and surprise and love jumped into Yoli since she had stood at her mother’s gravesite the day they buried her.

“Mama?”

“It’s your wedding day, Mija, and it’s time to go to the ceremony.”

“The ceremony? It’s today?”

“Yes, my darling. We will be late if we do not go now.”

Allowing herself to be turned to the little pathway beyond the door, Yoli looked down to find herself dressed in delicate white lace. A wedding? She was getting married?

“Wait!” she said in a panic. “My cough drops. I need my red cough drops.”

Her mother laughed at her. “Do you never go anywhere without those silly cough drops?”

“I need them. I’m not going without them.”

“Fine. Fine. Here they are. Now we must go, or we will never get there on time.”

The trip to the ceremony seemed only a blink though Yoli was glad for the beautiful green and golden day. The path was flat, wide, and easy, and they made it to the ceremony hall in no time. However, when they got there, it seemed more chaos than celebration, and worry coursed through her. Inside, the hall was dim, gray and smoky. A bluish haze seemed to hang over all of it.

“Wait, Mama,” Yoli said, sensing all was not right with this gathering. “Who am I marrying?”

“Silly girl,” her mother said. “You know who it is.”

However, when Yoli caught sight of her groom at the front, panic seared through her. Not only was it not LJ, it wasn’t anyone she had ever seen before. What she had seen before was the look in his eye and that sly smile filled with malevolence when he looked at her. Fear catapulted through her, and she clutched the cough drops tighter to her chest. “No, Mama. No. I don’t want to. I don’t want to marry him.”

“Darling, don’t be difficult. You must marry him. He is to be your husband.”

“No, Mama! No! I won’t.” With that, she broke free and ran through the room of well-wishers, batting them away frantically, trying to get away. She ran, not knowing where she was going until she found herself quite unexpectedly in a rather large room, drenched by the golden sunlight and filled with canvas art on tri-pedestals. The floor and walls were made of wood the color of honey that seemed to glow as the sun’s warm golden rays danced across it.

For that moment, she could breathe. If I could just stay here…

But then she heard the noise of the ceremony once again, and she knew if she stayed, they would surely find her and drag her back to marry the man with the evil in his eyes. “I won’t,” she said to herself. “I can’t.”

With that, she turned and ran back through the crowd to the outside pathway. If they couldn’t catch her, they couldn’t make her marry him. Her feet carried her quickly, though the path was strewn with tiny rocks. At least the beauty of the day had held. In the distance to her right, she could see a city, and somehow in her mind, she knew because of the green of the landscape that she must be in Ireland.

That thought had hardly gone through her when she looked down and realized that somehow she had taken the wrong path, for this one was very different than the one she had traveled down before. This one skirted up the side of a high, sheer, rocky cliff. In fact, the path she had thought she was on was far below, and in the next breath, she stopped, realizing she could not go even one step more. The path had become only a few inches or so wide, and the next step would not keep her from plummeting to her death.

Although she should have been terrified, she found as she put her back against the rock cliff and looked out toward the city that she wasn’t. Instead, she looked at her options and realized that in her hand, she still held the red cough drops. A feeling of peace and safety washed over her though she put her foot out and the small rock ledge in front of her crumbled and tumbled far below her. She could not go forward in any direction, and even going back suddenly was no longer an option.

It was then that she saw the young men, three of them racing out of the ceremony hall down below. They were all talking at the same time though she couldn’t make out what they were saying as they ran in and out to right below where she stood, on the crumbling ledge far above them.

“Help!” she called down to them.

As two of them continued to race in and out, bringing ladder after ladder to somehow stack on top of each other to get to her, her attention fell to the one who now stood at the bottom of the cliff looking up at her.

“Don’t move. Don’t panic. It’s okay. We’re going to get you down. I promise.”

And then she was awake.

Lying in the darkness, it took a full minute for Yoli to realize where she was and that she was, indeed, safe. There was no crumbling ledge, no beautiful day, and most definitely no arranged marriage to some evil guy she wanted no part in even being in the same room with. She breathed through the memory, trying to figure out why she would have such a strange dream. Marriage. The wedding. And then she remembered.

It was just her mind twisting and twining through a reality that felt unknown to her.

“Wow,” she said to the darkness as she rolled over, and softness for her mother touched her heart. Why hadn’t she stopped and taken a good, long look at her mother? Why hadn’t she taken that chance to hug her and tell her how much she missed her?

“Mija,” Yoli whispered. “My little girl.” And she held the little box of red cough drops closer to her heart.

Her mind tripped over that strange thought, and she pulled the box out only to realize it wasn’t a box of cough drops. It was her cell phone. She turned it on to check the time. 1:11.

Crazy. She hadn’t been sleeping that long, but it felt like it had been hours and hours.

“Okay, Yoli-o,” she said softly. “Wow. You’ve got to calm down and get some sleep here or you’re going to be fried by morning.” She looked at the little phone again. 1:13.

Time to get some sleep.

Chapter 4

Paige

“What time are the guys going to be here?” Yoli asked the next morning as she sat at the island eating cereal with Paige.

Paige brought over toast and set a piece by Yoli’s bowl. “Nelson said ten. Probably Nine-forty-five if I know Nelson.”

“He seems a little stressed.”

“Ya think? I’m afraid we might need a tranquilizer dart for him by Saturday.” With a laugh, Paige sat and munched on the toast. “Not that I blame him, it’s not like this isn’t a big deal—even if it is the second time around.” Next to her elbow, her phone beeped and she flipped it over. “Uh-oh, speak of the devil.”

Yoli smiled as Paige answered the phone.

“Hello, love of my life. What’s up?”

“Oh, thank goodness you’re there.”

“Of course I’m here. Where else would I be? I took off work, remember?” Although she was joking with him, one thread of worry snaked into her. He did sound stressed. Very stressed.

“Yeah. I know, that’s why I called. Here, hang on. My dad wants to talk to you.”

Paige’s all-out alert system blared on with no warning, but she didn’t even get the question out before none other than Joe Samuels himself came on the line.

“Paige?” he asked, and he, too, sounded stressed. “Listen, I’m really sorry about this, but I thought Kimberly was going to be here this morning. Turns out, we got our wires crossed, and they aren’t going to be coming in until right before the rehearsal tonight.”

Kimberly. Janet’s sister. The matron of honor.

“Is that a problem?” Paige looked at Yoli and widened her eyes in concern and confusion.

“Well, yeah, it is. See, the plan was that Kim was going to take Janet to the spa today, the whole girls’ day out thing, you know? Nails and toes and all that jazz, but if she’s not here, that’s going to be a little difficult. Especially because it was supposed to be a surprise, and I know Janet, she won’t go by herself.”

“Okay, so what do you want me to do?”

The pause was short but definitely there. “Well, I was kind of w-wondering if m-m-maybe you and your friends might w-want to go.”

“To the spa?” Paige asked, and her tone sounded more horrified than she had intended. “With Janet?”

“Yeah. See, the thing is, Janet’s at the bank at work. She doesn’t know anything about it,” he continued like he hadn’t heard her. “It was supposed to be a surprise.”

Well, it was that for more than just Janet. “You want us to… kidnap her… from work?”

Yoli’s eyes widened as well.

“I’m sorry, Paige. I am. I wouldn’t ask if this wasn’t important. It’s just that I r-really want this to be s-s-special f-for her. It’s all set up. I can c-c-call them and put all of you on the tab, no problem. I just… I don’t know what else to d-do. I already t-t-talked to her boss, and it’s all-all-all set up.”

Interestingly it was the first time Paige had ever heard Mr. Samuels sound like his son—stressed and worried and trying desperately to make something work. She knew from all her times dealing with his son that this was really important to him. Crazy, she would never have thought herself capable of agreeing to such a bold plan, but here she was, agreeing to kidnap someone. She just couldn’t tell him no. “Okay.” She looked at Yoli and shook her head even as she said, “What time are we supposed to be there?”

Nelson

“That’s great,” Nelson’s father said as his phone call with Paige wrapped up. “Thank you so much, and Paige, whoever you want to bring will be f-fine, just please, make Janet feel taken care of, okay?”

Nelson smiled at that. If anyone could make someone feel taken care of, it was Paige.

“Great. Thanks. I’ll see you tonight.” His dad hung up and handed him the cell phone back. “They’re going to do it.”

“It’ll be great,” Nelson said, stowing the phone. He would have liked to talk to her again, but that would have to wait. “You’ll see. I’m sure Paige will take care of everything.”

“Okay. Who’s ready to get their move on?” LJ asked, coming into the kitchen and slapping his hands together.

“Yeah, saying that, we’d better get,” Nelson said. “We still have to swing by and pick up the dollies from Randy’s shop.”

Together, they headed out into the bright August sunlight. The temperature was already climbing, and it was barely nine o’clock.

“I hope you brought your muscles,” Nelson said as they got in his car and he slid on the sunglasses.

“I hope you’ve got more than this car,” LJ said, looking at the back of it. “How in the world are we getting all that equipment in here?”

“We’re not. Wes is bringing his uncle’s truck and trailer.”

“Good thing you’ve got friends.”

“Tell me about it.”

Greg

Since he had to be off for the rehearsal later, Greg clocked in for the early shift and spent most of the morning filling vegetable bins and baking bread. The morning rush came and went, and in no time it was him, Maria, and an empty restaurant. Since Maria didn’t care if he listened to music as long as there weren’t customers, he put the earbuds in and hit the first playlist on his phone.

As shifts went, this one was actually kind of relaxing, and since he didn’t really have to do much thinking about a lot of it anymore, he let his mind detach from the actual work. The guys would be heading out to move equipment any time now if they weren’t at it already. Ducking into the back, he sent Wes a quick text to remind him to grab the floor pad for the keyboard. It wasn’t a big deal, but it would be nice to have it.

His mind slid back to the night before, singing with Paige. Sweet, wonderful Paige. There wasn’t another girl on the planet like her. It had been harder than he had thought it would be singing with her like that, weirder somehow. It was like having a neon sign flashing for the whole world to read, She’s your best friend’s girl, NOT YOURS! Stop wishing things could’ve been different already!

Anger split through him. If Taylor would just get over herself and think about someone else for a change…

With that thought, he ducked into the back again and took one, quick glance at Maria in the office. Yes, she was huddled over the paperwork. He had time.

Hey. Are you coming tonight? They’re setting up the equipment. We could run through a couple after the rehearsal since it’s at the same place. Let me know.

He sent it and stuffed the phone back in his pocket before sliding in another tray of bread. So help him, Taylor had better not blow them all off again, or she was going to hear about it… from him!

Taylor

Taylor Grayson had just slid into her chair in the chem lab, fifteen minutes late, when she felt the phone in the front pocket of her tight-fitted lemon-yellow jeans buzz. At the front of the room, the graduate assistant who taught the class was going over last-minute procedures for the experiment they would be doing that morning. She was already late, checking her phone wouldn’t be the best idea in the whole world.

Quickly she unwound the Scrunchie hair tie on her wrist up and into her hair before grabbing the pair of safety glasses. She hated the transformation she had to make every morning to get stuffed back into the box she had so willingly accepted for herself back in high school.

Doctor. It had sounded so lofty, so laudatory at the time. Now it just sounded heavy and hard and like a slow walk into a torturous future she wanted no part of.

With a shake of her head to clear it of those depressing thoughts that were never far away no matter how hard she tried to ignore them, she got to work on the chemistry project. The last thing she could afford was to fail this class again. If she failed it this time…

No. She wouldn’t think about that.

“Pay careful attention to the formation of the double bond. One of the bonds is a sigma, the other is a pi bond. Please refer to the diagram on Page 88…”

Wes

Wes got to Paige’s sidewalk just in time to find Paige and Yoli coming out the door. “What…?”

“Oh, hey, Wes,” Paige said, dragging the sunglasses from her head down over her eyes. “The guys aren’t here yet.”

“I can see that. And where are you two going? What’re you sneaking out on us?”

“Not sneaking,” Paige said. “We have been summoned for a mission of vital importance.”

Wes folded his arms and leveled his gaze at her. “Sounds a little suspicious to me.”

“No, really.” And even as Paige said it, she noticed Yoli ducking closer to behind her. “We’re going to kidnap someone.” She lifted her chin and grinned at him. “So it looks like you guys will have to move all the equipment all by your lonesomes.”

“Uh-huh. And just whom are we kidnapping?”

“Your girlfriend first and then we’re going to the bank.” She grinned at him. “Ask any more questions and that’ll make you an accessory.”

“Man, girl, and I thought you were the nice one.”

She grinned. “I am.” With that, she reached back and grabbed Yoli’s arm to drag her out to the car. “Be sure to lock up when you leave.”

“Yeah,” he said, eyeing them as they got in Paige’s car. “I’ll do that.” With a sigh, he went right on in to get to work. That equipment wasn’t going to move itself.

Nelson

“Oh, man, Wes is already here,” Nelson said when they pulled up at Paige’s. For good measure for how his day was going, he noticed her car was not in the driveway. So much for the small hope of getting to see her before his day flew right off the rails.

“So, did Paige say if Yoli went with them?” LJ asked.

“I didn’t get a chance to ask, but I’m guessing yeah.” Just like that, Nelson found something else to worry about. “Surely she did. I’d hate for Yoli to have to help us.” In one motion, he parked, whipped out his phone, sent a text, got out of the car and popped the trunk. Somehow, he already sensed that today was going to be exhausting.

By the time he met LJ around the back to get the dollies out, Paige’s text had already come back in. “Yep. Yoli’s with them. They’re picking up Lauren and heading to the bank.”

“Oy. I think I’m glad I stayed.”

Nelson laughed as he yanked one of the dollies out. “I hope you still think that in an hour.”

“Yeah. You and me both.”

Paige

“So what’s the plan here?” Lauren asked nervously as Paige drove to the tall building downtown that she’d never been in before. Without answering, she pulled into the parking lot, found a place, parked, and took a breath. Step One Complete. “Do we even have a plan?” Lauren asked, trying again.

Paige got out, leading the other two into the unknown. “Joe said to ask for Peggy Zamora,” she said, heading to the front doors. “That’s Janet’s boss.”

“Her… boss?” Lauren asked in growing fear. “Are you sure this is a good idea?”

No, actually she wasn’t, but she also wasn’t going to mess this up if she could help it. Feeling the other two slowing down in concern with each step, Paige gathered up her scattering courage and went straight to the only visible desk in the stark lobby. It looked more like a hotel check-in than anything, but other than that desk, there were only hallways and elevators. Welcoming it was not.

“Can I help you, Miss?” the man at the large, high desk asked as if he knew she was in the wrong place.

“Yes.” She gave him her best winning smile. “I hope so. I need to speak with Peggy Zamora with Foundations Bank. She’s the vice president for lending, I believe.”

He tapped a few times on his computer. “Yes, fourth floor, office number 412.”

Unfortunately, Paige didn’t have a map of the fourth floor and the possibility that they would run into Janet before they found Peggy was higher than she wanted it to be. “Hm.” She slipped her fingers into her bangs to push them to the side. “Is there any way that you could call Ms. Zamora to come down here? I know, this is kind of unusual, but she knows I’m coming.”

He surveyed her for a long moment before picking up the phone. “Who may I say is calling?”

“Hm. Paige Grayson. Joe Samuels sent me.”

When he went back to the phone, she turned and smiled at her friends encouragingly. Why was she the one encouraging them? She felt like she was about to have a meltdown. Unfortunately, they looked worse.

“Ms. Zamora is on her way,” the man said.

“Thank you so much.” Going back over to huddle with Lauren and Yoli, Paige did her level best to act like she knew what she was doing and that this wasn’t fazing her. “She’s on her way.”

They waited in awkward silence, and in no time the elevator dinged and a stylish woman with dark skin and a polished pin-striped white suit strode over. Without hesitation, she came right to them and smiled like the noonday sun. “Paige Grayson, I presume,” she said, putting out her hand which Paige shook, feeling like she was in the presence of the queen.

“Thank you for coming, Ms. Zamora. These are my friends, Lauren Miller and Yolanda Salazar.”

“So nice to meet you all. Janet is going to be so surprised.”

“I hope so,” Paige said, and when she let out the breath she’d been holding since Joe’s phone call, it made her a touch dizzy. “I’m not really sure how to do this.”

However, Peggy smiled. “Leave everything up to me.”

Wes

“These cords all need to go,” Wes instructed LJ as the three of them set about taking the equipment apart. It had been years since he had done this, so it was important to do it methodically so they could put it back up again across town.

“You got it,” LJ said, and he went to work rolling up cords.

“I think we start with these three speakers,” Wes told Nelson, surveying the task. “Then we can get the amp and all the small stuff.”

“Sounds like a plan.”

Wes unplugged each speaker as Nelson worked unplugging everything from the amp. “Is someone going to be there to let us in?”

“Oh, you know what, good question.” Nelson whipped out his cell phone and called first his father and then the venue.

More cords came unplugged and were tossed in LJ’s direction.

“Are you sure you’re going to know how to put this thing back together?” LJ asked with growing concern.

“Eighty-five percent chance,” Wes said, testing the heft of one of the speakers. It was no lightweight. “Actually, now’s a good time to start praying.”

LJ checked him with a surprised look just as Nelson got off the phone.

“The lady is going to meet us there in an hour.”

“Then we’d better get a move on,” Wes said. “You want to help me with this?”
“Sure thing.”

Paige

They’d been ushered into Peggy’s office and told to sit tight. She’d be back with Janet shortly. Not a single one of them spoke, whether to be quiet or for the nerves, and Paige wondered what she was going to say when Janet finally appeared.

“It shouldn’t take more than a minute or two,” Peggy said, coming in first before revealing Janet who followed but stopped short when she saw the girls. Peggy grinned between them, and Paige finally realized that was the end of Peggy’s help in the situation.

“Surprise,” Paige said lamely putting out both hands.

Janet looked not just surprised but filled with confusion. She looked at Peggy. “I don’t…”

“So,” Paige said, jumping into the breach, “good news. We’ve talked with Peggy.” She put her hands out to indicate Peggy as if Janet didn’t know who that was. “And she’s agreed that you can have the rest of the day off.”

Puzzled, Janet looked at her boss who nodded.

“So, whatever you need to do to close things down or whatever, uhm, you can do that, and then you get to come with us.” She put as many bubbles in her voice as possible, but it wasn’t working as well as would have been nice.

“I don’t…,” Janet said again, looking at Peggy.

“It’s okay,” Peggy said. “Just shut your work station down and go with the girls. I hear they’ve got lots of fun stuff planned.”

“I… Uh… Okay?”

However, although she agreed, Janet didn’t look even a smidge less worried. When she left, Paige put her hand out to Peggy.

“Thank you.”

“Absolutely. You girls have fun.”

“We will.” And Paige really, truly hoped that would be the case although at that moment, she was less sure of that outcome than ever before.

Nelson

“How did we ever do this without dollies?” Nelson asked, wheeling one of the huge speakers into the venue. The reception hall was half the size of the high school gym they’d played at their senior year.

“That is a great question,” Wes said as he guided the other side of the thing. “Either I’m getting old or we were just young and dumb back then.”

“Both,” Nelson said with a grin. “I think over there would be best. That looks like the dance floor.”

“Wow, when you said bring your muscles,” LJ said, coming in behind them with one large set of cords. “Who knew weight lifting was a thing in music?”

“Here,” Nelson said, and they got the speaker positioned. “Then I think we set the other one here, the little ones on top and the other one here, we can set the mics there and the keyboard...”

“Ugh. There’s no piano,” Wes said as he surveyed the space.

“Yeah, well, that was dicey going in,” Nelson said. “We’ll make it work. It’s only five songs.”

Together they headed back out to the trailer.

“Hey, LJ,” Nelson said at the door.

“Yeah?”

“Go ahead and start unrolling the cords. Just lay them out one-by-one. We’ll be back.”

“Your wish is my command.” As he bent to the heap of cords, LJ muttered, “How did I get talked into this one?”

Nelson was starting to agree. At the truck, his mind started helpfully lining out all the things he still had to do in the coming hours. “I was thinking about texting Tay. Have you heard if she’s coming tonight?”

“Nope.” Wes jumped up on the trailer and hoisted the dolly up as well. “Haven’t heard from her.”

With a sigh, Nelson pulled out his phone. “Come on, Taylor. For once in your life, be reasonable.”

Taylor

It would have helped if she had a clue what she was doing. Molecules. Bonds. Elements. Protons. Electrons. Positive. Negative.

Caring might have helped as well, but she didn’t.

By the time, Taylor walked out of the chemistry lab, she understood none of it any better than when she had gone in. It was a sad, overwhelming fact of life. She was going to fail this class again, and in two weeks, she was going to be unmasked for the fraud she knew she was.

How? she asked herself as she got to her car and headed back to the apartment. How had she thought she was so stinking smart in high school? Back then, she could show up for tests and ace them. Back then, she didn’t even have to really work for an A. Okay, to do better than an A, to have tried for something like Valedictorian or even compete for it, that would have taken actual effort. But otherwise? Not so much.

Now, she just felt like an utter failure at absolutely everything.

The cell phone buzzed again in her pocket, and she remembered the text from earlier. Unfortunately, the cops in this town had it in for anyone—especially college students—who texted or talked while driving, and right now, she could not conceivably afford to add a traffic ticket to the ever-growing list of things she needed to pay for.

There was a time she would have simply called home and asked for her parents to send money, but that way of life had blown up on their front lawn six months before. She winced at the memory of the screaming match with her dad. Yes, she wanted her own life, and yes, he was being unreasonable. But this whole being on your own thing wasn’t all it was cracked up to be either. In fact, she thought as she turned into the apartment complex and saw Chris’s motorcycle sitting there, she really needed to get serious about getting a better job than the on-again-off-again babysitting thing she had been doing for the summer. The lease would be up in a month, and there was no way she was going to be able to afford this place without a better job.

Oh, sure, she could ask Chris for help. That sounded so logical. Except that it didn’t because nothing with Chris was logical anymore.

When she parked, knowing the circus it would start if she waited until she got inside, she pulled out her phone. The first text was from Greg, and a wave of sadness washed over her.

“Greg, seriously…” she said to the air as she typed in her reply. Got a lot of studying to do tonight. She put her head back on the headrest as she watched herself send that one before pulling the next one up. Nelson. “Great.”

With a yank, she forced herself upright and typed in a reply to him as well. The same lame excuse. Did she have studying? Yes. Always. Would she do it? Probably not.

Sighing, she crawled out and dragged her satchel with her. Not one ounce of her wanted to face what she knew would be on the other side of her apartment door. There had been a time in the not so distant past when getting home meant a chance to relax, kick back, and chill. Now was not that time. Not since Trina had moved out in May. Not since Chris had shown up looking for somewhere to crash in April. Now coming home was hard, frustrating, and difficult.

Still, this was life. She yanked her hair out from under the satchel’s strap and slammed her car door just as her cell phone buzzed again.

“Guys,” she said to no one. “It’s not happening. Leave it alone already.” Nonetheless, she pulled the thing out.

But you ARE coming tomorrow night. Greg. Taylor, this is important and not just to Nels.

Without replying, she stuffed the phone back into her pocket and unlocked the door. Sure enough, anger hit her with a one-two punch that nearly knocked her backward. Trash was strewn from one wall to the other and all over every surface as two guys sat on the couch, controllers in hand.

Reeling in all that she wanted to scream at Chris, Taylor came in and swiped three things off the floor.

“Hey, babe,” Chris said. “You’re home early.”

“I’m late,” she said, and although she tried to ratchet the anger down in her voice, she wasn’t terribly successful at it. “I thought you had work.”

“Oh, yeah I did, but Hayden called and we decided to hang out.”

Of course, that made perfect sense. Just like it always did. Knowing that arguing was pointless, Taylor went to the table and slid her satchel there just as another text buzzed on her phone. With a glance at the couch, she pulled it out and read it.

“Ah, man!” Chris groaned as an explosion happened on the television. “Okay, that’s it. I’m calling for pizza.” He flipped the controller to the coffee table and stood.

Panic seized her, and she typed in her reply with flying fingers before stuffing the thing back in her pocket.

“Unless you brought us something,” Chris said as he came into the little kitchen and right over to Taylor. He put his arms around her and his lips onto the soft skin of her neck.

“N… uh. No. I didn’t…” She fought her own reaction that wanted to push him away. “I thought…”

“Yeah, nah, don’t worry about it. I’ll just call something in.”

“Oh. Okay.” Her cell phone buzzed again, and she closed her eyes to keep the anger with all of them in. “Uh, I’ve got some studying to do.”

“You study more than anybody I know,” Hayden called from the couch, and she could hear the slur of his words with no trouble.

“Hey, lay off,” Chris said. “My baby’s going to be a doctor.” He ducked into his own phone call. “Yeah. I need a delivery.”

Taylor had no other real option, so she headed to the bathroom just down the hall, went in, and locked the door before pulling out her cell phone. How could she make Greg understand what she wasn’t sure she even understood anymore?

The wedding is at 6 tomorrow. I can come get you at 3 if you need me to.

Panic zoomed through her like she’d been shot. No. Sorting through her options like lightning zipping through rain, she thought through it all. Tomorrow was Saturday. Chris had work from two until seven. Probably he would go out with his friends after that. She could tell him she had a babysitting gig. He wouldn’t even question it. As long as she was back before he got home from the bars at three, he would never know the difference.

You don’t have to come. I’ll be there. Praying it wasn’t a lie, she sent the text.

In seconds another one came back.

I will come and get you if you need me to.

No, Greg. I’ll be there. Promise.

She put her head on the bathroom door and shook it slowly. Living a life filled with lies was harder than she’d ever known it could be.

K. I’ll save you a seat.

Soft sadness for all she had lost floated over her spirit. K.

Lauren

Just how she had gotten talked into riding with Janet, a woman she barely knew, as Paige and Yoli followed them to Janet’s, Lauren didn’t know, but here she was with no net for safety.

“I really do think you’re going to like this,” Lauren said because the tension in the car was about to suffocate her.

Janet glanced her direction. “You could tell me where we’re going.”

“To your house,” Lauren said like she didn’t understand the hint.

“No. After that.”

“Oh.”

Silence dropped between them even as Lauren searched for the right thing to say.

“You know, I had work I needed to get finished,” Janet said. “It’s not like I’m going to be there next week.”

“Oh, yeah,” Lauren said, brightening. “So where are you and Joe going on your honeymoon?”

This look held no joy. “He won’t tell me.”

Huh, seems to be a pattern with him. “Well, sometimes you’ve just got to let go and enjoy the ride.”

Janet checked her with a glance. “Easier said than done.”

Paige

A text came in, and she glanced at her phone on the console before looking over at Yoli who hadn’t said ten words all morning. “Can you see who that is?”

“Oh. Sure.” Yoli checked. “It’s Joe. He wants to know how things are.”

“That is a good question.” She stopped at the light behind Janet.

“What should I tell him?”

Paige tossed her head back and straightened. “Tell him it’s all going according to plan. So long as Janet doesn’t kill us, this should work.” Then she half-laughed. “Don’t say that last part.”

“Right,” Yoli said, typing in a reply before laying her hands and the phone on her lap. “Janet seems kind of…”

“Serious?” Paige asked.

“Yeah,” Yoli said. “Scared might be a better word.”

“Hm.” Paige hadn’t really thought that in this situation though she had seen it in others. “I don’t think she’s the most confident person in the world. But she’s nice. Just hard to get to know.”

“I can see that.” Yoli let out a breath. “She’s actually a lot like Nelson.”

That stymied Paige. “How so?”

“She’s just… private, like she thinks it’s better if you don’t get to know her—whether that’s for fear or her own protection, I don’t know. It’s hard to tell.”

Paige nodded at the assessment. “She’s hard to read sometimes. It’s like she wants there to be a connection, but she doesn’t know how to make that happen.”

“It’s weird,” Yoli said. “I always thought that adults had it all together, that they knew the what-for of everything. But the longer I go, the more I realize, most of the time, they’re just like us, trying to figure it all out.”

“And then three girls you hardly know show up to kidnap you.” Paige laughed as they pulled onto Janet’s street. “Okay, then we’re going to have to show her how.”

“How… what?”

“How to… just be, and that’s okay. Like you said last night about the guys. They’re so good at just being themselves and things just work. Maybe that’s how we need to be with Janet.” She pulled up next to the curb and nodded. “You think we can do that?”

Yoli’s gaze went from watching Janet and Lauren get out over to Paige’s. “I’m game for trying if you are.”

With a breath of relief, Paige put her fist in the air. “One for all?”

Yoli grinned as she touched Paige’s fist with her own. “And all for one.”

Chapter 5

Greg

Knowing he was pushing his luck, Greg sent the last text to Taylor and got back to work on the line. “Welcome to Subs.”

Only three more hours, and he was off for 72. He couldn’t wait.

Nelson

“That’s it,” Wes said, plugging the keyboard in.

“Okay, let’s test this puppy out,” Nelson said at the amp. He flipped the thing on and counted it a good sign when it didn’t blow up. “All set. Check the mics.”

At the front, LJ tested the two mics there before going to the ones standing back. Thankfully everything worked that far into it. One-by-one, Wes was pulling guitars out and getting them plugged in as LJ went to the keyboard to check it.

“Perfect,” Nelson said, breathing the first sigh of relief all morning. “And the drums are set, so that’s also good to go. All we lack are the guitars.”

“Here’s the bass,” Wes said, not bothering to put the strap on as he tested a few notes.

“Yep.”

Swinging that one down to the guitar holder, he picked up one of the acoustics, checked it and then the second one before playing a riff on the electric.

“Dang, dude,” LJ said, coming around. “Do you just play everything?”

Wes laughed. “No piano. That’s above my pay scale.”

Crossing his arms and setting his stance, LJ laughed at that.

“Okay,” Nelson said as he snapped the amp off. “We’ll need to do a sound test tonight, but I think that’s it for now.” Just then his cell went off and he pulled it out. “It’s my dad. I have to take this.”

As he went to the phone call, which amounted to his dad wondering if he’d gotten the tuxes picked up yet, he was happy to see Wes and LJ chatting. Tonight and tomorrow would be hard enough without drama.

Drama, he thought, thinking once again about Taylor. She had texted something lame about studying. Was she really going to blow the whole weekend off? If he’d have had five more seconds to spare in any of it, he might have stressed over it. As it was, there was plenty to stress about without adding Taylor drama to it. “Yeah. No. I can go get them. No sweat.”

“You’re sure?” his father asked.

“Yeah. We’ve got the equipment set up. I’ll go get the tuxes and meet you back at the house so you can try it on and make sure it’s perfect.”

“I knew I could count on you. I’ll see you there.”

“Sure thing.” He hung up and headed back to the two guys currently deep in conversation.

“Everything cool?” Wes asked.

“Yeah, but I’ve got to go get the tuxes. Dad’s going to meet me at the house to try his on just in case we have to make any adjustments.”

“Oh.” Wes nodded. “Yeah, that’s cool.” He glanced at LJ. “You tagging along or…”

“Oh. Uh?” LJ’s eyes widened on the question.

“I was just going to run over to Subs and grab some lunch before walking a couple of dogs.” Wes shrugged. “Helping Lauren out while she’s with the girls. But I could stand the company if you want.”

Although Nelson was surprised and a little taken aback by his guest being stolen, he shrugged. “Yeah, that’s cool. You can swing back by the house afterward and ride with me to the rehearsal.”

LJ looked from one to the other. “Oh. Uh. Okay then. Sounds like a plan.”

Paige

“Keep your eyes closed,” Paige said as she wound through the street she’d never been on before.

“They’re closed,” Janet said in the passenger’s seat. “Are we almost there?”

“There it is,” Lauren said, pointing from the back. Sure enough, New You Salon & Spa appeared just off to the left.

Carefully, Paige turned in and parked. It was crazy how it felt to have to be so responsible. With quick fingers, she sent a text to Joe. We have arrived. All is good.

She hopped out and went around where Lauren and Yoli were already extracting Janet from the car.

“Are you sure I’m going to like this?” Janet asked, and Paige knew how much trust Janet had to have to even come along on this crazy outing.

“You’re going to love it,” Yoli said. “Now, here’s a little step. Up. Good. Lauren get the door.”

“Got it.” They were like a well-rehearsed tornado as they made their way inside.

“Can I open my eyes now?”

Yoli looked at Paige for confirmation.

“Yeah,” Paige said, “open your eyes.”

However, even when Janet did, instead of joy, only confusion crossed her face.

“Surprise!” Lauren half-said, half-whispered because the place didn’t seem like somewhere that screaming was welcome.

“Welcome to the best day ever!” Yoli said. “Well, besides tomorrow that is. Best day ever before tomorrow.”

Janet looked to Paige. “I don’t understand.”

“Can I help you, ladies?” a tall, thin man with a calm voice asked, coming out from a room beyond.

“Uhm, yes,” Paige said. She left the others and went over to him. “I believe Joe Samuels called?” Her heart was pounding. What if she’d gotten the directions wrong? What if this was the wrong place? What would she do then?

“Ah, yes.” The man smiled as if his wallet had just gotten much thicker. “We’ve been waiting for you. There are… four of you?”

“Yes.”

“And which one is the bride?”

Both Lauren and Yoli pushed Janet in front of them.

“Very good,” the man said. “Please follow me.”

Since Janet was now in front of the others, she was right behind Paige, and just like that, she was at her elbow. “Do you mind telling me what is going on?”

“Present from Joe,” Paige said, and remembering her conversation with Yoli, she put her arm through Janet’s. “Sorry about the whole kidnapping thing, but he was afraid you wouldn’t come if he just gave you this.”

Janet half-smiled. “He was right about that.”

“Ladies,” the tall man said, floating his hand out to the bank of over-sized brown and tan lounge chairs arrayed against the wall, “when you return, feel free to take a seat anywhere here for your foot massage.”

Without seeing them, Paige felt Lauren and Yoli’s eyebrows go up in fear. However, she was too intent on making sure Janet didn’t run to attend to her friends.

“Hm,” Paige said, willing her heart to stop hammering so hard. “When we come back from where?”

“Getting comfortable, of course,” the man said, continuing on past the lounge chairs. At the back hallway, he stopped. “There is lounge wear laid out for each of you. Please feel free to choose whatever you wish. It is yours to keep as a reminder of your day with us.”

“Okay.”

“When you are ready,” he said, “we will start with a foot massage and lunch. Then mani-pedis for all. If you need anything, please let Tashi know.” Tashi, a young woman just older than them, appeared behind him from the changing room. “Is everything ready?”

“Yes.” She smiled at them. “Please, come on in.”

It was a dead-to-sure bet that Janet would not have lasted five minutes if Paige hadn’t been hanging onto her. The changing room was a large space broken by a series of walls lined with couches. The lighting in the whole place was so subdued it was like falling asleep without realizing you had.

“There are changing rooms back here if you would prefer,” Tashi said. “And before you change, you can look to see what you might like for lunch afterward.” She handed each of them a small menu that looked more like a brochure.

“Okay. Thank you,” Paige said, trying to take control but having no real idea what she was doing.

“I’ll be right outside if you need anything.”

All four women stood and watched her leave until the door had fully closed behind her.

“Oh. My. Lanta,” Lauren said when they were alone. “I think I just died and went to heaven.”

“I can’t believe he did this,” Janet said, her eyes going wide. “What was he thinking?”

Paige wasn’t sure how much she was supposed to say, but she figured Janet had the right to know. “Actually, he was going to send you and Kimberly, but something happened and they got a late start.”

“Oh,” Janet sighed. “Yeah, her youngest got sick yesterday. I’m not even sure her husband is coming.”

“Right,” Paige said, seeing the heaviness descend on their guest of honor. “Well, she was supposed to come and kidnap you and everything, but when that fell through.” She put her hands out. “I guess you got stuck with the B-Team.”

Instead of looking unhappy about that, Janet’s eyes pooled with tears. “You’re not the B-Team. Thank you all for doing this…”

“Oops, nope, no tears allowed,” Yoli said, stepping up. “Best day ever, remember?”

Janet laughed through her tears. “Until tomorrow.”

“Until tomorrow,” the three girls said together.

Wes

“Well, I guess that answers that question,” LJ said as he hopped in the truck Wes had procured from his Uncle David for the weekend.

“What question’s that?” Wes asked.

“If Nelson was lying about you guys being so tight.” LJ put his seatbelt on.

“You thought he was lying?”

“Well, you never know. Sometimes rear view looks different than you thought it did.” LJ shrugged. “Been there, done that. I was hoping Nelson was going toward something, not just away from something else.”

“Like?”

“Oh, you know, junior year when things start getting real. It’s easy to get freaked out and want to turn around or stop time.”

“I hear you on that one,” Wes said, checking both ways before pulling out. The last thing he needed was to wreck his uncle’s truck or trailer. Safely on the road, he went back to the conversation. “This move next weekend is all kinds of ways messing with my head.”

“Oh?”

“Yeah, well, moving out, moving away, new job, new town, new school. It’s a lot.”

LJ laughed softly. “I hear ya there. Done that at least twice in my life. It can get pretty intense if you let it.”

Although Wes hadn’t been around LJ a lot, he was starting to understand just why Nelson held his Seattle friend in such high esteem. He wasn’t just easy to talk to. His openness was like finding yourself in a place where being open didn’t feel nearly so terrifying.

“So, I have to ask,” LJ said, and it was clear he didn’t really want to.

“What’s that?”

“What’s up with… Taylor? She’s the one that didn’t come last night, right?”

Wes let out a breath. He needed to text her again when they got to Subs. “Yeah. That’s Taylor.”

“What’s up with her anyway? The rest of you all seem like part of the same fabric. Is she…?”

“She’s Taylor,” Wes said. “Always has been, always will be.”

“Okay?”

Realizing he needed to come up with a better explanation, Wes searched for it. “Taylor’s kind of the wild child, in a way. She flies by her own coordinates. She’s great, don’t get me wrong, but trying to get a handle on her is like trying to catch a butterfly with a bear trap.”

“I know Nelson’s worried about if she’s coming or not.”

“I think we all are. I do think Paige could do it if she had to, but I honestly think it’s about more than just that.” Carefully, Wes made the left turn into Subs. “Taylor is a part of us, that fabric thing you were talking about. It’s just not the same without her. She’s kind of like the spark that fires the engine, you know? Without that spark, you can push the car all you want, but you’re not going very far very fast.”

“And you think she won’t come?”

“Who knows? It’s like once we graduated, she doesn’t have time for us anymore.” Wes parked and slid out. “I mean, not to sound whiny or anything… She’s free to live her own life. I just think it would be nice if she hadn’t moved on and totally forgotten about all the rest of us.”

“Welcome to Subs,” Greg said from the counter on the swing of the door, and he only glanced their direction as he worked on someone else’s sandwich. A breath and his gaze snapped back over and stuck on them. “Hey, guys.” Even as he said it, he went back to the sandwich. “What would you like on this?”

“Greg,” LJ said, winding his arms in surprise.

“Thought we could kill a couple birds with one hit. Stop in, check in with Greg to make sure he’s at least coming.”

LJ raised an eyebrow at that as if to ask if Greg not showing up was a possibility.

“Grab something to eat, take a breath.” Wes shrugged and then he remembered Taylor. “Oh. Saying kill a couple birds.” He typed in the text and hit send. Catching the questioning look on LJ’s face, he waved the cell phone back and forth. “Taylor.”

With a lift of his chin, LJ understood. “Ah.”

They stepped up to the counter.

“Tell me this means you guys got everything set up,” Greg said before either had a chance to place their order.

“We did.”

“Oh, fantastic,” Greg said, letting out a sigh of relief. “What time are we supposed to be there tonight?”

“Seven, but just at the hall,” Wes said as the door behind them jangled to life.

Greg’s gaze went that way. “Welcome to Subs. I’ll be with you in a minute.” He looked back at Wes and LJ. “What can I get you?”

Paige

“Come on,” Lauren said after the foot massage Paige had almost literally fallen asleep in the middle of.

She could have done without the constant cricket sound which was supposed to be relaxing but was nothing of the sort, but once she got past that, not to mention having the cool washrag put over her eyes for the duration of the massage, relaxing was about the only thing she could do. On top of that, lined up with the others on the large lounge chairs against the wall in the semi-darkness, it would have been rather difficult to carry on a conversation even if she had tried. So, after fighting it the first five minutes, she had finally given up and just let herself enjoy the experience. It wasn’t hard.

The problem was coming back to reality. They had been moved from the foot massage area to a small enclosed secret garden of sorts in the back for lunch. It was a little odd to find herself seated at a table with Yoli, who she’d just met the day before, Janet, her boyfriend’s soon to be stepmom-again, and her best friend, all dressed in what could easily pass for pajamas. Surreal was about the only way she could describe it.

“Seriously. When are we ever going to have the chance to try seaweed chips and lemon-zested avocado appetizers again?” Lauren asked. She had gone from chipper to right off the charts at the prospect of so much pampering.

“Well, you have a point there,” Janet said, looking over her own menu. “I’ve never had seaweed anything before.”

“I’m not even sure what some of this means,” Yoli said.

“Yeah. What is Asiago cheese anyway?” Lauren asked.

“Never heard of it,” Paige said. “How about this ahi tuna salad? What in the world is tograshi?”

“I think it’s a seasoning,” Janet said, “but don’t quote me on that.”

“Um, has anyone else noticed, there are no prices on this menu?” Lauren asked, leaning in toward them as if there might be listening ears in reach.

“Definitely did notice that,” Janet said. “Leave it to Joe to go all out.”

“You know, not to be weird or anything,” Yoli said, “but we’re not doing the acupuncture thing, are we? Because I don’t do needles.”

Lauren’s eyes came wide open and jumped from her menu. “Are you serious? Nobody said anything about needles.”

“I saw it on the brochure thing she gave us earlier,” Yoli said. “I almost asked, but…”

“Sparkling water for the ladies,” Tashi said, appearing like she had been wont to do for the duration of their visit. She set out the waters. “Have we made a decision?” She didn’t bother to get out a pad or a pen, just stood, waiting.

One-by-one they each chose dishes though not a one of them sounded at all confident in their choice.

“Very good. I’ll be back with your appetizer.”

“Thank you,” Janet said, and the girls echoed her quickly.

“Okay,” Yoli said, leaning in when Tashi was gone. “So, we are a definite no on the needles thing, right? Because you bring those things out, and either I pass out or I escape in these albeit very nice pajamas.”

They all laughed.

“You think I’m kidding,” Yoli said. “I am so not.”

“I think it’s just the foot massage and mani-pedis,” Paige said before letting her wicked streak out just a tad. “But we could always talk to Tashi if you want.”

“I’m sure Joe wouldn’t mind,” Janet said, sipping her water. “Might as well make this worth the trip.”

“You know, I’d pay extra just to watch them try to catch you,” Lauren said.

Yoli swiveled her head. “That is so not funny.”

LJ

“What was this thing you said about dogs?” LJ asked as he sat with Wes over the sandwiches.

“Oh, it’s this thing Lauren does,” Wes said. “Except she’s with the girls today, so it looks like we get to fill in.”

“Dog walking?” LJ asked, not hiding the concern very well.

“It’s not so bad. Normally, she does it, but sometimes when things get wonky, we go in the evening together or I take a shift if she’s got other things going.”

Taking a drink, LJ nodded. “You guys make a good team—you and Lauren.”

Wes smiled at that and ducked his eyes before bringing them back up again. “It’s weird, you know? I always thought love was going to be about the whole romance and passion thing. I never envisioned it being about walking dogs.”

LJ laughed. “I hear you there.” His smile fell. “But it’s not so bad—being friends with the person you love. Opens up a lot of possibilities.”

“Like?”

“I don’t know, like taking the journey together, seeing what life has in store, taking on the unknown together, just being there for each other and with each other through all of it.” With a shrug, LJ let his gaze go out to the traffic beyond. “Never understood the concept of soulmates until I met Yoli. She doesn’t complete me exactly, but it’s like she challenges me to be more than I would ever be without her.”

“It’s crazy how right it feels with Lauren, and how wrong everything else felt. It’s like she’s my rock and my soft place to fall all in one.”

“Yoli definitely keeps me in check, that’s for sure,” LJ said. “But I need that, you know? I need someone to straight up tell me to my face what’s what. She’s strong. Strongest woman I know, but she’s also just… good and kind. It blows me away sometimes that she chose me.”

Wes nodded. “Sometimes I can’t believe I almost missed what I have with Lauren because it didn’t happen the way I thought it would. I wasn’t expecting for our favorite thing to do to be baking cakes together and eating dinner with my mom, or watching old movies, or working on old cars. I mean, who does that?”

“It’s definitely a God thing,” LJ said, finishing his sandwich and sitting back with his drink.

A breath and Wes looked at him. “If this is weird, you don’t have to answer…”

LJ smiled. “The God thing?”

Slowly Wes nodded.

“Long story,” LJ said, “but like Yoli, God is… God is where I’ve found peace even in the craziness. I don’t even want to think where I’d be without Him. In a lot of ways, He rescued me from myself, and somehow, He put my steps together to bring me here.” Turning back to the table, he set the drink down and crossed his arms on the table. “You know I thought back in Seattle that this whole thing was about Nelson, about God using me to help Him show Nelson how to get whole again. But now, sometimes, just being here with all of you, I think, maybe it wasn’t just about Nelson. Maybe it was about me too.”

“How do you mean?”

“I’ve lived most of my life either trying to survive or being shut out for having survived. I spent my first year of high school dodging the cops and the pushers. Then I moved in with my aunt and uncle and spent the next three knowing I didn’t fit in anywhere. I wasn’t like the others at the school I went to in Washington. I wasn’t rich. I wasn’t great in school. I wasn’t even athletic. I was pretty much a nobody. College was the same way until I transferred back in January. By then, I’d met Yoli, and things were looking up, but…”

“But…?” Wes asked in concern.

“Okay, don’t tell him this, but as much as I want to say I had a hand in helping Nelson get straight with life, the truth is, he did as much to help me as I ever did him.” LJ laughed softly. “I told him once that I thought God was going out of His way to grab hold of him because some people are the hinge eternity swings on.”

Although he didn’t voice it, Wes puzzled at that.

“Like if that person is there, eternity goes this way. If not…” LJ pushed his hand the other way. “Decisions can be like that too. I go to Northwestern.” His hand went one way. “I don’t…”

“And you’re not sitting here,” Wes said as if seeing life in a whole new way. “The butterfly effect.”

“Come again?” LJ asked in confusion.

“The butterfly effect. A butterfly a thousand miles away flutters its wings, causing air molecules to move which moves more air and that moves more air and it causes a hurricane across the world. What you do matters.”

LJ nodded slowly. “Like that, yeah. But see, I thought this whole thing was about me helping Nels through all the stuff last semester to get him on the right track. I thought it was all about him.”

A thought at a time, Wes sifted through that. “Without you, Nelson stays in Seattle.”

“Without Nelson, I never come here.” A feeling of life opening up on a deeply profound level overtook LJ. “What if none of this is random? What if… I was supposed to room with Nelson, not just for him, but for me too?”

Thoughts continued to stream across Wes’s face. “What if it’s all in God’s plan for all of us?”

“Yeah. What if…”

Greg

For the past hour, Greg had manned the line, checking every so often to see if Wes and LJ had, in fact, left without saying goodbye. Sadly, he was less frustrated by the fact that they were still here than if they had gone. At least that’s what he told himself.

Why was Wes hanging out with LJ anyway? And where was Nelson? He hadn’t thought to ask when they first came in because he had assumed Nelson would be along any minute. When he didn’t appear, Greg’s confusion whispered through his head until it started shouting. First Nelson, now this.

He fought not to feel how easily he could be replaced in all of their lives. LJ had fit right in with the band the night before, and now he was talking with Wes like an old friend. Of course, that was ridiculous. Until it wasn’t.

With everything in him, Greg wanted to take his break and go over just to convince himself he was being unreasonable. Unfortunately, Felicity, the new hire he was supposed to be training, was a no-show for the lunch rush. Five more days of this, and somehow he would get his life back from this insane job. If he even had a life to go back to…

As he put together a cold cut combo, his gaze caught on movement at their table. Sure enough, they were wrapping things up to head out. The fight between his head and heart felt like it was going to rip him in half.

“Hey, Greg,” Wes said with a lift of his chin when they got to the line. “We’ll see you tonight.”

“K,” Greg managed to squeeze out, and with that, they were gone. His heart fell right into his shoes as the next person stepped up. “What can I get you?”

Paige

“Oh, now, don’t even go there,” Janet said as they sat lined up once again getting pedicures. “You three are all beautiful. There’s not even a question about that, and don’t ever let anybody tell you any different.”

“It’s just hard sometimes,” Lauren said. “It’s hard not to look at other people and wish I was more like them. Taller, prettier, smarter.”

However, Janet shook her head. “Listen to me, no matter how hard you try, you will never, ever be more than a second-rate somebody else. Trust me, I should know. I almost lost Joe because I thought he wanted me to be someone else.”

“What?” Paige asked in surprise. “Who?”

Janet smiled at her softly but said nothing.

“Lysette,” Paige breathed in understanding.

Slowly, Janet nodded. “She was the love of his life. It’s hard to compete with that.”

“But he loves you,” Lauren said.

“He does,” Janet said though there was a sadness to the words. “And when I stopped trying to be her, we actually found out we make a pretty good pair. We’re not Joe and Lysette. We’re Joe and Janet. And that’s okay too.” Letting out a long breath, Janet put her head back. “Listen, I’m going to tell you something I wish someone had told me when I was your age. Be who you are. Let that be enough, and never apologize for it. Believe in yourself, in your gifts. Believe in your dreams and go for them with everything in you. Don’t wait around thinking you will have time for your dreams later. I did that, and look at me.”

“Marrying the man of your dreams,” Lauren said.

Janet smiled. “Yes, that’s one I finally got right.”

“But I thought you were looking into the other thing too,” Paige said in worry and confusion. “Going back to school.”

“I did,” Janet said. “And we talked about it a little bit. Joe says we can do it if I really want, but I’m afraid it would mean being gone, a lot. I don’t want to do that to him.”

“I’m confused,” Yoli said. “What’re we talking about here?”

“Janet was going to go back and get her biology degree,” Paige said. “She’s only a couple semesters from finishing.”

“Oh. Why didn’t you… finish?” Lauren asked.

“Life, I guess. It just took me in a different direction. Now, I think it’s too late.”

“Don’t they have a distance learning program at Tech?” Yoli asked. “You know, online classes? I know you can get a degree from Northwestern in practically anything online.”

“I don’t know,” Janet said. “Besides, there are labs and things I have to be there for. Science isn’t like some of the majors.”

“So what classes do you need?” Yoli asked, halfway sitting up as if she didn’t realize the poor woman at her feet was hard at work on her toes.

“Like three or four bio classes, an English writing something or other, math, a history and one political science.”

Yoli was adding things up on her fingers. “That’s all? Oh, come on. The only classes out of all of that you would even need to be there for would be the science ones. English… pssha everyone does that online now days. Math, same. History and political science. You could totally do this.”

“If you did the science ones on Tuesday-Thursday,” Lauren said, “you would only have to come two days a week.”

“And have you looked into Clepping any of them?” Paige asked. “I’m going to try to get out of my math requirement. My advisor thinks I can.”

“Oh, I don’t know,” Janet said suddenly overwhelmed by their enthusiasm. “It’s been a long time since I did much studying at all.”

“Okay, so you don’t do it all at once,” Yoli said. “I know people who take a couple classes at a time. It takes them a little longer, but so what? Chasing your dreams is one of the things that makes you you, right?”

“I…”

“Is it English 101 or 201?” Lauren asked, typing on her phone.

“I… uh, 201, I think,” Janet said as her eyes widened. “Wait. What are you…”

“Yep. There’s a nine-month option that opens the first day of class. Which history?”

“Uh, the second U.S. one, I think.”

“Couple of options there,” Lauren said. “Two online for the semester. One nine-month. There’s even a night class if you want to do that, but probably not, huh?”

“I… You…”

“Do you have a list of the classes you need?” Yoli asked. “I bet Lauren and I could map something out for you. I bet it wouldn’t even take very long.”

“You girls…”

“Hey,” Paige said, cutting her off, “you’re the one who said about chasing your dreams and going for them with everything you have.”

“But I meant you, not me.”

Paige tipped her head. “What? I thought you were supposed to be our role model. That means you’re supposed to be the brave one that chops down the forest for us to follow.”

“Oh really?” Janet asked. “Wow, uh, I’m afraid brave isn’t really in my repertoire.”

“Yeah, well, that was before the best day ever,” Yoli said.

“Until tomorrow!” they all said and laughed together.

Chapter 6

Paige

By the time they left the spa, Janet was no longer just her boyfriend’s soon-to-be stepmom. She was a friend.

In fact, after consulting Kimberly only to find out that she was hoping just to make the rehearsal, they all decided to go to Janet’s to help her get ready. No bride should have to get ready for such a big occasion on her own.

With an hour to spare before Joe would be there to pick her up, Janet had trooped them all inside and sworn them to secrecy as she showed them the dress for the next day. It was too bad that she and Janet hadn’t connected sooner, Paige thought even as she oohed and aahed with the others over the dress. Having to choose your wedding dress by yourself was just not cool.

“Okay, so who’s doing your hair and stuff tomorrow?” Paige asked.

“Oh. Uhm… me?”

Paige thought a minute and took out her cell phone.

“What’re you doing?” Janet asked with wide eyes.

“Hi, Kelly? Paige Grayson. Listen, I have a question. Do you know anybody that would be available tomorrow to do hair and makeup for a wedding?”

“Paige!” Janet said in panic. “What’re you doing?”

However, Paige just waved her off. It was too late for protests, and some moments were too important to leave to chance. This was one of them.

Nelson

It was a good thing for LJ that he had gone with Wes. With Kimberly still en route and the girls taking Janet to the spa, Nelson’s father had called throughout the afternoon with extra errands for him to get done before heading home. Picking up the corsages topped the list, right under that was making sure the cake would be delivered the next morning, and that the caterers remembered Kimberly’s daughter’s peanut allergy. As it turned out, getting the tuxes was the easiest thing on the list.

Getting back to the new house well after three, Nelson put the boxes of corsages in the refrigerator, one tux in his father’s room and one in his, and then he called LJ to find out what was going on with him and Wes.

“Don’t worry about me,” LJ said, sounding winded. “Wes said he can take me to your place after we’re done with the dogs, and he come and pick me up. You do you. We’ll take care of us.”

So, after the crazy morning and afternoon, Nelson found himself by himself for at least an hour. His frazzled spirit was trying to hold onto the frays, but the truth was, he was struggling. He considered calling Paige, but he knew she was taking care of Janet, which was a blessing because taking care of even one more person would have snapped his last coping mechanism.

Coping.

Taking a minute or two just to unwind might not be such a bad idea, so he went into the living room and right over to the piano. Probably he should press on, do something to get ready, but that felt like stress. So, he sat down and stretched his fingers. In all honesty, he should have practiced the song for the next day; however, the melodies in his mind were jamming into each other like bumper cars. With a breath, he closed his eyes and drew the first chord from the keys. The second breath was even better than the first.

The chords began to weave together with the notes, creating a delicate synergy that seemed to flow around him like water down a gentle river. He let them come without fighting a single one as he felt himself winding down and still down farther into them. It wasn’t frightening as it had once been. Now, he knew it was a sanctuary, not a dungeon. It would not swallow him whole. Instead, it would embrace him and give him a place to simply be wholly who God had made him to be for a few moments. It would wrap him in joy and peace and then release him like a butterfly emerging from a cocoon.

In many ways it was like having a quiet conversation with God Himself. Had he had a reason to, Nelson could almost have parsed which chords and notes were his side of the conversation and which ones were God’s, but that wasn’t necessary. It was like pouring out his stress and fear and having God respond that the coming hours were already laid out in His grand plan so there was nothing at all to worry about. Nelson even smiled at that as he leaned into the next phrase pouring out of him. Being with God in the music was so amazing, how had he ever convinced himself he should deny this gift?

Even in the midst of that thought, overpowering gratefulness enveloped him that God had somehow gone down into the fear and judgment and plucked him from their clutches. Life was as simple and profound as that.

The song slid away from him, and he sniffed and swiped at his nose, not having realized just how emotional it had made him.

“Wow, I haven’t heard it sound like that in a long time,” his father said from behind him.

Nelson whipped around, straightening to standing even as he did so. “I didn’t hear you come in.”

However, his father’s smile was soft and filled with love. “Have I told you how proud I am of you?”

That nearly swept Nelson right off his feet. “I… uh…”

Without more, his father came across the room and put his arms around Nelson. Hugs had always been in short, sparse supply between them, so Nelson wasn’t quite sure how to take the gesture. When it was over, he put his head down, not trusting himself to accept the gaze his father still held on him.

“Uh, I got everything,” Nelson said, and he folded his arms in front of himself. Just why, he did not know. “The corsages are in the fridge. The cake should be delivered in the morning around eleven. Your tux is in your room. The caterers are good to go with everything.”

Slowly, his father nodded. “Thanks for doing all of that.”

“Of course,” Nelson said, and finally his gaze came up. “What’s a best man for?”

His father grinned. “Oh, and I talked with Edgar today when I brought him and Helen from the airport. He wants to give the bride’s family toast tonight. I wondered if maybe you would want to do a toast tonight too. I mean, I know that’s tonight and tomorrow, and if you don’t…”

The stress hit Nelson once again like a punch, but he beat it back. “Oh, uh, yeah sure. If you want.”

“Only if you want to.”

It took effort but Nelson got himself to nod. “Sure. Absolutely.”

“Fabulous.” And without warning, his father hugged him once again. “I think I got the best son in the whole entire w-world.”

Nelson laughed softly. “I wouldn’t go that far.”

“I would.”

Paige

True to what they had said at the spa, Yoli and Lauren worked up three possibilities for schedules for Janet. As Paige worked on Janet’s hair for the evening, they went through them all. One took the quick route. Two semesters and done. One took a more meandering route—three semesters plus a summer. One was a hybrid of the two with a heavy emphasis on online and extended classes.

“That way you only have the one semester of commuting,” Lauren said as Yoli showed Janet the spreadsheet and Lauren held Bella, Janet’s little wiggly dog, who had been right in the middle of the festivities ever since they had gotten back. “Everything else can be done from the comfort of your own home.”

“Wow. You girls are amazing,” Janet said, looking at all of the options. “Have you ever thought about going into advising?”

Yoli laughed. “I think that’s half of my job sometimes. They make this stuff so confusing, but it helps if you know a few tricks.”

“Well, you definitely know some tricks.”

“I’ll just save this,” Lauren said, and around Bella, she hit a couple of buttons. “If you want me to come over and walk you through it again when you and Joe get back, just say the word. I don’t mind.”

“All done,” Paige said, stepping away from her masterpiece.

The doorbell rang, and Janet jumped, coming nearly straight out of her chair in instant anxiety. “That’s Kimberly.”

“Whoa. Whoa. Whoa. Hold on. Don’t panic,” Paige said before pointing at Janet. “You get dressed. We will help them get in and get settled.”

Janet grinned at her. “What would I do without you girls? It’s like having three fairy godmothers.”

Paige bounced her eyebrows. “Bibity-bobbity BOO!”

Nelson

When his father headed to get Janet for the rehearsal, Nelson headed to the church. He really wanted to check out that piano and get a feel for it and the room before everyone else showed up.

Thankfully no one was in the sanctuary when he arrived, so without fanfare, he went right up the side aisle and straight to the choir area. It was crazy because there had been a time he wouldn’t have done this to save his life, but now it felt almost natural. Playing in front of the church, who would have imagined?

Being extra careful to do no harm, he got the sound system on and checked the mics. He would need one by the piano. Paige would need one for her violin and vocals. Puzzling over where she would want hers, he finally put it on the opposite side of the piano so when they played, they could look at each other. Yes, that would be far better.

He’d just gotten it all set up and checked when movement at the back doors caught his attention, and he smiled as his entire spirit relaxed. Paige. In that paint-colored dress. He remembered it from their time together before he left for Seattle. She still looked amazing in it.

“Are you lost?” he asked into the mic because she came in but stopped without moving farther because he hadn’t turned on any lights, so they were at the mercy of the stained-glass windows above.

She grinned at him even as she came down to the front with her violin case. “I could ask you the same question.”

He sat down at the bench and moved the microphone closer. This was fun. “How was your day?” he asked into the mic, and playfully he put his fingers on the keys to dance out a melody.

Her smile was like the sunshine, warm and eternally happy as she got to the front. “Amazing.” Without hesitation, she came right over to him, put her hand on his shoulder, and kissed him softly. “Yours?”

“It’s a whole lot better now.” Holding her with his gaze so she wouldn’t escape, he willed her lips to come back to his, and she laughed at him.

“You’re hopeless.”

“So I’ve been told.”

Shaking her head almost without moving it, she kissed him once more before backing away. “Are we practicing or what?”

“I thought we could run through it before everyone gets here.” He ran his fingers across the keys again before starting the intro of Only Together.

Quickly she dropped her case to the floor and pulled out her violin. “Hey, Mozart, before you start, mind giving me an E.”

Nelson laughed at her gentle teasing. “If you insist.”

Wes

Because none of the four of them were needed for the actual rehearsal, they instead ended up at the reception hall to wait for the wedding party’s arrival.

“Greg is coming, right?” Lauren said when she made it over to Wes who was testing out the equipment in case they decided to do a sound check tonight.

He figured that would be wise so his nerves wouldn’t have that to go over and over and over later tonight. “He said he was.”

“And Taylor?” Lauren asked.

“Haven’t heard from her.”

Lauren put her hands on her hips. “Surely she wouldn’t ditch Nelson, would she?”

Wes sighed. Taylor was the one wild card in the whole weekend, and Taylor gave a whole new meaning to that term. “You know, there was a time I would have said she would never ditch Nelson on one of the biggest days of his life, but we both know Taylor.”

“That girl gets on my last nerve. Paige is sure she’s not coming.”

“She might not,” Wes admitted without adding that he had texted her three times with no answer. “But I guess if she doesn’t, we’ve got back-up.”

“If she doesn’t, I’m going to wring her ever-lovin’ neck. That’s what’s going to happen.”

“So, what else needs done?” LJ asked as he came over arm-in-arm with Yoli.

Wes was happy for them. Everyone should be so blessed as to be in love with their best friend, and after their discussions most of the day, he was sure that was the case with the two of them. “Nelson said the caterer left tonight’s finger foods in the kitchen. All we have to do is set them out on that back table.”

“Cool. Then let’s get to it.”

Paige

Trying to be as inconspicuous as possible after her quick practice with Nelson, Paige went three-quarters of the way to the back and just watched the rehearsal. It was impossible not to be proud of Nelson. He was in every way the gentleman, the go-to guy, almost literally for everyone. Always in charge and on-point, he smoothed out the way for the entire rehearsal without anyone even realizing it.

She smiled as she watched him from this safe distance. With every nod of his head, she knew he was recording the instructions. He wanted this to go perfectly, and it would… because he cared so much.

“And then we’ll do the rings. Best man, maid of honor?” the preacher said, indicating that they would have the rings. “Then, I, Joe, take you Janet, yada, yada, yada. I, Janet, take you, Joe. Very good. Yep. Just like that. Then, after the rings, we’ll have the meditation song by… let’s see. Oh. Nelson?” He looked up. “That’s you.”

Nelson nodded, and Paige saw the soft smile cross his face. “And Paige,” Nelson said.

When the preacher puzzled at that, Nelson pointed down the aisle to her.

“Yes. Yes. Paige. Uhm, are you going to need… any help with that? Setting things up?”

“Nope. I think we got it. We’ve already practiced, so we should be good to go.”

“Oh,” the preacher sounded surprised by that. “Okay. Well, very good. Then we’ll do the by the State and the power vested in me… man and wife. You’ll kiss the bride.”

Nelson’s dad smiled at Janet like he was seeing her for the very first time. In fact, even after the preacher continued his wedding-in-a-blink speech, Paige noticed how bewitched Joe seemed by his soon-to-be-bride. She couldn’t fault him, Janet looked amazing and not because of the hair and nails. She truly looked… happy. Paige was glad of that, glad for having had even a small hand in it.

“And then we have the processional, and we’re all done,” the preacher said. He looked at his watch. “I’m really not trying to rush this, but my oldest has a soccer game tonight that starts in like 30 minutes. So… if we need to go back through it…?”

“No,” Joe said with a glance at Janet. “I think we’re good.”

“Fantastic. Okay then. I will see everyone here tomorrow. Wedding’s at six, so try to be here by five if you...”

“Four,” Janet said, “so we can get some pictures.”

“Four. Okay. Great. Well, if that’s it, then I’ll see you tomorrow.”

“Thanks, Pastor,” Joe said, shaking the man’s hand. “We really appreciate it.”

And just like that, the formal rehearsal broke up. Those at the front started milling about talking to the others, but Paige thought it best to not intrude. Practice had gone well enough. Now if they could just get through the rehearsal tonight, all they had left to worry about was the wedding.

About that time, the pack of people came down the center aisle, all talking at once. Paige noticed how Joe’s hand was firmly twined with Janet’s and how she kept glancing up at him with peace and joy splashing across her beautiful face. The whole lot of them—minus Nelson who had gone back over to the piano to put things to right there—swarmed next to Paige’s pew as she stood and slipped the strap of the violin case onto her shoulder.

“Oh, Edgar, Helen,” Joe said as they all stopped. “This is Paige Grayson, Nelson’s girlfriend.”

The older lady smiled at her as she held onto the arm of her husband.

“Mom, this is Paige,” Janet said more pointedly. “The one I was telling you about earlier.”

“Oh,” the older woman said as if in sudden understanding. “Oh, my darling.” She put her hand out to Paige. “So, you are the Godsend.”

Paige took the lady’s hand who let go of her husband to grasp Paige’s hand in both of hers.

“Thank you for taking such good care of my Janet today.” Pools of emotions swirled in the old eyes. “You were the answer to a lot of prayers.”

“Oh, well…” The smile dragged Paige’s gaze down to the withered hands that looked translucent. “It was my pleasure. You have an incredible daughter.” Looking up, Paige’s gaze locked with Janet’s, and in that moment she wondered how she could ever have thought the woman haughty or arrogant. With a half-shake of her head, Paige retrained her gaze onto Helen. “Will you and Kimberly be coming tomorrow to get your hair done with us?”

“I…”

“We’re all going in the morning,” Paige said, confidence lifting her up. “We’d love to have you join us if you’d like.”

Helen smiled. “Such a kind heart you have, my dear.”

At that moment, Nelson came not up the aisle but down the pew behind Paige, and before she knew it, he had put his knee on the pew beside her and his arm around her the other way.

“Oh, well, the Samuels men clearly have very good taste in women,” Helen said, and she winked at the two of them.

Puzzled, Nelson looked at Paige, but she simply smiled with a glance back at him. Carefully, she reached over and slid her hand over his. “Clearly.”

Nelson

After they got everyone else into their vehicles and headed to the reception hall, Nelson carried Paige’s violin to her car. He wished they could ride together, and he almost suggested it. However, what happened when they got to the next stop on this crazy journey, he had no idea. So, he simply put the case in the back, shut the door, and took a step so he was right in front of her as she stood by the driver’s door watching him.

“I’ll see you over there?” he asked, his whole being falling more in love with her than it had been even when they got to the church. Why was just looking at her enough to make him completely forget about everything else? Because he couldn’t help himself and even before she answered, he slipped his fingers into hers and leaned in, drinking in every intoxicating drop of her eyes with each inch he erased between them.

The soft smile that started in her eyes and drifted down onto her lips overcame his senses, and with only a breath of a pause, he closed the gap, kissing her gently and letting his lips linger on hers because they wanted to be nowhere else. Tender, hopeful, perfect. In so many ways, kissing her felt like playing the piano to him, like it was a part of him, essential to his very being. It was just more right than anything should have the right to be.

When the kiss ended, he didn’t straighten immediately. Instead, he put his head down near her shoulder as his fingers continues to drift into and over hers. What was past, what was present, what was future—he didn’t know and he didn’t care. All that mattered was that she was next to him, holding him and loving him like it was what she was made to do.

“Hm, Nels,” she finally said, breathing the words rather than saying them as she rubbed her hand down his back.

“I know.” But still he didn’t pull away. Instead, he only straightened a bit so that his lips were again even with hers. One more kiss wouldn’t be enough, but he was powerless to just walk away. Letting his eyes drift closed so he could imprint the memory of her on the rest of his senses, he brushed her lips with his, falling farther and harder and faster than he had any power to stop.

It was then that he heard the tires on the driveway behind them, and remembering where they were, he spun so that he was between her and the approaching pickup. The vehicle simply made a turn around and the driver waved at them before heading back out onto the street.

Nelson fought the embarrassment as he waved back with one lift of his fingers before he put his head down and scratched the back of it. “We need to go.”

“Yeah,” she breathed, and with that, he helped her into the car. “Don’t lose me.”

He smiled at that. “Not in this lifetime.”

Chapter 7

Greg

Some things in life were fair. Having to show up at the rehearsal stag was definitely not on that list. Still, Greg knew his presence was required, and he hadn’t had the time or energy to get a date, so he pulled up all alone at the reception hall at seven o’clock, shined up almost like he wanted to be there.

He’d just talked himself into getting out of his car when two others wheeled into the parking lot. Paige’s first, and Nelson’s right behind. They parked ahead of him, but it was too late to nix the idea of being here.

“Oh, goody,” Greg said, smiling with a smooshed face that would have betrayed his true feelings if either of them had seen him. Thankfully, they were both too occupied with parking and getting themselves out to notice. He took a solid breath to stamp happy over all of the other junk, and smiled for real when Nelson lifted his chin in greeting just across the way.

“Cool,” Nelson said when Greg got out. “You made it.”

There really was no other option as Greg headed toward them. “I did. You guys just getting here?”

“We are,” Nelson said, holding up his hand which Greg caught upright. “Had some things to finish up at the church.” He glanced over at Paige who was just getting out. “Uh, listen,” Nelson said, ducking closer to Greg. “I was going to ask if you’d heard from Tay.”

“Oh.” That name felt like a scratch to Greg’s spirit, almost as hard as the one he felt when he caught sight of Paige coming toward them. That watercolor dress wasn’t fair to any guy’s heart—much less someone counted among the exes. “Uh, yeah. She’s not coming tonight, but I’m pretty sure she’ll be here tomorrow.”

“She said that?” Nelson asked in surprise. “That she’ll be here tomorrow?”

“Pretty sure,” Greg said, “but I can text her again just to make sure.” He pulled out his phone, truly needing a distraction as Paige walked up and put her arms around Nelson.

“Told you I wouldn’t lose you,” Nelson said, giving her a quick kiss.

“Nope. Followed with no trouble.” She ducked closer to Nelson, even putting her head on his shoulder for a second, but she put her eyes on Greg. Beautiful eyes. Deep, like they were resonating with the unfathomable mysteries of the universe.

In self-defense, Greg kept his gaze only on his phone.

“Hey, Greg,” she finally said, and he barely glanced up. “We’re glad you could make it.”

“Yeah. Uh-huh.” Text sent, though he hardly even knew what he had written to Taylor, he stuffed the phone into his back pocket and got that sad, fake smile on his face. He knew it had to look sad and fake because that’s so how it felt. “I wouldn’t miss it.”

“Well, we’d better get in there,” Nelson said. “They’re going to be wondering where we got off to.”

“Wouldn’t want that,” Greg said, and he turned with both of them.

Showing up like this, the three of them when this was so pivotally Nelson’s moment felt awkward and wrong, but it was too late now. Opening the door for the two of them to enter, Greg hung back because he felt all the strangeness of the moment overtake him.

Thankfully, neither of them seemed to notice. They went on in, and he held back for three more seconds before ducking and making his own entrance as surreptitiously as possible. With one quick survey of the room, he skirted around the edge and headed to the group of four over at one of the side tables. Carefully, he slid into one of the empty chairs just behind LJ and… what was her name again? Yolanda? He thought that was right, but they called her something else. He couldn’t remember what, and his brain wasn’t helping him out with it either.

“Hey, nice of you to finally join us,” Wes said as he held his hand out to shake Greg’s.

“Did I miss anything?”

“Not much. They just got here from the church.”

“Oh, good.”

Someone at the front tapped on a champagne glass and the quiet hum in the room fell into silence. With a slow breath, Greg willed his heart not to splinter completely when he caught sight of Nelson and Paige sitting at the head table. This might as well be their wedding. In fact, it probably would be and sooner rather than later.

Not that he would want anything different for them, but it burned the inside of his chest like a blowtorch set to high. Putting his gaze down onto his foot on the chair in front of him, he put his elbow on his knee and anchored his gaze to the head table like the best friend he was supposed to be. He would get through this if it killed him. And it just might.

Paige

Although she hadn’t really envisioned sitting at the head table, Paige found herself there before she knew what was happening. By then it was too late to beg off, and so she was stuck. Luckily, there weren’t many people tonight, so she made sure to sit up straight and generally concentrate on not embarrassing Nelson’s family.

“I’d like to make a toast,” Edgar said from the other side of the table. His voice had a shaky quality to it, but he was clearly the patriarch of the family. “To my daughter, Janet, whom I have loved ever since that first day I held you in the hospital. When they brought you to your mother and me, I have never felt more love or fear at the same time in all my life. You were so tiny and so beautiful all at the same time. I remember saying to your mom, ‘How are we ever going to teach her everything she’ll need to know?’”

Laughter rang out in the hall.

“What I couldn’t know all the way back then was just how fast life would bring us here. You are and have always been such a special, wonderful person with such a good heart, and we’re so glad that God has seen fit for you and Joe to give this another go. Joe, you take care of my girl.” Edgar lifted his eyebrows as if in warning. “She’s special, and you need to remember that.”

Joe nodded and pulled Janet just a bit closer as he kissed the side of her head. “I will.”

“To Joe and Janet.” Edgar raised his glass.

“Joe and Janet,” everyone said.

Paige would have clinked her glass with Nelson’s as she was on the end and had no one on the other side to make the gesture with; however, Nelson looked like he was about to hyperventilate. Carefully, without attracting any attention to them, she leaned over to him. “It’s going to be great. Just stand up and be awesome.”

His gaze slipped over to hers with that freaked out look she had come to know and love about him. With love pouring from her, she nodded to him. He could do this. All he had to do was just be Nelson.

A moment more, and Nelson stood and buttoned his jacket before picking up his own glass. “First of all, I’d like you all to take just a second and think about your life. Think about those people in your life that you love more than anything in the world. Think about those moments and all those memories with them that you wouldn’t take a vault of money for. Think about those truly profound lessons that you’ve learned along the way—maybe through the good but also through the bad.

“As I thought about tonight and what I would say, I realized that more than anything, I’m just grateful. I’m grateful for all the moments that led us to this one. I’m grateful for the people that I love, and the people who love me.”

He glanced down at Paige and then over at his parents who were absolutely beaming with pride. “None of us knows what the future will bring, but no matter what that is, Dad… Mom, I want you to know how very, very grateful I am for your love and support over the years. We’ve had our moments, no doubt about it, but you know what? Maybe that’s not such a bad thing. Maybe that’s just life’s way of teaching us what we most need to know. I want to thank you both so very much. Just know… I am and will always be grateful to and for both of you. And I love you both very, very much.” He raised his glass. “To Joe and Janet.”

“Joe and Janet,” everyone echoed.

Like he might miss it, Nelson reached for the chair and lowered himself into it. When he was down, Paige saw how shallow his breathing was, and she put her hand on his back and leaned over to him. “That was amazing.”

He turned to her as if to ask if she really meant that, and she nodded. His grin spoke of absolute relief and total joy.

“Thank you, Edgar and Nelson. And now without further ado,” Joe said as he stood, “please, everyone, help yourself to the food.”

Their brief private moment ended, and Nelson stood with Paige behind him. Before he even got oriented as to which direction he was supposed to go, he met up with his father and Janet who each hugged him, long and solid.

“That was so beautiful, Nelson,” Janet said, swiping the tears from her eyes as she backed up into Joe’s embrace.

Nelson ducked his gaze before dragging it back up to them. “Well, I meant every word of it.”

“You are something else,” his father said. “My son. Wow. Who knew you’d turn out to be such an amazing guy?”

With a grin, Nelson laughed. “I try.”

Nelson

Now that the toast was over, Nelson could almost breathe and think again. Still, he was imminently thankful for Paige’s gentle presence next to him and her hand in his so he didn’t have to navigate himself through life for a while.

At the food table, they met up with their friends who all gave him hugs and told him how wonderful his speech was. That was good because he wasn’t even totally sure he knew what he’d just said. That it wasn’t horrible was a great thing.

“Not that it’s a big deal,” Wes said as he filled his plate right behind Nelson, “but are you wanting to run through anything tonight when everybody leaves? If not, that’s cool. I was just wondering.”

The tiny finger sandwiches looked amazing, and Nelson realized he hadn’t eaten in hours. In fact, the last meal he could clearly recall was bar-b-que sometime before time itself began. “Uh, yeah, probably. Just to make sure everything’s set and works.”

“K,” Wes said as they got to the end of the line, “I’ll let everybody know we need to stay.”

“Awesome. Thanks.”

Taylor

“Give it a rest,” Hayden veritably screamed over the ear-splitting music at The Kaleidoscope, one of their two favorite night clubs in town. “We both know no one will ever outdo me last time.”

“Is that a challenge?” Chris asked right next to Taylor.

Yes, she should be home studying, but that wasn’t really an option when Chris got into one of his we-never-go-anywhere-anymore moods. Of course, that meant she got to hang out at the table at the nightclub and watch as the two of them got stone-cold plastered. It wasn’t even a question that she would be driving them both home later. The only real question was what to do if one of them actually passed out before they got to the car. It wouldn’t be the first time.

Then again, maybe it beat going to Anaconda. There, they’d leave her at the table alone for hours at a time. The one time she’d made the mistake of leaving for a few minutes without telling them where she was going, she’d learned in no uncertain terms never to do that again. Still, that might beat sitting here watching them like this. She sighed. It was a complete toss-up as to which was worse with no real winner.

“Oh, please,” Hayden said, tipping up his latest beer. How many this made, Taylor had already lost count. “I could drink you under this table right here right now, and you know it.”

“Guys,” Taylor said though it was hardly even loud enough for her to hear it.

“Challenge accepted,” Chris said, and he raised his hand for a waitress. “Can we get another round over here?”

She needed to get them to stop, but pleading never worked and neither did getting angry.

“Guys,” she said, trying sweet instead, “can’t we just hang out and dance a little?”

“Oh, we’ll dance, baby.” Chris turned to her and grabbed her to him with no warning. The force of it knocked the air out of her, and she fought to breathe even as he dropped his lips to her neck. If she wasn’t careful, she would have bruises all over her neck by morning. That would be just peachy. Then again, if she wasn’t careful about not getting bruises there, she might well end up with bruises other places. It wouldn’t be the first time.

So instead of fighting him off, which was what her body screamed at her to do, she simply went as limp as possible in his arms while remaining standing. He’d already had enough alcohol that if she didn’t keep them upright, they wouldn’t be.

“Ah, baby,” she said as if she was thoroughly enjoying his attention and affection. She let him sway with her back and forth a couple of times so that he came up to look her in the eyes. His were already laden with alcohol and the weed he had done in the car on the way over.

“See Hay-den,” Chris said, still dancing with her. “This is why you need a woman.”

Taylor wasn’t real clear on just why he had said it, but that was okay because Chris probably didn’t know either.

“Another round,” the waitress said, appearing with the bottles.

“That’s what I’m talking about,” Chris said, and he turned and left Taylor standing there, awkward and alone. “Well, well, well, look at you.” He leered at the waitress as he put a few dollars on the table. “There’s more where that came from if you keep ‘em coming.”

With a nod, the waitress took the cash. “I’ll be right back.”

It was too bad Taylor couldn’t tell her to take it slow, but any conversation between them would surely be noticed and questioned by Chris who was already in a guzzling match with Hayden. Not really seeing a good way to avoid this nightmare, Taylor stepped up to the table and laid her arm on it.

“Hey, I’ll be right back,” she said. “Gotta go use the facilities.”

Chris just jerked his chin up after slamming the bottle on the table. “Don’t get lost.”

“Oh. I won’t. I’ll be back.” As fast as she could, Taylor slipped away from the table and slithered her way through the growing crowd to the restroom. With a wave of relief, she made it into the brightly-lit area. “Thank God for small favors.”

Making a full show of it, she went on in and all the way into a stall. It was still early, but judging by the crowd, it was going to be a packed house tonight. She didn’t really need to go, so instead, she simply leaned on the stall partition and pulled her cell phone out to check it.

Sad realization hit her when she saw Greg’s text. Probably it had come in when she was getting ready to go out or maybe even in the car. She hadn’t bothered to check it before. Now, it just felt heavy and incredibly depressing.

Checking on you. You ARE still coming tomorrow, right?

Slowly she shook her head. “Oh, Greg,” she breathed, but she got no more out.

Her eyes jerked back and forth across his message. If she didn’t text him back soon, he would probably text again… or worse, call. No. That would start problems she wanted nothing to do with, so quickly she typed in a short reply and hit send. She only had a few more minutes to herself before she would set off alarms for Chris.

As she stuffed the cell phone in the back pocket of her jeans, the wild side of her thought about simply leaving. She had the car and the keys. Then again, she had enough trouble to deal with as it was, she didn’t need to willingly invite more.

She took a breath to settle what she had to do and forced herself to open the door. Chris was her boyfriend, her live-in boyfriend at that. She wasn’t sure just how that had happened, but it had. And getting worked up about it never ended well. No. It was better to just keep going and make the best of it. That much she had learned the hard way.

Greg

The gathering seemed to be breaking up, but Wes had told them they needed to stick around to practice after everyone else left. So, Greg found himself sitting at their table alone as the others mixed and mingled when his cell phone buzzed. Surprised, he dug it out.

His head did a little dance backward when he saw who the text was from. “Tay?”

Okay, he shouldn’t have been so surprised, but since he had sent his text hours before not even really intentionally to get one back from her, it surprised him she had bothered to reply. In fact, the longer the time stretched from their last texting conversation, the more he thought she might simply have lied to him and she wasn’t actually going to show up.

I’ll be there. Save me a seat.

He smiled without realizing how easily she could make that happen for him. So, she really was coming. Sitting back with a contented sigh, he thought through all the scenarios that message could conceivably mean. If she brought that Chris dude… Greg’s whole being collapsed on that thought. That would be worse than her not coming at all. Far worse. A thought which promptly ushered in the next one about what it would be like if she didn’t, in fact, show up. He sat forward and put his elbows on his knees and his head down. If she bailed now, it wouldn’t just be her that looked bad. He had told Nelson she was coming. What excuse would he make up if he had to lie for her now?

“Wow,” LJ said, suddenly sitting in his chair that was practically in front of Greg’s. “I think my head is actually spinning.”

Greg dragged his gaze up in surprise and confusion. “Oh, yeah? Why’s that?”

“This. You guys. Everything.” LJ laughed. “I’m telling you, I’m never going to get Yoli back on that plane.”

Not understanding, Greg let his gaze drift over to the small knot of people currently talking and laughing over by the head table. It was enough to stab something awful in his heart. How could he be with them and feel so utterly and hopelessly alone?

“You know, I guess it’s really none of my business,” LJ said as he picked up his cup and took a sip, “but they’re all over there, and you’re over here. What’s up with that?”

Like a snap, Greg was searching for a plausible reason. “Oh. Uh, I was just… texting Taylor to make sure she’s coming.”

Just why that was the excuse that came out of his mouth, he wasn’t at all sure, but it was probably better than the truth anyway. However, at that, LJ turned, scooting the chair around so his back wasn’t to Greg anymore.

“You talked to her?” LJ asked, surprising Greg who hadn’t realized this would be so important to LJ.

“I… Uh. Yeah? Kind of. I’ve been texting her, why?”

LJ let out a breath of relief. “Oh, man, that’s good because Wes sent her like ten texts today, and she’s not replied to any of them.” Shaking his head, LJ sighed. “I know Nelson’s freaked out about it too. So, you really think she’ll show then?”

That was harder to answer, like pinning Jell-O to the wall with a spoon. “She said she will.” Sitting back, Greg put his arm on the table. “But it’s Taylor, so…”

At that LJ shook his head and scrunched his face. “What is up with this girl anyway?”

Greg cleared his throat. “Why do you say it like that?”

“I mean, she’s Paige’s sister, right? So she’s got to have some brains in her head.”

Weird, Greg had always thought of her as the smartest person on the planet, so LJ questioning her intelligence struck him as odd. “Well, she’s studying to be a doctor, so yeah?”

“And she’s your friend, right? I mean, all of you. You didn’t like have a falling out that someone did something and she hates you now?”

Well, that was a bit more complicated as Greg knew Taylor’s assessment of his former relationship with her sister, not to mention Nelson’s current relationship with her sister. He’d never thought of Taylor as the get-jealous type, but maybe he was wrong about that. Maybe she stayed away because of that. He didn’t know, and it gave him a headache to think about. “Not that I know of, no,” he hedged.

“Then I don’t get it,” LJ said. “You’re all thick as a den of thieves. Every one of you wants her here, and yet, she’s not. What sense does that make?”

“Uhhh…” Greg literally had no answer for that.

“I just hope she comes,” LJ said almost to himself. “Nels will hide the disappointment just like he always does, but I know, he wants her here.”

Well, that made two of them.

“Hey, guys,” Nelson called to them as Janet’s family headed for the door. “What do you say we run through a couple right quick just to check everything?”

Like a puppet on a string, Greg got himself to standing. “Let’s get this over with.”

Nelson

“You got anything in particular in mind?” Wes asked, coming over to the equipment. Without pause, he retrieved the bass from the case at the back.

“Just want to test everything out,” Nelson said as he shed his jacket, “so we need to do at least a little with each instrument.”

“Okay, so bass, electric, acoustic, keyboard, drums, mics,” Wes said as Greg made his way over.

Nelson hoped his friend wasn’t getting sick or something. He’d looked lethargic and not part of things all night. The last thing they needed was for Greg to go down and Taylor to not show up. One they could replace, the other, not so much. “I think let’s do Enough first. Greg, why don’t you grab the acoustic? I’ll take the electric. Then maybe we can try a little Rock It for the drums, and LJ can play keys on that one.”

“Sounds like a plan,” Wes replied.

Thankfully, the girls and his dad and mom were still resetting things in the main hall, so they could practice in peace.

“Paging Paige Grayson,” Greg said with a hint of teasing in his voice right into the microphone and the whole of everyone including Nelson looked over to him in surprise. “Paige Grayson, you are needed at the front mic immediately.”

With a shy smile, Paige said something to the others and headed their way. She never quit grinning the whole way over. Nelson really hated what it did to him when she smiled at Greg like that. She was with him, and he knew it. So why did it always feel like this? He ducked his head into testing the tune of the electric.

“Well, that was subtle,” she said with an actual laugh. “Very subtle.”

Greg leaned into the mic. “Thank you. Thank you very much. Subtlety is my middle name, you know?”

“Oh, yeah?” She laughed again as she came around and took the mic next to Greg. “Well, something is your middle name, but I don’t think that’s it.”

“Ugh.” He grabbed his chest like he was wounded. “That hurt.”

However, she just laughed at him as she turned to the others. “So, what’re we doing?”

“Enough,” Wes said helpfully.

Nodding, Paige looked at Greg as if to orient herself to the lyrics.

“Okay, ready?” Greg asked, and she nodded. “A-one-two-three-four.”

Paige

“You’ve been walking through, life without me,” Greg sang to her and the smile in his eyes was gentle—not romantic but loving and protective instead. “Never knowing what you’re missing out on.” His fingers slipped across the chords on the acoustic as behind them, Nelson added in the electric part that had been missing since she’d learned the song. It sounded different this way—more right. “I’ve been wondering if you don’t see me, Always hoping that you would…”

“Whatever you’re going through,” Paige added the harmony to Greg’s melody. “Whatever you’re searching to find… I’ll love you enough to hold you tightly each and every night. Enough to think about you and stay by your side. Enough to climb the mountains and swim the deepest sea. Enough to want you right here, next to me…”

“I’ll love you enough,” Greg sang as his gaze went out to their non-existent audience.

“I’ll love you enough,” Paige echoed, safe now in her knowledge that they were friends and their previous relationship wasn’t going to wreck everything. “You’ve been thinking that I don’t see you, Never knowing what’s in my heart.” She smiled at Greg. “I’ve been wondering if you would call me, Always hoping that you would…”

It was then that she noticed the others in the hall. They had either finished or stopped working, and they had formed a ring to the side, standing, watching, listening. Boy, that was intimidating in a way she hadn’t expected. Her heart filled her chest, and the question of could she really do this in front of people the following night drove into her.

Retraining her gaze the other direction to Greg, she anchored it there as if she’d been tossed into a tumultuous sea and needed to find something solid to hold onto. He smiled and winked at her as he started the chorus.

“Whatever you’re going through,” he sang, and she added in the harmony, “Whatever you’re searching to find…” The note bent upward. “I’ll love you enough to hold you tightly each and every night. Enough to think about you and stay by your side. Enough to climb the mountains and swim the deepest sea. Enough to want you right here, next to me…”

“I’ll love you enough,” Greg sang.

“I’ll love you enough.” Without knowing just how she knew, Paige drifted the note upward because they were ending the song. And then, it was over and she was still alive.

Just as she let herself take a breath of relief, applause and whistles broke out from their audience, and Paige ducked at the adulation. However, they didn’t all just go back to their previous tasks. Instead, led by Joe, they all came over to the band.

“Wow,” Joe said in genuine surprise. “You guys are really good.”

For a second, Paige waffled in confusion, and then it occurred to her what he was really saying. Her gaze jerked back to Nelson who was clearly trying not to lose it as his head was down and his gaze only came up once.

“Thanks, Joe,” Wes finally said as his eyes turned from grateful to worried about his friend. “I guess all those hours in Paige’s basement finally paid off.”

With no trouble at all, Paige heard the edit of the name, and she knew they all knew Taylor was not coming.

“So, are we going to do Rock It?” Nelson asked without ever acknowledging his father’s compliment. That spun worry straight into Paige’s heart. He was doing that deflecting thing he did when he couldn’t handle whatever was happening. Distract and dodge. He was good at it.

“Yeah,” Wes said. “Hey, LJ.” He jerked his head back. “You mind helping us out with this one?”

LJ looked like he wished Wes hadn’t remembered. “I’m going to regret saying yes to this, aren’t I?”

“Eh, come on. Who knows,” Wes said, “it might be the start of something new.”

“High School Musical?” LJ asked, catching the subtle reference as he turned on the keyboard. “Really?”

“Hey, whatever works.”

Greg and Nelson were busy untangling from the guitars so Greg could take the electric and Nelson could play the drums.

“Oh. Uh. Hold up,” Nelson said when he got back to the drum set. “Where are the sticks? Oh, man. Tell me we brought them.”

“Yeah. No,” Wes said. “They’re over by the guitar cases. I just saw them.”

Knowing she had no part in this song, Paige gingerly extracted herself from the microphone and went over between Lauren and Janet who looked positively glowing.

“That was amazing,” Janet said to Paige. “I didn’t know you could sing like that.”

Paige grinned. “I’m not sure I can. They’re magic. They can make anybody sound good.”

Nelson

Coming back over and wanting to get this finished so he could go home and decompress, Nelson clicked the sticks together even as he strode over. “Hit it.”

As if it was the easiest thing in the world, he slid onto the drum throne as the music leaped to life and he pounded through the opening sequence. It really did sound much fuller with LJ on the keyboard, and Greg’s electric playing had gotten much better. Letting his previous feelings fall into, through, and out of his arms, Nelson ripped into the beat with no mercy.

“Woo!” Greg half-sang, half-called into the mic. “Let’s rock it! Yeah! Cut the lights. Hit the floor. It’s time to party like never before. Let’s rock it! Rip the clock off the wall. Don’t wait for last call. Get out on the floor and let it roll…. Let’s rock it! Yeah!”

Jamming to the music, they played through what would normally have been a verse. This song, however, wasn’t much more than a couple of different choruses and a bridge thrown in for good measure.

“Break some rules. Act real cool. It’s time to party like never before. Let’s rock it! Footloose and free. Come on dance with me. Get out on the floor and let it roll… Let’s rock it!”

Pouring life itself into the drums, Nelson let all of the stress and strain of the past week channel through him into the drum solo. It felt incredible.

“Don’t wind it down, let’s paint the town. Come on, girl, don’t let me down, let’s rock it!” Greg sang like he was chewing through the words. “We’ve got one more night. Let’s do this right. You’ve got me. I’ve got you. Let’s rock it!”

This music break had all four of them veritably rocking out to the intoxicating music swirling between them and around them. Fun didn’t do it justice.

“Let’s break some rules. Act real cool. It’s time to party like never before. Let’s rock it! Footloose and free. Come on and dance with me. Get out on the floor and let it roll… Let’s rock it!” Greg kicked his foot on the ground and spun with the guitar as their audience cheered. “Come on,” Greg called, “Let’s rock it!”

One more long music break that literally could go on for days if they had the time and inclination, and Nelson heard Greg’s pace start to slow. That was probably a good thing because he had sweat dripping off his forehead. He would have to be careful tomorrow night. The last thing he wanted was to smell like a stuck pig when they finished.

Four more downbeats and they did a rolling end that had their sparse crowd cheering like crazy. The fermata lasted at least three measures and with two jerks of his guitar, Greg brought them all to the end.

When it was over, Nelson heaved a huge sigh of relief. The end had never felt so fantastic.

“That was… wow,” his dad said, clapping as Nelson stood and stretched at the drums. He knew he should be more gracious, but sometime in the middle of all of it, it had occurred to him that his father and Janet had never actually heard them play. He didn’t want it to, but that felt like a stabbing pain in the soft middle of his spirit that just wasn’t going away.

“Seriously,” his dad said. “You guys are way better than the college band I played with back in the day.”

“Oh, that’s right,” Greg said. “You played, huh?”

It was something about how he said it that jerked Nelson’s gaze that way. Horror jumped into him. Unfortunately, there was nothing he could do to stop the train wreck that was about to happen.

“So, what do you say?” Greg asked, half-turning to the others but not really giving any of them a say in the matter.

“About what?” Joe asked, puzzled.

Greg pursed his lips and shrugged. “Once for old time’s sake?”

“Oh, gosh.” That had Joe backing up. “It’s been a long time.”

“No you should,” the girls started saying. “Come on, Joe.”

“We want to hear you.”

“Come on. One time. Show Nelson how it’s done.”

It took effort for Nelson to stand from the drums and face his father. “Yeah,” he finally squeaked out, and he held out the sticks. “One time.”

“A-are you s-sure?” his father asked, and the question was directed only at him.

A breath and Nelson nodded. “Sure. Why not?”

He stepped forward, all the way to the mics, and there, with more hesitation than he had realized he would feel, he handed the sticks over to his dad. Even though he had said sure, there was a wordless conversation that passed between them as his dad tried to ascertain if this was, in fact, going to be all right with his son.

Finally, Nelson got himself to smile softly and nod.

Crazy in all the years he’d heard that his father used to play drums, he’d never actually heard that for himself. It was strange how life worked like that sometimes.

“Here,” Greg said, jerking the electric off his shoulder to hand it to Nelson.

“Oh. Uh.”

“Take it,” Greg said solidly. “I’ll grab the acoustic.”

Nelson didn’t have time to consider all the ramifications of the switch not to mention that his head was spinning from the whole thing. He glanced back as his dad sat and readjusted things with the drums. That was a drummer for you. They always had to have a trap set just right or it didn’t work. Somewhere between surreal and this can’t be happening, he glanced out at the girls, and Paige caught his eye. She smiled at him but softly, with encouragement that had actual courage in the middle of it.

The breath it gave him felt good. He could do this. And he knew that because she did.

Ducking, he danced his fingers across the strings to get a feel for them. It had been a very long time since he had played this one on guitar.

“You got it?” Greg asked Nelson’s dad.

“Think so.” He did a mini-run that ended with a soft cymbal crash.

Coming abreast of Nelson, Greg looked at him. “So, are we doing this together or what?”

“Uh.” Nelson didn’t know how to answer that one. “Together, I guess.”

“K. Sounds good.”

“Who’s starting?” Wes asked because everyone but him had done a full fruitbasket-turnover with the instruments.

“Well, I think it goes a little something like this.” Nelson ran his fingers up and down the neck of the guitar, and just like that, the others picked up the beat. The grin shot through him so suddenly, it nearly knocked him backward. “Yeah!”

They fell into sync together, and fun had never meant so much. Nelson looked over to LJ who suddenly looked imminently right jamming out with them on the keyboard.

“Cut the lights,” Greg sang when they got through the impromptu intro that had never sounded quite that way before.

“Hit the floor,” Nelson sang, stepping up to a mic.

“It’s time to party like never before!”

“Let’s rock it!” they both sang together. And rock it, they did for several measures.

“Rip the clock off the wall,” Nelson sang as he jammed in perfect time with the thunderous music.

“Don’t wait for last call.”

“Get out on the floor and let it roll…”

“Let’s rock it!”

Paige

This was hardly the first time she had heard this Rev4 song, but it was the first time she had ever heard it like this. The guys all seemed like they had been transported to a whole other realm of existence as if the fabric of the music had woven a magic carpet and they were on the ride of their lives.

“Woo-hoo!” she called, dancing with the beat. It was impossible not to.

Next to her, Lauren and Yoli went into dance moves that were more spontaneous bouts of joy rather than actual moves. But that was okay. They were having fun, and that was the whole point of this song.

Glancing the other way at Janet, Paige’s heart drifted to the ground and landed there softly. She didn’t have to ask. She knew. Carefully, she stepped over and put her arm around Janet’s shoulder. With awe and wonder in her eyes as the guys sang about breaking the rules and acting cool, Janet looked at Paige and shook her head.

“First time you’ve ever seen him play?” Paige asked over the throbbing beat.

“Yeah,” Janet said, keying in on the drummer who looked like he was absolutely having the time of his life. “I had no idea.”

It wasn’t hard to understand why she was so astounded. Joe wasn’t just good, he was one-hundred percent on-point. In fact, in many ways, his style reminded her a lot of Nelson’s, and strangely or not, he even looked like an older version of his son back there pounding out a rhythm the whole room could just get lost in.

“Don’t wind it down, let’s paint the town. Come on, girl, let’s rock it!” Nelson sang, and watching him, Paige realized how few of their songs he usually sang lead for—even though he had written most of them. Just why she’d never noticed that before, she wasn’t sure, but she made a note to herself to ask him when she got the chance.

“It’s one more night. Let’s do this right,” Greg sang, and just how perfectly in-place he seemed in front of that mic barreled into her. He took Nelson’s songs and brought them to life. “You’ve got me, and I’ve got you.”

“Let’s rock it!” they both sang together before pouring their full energy into the guitars. Both of them looked like they were meshed completely with the music and with each other.

“Woo-hoo! Go, Joe!” Janet called, and Paige knew the whole room of people felt the same way.

She wished she had thought to record it sooner, but the second she did, she whipped her phone out and got the camera going. This was one performance that shouldn’t be lost to the greedy hands of time, and she snatched it back just before it was gone forever.

“Cut the lights,” Greg sang, circling back to the beginning as if this was just too much fun to let it end.

Nelson laughed. “Hit the floor.”

And together as they looked at each other, playing the guitars in perfect sync, they sang, “It’s time to party like never before!”

It wasn’t how the song was supposed to go, but this version had taken on a life of its own. The two front guitarists turned to the others and an all-out jam session took over.

Paige couldn’t help but notice the deepening connection between the electric guitarist and the band’s newest drummer they had picked up some time in the last ten minutes. Just watching them together, as they spun intoxicating magic between them, the understanding that being here for this moment was a gift she never could have thought to ask for swelled in her heart until breathing ceased to be important. This was truly a night to rip the clock off the wall, break some rules, and paint the town. Because tonight, for the first time, the Samuels men had connected on a whole new level, and even in that moment, she knew, the past had officially ceded its hold on them. They were finally free.

Chapter 8

Nelson

Squealing the last note before doing a full-neck glissando, Nelson could hardly fathom what had just happened. He was already turned to his father on the drums, and when that last note sounded, he grinned and put out his hand upright. His father stood and clasped his hand before pulling him in for a long hug. The gesture threatened to wreck the entire set, but Nelson wasn’t thinking of that or anything else.

“You are phenomenal,” his dad said, and with no warning, tears popped out of Nelson’s eyes.

As he stepped back, he swiped twice at them and then across his forehead, hoping everyone would think he was just sweating.

“Well, I guess now we know where Nels gets it,” Greg said, coming back to shake Nelson’s dad’s hand.

“No lie. That was incredible,” Wes said, and he offered his as well.

“Hey,” Greg said, pointing at Nelson’s dad. “Tomorrow night. At least one.”

His father smiled, and his gaze dropped. “I…”

“Oh, come on,” Wes said. “You know you want to.”

When his gaze came up, it landed not on them but squarely on Nelson. It took next to nothing to understand the question.

“If Janet will let you,” Nelson said teasingly.

“I don’t know,” his dad said. “You know how women get on their wedding day.”

They all laughed.

“Well, that was a blast, guys.” His father put the sticks on the drums. “Way better than I remember it.” As he stepped out and around, Janet came and wound her arms through his before angling her lips up to his. He kissed her, and happiness radiated from him. “Little rusty.”

“You were amazing,” she said as love poured from her eyes, and he kissed her again.

“You know, gentlemen and ladies,” his father said. “I’d better get the bride-to-be home. No keeping her out past curfew tonight.”

“Yeah, no problem,” Nelson said. “We’re just going to get things back to good here, and we’ll be right behind you.”

“Okay,” his father said. “We’ll see everyone tomorrow.”

“We’ll be there.”

“Drive carefully.”

And with that, the soon-to-be bride and groom left.

“Well, that was fun,” Greg said. “Did it all sound okay from out there?”

“Yeah,” Lauren said.

“I thought it sounded great,” Yoli said.

“I got some of it if you want to see it,” Paige said. She went over by the mics as the three of them with LJ hanging back came over to watch. The sound on her phone wasn’t perfect, but they still sounded so good.

“Cool,” Greg said, and then he laughed. “I didn’t know who was doing that line.”

Nelson laughed as well. “That’s high-key winging it right there.”

“Not too bad,” Wes said. “I think it will work.”

“Awesome. Let’s close up shop so we can get home at a decent hour.”

“We don’t have to be at the church early, right?” Greg asked as they went about putting the guitars in the cases.

“No, not like performance early,” Nelson said, and he glanced back at the girls who had stayed on what would become the dance floor the following night. “So, has anyone heard anything from Taylor?”

“Uh, yeah. She’s texted me a couple times,” Greg said as he stood from the case. “She says she’s coming.”

“Yeah, well, I’m going to have to see that to believe it,” Wes said, and there was a bite to the words. “I’ve been texting her all day, and nothing.”

“I just hope if she shows, she doesn’t bring the creep this time,” Greg said. “I didn’t ask, and she didn’t say.”

When Nelson stood, he caught the fact that LJ was standing right there as well, but his friend hadn’t said even a single word. Nelson knew LJ was worried about him. LJ was always worried about him. He needed to dial the drama down a notch or a thousand. “Well, at this point, it’ll be what it is. We’ve got Paige, and she sounds great.”

Greg nodded, but his eyes spoke of worry as well. “Better than great. She’s amazing.” He seemed to snag on that. “Different than Tay, of course, but amazing in her own way.”

“She is that,” Wes agreed.

Nelson wasn’t sure what to add to that or if to add to that, and before he figured it out, the moment had passed.

“So, is that everything?” Wes asked.

“I think they want the dance to start about eight or so,” Nelson said. “We’ll play the ones we practiced, and I think that should be it.”

“You know, somebody should bring a good playlist on their phone,” Greg said, “in case people want to dance after we’re done.”

With his arms folded across his chest, Wes nodded. “I’d like to get a dance or two in if it works.”

Nelson nodded. “Okay.”

“I’ll do it,” Greg said, halfway raising his hand. “I’m off all day tomorrow, so…”

“Okay. Cool. That sounds like a plan,” Nelson said. “One less thing on my to-do list.”

“Is that it then?” Wes asked.

“Think so.”

Paige

The little mini-conference about where they were all meeting to get their hair done the next morning ended about the time the guys came over from the corner by the cases. How Nelson could look both relieved and incredibly stressed out, Paige had no idea, but he did just the same.

Each guy claimed their respective girlfriend, leaving Greg obviously and awkwardly alone. She wanted to ask if he was at least going to bring a date tomorrow night, but she didn’t dare with all of them standing right there.

“You know, Nels,” LJ said, “I haven’t had any time with my lady today. What do you say, I take your car over to Paige’s, and you take Paige.”

Instantly she wanted to protest on his behalf, but Nelson just grinned.

“That sounds like a great idea,” Nelson said, and he put his arm around Paige. “Well, let’s go before it’s time to come back.”

It wasn’t long and they were safely tucked in Paige’s car. From the passenger’s seat, she looked over at him. “Take a breath.”

He let out a short, shallow thing that couldn’t be called a breath.

“Ah, yeah, no,” she said, and she put her hand on his arm. “A real breath, please.”

This time he gave the breath the full length of time, and instantly, he looked tired.

“Wiped?” she asked as he started the car.

“Beyond,” he said and backed out. “Was that not beyond weird? Like completely bizzaro. Playing with my dad? How crazy is that?”

“You looked like you were having fun.”

“It was,” he said as if he was surprised by that. “Like really fun, like mind-blowing. I mean, I’ve heard my whole life that he played back in the day, but wow. I mean he’s really good.”

“Just like someone else I know.” She rubbed her hand down his arm. “In case I forget to say it, I’m proud of you. Not just for the speech or even playing.” Shaking her head, she fought to find the words. “Most people would have given up when everything looked like it was falling apart with your dad and Janet and us. But you never lost faith.”

Nelson laughed. “I didn’t? I think you need to talk to LJ about that one.” He shrugged. “I don’t know. It was more just putting one foot in front of the other and trusting a lot and hoping a lot and praying that somehow, some way God knew what we were doing, where we were going because I sure didn’t.”

“It’s kind of comforting actually,” Paige said, settling down in her seat, “knowing that, having experienced it. When I was younger, I thought God was either pointless or vindictive. Now, He just feels more there, you know? Like He’s really watching and working to get things right.”

Taking her hand, Nelson raised it to his lips and kissed it. “Well, He’s doing a great job of it.”

She smiled. “Best job ever.”

Yoli

“So, what’s your take on Taylor?” LJ asked as he followed Nelson down the streets that were Friday-night hopping. It was hard with all the lights to keep up with just which one of them was Nelson and Paige.

“Your guess is as good as mine,” Yoli said with a sigh. It was nice for it to just be the two of them. She had never been much of an extrovert, and all the girl-bonding time not to mention the family gathering of 30 people she’d never met two days ago had her completely worn out.

“Does Paige talk about her much? I mean, did she say anything?”

“She gave me Taylor’s bed if that tells you anything.”

LJ glanced her way but quickly reverted his eyes to the road. “You’re sleeping in Taylor’s bed? Where’s she going to sleep if she comes?”

That made Yoli laugh. “My guess is Paige doesn’t think she’s going to show up.”

“Huh.” LJ shook his head. “At this point, part of me is hoping she does and part of me is worried she will. Nelson’s frazzled enough. I just wish we could have come on a normal weekend. This has been a little nuts.”

But Yoli smiled over at him. “I’m just glad we came. Sure, it’s been crazy, but when are we ever going to have this chance again?”

“True. Very true. Hard to believe in 48 hours, we’ll be back in Seattle.”

“I think that means we’d better do our best to enjoy this.”

They pulled into the circle drive at Paige’s house, and LJ put it in park.

“Seriously,” he said, turning to her. “Are you glad we came? Is it weird being over here with Paige and stuff?”

Yoli smiled softly. “Paige is cool. She’s perfect for Nelson. She knows when to peel him off the ceiling.”

That made LJ laugh. “And we all know how important that can be.” He ducked for a second. “Thanks for stepping out with me to do this.”

She put her hand on his face as she drank in his eyes. “Anything for you.” Gently she kissed him because one thing she knew, Paige wasn’t the only one peeling her soul mate off the ceiling every so often.

The switch of the cars didn’t take long once it commenced, and in no time, they had said goodbye to the guys and headed inside.

“So, be ready by ten?” Yoli asked as they went to their rooms.

“I’m going to do breakfast by nine,” Paige said. “I don’t want to be late. I know Janet. She would be a little skittish if we’re not there when she gets there.”

“You know, I like how protective you are of her. It’s like she’s your second mom or something.”

Paige smiled. “We’re getting there.”

In minutes they said goodnight, and Yoli went to Taylor’s bedroom and closed the door. It was strange how the warmth and familial feelings she had had the entire day seemed to melt away the moment she entered that room. She let out a breath to tell herself she was being ridiculous. It must have been the missed sleep from the night before.

She hadn’t thought of the dream again until now, and now, she remembered how it had floated in and out of her all night. “Okay, God,” she said as she dressed. “No dreams tonight, okay? Can You help me out with that?”

Her cell phone buzzed, and she snatched it up.

Good night. I love you.

Quickly she typed her reply. At least she hadn’t mentioned the dream to LJ, otherwise, he would’ve been trying to figure out what it meant. It meant nothing, Yoli told herself. Nothing about nothing.

She got into bed, once again feeling the shiver of the room. It was August. How could it be so cold? Shaking her head to clear it of those thoughts, she closed her eyes. “Breathe and sleep, Yo. Just breathe and sleep.”

It was all going so well until she opened her eyes and found herself back in that hazy little white and gray space. It was a house this time, not the thatched hut it had been before.

“Mija, are you ready?” her mother asked from the other side of the door, and Yoli fought, knowing she was dreaming but unable to get herself to wake up.

After a moment of struggle, she stopped. Determined this time to use the strange occurrence to talk with her mother.

“Mom. Mama,” she said, but it was like her mother was too frazzled to pay any attention to her. “Mama, listen to me. I don’t want to get married. I don’t, Mama. I don’t.”

“Nonsense, Mija. Now, we must be going, or we will be late.”

“No, Mama. I don’t want to go. I want to stay.”

“You know we cannot stay. We must be going. We are already late.”

Frantically, Yoli tried to think of a reason not to go. “My cough drops. I have to have them.” She broke from her mother and ran back inside, tossing things aside and ripping drawers open in a room she didn’t remember ever living in. “They have to be here somewhere. Where are they?”

“Mija, we must go. They are waiting.”

Her mind begged for her to find them before it was too late, before she was dragged away with no hope of ever retrieving them. “My cough drops. They have to be here. I know they were here.”

“What were they? Where did you leave them?”

“They’re the red ones. You know the ones…” As if they had simply appeared in her hand rather than her finding them, she was suddenly holding them, and she clutched them to her heart. “Here they are. I must have had them the whole time.”

“Then it is time to go.”

This time, there was no path. It was like being teleported to the wedding ceremony, and Yoli clutched the little box of cough drops to her even tighter. When her groom at the front turned, she saw and felt the evil oozing from him as he looked at her and smiled.

“No, Mama! No! I don’t want to marry him. Please. Please, listen to me. Don’t make me marry him.”

And with that image following her, she jerked awake, her heart slamming in her chest. Breathing hurt. It was like her entire system was set on full alarm, and it stayed that way long, long after she had verified that it was just a dream. Just a dream that seemed so incredibly real.

She’d had them before. Many times. This was like that, but none of it made any sense to her at all. Maybe she should ask Paige or tell LJ. Maybe they would know what she did not. But either way, she couldn’t talk to them now. Curling one way before flipping over the other, she lay there—needing sleep but terrified of letting it take her down into it again. She didn’t want to get married to that awful, evil man with the tattoos and blond hair. Going through every person she knew, she couldn’t come up with a single one that looked like him, which was good in one way but unsettling in the extreme in another.

“Okay, God,” she finally said as her nerves frayed and frazzled inside her. “I have got to get some sleep here. Please, please help me.” And thus, she prayed until and even after she fell asleep. And though the blond man with the evil eyes did not reappear in her dreams, he did not leave either. It was as if he knew eventually her protests would be ground down, eventually she would walk down that aisle, eventually she would be his wife. It wasn’t a matter of if, it was now only a matter of when…

Chapter 9

Nelson

Thankfully by the next morning, Nelson had climbed down from the rafters. Yes, it was a big day, but basically, all he had to do was show up with the rings, make another toast, and sing a couple songs. Of course, after that, real life would start again with taking down the equipment and moving it back to the basement and taking LJ and Yoli to the airport the next morning…

He chopped those thoughts in half. One day was enough to worry about.

“Big day,” he said to his father when his dad showed up for breakfast.

“It is that.” His father got himself some cereal and sat down in the sunshine in the breakfast nook. “You know, I was going to tell you, I meant what I said last night.”

“Oh?”

“You guys really are amazing, and me playing with you tonight is totally up to you. I don’t want to overstep.”

Nelson nodded. “Hey, it’s your day… Well, you and Janet. If you want to play with us, I say let’s do it.”

His father grinned. “I’d forgotten what it was like, you know? It’s like… magic.”

With a smile, Nelson nodded again. “Yep. I know that feeling.”

Paige

The salon wasn’t even open when Paige and Yoli arrived. Kelly would be here any minute as would the young lady she was training—Neva. Kelly said Neva had just taken the state boards to get certified. This was her first wedding to do. Paige tried to not be worried about that, but just the same she was going to get Kelly to do Janet’s hair. Everyone else could be guinea pigs.

In minutes the parking lot began to fill up with her friends. Lauren was first, followed by Janet, Kimberly, and Helen. And just as Paige got out to greet them all, Kelly showed up.

“We brought the coffee,” Janet said as she and Kimberly strode up with cup holders on either side of their mother.

Paige laughed. “Well, then, let the party begin.”

Yoli

Yoli made sure to hang back to talk with Lauren while Paige helped the others sort out their hair styles. Janet was going with a spiraled up-do that sounded both tedious and time-consuming. The other stylist, a young woman about their age, got to work on Kimberly’s more subdued style.

That left her, Paige, and Lauren to converse over the coffee.

“Okay,” Yoli said. “Since we have some time, let’s talk future plans. Lauren, you and Wes?”

“Me and Wes, what?”

“You and Wes, you know. How long before we’re coming back for a wedding?”

“Oh. Uh, I think you’ll be here for Nelson and Paige long before you get an invite for ours.”

“That’s going to be at least four years,” Paige said. “I’ve got to get through college first, or my parents would kill me.”

“Yeah,” Lauren said, “besides, maybe we’ll all be taking a trip north for your wedding before any of ours.”

Yoli laughed. “Seems hard to believe this is my last year in college already. I graduate in December. It seemed like it was going to take longer than it has.”

“Four years feels like an eternity,” Paige said.

“Trust me, it won’t be,” Yoli said. “Enjoy it. It goes way too fast.”

Paige

Just in case something went wrong and time ran out, Paige was last in the chair. Everyone besides Yoli, who was currently in Neva’s chair getting her hair straightened, had gone on home to have lunch and change. But they had plenty of time.

“Have you talked to Taylor?” Yoli asked from out of the clear blue, and Paige scowled at the question.

“No. Not in a while. Why?”

“You think she’ll come?”

Thoughts of her sister brought up very dangerous feelings. If Taylor showed up and ruined this day… “Knowing Taylor, probably not.”

“What is up with her anyway?” Yoli asked. “I mean, it’s like she’s a ghost that you all remember but can’t quite get a handle on.”

Paige heaved a sigh. “I wish I knew.”

“Is she really that bad?”

“Yes. No? I don’t know. Taylor… When we were young, I thought she was the bling-bling of everything.”

Yoli lifted her eyebrows.

“But then she went and got all drama-drama on us.”

“Us?”

“In high school, she changed… a lot. But college, man…” Paige shook her head but stopped when she sensed Kelly trying to keep up. “I don’t know. It’s like she can’t make enough stupid decisions, you know? She’s going with this guy, or at least she was last I knew. A real winner, let me tell you. She brought him home in April, and that was pretty much the last she’s been home.”

“She doesn’t come home?”

“Not if she doesn’t have to. Oh, she came for my graduation,” Paige said, still stinging from that fiasco. “She made a big production about being home and how the guys and her needed to have a reunion… at our graduation party. Nelson had to practically drag her out of there.”

“Nelson?”

Paige sighed. “Long story. I was with Greg at the time. Taylor came with Nelson. Okay, not with-with, but with. At least, I don’t think it was with-with.” She squinted into that and then shook her head again. “Anyway, it doesn’t matter now. Let’s just say Taylor has an opinion of every relationship I have, and it’s never good.”

“Wait. So, she never went out with any of the guys?”

That gave Paige pause. There were landmines in these parts, and she needed to be aware of saying too much. “No. Not really. She liked Nelson for a while, I think, before we started going together, but that never really materialized.” Funny, that used to bother her. Why it didn’t anymore, she wasn’t quite sure.

“But Wes, Greg?”

“Nope neither of them. Wes and her would be like oil and water. I don’t see that ever having a snowball’s chance of working.”

“Okay. Then Greg?”

Paige smiled softly. “You know how sometimes people could be together, maybe even should be, but the timing is all wrong. And nobody makes a move because… friends, and all of that?”

“Yeah.”

“I think that’s how Taylor and Greg are, not that Tay would ever give Greg the time of day. But…”

“But Greg would like her to.”

“Something like that.”

Taylor

By two o’clock, Taylor was a basket case. If Chris didn’t go to work soon, her plan was going to blow up in her face. She went out to the living room where he lay on the couch amongst the debris. Cups and cans were scattered across the coffee table and on the floor. With a sigh, she let her eyes go closed for five seconds to gather her wits. When she opened them, nothing had changed.

“Chris,” she said, picking up two cups and a can from the floor. “Chris. Don’t you have work?”

He moaned and moved but without much real direction. “What time is it?”

“Two. I thought you had work.”

“I do.”

“Then aren’t you going? You’re going to be late… again.”

He heaved a frustrated sigh and rolled off the couch to standing, swaying a little as he did so. “Chill, woman. I’m going.”

Heading for the kitchen with her hands full, she stopped at the doorway. “Oh, and just so you know, I’ve got a babysitting thing tonight, so don’t wait up when you get back.”

“Babysitting? Tonight?”

“Yeah, they just called. It’s a last-minute thing. But I think it’s going to be late before I get back. It’s for some wedding… out of town or something.” She was hurrying through the words like the lies might catch up to her.

“Oh. Uh. Okay. Well, don’t worry about me. Hayden and some of the guys are playing poker tonight.”

“Oh,” Taylor said, and it was a fight not to get angry at the news. She had been on her own for rent since Trina had moved out in May. With Chris playing poker, September wasn’t looking to change that. But right now was not the time to pick that particular fight. “Okay.”

In the kitchen, she dumped the liquid in the sink and pitched everything else in the trash in the tiny pantry at the end of the galley. Just outside the door of the pantry, next to the counter, she stopped and leaned back on it. Closing her eyes, she fought the tears and the utter frustration with herself. “What am I doing?”

Nothing upon nothing about life felt right anymore. Not being here. Not being with Chris. Not going back home. Nothing.

Maybe she just shouldn’t go. Maybe that would be easier. Better. Or not so bad anyway.

Going felt wrong.

Staying felt wrong.

Nothing felt right.

The tears threatened in earnest even as she sniffed them back. She had to get it together. The last thing she needed was for Chris to find her crying. That would set off all kinds of fireworks she wanted no part of.

At that moment, her cell phone buzzed, and swiping at her tears, she listened to the sounds in the apartment carefully before pulling it out. Yes, Chris was safely back in the bedroom. She took one look at the cell phone. Greg. Great.

Are you coming or am I coming to get you?

Taylor laughed with no sound at all and shook her head. He just did not give up. Glancing at the doorway, she quickly typed in her message, clicked off her phone, and slid it into her back pocket. Chris would be gone in ten minutes. Yes, he was late, but there was nothing she could do about that.

Once he was gone, she would have just more than an hour to get ready. She could shower and let her hair air dry in the car if she had to. That was a solid plan. It would get her out of here and safely on the road the fastest.

Just as she had finally gotten her spirit onto something solid, Chris came into the kitchen. “You headed out pretty soon?”

The question took her off guard, and Taylor very nearly said something she would have regretted. “Oh, uh, yeah. Pretty soon.”

“K. Well, I’ll call you later.”

She nodded, hoping and praying she could play that off when and if it happened. “K. Have fun at work.”

“It’s work,” he said with a note that sounded like it had come right out of the grave. “It’s never fun. That’s why they call it work.”

“Oh.” Winding her arms in front of herself, she nodded. “Then I guess I’ll see you later.”

“Yeah. Later.” And with that, he left.

Taylor didn’t move for several long minutes even after he was gone. In fact, she didn’t move a muscle until she heard his motorcycle roar out of the parking lot. Then, like a shot, she flew into motion. Beautiful and gorgeous would have to take a backseat today. Normal would be about all she could conceivably accomplish, and that was if she got really, really lucky. “Dear Lord, please let this work.”

Greg

Yes, he was probably annoying her by now, but the fact that Taylor had texted right back with I’m coming gave him hope that she actually was. Figuring it would be hours before he got to eat again, he went out to the kitchen and was rummaging in the refrigerator when his dad came in from the back door.

“Whose bright idea was it to have a wedding this weekend?” his dad asked in typical his-dad style. No time was ever good for anything that didn’t involve work or attending conferences about work.

His father, a research and development scientist with Tygenia, had little time for parties and what others affectionately called life. “Is your mother home yet?”

“Uh, no. Not yet. I think she took the girls shopping.”

“Shopping. Huh.” The briefcase landed right next to the table where the three files his father was also carrying dropped. “They don’t have enough clothes? Have to go get something special for the big day?” He said it all so sarcastically that Greg knew his very best bet was to just keep quiet and pray he wouldn’t be the next target.

He pulled out turkey and ham before going over to retrieve the bread.

“Oh, Sam called,” his father said just before he actually made it out of the room, and Greg’s irritation meter zoomed up a thousand points. This was not what he needed right now. “He needs the down payment on the place by Monday. Are you going to cover that?”

“Uh, I can,” Greg said, not really prepared to but figuring that was the better bet at this point.

“You can or you will?”

“I… will.” He stopped in mid-sandwich making. “That cool?”

His father scowled. “Cool. What is it with you kids and that word? Yes, it’s cool. When is the first payment for school due?”

Man, Greg’s plan had been to try to make it through this weekend in one piece before really tackling all things college. It had seemed such a good idea at the time. “Not sure, but I can look.”

“That would be wise seeing as how they’ll lock your account down if you miss a payment. No classes, no grades, no semester.”

“I’ll get it done, Dad.” He very nearly said chill, but he caught that at the last possible second. “Promise.”

About that time, the girls and his mom came in from their shopping trip.

“What a day,” his mother said. “The mall was insane.”

His dad, who almost always toned his bite down when his wife was around, smiled in that way he had of looking like it was painful. “Do I even want to know?”

“You should see my dress, Daddy,” Charlotte, Greg’s youngest sister, said, her exuberance with life bubbling over as it always did. “It’s really pink.”

“Really pink?” he asked. “Great.” He retrained his gaze on his wife. “What time are we leaving?”

“No later than five-fifteen. I do not want to be late.”

“Five-fifteen. Very good. Okay, then. I’m just going to make a few phone calls before it’s time to get ready.”

“K.” At the island, his mom went through the bags. “Emme, here’s your dress. Why don’t you go hang it up, sweetheart?”

Emme trooped over and retrieved the garment.

“And Charlotte, here’s yours. We’re going to have to eat something right quick and then start getting ready.” She looked at her watch. “Oh, man, how did it get so late already?”

Greg sat down at the island and bit into his sandwich.

“I’m guessing you have your clothes all lined out?” she asked him as she started making sandwiches for his sisters.

“What? Oh, yeah. For sure. White shirt, black pants.”

“Jacket and tie.”

“Eh, I wouldn’t go that far.”

She reached over and swatted at the back of his head, and he ducked out of the way playfully. “Jacket and tie.”

“Yeah. Yeah. Yeah.”

“So is the band all ready for the big performance tonight?”

“Hopefully,” he said, getting up to get water. “We sounded pretty good last night. Mr. Samuels even played one with us.”

“Mr. Samuels? Nelson’s dad?”

“The one and only. He’s actually pretty good.” Coming back over, he sat down. “Surprisingly.”

“Why surprisingly?”

“Oh. You know… he’s a dad and everything.”

His mother squinted at him, teasing and mad all at the same time. “We’re parents, you know, not dinosaurs.”

Greg laughed at her. He adored his mom. She was the soft glue that held them all in perfect place. “Same thing.”

“Hey, you watch it, mister. I still have four more days that I can ground you, remember?”

He smiled at that. He’d only been grounded once, in ninth grade, for being stupid and lying to her about something he didn’t even remember now. He’d never made that mistake again. As high school careers went, his was about as uneventful in the getting in trouble category as one could get. It had just never seemed all that important to him to do anything that would bring the wrath of Mom and Dad down on his head.

The only even semi-rebellious thing he’d ever done was be in the band, which to his father was a mortal sin but to his mother was just him needing to spread his wings a bit.

“So,” she asked, her gaze only on cutting the tomato, “is Taylor going to be there?”

Subtle, Greg thought. He knew his mom was smart enough to suspect things about him and Taylor. Even though she had supported his short-but-doomed relationship with Paige, he knew she knew him well enough to know where his heart would be if given the chance. “I think so. She said she’s coming.”

His mother nodded slowly. “And Paige? She’s going to be there?”

He laughed at that. “She’s Plan B.”

That yanked his mother’s gaze up to him, and instantly he was scrambling to explain that.

“For the singing thing,” he said quickly. “Singing. Not… No. Not… that. No, she’s with Nels now. Totally off the table in the girlfriend department.”

“There’s a department?”

“You know what I mean.”

“Okay, so, then are you bringing somebody?” his mother asked carefully. “That’s fine if you are. I’m just wondering on the name so I don’t go all deer-in-the-headlights Mom on you.”

Drinking the last of his water, Greg stood to put the dishes in the dishwasher. “Nope. I’m flying solo on this one, so no worries on that whole headlights thing. I think you’re safe.”

“Okay,” she said, and for some unknown reason Greg couldn’t articulate, she sounded a little disappointed. “Well, I hope it all goes great tonight.”

“Yep. You and me both.”

Chapter 10

Nelson

As planned, Nelson arrived at the church for the six o’clock wedding at just after three-thirty. The first thing he did was get the sound system on and check out the piano, mic and acoustics. Of course, he couldn’t test Paige’s part, so he would wait… not patiently or without excitement, but wait just the same.

“I just wanted to check, do you need anything?” an older lady asked, coming into the choir area. “Oh, I’m Martha Butler. I do the organ for the weddings. I’m assuming you’re Nelson.”

Nelson jumped to his feet so fast, he scooted the bench. “I’m sorry.” He put out his hand. “It’s nice to meet you. Yes, I’m Nelson, Joe’s son.”

Martha smiled like a beam of sunshine. “Your father speaks so highly of you. He’s very proud.”

That ducked Nelson’s gaze. “Oh, well, thank you.”

“Joe said that you would have a young lady accompanying you?”

“What? Yes. My girlfriend. Paige Grayson. She plays violin, and she sings. I brought this mic over for her. I hope that’s not a problem.”

Her smile went all the way to sincere kindness. “That’s fine. Will she be here soon?”

He looked at his watch. They’d texted earlier, but he hadn’t seen a stitch of her since he’d arrived. “Oh. Well, she might be here already, but she’s probably helping Janet with the dress.”

“How wonderful,” Martha said. “A family that actually gets along. That’s a new one.”

Nelson smiled. “Well, we have our moments.”

“As all families do,” Martha said. “Just have to remember to keep the important things important, and give each other lots of time, space, and love to grow. That’s what I always tell my Vincent.”

Strange, Nelson had thought this was about music. “So very true.”

Paige

She needed to get into the church to practice. Nelson was surely wondering where she was. It wouldn’t have hurt to text him, but the back of Janet’s dress had her more worried about tiny buttons and little loops than violins, microphones, music and text messages.

“You got it?” Kimberly asked, hustling in from trying to take care of a bathroom emergency for one of the two kids she had brought with her.

“Almost. These things are a lot harder than they look,” Paige said.

“Well, if you don’t need help, I’m going to check on Mom and Dad. They just got here.”

“Okay,” Paige said, struggling with a particularly difficult loop. It was too small for the button.

With that, Kimberly left, taking the two children with her.

Paige wished her nails weren’t done. That would have made things so much easier. “Okay. I’ve just got two more.” Then she stopped. “Oh, no.”

“What?” Janet asked in instant concern as she tried to look over her shoulder.

Paige put her head down. “Oh, you’ve got to be kidding me.”

“What’s wrong?”

With a sigh and no more, she started undoing her previous work. “There are too many loops for the buttons. It must be missing one. I’m going to have to undo all of these and start at the top.”

“Oh, no. Paige, I’m sorry,” Janet said. “I never thought to check that.”

There really wasn’t another option. Unbuttoning from the top down, Paige puzzled at Janet’s comment. “Isn’t this the dress you wore the first time?” She probably shouldn’t have asked, but she was starting to feel a solid foundation forming in her relationship with Janet. So much so, that questions like that were not out of bounds anymore.

“Oh. We didn’t actually do the church thing the first time.”

That surprised Paige even more. “You didn’t?”

“No. We just thought it would be simpler to go in and get it done,” Janet said, sounding faraway. “What was the point of making a big deal of it, you know?”

Even as she continued to unbutton, Paige thought about that. “But it is a big deal, right? I mean, pledging your life to each other for forever? I’d think that was about as big of a deal as they come.”

Janet became very still then, preternaturally still. “Honestly, I really wanted to, but Joe was like, ‘What difference does it make? It’s just a piece of paper.’ So, I went along with it. I did that a lot back then… went along with whatever he wanted. He wanted to move, we moved. He wanted a different car, we got a different car. He wanted to go on vacation, we went on vacation. At the time, I thought that’s what love was, sacrificing so the other person would be happy. But it was weird, the more I gave like that, the more he took, until there wasn’t much of me left.”

Paige had gotten to the bottom, so she wordlessly started again at the top.

“It’s so different now. He’s different. I’m different. Before, I just went along with everything, but now I realize it’s got to work for both of us, not just him and not just me. Both. It was really hard at first when he called about Nelson staying with me this summer. I’m not sure I even wanted to do it because it felt like just one more thing Joe needed me to do, but I couldn’t say no to Nelson, not after all he’d been through. Then, when he was there for a while, I don’t know. Things were so different. He’d talked to his dad for one, and he didn’t back down like he always had before—like we both did before. I think that made me a little more… bold, for want of a better word. I just saw that being honest with Joe wasn’t the death sentence to our relationship I’d always thought it would be.

“And he changed too,” Janet continued. “He changed a lot. A lot, a lot actually. And not because I wanted him to, but because I think he felt like we were going to leave him behind if he didn’t. I think when Nelson went to Atlanta, something really resonated with Joe. It really clicked that Nelson felt toward him the way he’d always felt toward his dad—disconnected, angry, emotionally abandoned. Crazy thing is how different him and Nelson had turned out. He was a hot mess. Nelson was as together as you could be, at least he looked that way on the outside. But inside, I think they were a whole lot alike. Kind of like them playing the drums last night. They look so similar like that, but it’s more than just looks. It’s their spirit. It’s like they have this amazingness in them but they don’t know quite how to handle it, you know?”

Although Paige was finally nearing the last button, she wished this conversation could go on forever. “So, now, you and Joe?”

“We’re learning,” Janet said. “Relearning maybe how to ask for what we want, how to be honest with each other about things. It’s like the college thing. I brought it up, and he wasn’t against it. Then I thought, ‘You know, maybe this is too much for us, for him. Maybe I’m just being greedy.’”

“For going for what you want?” Paige asked, now on her knees to get the last few buttons in place.

“I know, that sounds crazy, but I guess part of me is still in do-whatever-it-takes-to-make-him-happy mode. That’s not an easy habit to break.”

Tucking the final little loop down into the fabric so no one would ever know it was there, Paige stood right next to Janet and found herself looking into the mirror as Janet stood there in stunningly beautiful perfection.

“You know,” Paige said as she put her arm around Janet, “I think you might be underestimating him.”

Surprised, Janet looked at her. “What do you mean?”

“Well, you said he’s like Nels, and I agree with you, he is. I just know that it’s taken a lot of work for Nelson to finally find some peace with everything. He’s still working on it, but I’m starting to see that he doesn’t want a doormat for a girlfriend, he wants a partner—someone strong enough to be honest about things. Someone who will let him talk and be real, and someone who will be real with him. Maybe that’s the word I’m looking for, ‘real.’ It’s so funny because when he first got back, I was totally like you. I was trying so hard to keep him from leaving again, I almost lost who I was in the process.”

“Oh, honey.”

“I know, right?” Paige said with a grin. “It took me a while to learn to be again. I think that’s what you and Joe are learning—how to be with each other, how to be yourself and not lose that in trying to make each other happy.”

“And that’s what you and Nelson do?”

Paige laughed. “Let’s just say we’re a work in progress.”

“Well, I think you’re doing an amazing job of it,” Janet said, and she put her arm through Paige’s and hugged her.

“Okay,” Kimberly said, coming back in sans children. “The photographer just got here. I’m guessing we want to do the ones in here first, or should I send him over to Joe’s area?”

Putting her hand on Janet’s arm, Paige leaned closer. “I’m just going to go check on the sound right quick.”

“Paige,” Janet said, stopping her, and suddenly, she was caught looking right into the eyes of Nelson’s soon-to-be-stepmother. “Thank you. For everything.”

Tears sprang into Paige’s eyes as she nodded. “Absolutely. Ugh.” She swiped at her eyes carefully. “Don’t do that. You’re going to make me cry.”

Janet laughed as she dabbed at her own. “Too late.”

Nelson

Although he had seen Kimberly at least three times in his time running errands, Nelson had yet to see Paige. It wouldn’t be like her to be late, and they had texted that morning to make sure everything was all set. She, at the time, was at the hair stylist, but it had sounded like things were fine, and he hadn’t heard anything to the contrary since then. But he was thinking about asking someone if this went on much longer.

He was on his way to the kitchen for water for his dad when an absolute vision in pale lavender stepped out of the bride’s room and closed the door with her head nearly laid on the thing. In one breath, he stopped heart, body, and soul. Time, movement, and everything else in life ceased to even be.

She seemed to be praying or at very least deep in thought, but stunning did not do her justice. In fact, one glance stopped Nelson completely, his breath swept away from him with no warning whatsoever. Her hair had a braid in it that traversed the side of her head that then let the whole of the rest of her hair flow down her back in a cascade of truly heart-stopping beauty.

Even more, her dress—simple lavender chiffon that wrapped her shoulders in a graceful sweep that then crisscrossed the bodice making everything about her appear as perfection personified. Water forgotten, he went instead to where she still stood, her hand still on the door, her eyes closed. He didn’t want to intrude on her private moment or to scare her, which he realized were both a possibility as he neared where she stood, so he cleared his throat softly to announce his presence.

Like an angel coming aware of life, she turned first her gaze and then herself toward him. Her smile was a sunbeam that at once warmed his heart and set it ablaze.

“Hey, stranger,” she said in that soft voice he couldn’t get enough of. “What’re you doing here?”

He stepped right up to her and took both of her hands in his at their sides. “Admiring the view.” Not able to help himself, he kissed her softly. It felt like God was smiling on them. When he backed up, Nelson took a single step back and held her hands out so he could take in all of her beauty. It was a moment he would never forget. His eyes came back up to hers, and hope danced in her eyes. “You look amazing.”

“You don’t look so bad yourself,” she said with a soft laugh.

Tipping his head, he grinned and ducked. “Eh, this old thing?”

She laughed for real then and slid her arm around his waist, turning them both down the hallway with one spin of her strappy silver shoes. For the briefest of moments, she laid her head on his shoulder. Life in that breath was as perfectly right as it had ever been. “So, what’re you up to? I thought you were on best man duty.”

“I am. I was going to get Dad a glass of water, or to see if they had any glasses anyway.” He looked over at her, seriously unable to keep his eyes off her. This was going to be a real challenge. “Did you bring your violin? Martha said we could test things out.”

“Martha?” Paige asked in confusion, still holding his hand and his arm which weren’t helping his mind work any better.

“The organist. Lovely lady. Very nice.”

Paige grinned. “I bet you say that about all the girls.”

“Only the ones I have a thing for.” As they got to the kitchen, he leaned in and kissed her cheek. “You know, this is hardly fair.”

“What?”

“You looking like that. I’m going to forget all the lyrics and make a fool out of myself up there.”

“A fool for love,” she said with a grin.

He laughed, which felt really good. “Sounds like the lyrics to a cheesy love song.”

“Or a really good poem.”

Just inside the kitchen door, he spun her once before folding her to him and kissing her soundly, sure he wouldn’t have another such chance until this was all over.

“I thought we were looking for water,” she said as pressed against him, she put her hands on his chest and gazed up at him.

“The water can wait.”

Greg

In the lobby with Wes and Lauren, LJ and Yoli, Greg noted the number of people coming in who weren’t the one he was looking for. Lauren’s parents arrived first and said hello with handshakes and hugs to the group. In no time Wes’s mom arrived, and she too was welcomed into the growing group. When Paige’s parents showed up, Greg did his best to shake Mr. Grayson’s hand without awkwardness.

“Greg,” Mr. Grayson said, and when he smiled, the corners of his eyes crinkled. At least that was a good sign he hadn’t trashed his welcome in their lives.

“Ah, darling Greg,” Mrs. Grayson said, and she held her hands out to put them lightly on the sides of his face. “We haven’t seen you in a while.”

He wanted to point out that he had been there just two nights before, but that didn’t seem prudent. “I’ve been a little busy.”

She smiled at him, and animosity was nowhere in her eyes. “Well, you should come by again. We’ll make enchiladas.”

Greg grinned at that. “You know me too well.”

With that, she did actually hug him, and he found it comforting rather than awkward. However, he glanced up and worry drove through him. Great. His parents had made it.

“Well, looks like the gang’s all here,” his mother said, and the whole lot of them turned to greet the newcomers. Hi’s, hellos, handshakes and hugs went around the group like some insane game of Dr. Mix-Up. By the time it was over, Greg was somehow between not his own parents but Paige’s. Well, this was awkward in the extreme.

It didn’t help anything that Paige and Nelson picked that moment to appear from the hallway, hand-in-hand looking as in love as they had ever been.

“Oh, my baby girl,” Paige’s mom said, and she and Mr. Grayson detached from the group to go over and talk to the lovebirds.

The sight of Paige’s radiant smile coupled with her striking beauty in that lavender dress drove all kinds of bad into Greg, and he had to drop his gaze to the carpet and hold it there lest his heart get shredded completely. With his impeccable timing, Wes stepped over and thankfully not loud enough for the others to hear asked, “Have you heard from Tay?”

Greg didn’t know if to shake his head or cry. He wanted to do both in the worst way possible. “Earlier, she said she was coming, but I would’ve thought she would be here by now.”

With a tip of his eyes, Wes shrugged. “She’s still got a few minutes.”

“Why don’t we all go on in?” Greg’s mother asked, and Greg watched as Lauren came over to collect Wes. Her hair was done in a bazillion little spirally curls, which surprisingly looked more sophisticated than cute.

As Greg reluctantly followed the pack to the church doors, he pulled out his cell phone to silence it and to check it. Nothing. “Taylor, where are you?”

Taylor

Thankfully, the hair drying in the car thing had worked and owing to the scrunch gel, it had left her hair in kinked-out waves. Not too bad if she did say so herself. In the church parking lot, she got out and checked herself over once and then again. Her chosen outfit, a champagne jumpsuit that was backless but for the elaborate tie at the back of her neck was stylish, comfortable, and not a dress. She would have laughed at that assessment if she hadn’t been so late already.

Checking her watch, she shook her head and hurried to the back steps. At the top, she shook her hair out and worked to get her nerves to settle down. Hopefully this wouldn’t all be as bad as her mind had been telling her it could be on the drive over. “Breathe, Taylor. You’ve got to breathe.”

She’d never been in this particular church before, so at the end of the long hallway that branched out in several directions, she hoped she wouldn’t get lost. If she did, she was going to miss this thing altogether. Fortunately, when she made it to the large opening, one glance told her she had made it to a wedding if not to the right wedding. A second look, however, and she caught sight of Nelson in his full black tuxedo. Wow, what the sight of him did to her. Oh, boy. This was going to be a challenge.

Her feet were still carrying her forward although the rest of her had yanked backward when Nelson looked up and right at her. His smile started in disbelief but spread all the way to sheer joy.

“You made it,” he said just as she got to him, standing at the back doors waiting with his father to go in.

“I did,” she said, and she put her arms out to him at first awkwardly but as she stepped into his, gratefully. She was glad she had come.

Greg

Sitting nearly at the front with the whole group, Greg checked his watch, trying not to call attention to himself for doing it. If Taylor didn’t hurry…

Without really thinking about it, he glanced to the back, and like getting a one-two sucker punch to the head and gut, he saw them. Taylor, looking just as gorgeous as she ever had, wrapped in Nelson’s arms. Like he’d just been shot and left for dead, Greg turned back to the front, stung to the core. He closed his eyes, desperately trying to get his flailing emotions back under some control. This was going to be a whole lot harder than he had realized.

He gripped his lips in the vice of his teeth and fought not to turn around again. Her parents were right behind him. She would surely just sit with them.

“Chill, Greg,” he thought with a long breath. “Just chill. She’s not here to see you. You knew that.”

However, in the next breath, none other than Taylor Grayson herself was standing right next to the empty seat next to him. “Is this seat taken?”

Greg looked up at her, and love so strong it hurt jammed into him. He blinked into the question as his mind spun off in a thousand directions he’d never let it go before. “I… Uh… Oh.” He shook himself hard to get some semblance of sane stamped down over complete lunatic. “Uh, yeah.” He smiled, at least he thought he did. “Yes. Yeah, of course.” For good measure, he scooted over and ran into Lauren on the other side of him.

“Hey, guys,” Taylor said, smiling like the queen as she waved to everyone down the bench and behind them. Many of them waved back at her. There was a rustle of surprise that crossed the group, and then, somehow, Taylor was, in fact, sitting right next to him.

Her gaze slipped over to his, and the hopeful vulnerability in her soft, dark eyes swelled into the center of his heart and lodged there making it impossible for him to breathe.

“Hey,” she said just to him, and somehow when she leaned toward him, in the next breath, his arm was around her. He had no idea how that had happened.

“You made it,” he said into her hair as she huddled herself into the hollow of his embrace. The hug lasted much longer than he would have thought it would. So long that he thought for a crazy second it might mean something. Finally, however, she righted herself and shook her head to get her hair back or to get back into Taylor mode, one of the two. He wasn’t sure. In fact, he wasn’t sure of anything including what was real and what wasn’t.

Wow, she was mesmerizing. Captivating. Soul-stealing. He could look at her forever and never grow tired of the view.

“Oh, man. I can’t believe I’m here,” she whispered, sounding and looking far more excited about it all than he had expected.

Although he probably shouldn’t have, Greg let his hand on the arm that was still across the back of her on the bench fall to her shoulder. One touch, and he was pretty sure those feelings shouldn’t be felt in church. “I’m really glad you came.”

Just like that, she cuddled into him once again, putting her arm all the way across his middle as he gingerly wrapped her back next to him. Oh, that this could actually be real and that she would be this happy to see him, not just a luck of the draw that he happened to be the one sitting on the edge thing. That much was clear when she straightened and smiled down the bench at the others, and she waved to all of them again.

At that moment a hand came between them from behind, and Greg jumped and removed his arm from around her. He had forgotten they were so on display.

“Taylor,” her mother said, and Taylor grinned the smile of a thousand suns as she leaned back for a kiss on the head from her mom.

“Mom.”

Greg ducked his head, rubbed the edge of his nose and then his hands together before training his gaze on the tiles at his feet. You’re going to have to get past this craziness, Greg. She is not here to see you. This is not about you.

The first notes of the organ yanked his attention up. He looked back to find Nelson and his dad striding down the aisle, and Greg cleared his throat to erase the insanity from his head. This wasn’t about him and Taylor, it was about being here for Nelson and his family. That was it, and he needed to remember that.

However, it was clear that was not going to be easy as Taylor turned to look at him with awe and wonder when everyone stood for the bride’s entrance. With no warning at all, she slipped under his arm once again and shivered there with excitement coursing through and out of her.

“Oh, man, I just love weddings.”

Right then, Greg was pretty fond of them as well.

Paige

Having chosen to sit on the opposite end of the front pew closest to the music area, Paige had thought herself fully prepared for the ceremony. She knew the music. She’d seen Nelson. They were in a good place together. In fact, her heart was in a good place with all of it.

Then Taylor showed up, and her previous contented hold on life slipped badly.

It had started when she witnessed the interminable hug the two of them shared in the back and only deepened into livid irritation when Taylor came right to the front and sat on the other side of the bench, right by Greg.

Even as Paige stood for Janet’s walk down the aisle to a beaming Joe at the front, Paige found her heart clawing at her that her sister had some nerve showing up like that. She didn’t slip in, quietly and unnoticed, like a normal person would. Oh, no. Not her sister. She had to show up at the last possible second before the wedding party started down the aisle and march right down the center aisle so that everyone in the whole church would have to take notice of her arrival.

Paige, she said to herself in annoyance, stop thinking about her. Don’t let Taylor ruin this for you. This is Janet’s day and Joe’s day and Nelson’s… It was only when she looked at Nelson, standing there watching his parents become his parents again that her thoughts mercifully dragged her off the train wreck she reluctantly called her sister.

“Joe and Janet have chosen a reading from Matthew 7, verses 24 through 27,” the preacher said with the Bible open in his hand, and Paige anchored her gaze and attention on him and held it there like it was under an anvil. “Everyone who hears these words of mine and does them will be like a wise man who built his house on the rock. The rains fell, and the floods came, and the winds blew and beat on the house, but it did not fall, because it had been founded upon the rock. And everyone who hears these words of mine and does not do them will be like the foolish man who built his house on the sand. The rains fell and the floods came, the winds blew and beat down on the house, and it fell because it had been built upon the shifting sand.”

The pastor closed the Bible and addressed not the congregation but Joe and Janet.

“In the short time I’ve known you both, the thing that I have been most impressed with is your desire to learn a better way. Joe, we’ve spoken at length about what you consider to be your mistakes in life, and I don’t think it’s a secret that this marriage is a do-over in some ways. But I think it’s important for both of you to realize that it’s in the broken places inside of us that the light can shine through the brightest. It’s through our wounds and scars that our greatest lessons are learned, that we choose to learn to do life better.

“They say that a boat can spend its whole existence by the shore, but that’s not what boats are made for. The same can be said for each of us. We can choose to hide, to curl up, to quit, to give up, and to risk nothing. But that is not what we were designed to do. So, while the world might question why you’ve chosen to re-begin your marriage the way you have, I want to applaud you both for your choice. I believe this very public declaration is about proclaiming that this time, you aren’t building on sand. You are done with the sand kind of life. You are done with passing down wounds and stumbling through mistakes. Instead, you’ve decided to start passing down wisdom by setting your lives and your marriage on the rock that is Jesus Christ. I commend you both for that bold choice. I know it was not lightly made by either of you.

“I also know that a solid marriage takes not just two people but three. God, the husband, and the wife. It is imperative that you put Him as your center, and He will bind you together so that no earthly thing can ever again pull you apart. This is our prayer for the two of you today, that from now into eternity, it will be God that knits the two into one. And now, if you’re both ready, I ask you in the sight of God and these witnesses, have you both come here freely and without reservation to pledge yourselves to each other in Holy Matrimony?”

The love between them radiated from their faces and their smiles. “We have.”

In that moment, Paige forgot about all things Taylor. All she could think was how in love Janet looked as she gazed at Joe and how his eyes reflected only the love in hers. It was everything that true love should be.

Nelson

Emotion had always been Nelson’s nemesis. Ever since he was a child, he’d battled the sensitivity that welled up inside him when life conspired to touch his heart with whispers he couldn’t explain or contain. And suddenly he could do neither.

He wasn’t sure if it was because of his dad looking so truly happy and at peace or because he was getting to share this moment with his friends. Whatever it was, he was having a monster of a time keeping the dam inside himself from disintegrating.

When the vows were said, the pastor asked for the rings, and Nelson fumbled in his jacket pocket to retrieve Janet’s. Willing himself not to drop the thing even as his mind helpfully imagined him down on his hands and knees trying to retrieve it from under the front pew, he held it out and the pastor blessed it before nodding to Nelson to hand it to his dad.

The smile in his father’s eyes shook the dam so that it started cracking, and by the time, his dad was slipping the ring on Janet’s finger, Nelson was slipping the side of his hand across his cheek to try to dry the tears. No one had to tell him the probability against this happening, against them standing here in this space, against them making these vows and him witnessing them. This was truly a miracle if ever he’d witnessed one.

And then the rings were exchanged.

“Now, Joe and Janet have chosen to light a candle to signify the unity they now share.”

That was Nelson’s cue to head to the piano, but it took him a full ten seconds to even get himself moving. How was he ever going to get through this song? He should have thought of that before he gave in to the emotion. Ugh.

Sniffing and stuffing, he headed over to the piano, knowing he was a mess and having no idea what to do about that. He knew his parents were following him to the little candle on the stand not ten feet from where he would play. He couldn’t think about that too. In fact, thinking was starting to be a real issue.

At the piano, he met up with Paige who took one look at him and her smile said she knew everything—the struggle, the emotional tidal wave, even his concern that he was about to wreck everything because he was such a basket case. Before she went to her violin, she stepped over and put her hand out for his. Surprised, Nelson accepted the gesture, thinking she would simply let go and get on with life. Instead, she took a step, not away from him but toward him, and for one second, she put her hand on his face and put her lips to his ear.

“Let’s be awesome.”

Pulling back from her, Nelson let the awe of her confidence wash over his soul. He smiled at her, once again set firmly on the rock of peace and hope. “Let’s do this thing.”

She held his hand all the way over to the piano where she deposited him at the bench before going around to pick up her violin. Caught in the simple peace of her spell, Nelson took a breath and gave himself the gift of taking one moment to watch his parents light the candle that symbolized them coming together as one.

And the two shall become one. He even smiled to himself when his father blew out his single candle, forsaking himself to become one with his wife.

Turning from the tender scene, Nelson’s gaze snagged on Paige, violin ready, simply waiting for him to begin. This time he really did smile at her, grateful beyond measure that they were in this together, and together it would be awesome.

Taylor

Watching them, it didn’t take Taylor much to remember the first time she’d ever heard Nelson play or to recall most of the details leading up to that moment. As she watched him sit at the little bench and lay his fingers on the keys, her mind went back to that time without her realizing she was going on the nostalgia trip. It didn’t matter how it happened for suddenly she was right back there.

It was sometime midway through freshman year. He was the new kid at school though she couldn’t clearly remember knowing that at the time. What she did remember was how skinny he was, with wild-kink curls of hair standing out pretty much in every direction. In fact, when she thought about him back then, all she remembered was how much he looked like a little kid. And that he was shy. Oh, he was shy, and he stammered a lot back then too.

She wasn’t sure if he only did that around her, but she remembered that when they got together to practice, he would always be so nervous, she just knew he was going to tank the whole thing. Keimig, their orchestra instructor, had suggested the pairing, and Taylor had fought tooth-and-nail to not let it happen.

As she watched Nelson now, all grown up and blindingly handsome, her heart was glad that destiny had overridden her stupidity back then. For even now, as he began to play, she was transported into another realm just as she always was when he did that.

On the other side of the piano now stood her sister, graceful, beautiful, and not looking nearly so much like the kid Taylor remembered her being when she had left for college. When the song started, it did not look like any performance she had ever been in or seen. No, they looked only at each other as if the whole world had shrunk to just the two of them and they had forgotten anyone else even existed.

“Only when I’m with you can I ever hope to fly,” Nelson sang, and Taylor’s heart turned over.

But this time was different than it had ever been before.

For as long as the two of them had been together, one look at them together could drive jealousy right into the deepest, softest places of her. Nelson had been hers. Hers. And he should never be with anyone else. Ever since that first day in the orchestra room when he played the piano accompaniment to her solo. He had adored her, wanted her, loved her even. She saw it every time he came around, and it felt good in ways she hadn’t even admitted to herself until many years later.

Somewhere in the middle of all of it, she had come to think of him as her back-up guy. The one that would always be there no matter what because he always was.

A pang of regret knifed into her as she remembered herself cruelly laughing at him the one time he had asked her out freshman year. He’d looked like such a little kid back then, and she couldn’t imagine what her friends would say if she showed up to the dance with him. The words pity date came to mind. So, she told him no and laughed with Missy Malone that he had even asked her in the first place. It was supposed to make her feel like the big, important freshman she thought she was. High school goddess and all of that. But even now, it just felt awful to her heart.

The memory of his sweet face, so crushed but trying not to be, trying to say he understood and it was okay... How forever after that he would walk the long way around the orchestra room to avoid her. She didn’t blame him. Why would anyone want to be around someone so very awful as she was?

“Only together does this feel right,” the two of them sang, and Taylor couldn’t help but think truer words had never been sung. The two of them were so right together—even now, or maybe especially now. She knew Paige had fallen apart after Nelson left, and she’d never known quite what to do about that. Being the older sister was supposed to make you wise and supportive. Unfortunately, it had just made her vindictive, jealous, and mean. She wasn’t proud of that, but every time she was around her sister these days, it just came up like a hungry dragon that had to be fed.

Maybe that was the theme to this little trip down memory lane—to show her in bright vivid colors her own stupidity when it came to everyone around her. She breathed that down and vowed not to think about it because it was dragging her down into dark realms she really had no desire to visit. Especially now with Joe and Janet standing there looking so in love.

Love.

Taylor sighed long and deep. It was all just so beautiful, but so frustratingly ephemeral. As she looked first at Joe and Janet and then over to Nelson and Paige singing about love and life and what it’s like when you find the right person, she couldn’t help but think that she would never know that kind of love—the kind that looked at you like you were the only person on the earth, that leaving was not and never had been an option, that you were treasured and cherished and would be forever.

Just as those thoughts threatened to take her under a giant wave of tears, Greg glanced back at her and smiled. She looked at him, thankful that even if she was never to know love like that, at least she had been blessed to know friendship like it.

Without any real thought to it, she slipped her hand over and her arm wound under his as she huddled closer to him.

“Only together does this feel right,” Nelson sang for the last time.

“Only when I’m with you can I ever hope to fly,” the two of them sang together, and Taylor let out a longer breath, one that held only slivers of regret amidst the mountains of gratefulness for all of them.

As if he was surprised by her gesture, Greg looked down at her, and his smile was like the sunshine coming out after a spring rain. It warmed her to the core, and contented for that one small moment, she let the rest of the breath in her lungs go as she put her head on the back of his shoulder, more thankful for all of them than she had been in a long time.

“Give me a chance, a change to show you… that only together, everything is right…”

A soft smile enveloped Taylor’s heart and spirit. They were together—Nelson and Paige, and it was so clearly right that tenderly her heart opened its hands and released the two of them to be together. She was sad for herself but oh, so happy for them.

“Everything is right,” Nelson half-sang, half-said to Paige, and the words were infused with so much emotion that Taylor felt the truth of them even as she closed her eyes and breathed them in.

For that moment, she was ethereally glad for him, for Nelson, her friend. He had finally found what he was looking for. And he so deserved that kind of love. If only it were so easy for everyone…

The song ended in a gentle dance between her sister’s violin and his piano, and when it was over, Taylor found herself having to carefully dab at her eyes, lest she disturb her makeup. As she sniffed, Greg looked down at her, and his eyes alone asked if she was all right. She grinned at him in happiness even as she retrieved her arm from being entwined with his. A modicum of embarrassment snaked through her. How had she ended up so entangled with him? She could hardly remember.

Worse, she found as Joe, Janet, Nelson and Paige met for an impromptu, short hug-fest at the front, getting herself back together after that was hardly the easiest thing in the world. She felt like she’d been dunked in love so strong, it now radiated from her as well as the happy couple and the two songbirds now parting ways.

Crazy how easy it was to begin to believe that lie.

“And now friends and family,” the preacher said when Joe, Janet and Nelson made it back to the center of the church, “it is my honor to present to you, Mr. and Mrs. Joseph Samuels. Joe, you may kiss your bride.”

Joe’s eyes lit with mirth and joy as he put his arms around Janet and kissed her soundly and true. Once, twice, and then a third time for good measure. Everyone laughed and clapped including Taylor. Overtaken with joy and love, she dismissed the other thoughts with a solid swipe of sanity through them. She wouldn’t think about that here, not now, not tonight. Tonight, for this one night, she wanted, once again to believe in the fairy tale, and honestly that was easier than not at that moment.

The organ started, and hand-in-hand, Joe and Janet headed for the back, followed by Nelson and the maid of honor. For a second, Taylor didn’t move, and then on the other side of the aisle, a couple who were clearly not anywhere close to young, stepped out together.

“I think we’re supposed to go,” Greg said, leaning down so she felt the breath of his words on her ear, and she jumped and half-turned to him in confusion.

He looked down at her, smiled, and pointed out to the aisle. It still took a good five seconds for her to process that and realize she should be moving.

“Oh. Yeah, huh?” With a laugh, she stepped out and waited for him because she didn’t want to look like an idiot walking out by herself.

As they headed up the aisle, Taylor wound her arms in front of her lest anyone get any ideas about them. Then again, it was Greg. It wasn’t like he was datable or anything. At least not for her. However, as they followed the older couple who did not move at the speed of light up the aisle to the doors at the back, Taylor smiled softly at the picture the older couple made. They were short and neither looked at all stable or sturdy. In fact, they held onto each other’s hands, and it looked like one without the other would topple completely over.

Her heart brushed across the idea of being with someone like that for years and years and years, still holding hands and walking with each other through life. It was such a nice thought, she was almost whisked away back into the dream of the wedding.

“Well, that was fun,” Greg said, and his voice was so familiar, it felt like coming home.

Taylor glanced up at him. “Be nice.”

“What?” he asked, looking wounded. “It was.”

She shook her head at him, knowing Greg well enough to know there was always a joke lurking somewhere there. “Nelson looked happy.”

Laughing at that, Greg nodded. “It’s about time.”

With a smile, she joined the nod. “No kidding.”

Together but not, they breached the doors and stepped out into the brightly lit lobby. Following the older couple who gave Joe and Janet hugs, Taylor did her best to put her nerves to the side. She’d heard plenty of stories about Nelson’s dad, but she couldn’t be rude and get out of line. Especially not with Greg and the others right there.

“Congratulations,” she said, shaking Janet’s hand, and if hope, joy, and love could be visible, they were right there in the woman’s eyes.

“Thank you so much for coming,” Janet said.

“Of course,” Taylor said before stepping over to Mr. Samuels, Joe. He was far more intimidating. “Congratulations.”

“Thank you. We’re so glad you came,” he said, shaking her hand like he might pump it right off her body.

“I wouldn’t have missed it.”

And then, leaving them, she took three more steps, and just like that, she was once again in Nelson’s arms. This time, however, she knew the dynamic between them had changed. He was her friend and only that, only now, that didn’t seem like something she had to bludgeon herself into remembering. It just felt right and real.

“Mmmm,” Nelson said, hugging her even tighter. “I’m so glad you came.”

Stepping back and nearly tripping right over Greg who had stepped up behind her, Taylor smiled and swiped at her eyes. “So am I.”

“Nelson,” Greg said, putting his hand past her to their friend.

“Greg,” Nelson said happily.

“Man, you guys killed it up there. That was awesome,” Greg said, and Taylor nodded even as she wound her arms back in front of her.

“It was amazing,” she said, and softness for all of them touched her heart.

“Thanks. I’m so glad you guys were here.”

Greg smiled. “We wouldn’t have missed it.”

Chapter 11

Paige

When the others all headed to the back, Paige went instead to the piano to collect her violin. In all honesty, it was probably ridiculous, but something about her sister’s arrival and presence had thrown her ability to be cool with it all into unforeseen turmoil. Still, she was not about to ruin Nelson’s big day by being all hormonal about it. No, she would do what she always did when Taylor deigned to show up, stuff it all and just try to get through it.

She had retrieved the violin and bow from atop the piano and was stowing it back in the case at the front row when the organ music wound to an end. Instantly the shift in sound allowed the happiness from the back to reverberate through the sanctuary. Laughter and excitement rolled across the abyss to and right over her, and she tried not to feel so alone all the way down here so far removed from it all.

“Oh, my,” the woman from the organ said, coming across the slightly raised platform and right over to her, “you kids were… well, that was just the loveliest thing I’ve ever heard.”

Surprise lit through Paige. She straightened and brushed at the hair from the edge of her face. Without pause the woman came all the way over to her, stopping only inches away.

“I tell you, it put joy in this old heart to know that music like that still exists in this world and that it’s not going to die with the likes of me.”

Paige smiled and laughed softly. “It was our pleasure.”

“Well, it was our pleasure to be so blessed by hearing it.”

“Thank you.”

“No, hun, thank you,” the woman said. “And listen to me, you keep playing together, okay? The two of you. Don’t ever lose that connection or take it for granted. When you’re as old as I am, you realize it’s those small connection points that make all the difference. It’s important to hold onto them and treasure them—especially with the ones you love the most.”

Wordlessly, Paige smiled and nodded just as more laughter came from the back. Her back was to the door, and she didn’t want to be rude and look like she’d rather be back there than talking with the woman. However, the woman was wise enough to understand what Paige did not say.

“Well,” the woman said, “I shouldn’t keep you from your celebration.” She put her hand out and onto Paige’s wrist. “Just promise me you’ll find a way to keep playing. You have a gift. You really do. God gave it to you to use for His Kingdom. Don’t forget that, okay?”

Just why the moment seemed to be illuminated with soft glowing light, Paige didn’t know, but when she thought back on it later, that’s how she remembered it. “Okay. And thank you.” She bent forward and gave the woman a hug. “And thanks for playing too. It was beautiful.”

The woman nodded. “It’s my little way of bringing some light into this world.”

“Well, we were blessed to have you.”

“Thank you, my dear. Enjoy your celebration.”

“We will.”

Nelson

The swirl of happiness and hope seemed to sweep Nelson right along with it. Everyone upon everyone was so happy, his heart could hardly hold it all. It was only when the swell of it began to die down that he realized he hadn’t seen Paige come out of the church.

“We’ll meet you over there,” Wes said, his arm around Lauren, “oh, and don’t worry about LJ and Yo, we’re taking them.”

“Okay,” Nelson said, somewhat taken aback by how easily his friends had all meshed into one. “I think we’re good to go too, so we’ll see you guys there.” He waved as the six of them headed out together. Where was Paige?

Paige

As she started out of the church, Paige met Kimberly coming back in. As usual, Kimberly was accompanied by two children who were not at all thrilled with the whole shindig.

“I’m hungry,” the oldest whined.

“Stop,” Kimberly hissed. “Just stop. Mommy has to get this taken care of, and then we’ll go.”

Instead of going out the side door as Paige had planned, she rerouted herself to the center where Kimberly was wrestling the two kids and the flowers.

“You need some help?” Paige asked, setting her case on the front steps.

“Oh, Paige, thank goodness!” Kimberly said in a rush. “Janet said we’re supposed to take these arrangements over to the reception.”

“O… kay.” Paige looked at the two enormous arrangements on either side of where Joe and Janet had stood.

“I can get them in my Tahoe,” Kimberly said, picking one up carefully, “but she wanted them over there as soon as possible.”

“Okay?” Standing by the plethora of flowers, it took Paige more than a second to figure out how to get the thing lifted so she didn’t topple over with it.

“There’s all the stuff to get in the bride’s room still too,” Kimberly said, teetering carefully down the steps. In her full-length dress and heels, it didn’t look like the best idea in the whole world.

“Well, I can get that stuff,” Paige said even as she negotiated her own way down the steps.

“Oh, could you? I’ll owe you like a thousand.”

Paige laughed. “It’s okay. I think I’ll live.”

“Well, look at you,” Nelson said, striding down the aisle and right to her. “I was wondering where you got off to.”

“Sorry, I got a little busy.”

“Here.” Carefully, he took the thing from her. It wasn’t exactly not awkward to have a conversation like this.

“Kim’s going to put them in her Tahoe to take over to the reception,” Paige said, filling him in on their plan quickly.

“Okay, so you want to follow me then?”

“Oh, uh, actually, I have to clean up the bride’s room before I head over there.”

Nelson resettled the unwieldy arrangement. “Oh. Okay. Do you need help?”

“No. It’s cool. I’ve got it. You go on.”

“You sure?”

“Yeah.” She had been following him out, walking with him when suddenly she remembered her violin. “Oh, dang it. I forgot my violin. You go on. I’ll meet you over there.”

“You sure?” he asked again, looking more than a little worried.

Paige smiled and leaned in for a quick kiss. “Promise I won’t get lost.”

“Okay.” He sighed. “I guess I’ll see you there then.”

“K.” With that, she headed back down the aisle, and halfway down, she slowed her steps. Now that the arrangements were gone, the space looked stark and far less joyful. Crazy how fast one moment could be there and gone. As she collected her case, she thought about the woman who played the organ again. What had she said about all those little moments?

It would have been nice to hold onto that one a little longer. Then again, she was missing out on the next ones by pining for the ones now past. She’d better get a move on or she might miss out on the next one entirely.

Greg

Because Taylor didn’t know where the reception hall was, Greg had her follow him across town. He made sure as he drove to go slow enough that they would definitely not get separated. The very fact that she was here was such a miracle, he didn’t want to be the one to mess that up.

His thoughts pinged back and forth—to the thought of singing with her later and back to sitting with her at the wedding. He smiled because he couldn’t help it as he remembered how happy she had looked. That was Taylor—joy personified. She was always so together, so perfect. Her outfit. Wow. She looked like a million bucks without even trying. And when she’d put her arm through his just like she used to do back in school…

He didn’t remember the first time she had done it, but he remembered most of the times since. Taylor just had a way of being that drew him in and wouldn’t let him go. She was beautiful, yes, no question. But it was more than that. It was her spirit. She was fearless, like a warrior princess who could wield a sword in one hand and a mean hairbrush in the other. In school, she was the it girl. Not the ditzy cheerleader type, nor the homecoming queen, but she had such a way of carrying herself that those labels wouldn’t have stuck anyway.

No, Taylor was just quintessentially Taylor. No one could imitate her, and no sane person would even try.

At the reception hall, Greg pulled in making sure the spot next to him was free for her. With no hesitation, she pulled in right next to him, and when he glanced over, he caught her reapplying her lipstick with the help of the rear-view mirror. His gaze fell as something said he shouldn’t be staring when she was doing something so intimate. Lipstick. He’d seen her with it and without it. One was homey and comfortable like she was in her parents’ basement after school. The other was show-stopping. He knew without question which one he would be tangling with trying not to fall for tonight.

“Good job not getting lost,” he said to her over the hood of his car as she got out of hers.

She laughed. “Good job not losing me.”

They came together at the front of the cars, and she slipped under his arm for a quick hug. It was truly amazing how easily she did that, and when she let him go, how much that hurt.

“So,” she said, “I guess we’re really doing this singing thing tonight?”

“Sounds like it,” he said. “We practiced last night. Actually, we practiced a couple times this last week.”

“Yeah, with school like it is…”

“Yeah, no,” he said quickly as he opened and held the door for her, “I completely understand. I’m just glad you made it tonight.”

Into the brightly lit room where the quasi-meal would be served, they went. Together but decidedly not. Inside, Greg lifted his chin to Wes’s greeting before ducking to Taylor. “Looks like the gang’s all here.”

“With a couple of additions, I see,” she said, ducking back to him.

“Come on, I’ll introduce you.”

“Hey, hey, hey. What up?” Greg said to Wes, putting his hand upright for his friend to catch. “LJ.” He stuck his hand out to the newest member of their group. “Uh, LJ, Yoli, this is Taylor Grayson, Paige’s sister. Taylor, this is LJ and Yolanda.”

“Taylor,” LJ said as he put his hand out to her across the center of the group. “We’ve heard so much about you.”

“All good I hope?” she asked, and Greg heard just a hint of actual concern.

“Oh, absolutely.”

“Hi, Taylor,” Yolanda said, and she too shook Taylor’s hand. “It’s nice to finally meet you.”

“You too.”

The door swung open and a large set of flowers masquerading as Nelson appeared.

“Oh, gosh,” Greg said, leaving the group. “Nels, what in the world?”

“There’s another one in the Tahoe. Help Kim.”

“Got it.”

Taylor

Turning, Taylor watched as the two of them morphed into three and then four as Wes and LJ went to help as well. “Those guys,” she said, mostly to herself. “They’re like my own personal band of superheroes.”

However, when she turned back what she saw flash through Lauren’s eyes was anything but happiness. Lauren wound her arms in front of herself, crinkling her pretty yellow dress. “So, are you planning on singing tonight?”

“What?” Taylor asked, taken aback by the question and the attitude. “Uh, well, yeah. That’s why I came.”

Lauren bounced her eyebrows and glanced over at Yoli before thawing just a touch. “That the only reason?”

Taylor had no idea what to say to that and before she figured it out, the guys came back in one solid knot of jostling and laughter. Even Taylor had to smile at how right they all seemed when they were together.

“All fixed,” Greg said, and his happiness was undeniable as he rejoined their little group.

“Impressive,” Taylor said to him with a grin. “I didn’t know you could do flowers.”

“I’m a man of many talents,” he said, happiness virtually pouring off him.

“So, what’s the plan Stan?” Wes asked as he put his arm around Lauren. Taylor had learned if they were in the same room together, that would be how they were.

“Uh, well…” Nelson scratched the back of his head. “Dad and Janet should be here any second. Then we’ll eat and they’ll cut the cake and that’s when the dance is supposed to start… like right after that.”

“Okay, so you want us to check the equipment now or wait?” Wes asked.

“Uh, I think probably wait a little bit? Maybe ‘til part way through the meal anyway.”

“We’ll have to be quiet with it,” LJ said, and Taylor puzzled at that. When had LJ started to have a say in any of it? “Don’t want to disturb everybody’s meal.”

“Yeah, but it shouldn’t be too big of a deal,” Greg said. “We checked and double-checked it last night. It’s not like it’s been moved or anything.”

“True,” LJ said with a nod. “But tell you what, Nels, you let us worry about the equipment. You just do your thing with the whole best man deal and leave the grunt work to us.”

Nelson smiled at that though there were still worry lines. “You sure?”

“Yeah, hey,” Greg said in typical Greg-fashion. “We got this, dude. Just chill-ax and enjoy yourself. Trust us for a change.”

Laughing at that, Nelson nodded. “Nothing like walking on the wire without a net.”

“What do you mean?” Wes asked. “We’re telling you, we’re your net.”

“Good point.”

“Oh,” Greg said when the door swept open. “Speaking of the best man thing, you’re on, dude.”

With one look, Nelson disengaged from the group and headed over to his parents.

“That Nels,” Greg said with a shake of his head. “You’ve got to love him.”

“Or lock him up,” Wes said, and they all laughed.

Paige

It wasn’t that cleaning up the bride’s room was difficult. It really wasn’t. The problem was, with nothing to help her carry anything, Paige had to make multiple trips out to her car. To compound that problem, they had locked the side of the church that would have been the direct path to her car, so she was forced to go the long way on every trip.

She did her level best to carry as much stuff as she possibly could, and honestly, she wished she had thought to bring a suitcase for this mission. That would have made this much easier. As it was, the short task took nearly 30 extra minutes, and by the time she made it to her car the last time, she was all-but exhausted.

Hers was the last car out of the lot, and she checked the time. Already 7:15. If she didn’t hurry, she was going to miss the reception altogether. That thought coupled with what the reception might be like had her one breath away from turning the car the opposite direction and just going back home. No one would miss her anyway.

She shook her head at that thought. Of course they would miss her. Lauren would call out the National Guard, and Nelson might never speak to her again. Although Paige knew that, the other side of her kept helpfully telling her what it was going to be like to be outshone by Taylor all night.

Taylor. The 1.0 of the family. First born. Most loved. Best daughter ever.

Oh, sure, there had been the screaming match between Taylor and her father on the front lawn over Chris-what’s-his-toes. But that was a family thing. Not the band.

No, the guys in the band still regarded Taylor as the queen of all that was good, right and wonderful. Standing in that cold, dreary shadow all night did not sound appealing. Then again, what choice did she have? Taylor was here—like it or not, and Paige wasn’t going to miss what could have been the most magical night of her life because of her stupid sister.

With those thoughts still swirling through her, she pulled up to the hall and had to talk herself into being okay with going in there. Stop being so over-dramatic. It’s one night. How bad could it be?

Even with that pathetic pep-talk, it took everything in her to get out and walk up to that door. Oh, to just be able to go home and forget about this. But she couldn’t do that, so she tossed her hair back and opened the door. Stepping inside, she took one look at the current distribution of people and really wished again she could just go home.

To the side the whole group of them stood, like the circling of the wagons. They were laughing about something, having the time of their lives. No one probably even realized she hadn’t shown up yet.

She was still standing there getting up the wherewithal to join them when Emme and Charlotte, Greg’s little sisters, came racing up. Emme was the first to get there, and as always, she dove into Paige’s arms.

“Well, hello there,” Paige said, the first sign of happiness drifting across her heart since she’d finished singing with Nelson. “Look at you. I love this dress.”

Emme spun for her. “It’s new.”

“Very nice,” Paige said, and her smile was genuine. “And Charlotte too. Wow. You look so grown up. I love your hair.”

“You look like a princess,” Charlotte said, and there was awe sparkling at the edges of the words.

“Oh, well, thank you.” Paige sat on her heels to give the young girl a hug. “Did you guys enjoy the wedding?”

“It was great,” Emme said.

“I liked when you sang,” Charlotte said, half-spinning back and forth. “You have a pretty voice.”

“Well, thank you,” Paige said, her heart melting for the child’s kindness.

“Are you going to sing with Greg later?” Emme asked. Clearly, she had been listening to conversations at home. “He said they’re going to sing for the dance.”

“Oh, I don’t know,” Paige said. “I think they don’t really need me.”

Emme puzzled at that. “But Greg told Mom you might be.”

How to explain that one. “Well, that was before…”

At that moment, Joe at the head table tapped on his glass with a fork, and the noise died down and then out.

“Janet and I would like to welcome you all here to help us celebrate,” he said, “and before we start, we’d like to offer Grace.”

Standing, Paige turned toward the head table, and without pause or hesitation, both girls spun with their backs to her and then pressed back into the safety of her presence. Not really questioning it, she put her arms around each of them as Joe led a short prayer of thanksgiving and blessing over the food.

“Amen,” she whispered with the rest of everyone.

As the sounds picked back up in the room, Paige glanced over at the group of her friends. They were starting to get into line for the food.

“Do you want to eat with us?” Emme asked Paige.

“With…? Oh, well… I… Uh…”

“Em, Charlotte,” Sarah called from across the way, and Paige noticed that Greg’s dad was with her. She’d only seen him a couple of times at Greg’s house. He was tall and thin with coloring like Greg’s—dark hair and dark eyes. Sarah, on the other hand, looked far more like her youngest with blonde hair and light features. If it was true that couples looked alike, they had clearly broken that mold.

Further, it was clear with little observation that all the parents were now a group as well. That wasn’t intimidating at all. The rest of the guests were rounded out with a whole gaggle of people Paige didn’t know nor recognize, save for one who happened in just as the girls went to join their mother.

“Well, Paige, what a nice surprise,” Peggy, Janet’s boss from the bank, said as she stepped in the door with a man who looked both important and intimidating. Why did that word keep coming up?

“Hello,” Paige said and put her hand out to Peggy.

“I was hoping I would run into you,” Peggy said, shaking her hand. “Paige, this is my husband, Les.”

“Les, it’s nice to meet you.”

“Likewise,” Les said.

“I wanted to tell you how much we enjoyed the song you did at the wedding,” Peggy said. “You and… is that, was that Joe’s… son?”

“Yes,” and Paige let out an exhale that pulled a smile all the way to the surface. “Nelson. We’re… He’s…”

“Someone very special to you from all I gather from Janet,” Peggy said.

“He is that.”

“Well, it was wonderful.”

“Thank you. Thank you so much.”

Peggy’s gaze slipped from her to the room beyond.

“Oh, please,” Paige said, “the meal just started.”

“Are you not…?”

“Oh, no. I mean, yes. I mean, I just got here from cleaning up at the church,” Paige said, stumbling through the explanation. This was awkward in the extreme, and she had no idea how to extract herself politely nor what to do once she did.

Nelson

Nelson had seen Paige’s arrival, but between playing host and best man, he found himself at the head table before he’d had the chance to settle the details with her. She still looked so beautiful as she spoke to the tall thin African-American woman and gentlemen by the door. He couldn’t place ever having seen them before, but they didn’t look like the type of people one was more than totally polite with. That meant he was at the head table with no way to summon her.

She smiled at something the lady said and wrapped her one hand onto her other elbow, a sure sign that she was less-than-at-ease with the situation. Knowing it was probably against protocol, Nelson stood and buttoned his jacket, which drew his father’s attention over to him.

“Nels?”

“Uh, just a second,” Nelson said. “I need to go talk to Paige right quick.”

“Oh. Okay, but remember, you’ll be up for the toast soon.”

“Yeah, yeah, no problem. I’ve got it right here.” He patted the breast pocket of his jacket, righted his jacket once again, swept his hand over the side of his hair, and went around the table and right over to where they were talking.

“Hey,” Paige said, her eyes going liquid when she saw him as he stepped up. Her hand dropped and slid right into his between them. Nelson loved the feel of her hand in his, and something told him that would always feel like coming home to him.

“Hey.” He let his eyes hold on hers for a second before he addressed the older couple. “I’m really sorry, but I need to steal Paige. She’s kind of my good luck charm.”

The woman smiled brightly. “Of course. Of course. It was nice to see you again, Paige.”

“You too.”

With that, Nelson tugged her away, and Paige followed him.

“Sorry about that,” she said, ducking in to him. “I wasn’t sure what I was supposed to do.”

“Be with me,” he said with a grin. “I thought that was a given.”

“Oh. Well…”

Back on the other side of the table, he held her chair out for her and she thanked him as he sat back down. Yes. This was much better.

Taylor

“So, I’ve got to know,” LJ said as they all sat on either side of the long table. “How did this whole thing start anyway?”

“This… thing?” Wes asked.

“This band thing,” LJ clarified as he ate. “How does something like that happen anyway?”

Wes looked across at Greg, and because he did, Taylor looked at Greg too as they all tried to figure out where to start with the story.

“Uh… well, we were in orchestra together,” Wes finally said. “Tay played the flute, and the three of us were the percussion section.” He seemed to puzzle then. “Hm… how did we get together? I mean, you and me, we knew each other.”

Greg nodded. “Seventh grade. Wes played the bass drum, and I was on snare.”

“Oh. So, you play drums too?” Yoli asked.

“Uh, no,” Greg said. “I wouldn’t go that far. Not… not like Nels. Not the traps. I just tried to stay on beat and throw in a flam now and then because I thought they were cool.”

“He’s not lying,” Wes said.

“No, but by the time we got to high school, I had taken some guitar lessons, kind of on the down low though, ‘cause my dad… well, let’s just say, it was a thing. And you…” He looked at Wes questioningly.

“I actually think it was Nelson’s idea?” Wes asked more than said.

Taylor knew she held several pieces they were struggling to find, and her heart was saying she needed to fill them in. It was just a matter of trying to figure out how to lay the right ones down without accidentally dropping the ones she wanted to forget. “Nelson was new,” she said as if this wasn’t about to shred her last nerve, and she was conscious of having to make herself continue when everyone looked her way. “He came in freshman year, I think. I had a solo, and I needed a piano player. I think Nels had auditioned for the orchestra on the piano or something like that. I think that’s why Keimig put him on the bells and marimba.”

“I never knew that,” Wes said. It was as if, he too, was intensely interested in their story of origin.

“Yeah,” Taylor said, her spirit dipping once again into the story she knew by heart. “So, he played for my solo, and we kind of became friends after that.”

“We were already friends,” Greg said, pointing his fork first at her and then at himself. “You and me. I mean, like from way back.”

That jerked Taylor off the Nelson train and sent her spiraling back and then back even farther. Far, far back, past high school, and even past junior high. “Oh, yeah, huh? Yeah, I mean, we go way back. Long before Wes even.”

Greg nodded with his gaze now stuck to his plate. “Third grade.”

Surprised at that, Taylor stopped. “Really? Third grade. Wow. Yeah, it probably was.” Her mind spun through the thoughts, trying to find the right ones. “Mrs…”

“Watson,” they said together.

“Yeah, that’s right. Wow. I’d forgotten that,” Taylor said. “Oh, yeah, that was when you broke your arm.”

Cute embarrassment slid onto his face and tinted his ears pink as Greg ducked.

“I didn’t know that,” Wes said. “You broke your arm?”

“Yeah, well, let’s just say it’s not a good idea to jump off the roof onto a trampoline.”

“What?” LJ asked, laughing.

“You didn’t,” Yoli said.

“Okay, admittedly not the smartest thing I’ve ever done in my life,” Greg said. “But it was outrageously awesome for about 2.5 seconds there.”

“And you broke your arm?” Lauren asked.

“That I did.” He held his right arm up as if the injury would still be obvious. “Both bones.”

“Ugh.” Lauren jumped and waved her hands in front of her. “That’s enough. I don’t need any more details. Ugh. That’s horrible.”

“We played jacks,” Taylor said, her gaze going over to him in utter surprise at the memory when she found it. How had she forgotten that?

“We did,” Greg said with a slow nod.

“But why did I have to stay in?” she asked, searching her memory for more of the right pieces.

“You had a sore throat,” Greg said. “And your mom…”

“Oh, yeah, I was getting over strep,” Taylor said as her eyes went open on the memory. “Wow. I had totally forgotten about that.”

“Yeah, well,” Greg said, “I think by the time we all got to orchestra, it just kind of fell into place. Nels, Wes and I wanted to start up a band, but we didn’t really have a space to practice in. Wes’s place was little, Nels’s was out for obvious reasons, and mine… well, that wasn’t going to happen either. I think you were hanging out with Nels at the time.” He looked right at Taylor, and she remembered it slightly differently, but that was close enough.

“Yeah,” Taylor said, “and I said you guys could come over and play in our basement if you wanted.”

“Oh, your poor parents,” Wes said, shaking his head. “They had no idea they were never going to get rid of us after that.”

Taylor laughed. “No lie there.”

“And here you are now,” LJ said. “I just think it’s so amazing how God works all things out. A piece here, and two over there, you move this just like this…”

The middle of Taylor’s heart hitched. God? They didn’t talk about God, not all together anyway. Of course, she’d seen Greg and his family in church over the years, but it wasn’t a topic that they discussed out loud. She took a drink of her iced tea to hide her dismay at the sudden turn of the topic.

“Yeah, it’s so cool when you think about it like that,” Wes said. “Those butterfly wings…. Man, they’re everywhere when you just take a minute to look.” He shook his head, smiled, sat back from his empty plate and put his arm over the back of Lauren’s chair. Taylor noticed how his thumb slid up and down Lauren’s arm. It was such a toss-off gesture, and yet it wasn’t.

She lowered her gaze so as not to notice though she already had. “And now, here we all are, back together again.”

“Yeah,” Greg said with a glance at her. “One more night.”

There was no stopping the smile that shone over her heart. “One more moment with you.” She laughed and put her head over onto his shoulder as her hand traced up and down his arm, loving how free and easy this all felt.

His gaze followed her down. “I couldn’t have said it better myself.”

Nelson

“So, do we want to go ahead and do the toast now?” Nelson asked his dad. “Or what’s the plan?”

“Uh, I don’t…” His dad looked at his new wife. “Toast, cake, dance? What do you think?”

“We could cut the cake first,” Janet said, “or at least go over there for the toast.”

“Sounds good.”

The two of them started moving, and Nelson followed. He hated that it was like Paige was either getting dragged around or left behind, but he couldn’t quite figure out another option.

“You want to come?” he asked, bending down to her even as he stood, trying desperately to be discreet about it all. “I mean, it’s cool with me either way.”

“Hm.” She looked at him with wide eyes. “Uh… Yeah…? I guess so?” Carefully she laid her napkin on her plate of half-eaten food and stood as Nelson half helped her out of her chair.

He knew she wasn’t comfortable with any of this, and the very last thing he wanted was to make her self-conscious by making her stand up there with him and his parents in front of God and everybody. Awkward became even worse when Kimberly stood from the other side.

As they started across to the cake, Nelson’s gaze caught on their friends all sitting there. They were at the long table right in front of the cake table. “You could sit with the guys,” he said to Paige even as he took her hand, thankful he had remembered to grab his own plastic champagne glass. “If you want. If that would be better.”

“Yeah,” she said with some amount of relief. “Okay. That works.”

Together, they walked across the small expanse as the noise in the hall died with the movement of the wedding party. It was as if the guests sensed something important was about to happen.

“You’ll be good?” Nelson asked with concern.

“Yeah.” Her eyes sparkled at him. “Don’t worry about me. I’m a big girl. You just go be awesome.”

“Okay.” With a quick grin, he kissed her before their paths diverged and he watched her go sit down by Greg. She was in good hands. Now he just had to concentrate on not face-planting the biggest speech of his life.

Greg

“Well, well, well, look who fell out of her castle and decided to join us peasants,” Greg said as Paige came over to sit what amounted to in front of him when he turned toward the cake table.

“Hey, there, you watch it, mister, or I’ll toss you out on your head.” She spun so her pretty lavender dress swirled around her legs as she sat gracefully on the chair he had pulled out for her.

“That’s hardly how the fairy tale is supposed to go,” he said, and she tossed a glance back at him. “Oh, yeah, that’s right. You don’t believe in fairy tales anymore.”

Paige sent a glare back his direction.

“Or did that change when Romeo showed up?” He was teasing her, but he realized that now was probably not the time for that. “He ready for this?”

She shrugged. “It’s Nelson. He was born to make speeches.”

“I think we should just make him mayor now and skip all the pesky details.”

Tossing her gaze back at him again, Paige laughed. “Or president.”

Greg joined her laugh. “Or president. So true.”

Snap, snap went the camera as Joe and Janet cut the cake. It wasn’t huge, but that was probably a good thing. There weren’t that many people to eat a huge cake anyway.

“Hey,” Greg said, knowing he might not get another chance, “I was going to tell you, you guys did really good at the wedding. That song was amazing.”

That dragged Paige’s gaze around to him, and in it, he saw something he hadn’t expected to be there. Sadness. “You thought so?” she asked, sounding incredibly small and timid.

“’Course I did,” he said with concerned surprise. “What? You didn’t?”

Turning back as Joe and Janet fed each other cake, Paige shrugged. “Hard to tell when you’re the one up there trying not to tank the whole thing.”

“You didn’t tank anything. It really was beautiful.”

“Well, thanks,” she said, and once again, when he caught hold of her eyes, he couldn’t deny the sadness that she was clearly trying to hide. He’d seen that in her eyes before, but he’d assumed that now that Nelson was back, it would have disappeared. He wanted to ask her about it, but before he got the chance, Joe tapped on a glass, and the place fell silent around them.

As Kimberly spoke, Greg sat back from where he had leaned forward to talk to Paige and he found Taylor right there, nearly next to him. He wondered then as he sat between them if Paige’s dimmed brightness had anything to do with her sister’s presence. That was plausible. He knew Paige had no love-loss for her sister. Not that he blamed her. Taylor could be vicious when she wanted to be. Then again, it could just as easily be something that had happened between her and Nelson. If only he could ask…

Kimberly was talking about growing up and how she’d always looked up to her big sister, Janet. Carefully, without drawing attention to himself, Greg checked his watch. Somehow they hadn’t gotten the sound check done like they’d planned. He looked over to the equipment, but he couldn’t just get up and go over there to test things now. Inwardly, he groaned his frustration with himself. If he had been Nelson, he would have gotten that done. Too late now.

Paige

Everyone applauded when Kimberly’s speech was over, and Paige did too. She realized only then that she hadn’t thought to bring her drink over. Oh, well, what more could she expect from herself when everything about everything felt so very off in her world? Talking to Greg? She hadn’t expected that. In fact, she was surprised he wasn’t mooning over Taylor like everybody else was.

Batting that rotten thought away, she anchored her attention on Nelson who had taken center stage with his parents.

“First of all,” Nelson said, unfolding a piece of paper from his jacket pocket, “I want to thank you all for coming tonight. This really means a lot to us.” His gaze went to the paper, and he swiped at his eye.

Uh, oh. She should’ve thought to bring tissues.

Nelson paused another second to compose himself. “I’ve been thinking a lot about what I wanted to say tonight, what I could say, what I should say. Don’t laugh, but I got so desperate, one night, I actually Googled it.”

Laughter smattered across the room.

“Contrary to popular belief, I’m not really all that good with words. I want to be, but sometimes it’s like they are there but not… really… there? You know what I mean? Anyway, I know what I want to say, but capturing it isn’t always easy for me. But the one word that just kept coming back to me every time I thought about what I wanted to say tonight, was ‘home.’ Home means a lot of things to a lot of different people. To some, it’s a house. To some, it’s a town or a city. To some, it’s just a dream.”

He nodded slowly to keep himself going, and Paige nodded with him because she knew the immensity of what this was taking out of him.

“You can do it, Nels,” she whispered under her breath. “You’re okay. Just breathe. You can do this.” She closed her eyes and willed peaceful energy toward him, even letting out her own breath so it wouldn’t get in the way. A moment and she opened her eyes once again.

“In the last year,” Nelson continued, “I did a lot of soul searching, a lot of just trying to figure out what that word really meant to me and for me.” He glanced at his dad and Janet with a small smile that very nearly sent them all into tears. “And I guess what I finally realized is that, home is the place where people love you the most.” His gaze slipped out to all of them, and his smile came as his eyes filled with tears. “It’s that place where you feel safe and where you just know it’s okay to be you.

“So tonight, I want to thank my dad and my mom for taking this step together, and with me, to create a home. My home. Our home. I’m really looking forward to it. I love you both very much. To Joe and Janet…” He raised his glass as everyone repeated, “Joe and Janet.”

There was applause, but it was muted as people wiped their eyes. Nelson hugged his parents, and Paige wiped her own eyes. This was deadly to makeup.

“Well, that’s our cue,” Greg said, suddenly standing behind her, and Paige jerked that direction. For one second, she started to follow him but in the next she saw Taylor stand to go with him. A knife through the heart couldn’t have hurt like that did.

“Good luck,” she whispered, and when she turned back to the front, she had to let out the air that suddenly clogged the top of her chest. Sniffing, she plastered a smile to her face and stood to go join in their happiness. Her steps took her right to Nelson who wrapped her up next to him and kissed her head.

“Whew, glad that’s over,” he said.

She put her hand onto his chest and closed her eyes as she ducked even closer to him. “It was great.” Then she tipped her head up for a kiss. “You’re amazing.”

He smiled in relief and happiness. “Thanks for being my good luck charm.”

Laughing, she nodded. “Anytime.”

Chapter 12

Taylor

Following Greg and Wes over to the setup of equipment, Taylor was having her own problems getting it together after that speech. It really didn’t help that when she got to what would be their stage though it was flat on the floor, her gaze betrayed her and jumped over to where her parents sat with the others. Someone said something funny, and her dad laughed, the lines on his eyes crinkling as they always did.

Home.

It had been such an easy concept at one time in her life. Now it felt like anything but.

Greg was back at the amp flipping buttons and checking volumes as Wes got out the guitars. Taylor had never been very good with any of the technicalities, so she simply went to the microphones and adjusted her mic stand up to her height.

“Test that,” Greg said more like a demand than his normal quiet, calm fun nature usually sounded.

“Oh, okay.” Taylor tested her mic and then the others one at a time. Wes was busy hooking up guitars.

“Can you get the keyboard?” Greg asked, not really looking at her, but she knew he was talking to her just the same.

“Uh, yeah, sure.” When she got to the thing, she pinged one key. Playing the piano? That wasn’t her forte.

“Dang it,” Greg said under his breath just loud enough that she heard him.

“What’s wrong?” Leaving the keyboard, she went over to him. “Is it bad?”

“I don’t know. I can’t tell,” he said. “It’s not like we can do a run-through now.” He glanced over to where Paige and Nelson still stood with his parents by the cake.

“But you did a sound check last night, right?” Taylor asked, glancing the direction he did and trying desperately not to let that do to her what it tried to do.

“Yeah, but this is their first dance. I don’t want to screw it up.”

Taylor nodded, realizing then that happy-go-lucky Greg had been replaced with serious-gotta-do-this-all-right Greg. It wasn’t an easy transition to comprehend. “Okay, well… uh, Wes?”

“Yeah?”

“Let’s at least try out the two guitars. Here.” She took the acoustic from Wes’s grasp and handed it to Greg. “Let’s try something. Doesn’t have to be fancy. How about Stand by Me?” It was one of the very first covers they had ever learned, and back then, they could all do it in their sleep.

“Wow. Okay. Haven’t done that one in a while,” Greg said, but he took the guitar from her just the same and slipped the strap over his head. He nodded twice as if to remember the rhythm or the chords, she couldn’t tell which. In the next second, he caught onto it and the gentle, four-note syncopated rhythm danced from the strings.

“Yep, that’s it,” Taylor said with a grin, moving without effort to the soft beat as Wes joined in on the bass.

Greg started singing the song as if he’d been transported to another dimension, and Taylor’s spirit jerked free from the ground and took off just watching him. She put her head down, closed her eyes, and added in a humming harmony to the words. A few more words, and her actual harmony joined his, blending like they had never been apart. It was like free falling with no need for a net. Man, she had missed this. They didn’t even make it to the chorus before Wes stopped them.

“Oop, looks like we’re on.”

Greg

It took only one glance up for a tight band of nerves to coil around Greg’s chest though only the moment before he’d felt all the stress of life melt away. Nelson and his parents were headed over. Just like that, the notes under his fingers halted, and he ripped the strap from around his shoulders.

“Guess this is it,” he said, and he had to work to keep himself from spontaneously combusting. There was no place to look—Nelson and his folks, Taylor, Paige, his own parents. Oh, boy was this a bad idea. “Hey,” he said to them as they approached, and he had to work to drag as much happiness into his voice as he could gather.

“Sounding good,” Joe said.

“Are we ready?” Greg asked even as he handed the acoustic to Nelson and stepped over the cords to the keyboard.

“When you are,” Joe said.

“Great. Okay. Great.”

With Nelson getting into place, Greg got to the keyboard. Unfortunately, this was one he wasn’t right next to Taylor to sing, and only now did he realize the problem of that. They hadn’t even rehearsed together, and it had literally been years since they’d done this. What if she forgot the words? What if they somehow got separated? They’d always just kind of known when she would come in or when he would, but now there wasn’t time to practice any of that.

“Good evening, everyone,” Greg said. He had always taken the front-man position for the majority of any gig they’d ever done. They hadn’t really talked about this being any different, so he was running with it and hoping like crazy that was right. He hit a chord on the keyboard, mostly to test it to make sure it wasn’t going to blow everyone out of the room. “Uhm, if you’d like to join us and make a circle around the dance floor here, we’re going to have Joe and Janet’s first dance as husband and wife.”

That sounded weird due to the circumstances, but it was too late now.

“First off, we’d all like to wish Joe and Janet all the best. May you have many happy years together.”

He waited just a touch longer for those coming over to get there. “This first song’s called Hopelessly Devoted to You. This one’s for Joe and Janet.” He turned from the mic to all of them, and nodding only, they counted off.

Taylor

At the front mic, Taylor took hold of it and swayed to the soft music weaving together from the three instruments as she melted down into the song. This had always been one of her favorites.

“Hopeless,” Greg sang behind her, and Taylor could not stop the smile. Oh, the memories. “Hopelessly devoted…” She joined him on harmony for a breath. “…to you…”

“This is my anthem.” Greg’s voice was stronger than she remembered and somehow a touch more mellow. “This is my song. This will be my melody… my whole life long…”

The three guys blended in three-part harmony. “You’re my fascination.”

Taylor turned slightly to the three of them and smiled. “My every temptation.”

“You’re my solid ground,” Greg sang.

“My bluest sky,” Taylor replied.

“My peace of mind,” he sang, and she nodded before adding the next line.

“My wings to fly…”

“And I’m hopeless…” Greg sang.

Taylor echoed, “Hopeless….”

“Hopelessly devoted…”

“To you…” they sang together.

“And I’m hopeless…” Greg’s voice was like melted butter on a warm biscuit, and Taylor sank into it as if she had finally found a place to rest.

“Hopeless…” she echoed, loving this moment more than any other.

“Hopelessly devoted…”

“To you….” they sang together.

She had expected the song to end there as it usually did, but then again, they weren’t usually playing for first dances at important weddings.

“This is my anthem.” Greg sang again, and Taylor looked back at him and grinned. His gaze captured hers and he nodded.

“This is my song,” she sang back.

“This will be my melody… my whole life long…” they sang together, and Taylor sank even further.

“You’re my fascination,” she sang, taking the line that was normally his.

“My every temptation,” he sang back with a soft smile.

“You’re my solid ground,” Taylor sang.

“My bluest sky,” Greg replied.

“My peace of mind,” she sang. “You’re my…”

“…wings to fly…” their voice blended and bended upward together.

“And I’m hopeless…” Greg sang.

Taylor couldn’t help herself as she turned to him. “Hopeless….”

“Hopelessly devoted…”

“To you…” they sang together.

“And I’m hopeless…” Greg’s gaze was only on her, and she felt the gentle touch of it on her skin.

“Hopeless…” she echoed, simply getting lost in how right and real this always felt.

“Hopelessly devoted…”

“To you….” they sang together.

“Yes, I’m hopeless,” Greg sang once again, and Taylor could feel the magic of the moment dissipating around them.

She turned her gaze to the bride and groom swaying in each other’s arms. Joe looked at Janet, and with stars in his eyes, he kissed her softly.

“Hopelessly devoted,” Greg sang as the music slipped to nonexistent.

“To…” they sang together, and it was almost like being on the same plain of existence because it took no real thought or effort to feel where he went with that note and she followed. “You.”

The music came back up for a couple of slow measures, and then the song was over.

As catcalls and clapping filled the area, Taylor put her hand on the mic and ducked her head. The adulation was for the guys, not her.

“Joe and Janet, everybody,” Greg said, and Taylor smiled. She was eternally glad she had come.

Greg

They had made it through the crucial song without crashing and burning. That was something to be grateful for, but the dance wasn’t over.

“One Night?” Greg asked, wishing they had nailed down the order of the playlist a little more definitively.

“Yeah.” Nelson swapped the acoustic for the electric and got himself settled.

“Ready?” Greg asked, staying at the keyboard, and with one trip up and down the neck of the electric, Nelson nodded. “Okay, great,” Greg said into his mic. “Now, if we could have Janet and her dad on the dance floor.” In his head, he went through the opening chord progression, drilling his concentration into it and praying his fingers would cooperate. He worked to find the little foot pedal once again. Then he looked over at Nelson and nodded.

Nelson

The opening notes of One Night sang out from the strings of the electric under his fingertips. He’d always loved this song. Maybe because he remembered the feeling of it, maybe because it was one of the only ones he ever got to sing with Taylor. Why, he wasn’t sure, but he did.

Then, just before the words came, that jolted across his spirit, and his gaze jumped up, not to Taylor, but searching for Paige. He’d been so intent on getting the first song right, he’d completely lost track of her in the crowd.

“One night,” he sang, thankfully remembering even as his brain worked on where she had gone. He needed to worry about the song, but that was getting hopelessly lost in his concern over where she might be. “One more moment with you. That’s all I ask. That’s all I want. More than a breath, more than the next heartbeat.” Finally, he located her off to the side, standing with Lauren, and his entire being sighed with relief. “One night, one more moment with you.”

The others joined in, with Taylor and Wes providing backup harmonies.

“I can’t believe I’m here,” Nelson sang, to no one else other than her, “wondering where you came from, wondering where you’ve been. I know time doesn’t stand still. It flows like a river, never stopping, never slowing down. But baby, tonight, I just want to stop it forever.” The guitar in his hands rang out with the music pouring through him. “All I want is… One night, one more moment with you.”

The blending of Taylor’s voice with his startled him. Usually when they sang this, he was looking at her, and he knew then that she was looking back at him, wondering where he’d gone. It was as if he could feel her confusion and then her acceptance that life had shifted as she turned back to sing to the crowd.

“That’s all I ask,” they sang together, and Nelson would forever be grateful that she actually sounded like she meant it. “That’s all I want. More than a breath, more than the next heartbeat. One night, one more moment with you.”

As one, they hit the bridge, and the whole of them slid into the higher key.

“’Cause love doesn’t come around every day,” Nelson sang, once again catching sight of Paige, and somehow his heart knew the perfection of those words. “And time, it slips away. So baby, just give me one night, one more moment to be with you…”

They were all singing together now, but it could just as easily have been a solo.

“That’s all I ask. That’s all I want. More than a breath, more than the next heartbeat. One night, one more… moment… with you.”

Greg

Two songs finished. They were on a roll. Just a couple more, and they could consider the night an actual success. But he wasn’t brave enough to celebrate just yet.

Moving from the keyboard over to Nelson, Greg retrieved the acoustic from the little stand there. It was a dance they had learned every step of long, long ago.

In seconds, Greg had the acoustic on and was at the second mic at the front, practically shoulder-to-shoulder with Taylor. He knew she looked over at him, and that threatened to send him right into overload, but he couldn’t think about that now. Not now. Not with so much still on the line.

“We invite everyone to…,” Greg said into the mic, and behind them, Nelson scrambled to adjust the volume of it when it squealed. Thank goodness, because Greg couldn’t have been at both places even if he’d tried. He turned to the guys with concern and apology before starting again. “Uh, once again, we’d like to thank everyone for coming out. We’re Rev4, and we want to thank Joe and Janet for inviting us out tonight to play for you all. And now, we want to invite everyone else to join Joe and Janet for a couple of songs on the dance floor.”

Turning, Greg apologized to them only with his eyes. “We doing Enough?”

Wes just nodded, worry mixing with peace in his eyes as Nelson came back from the amp and got set.

With a breath to calm his now jangling nerves, Greg bounced his head to push the music away from the shore. His fingers found the syncopating rhythm of the song even as he willed himself to get lost in it. Thinking was deadly, he needed to just feel it, let it take him over, and carry him along with it. That was always the far better plan when it came to music.

His glance at Taylor nearly did all of that in as he found her soft, sweet face looking right at him, trusting, peaceful, and filled with joy, hope, and love. Dang it. How could she do that to him with one look?

“You’ve been walking through life without me,” he sang, turning from her and burying his concentration into the microphone. “Never knowing what you’re missing out on.” He opened his eyes and willed himself to look only out at the dancers. Thankfully there were several now dancing. “I’ve been wondering if you don’t see me. Always hoping that you would…”

He had thought he could escape from what she did to him just by not looking at her, but it wasn’t nearly that easy when her voice drifted out to mesh with his. “Whatever you’re going through. Whatever you’re searching to find…”

Their harmonies rose together as if they were two wings of the same bird. “I’ll love you enough to hold you tightly each and every night. Enough to think about you and stay by your side. Enough to climb the mountains and swim the deepest sea. Enough to want you right here next to me…”

“I’ll love you enough,” Greg sang, and because he always, always did on this part, he looked over at her.

Her sparkling smile yanked every feeling for her he’d ever buried right to the surface when she looked over at him and echoed, “I’ll love you enough.” She nodded in time with the music before putting her hand on the mic and getting lost in the words herself. “You’ve been thinking that I don’t see you, Never knowing what’s in my heart.” Looking over at him, she winked as she so often did, and Greg’s whole system quaked inside him. “I’ve been wondering if you would call me, Always hoping that you would…”

Bending, her voice took flight as it merged with his in perfect harmony.

“Whatever you’re going through,” they sang together. “Whatever you’re searching to find… I’ll love you enough to hold you tightly each and every night. Enough to think about you and stay by your side. Enough to climb the mountains and swim the deepest sea. Enough to want you right here, next to me…”

Greg shook his head as his fingers continued the rhythm that led right back into the chorus. “I’ll love you enough to hold you tightly each and every night.” He studiously kept his gaze on the dancers moving in front of him like shadows or ghosts—not wholly solid, not wholly real. “Enough to think about you and stay by your side. Enough to climb the mountains and swim the deepest sea. Enough to want you right here, next to me… I’ll love you enough…”

“I’ll love you enough,” Taylor echoed. Why? Why? Why? Why did she do that to him? But he couldn’t think about that right now. Not now.

“I’ll love you enough…” he managed to sing though the words were choking through him.

“I’ll love you enough,” she echoed, and he felt her gaze slide over to him. He couldn’t not look at her, that was how they blended to end the song, which was never sung the same way twice.

With a supreme act of will over reality, he turned and looked at her as she smiled at him softly.

“I’ll love you enough,” they sang together, and Greg somehow managed a small smile at her which was met by her brightening one. Then he ducked and finished the song with the guys.

Three songs down. If he was lucky, he might actually live through this.

Paige

“You know the worst thing about dating a musician in the band?” Lauren asked Paige as the two of them stood off to the side.

“What’s that?”

“You never get to dance.”

Paige laughed, and Lauren tipped her gaze at her best friend.

“Am I wrong?”

“No,” Paige admitted. She was still a little bummed about not getting to sing with them, but at least they all looked like they were having fun so there was that.

“And now,” Greg said from the front mic, “we have a very special surprise.”

Behind Greg, Nelson took off the electric before removing his tux jacket. However, instead of going to the drums, he simply retrieved the electric and put it back on his shoulder.

“If we could have Joe and LJ come up here,” Greg said.

It was when the two of them left their lady friends on the dance floor that Lauren grabbed Paige’s hand and pulled her forward.

“Come on. Let’s dance.”

“Dance?” Paige asked in panic, but it was too late for protesting. In seconds, she found herself up at the front, facing the band with both Janet and Yoli.

“We should be the mosh pit,” Lauren said, and she put her hands in the air and did a little impromptu sway dance, if it could be called that. When she got back around, she put her hands next to her mouth and yelled, “Woohoo! Go Rev4!” Then she stopped and looked at the band before trying again. “I mean, Rev6!”

The four of them laughed.

“Hey,” Lauren said to them, “cut me some slack, I’m new to this whole groupie thing.”

Nelson

Somehow Nelson found himself at the back, coaching his father who had gone white with the journey to the drums.

“I didn’t… You guys…” he said, stumbling around trying to find an entire sentence of words.

“Just sit,” Wes said, and he pointed to the drum throne chair as if they didn’t have time for arguments.

“You sure about this?” LJ asked from the other side, and Nelson was glad for the other two guys because his own confidence was teetering wildly.

“Just do it like we did last night,” Greg said, turning to all of them. “And have fun with it.”

At the back, Joe stood and whipped off his own tux jacket before laying it carefully to the side and sitting back down. He righted the sticks in his hands and did a quick rock beat followed by a cascade around the drums.

“We cool?” Greg asked, seeming to check on everybody at once.

“Think so,” Nelson said, really hoping that was the truth.

Greg went back to the front mic. “Okay, you know what time it is?” he said into the mic. “It’s time to Rock It!”

With that, Nelson did a run down the strings of the electric that sounded phenomenal in the extreme.

“Yeah!” Greg called into the mic as Joe joined in one the traps. The keyboards and bass followed. As if they had done this a million times, they jumped into the hard rock beat and the perfection of the sync was undeniable.

“Cut the lights,” Greg sang at the front mic.

“Hit the floor,” Nelson sang behind him.

“It’s time to party like never before!” they both sang with Taylor who was jamming at the front. “Let’s rock it!”

“Woo!” dancers called from beyond the set. “Yeah!”

“Rip the clock off the wall,” Nelson sang. “Don’t wait for last call.”

“Get out on the floor,” Greg sang, “and let it roll…”

“Let’s rock it!” they all sang, and the music took over. It should be illegal to have this much fun. Nelson looked out to the dancers and realized it wasn’t just the young set. The parents were out there too. He smiled and shook his head. Well, that was new.

Paige

Forgetting this was supposed to be awkward and weird, Paige found herself with Lauren and Yoli dancing among the various parents. Only Greg’s dad had remained behind at the table, which was too bad because Sarah was having a blast with her daughters.

Emme danced over by Paige, and Paige took the girl’s hands and spun her twice.

In her wedding dress, Janet was tearing up the dance floor as well. She and Yoli were having a grand old time shaking and shimmying. Everyone was laughing like they’d lost their minds.

“Don’t wind it down, let’s paint the town,” Nelson sang. “Come on, girl, let’s rock it!”

Lauren was right. The only thing that would make this any better would be if they could actually dance with the guys. But this had its advantages too. For one, Nelson looked like the stress had finally let him go, and Paige was glad of that. Plus, she knew what him getting to play with his dad meant to him. This would be a memory they would never want to forget.

She had left her phone in the car, so quickly she danced over to her dad. “Can you record this?”

“What?” he asked over the din.

“Record!” Paige said. “With your phone?”

“Oh. Yeah. Yeah. Got it.” He whipped his phone out of his jacket pocket, and Paige gave him a thumb’s up.

“It’s one more night. Let’s do this right,” Greg sang with Taylor adding in a harmony next to him. “You’ve got me, and I’ve got you.” He pointed to her and then to himself. Stopped, looked confused and did the reverse, which caused Taylor to crack up and shake her head at him.

“Let’s rock it!” they all sang together.

“Yeah!”

“Woo-hoo!”

Dancers were going in every direction at once with no real rhyme or rhythm to any of it. Barely controlled chaos would’ve been a good description of it all.

“Cut the lights.”

“Hit the floor.”

“It’s time to party…”

“…like never before!” they all sang out. “Let’s rock it!”

Like the music had a mind of its own, it took over then. Who was having the most fun was impossible to tell. On the drums, Joe never missed a beat, and Nelson had turned halfway to him so they were just jamming together with the others filling in any space that didn’t have cause to be there. LJ and Wes were bopping to the beat, and in the front, Greg and Taylor did a little impromptu dancing that actually worked when he spun the acoustic to his back.

Out front, no one was complaining that the song didn’t seem to be ready to end. Janet, Yoli, Lauren and Paige were spinning each other and doing swing dance moves that often ended in more laughter than anything.

Finally, Nelson started to slow the beat with his head to keep everyone together, and when they hit the end, he did a couple of glisses up and down the neck of the guitar as the others just went wild. Then with a hard downbeat of his head, Nelson brought them all to a stop. Another. And one more before they hit the end with a cacophony of sound. One more downbeat, and all that was left was the wild applause.

Paige joined in, laughing and finally letting herself have a little fun to enjoy the party. It wasn’t such a bad thing after all.

Nelson

Clasping his dad’s hand upright when he stood from the drums, Nelson couldn’t stop the smile.

“Joe Samuels, everybody!” Greg said into the mic before coming back to where they stood as a roundhouse of handshakes happened. “That was awesome!”

“Thanks, guys,” Joe said. “Seriously. That was a dream come true.”

“You’re welcome to join us any time,” Wes said.

“I might have to take you up on that.” With that, he bent and retrieved his tux jacket from behind the speaker. He put it on and headed back around to the dance floor where he was greeted with open arms and a huge kiss by his new bride.

Nelson thought he might float right off the ground he was so happy. Then again, he might also pass out from lack of hydration too. That was becoming a real possibility.

“What do you say,” Greg asked. “One more before we call it a night?”

“K,” Nelson said. “What should we do?”

Taylor had halfway joined the little meeting though she hadn’t really been part of the bonding time. “What about Only When I Dream? We haven’t done that one in a while. It would be a nice one to end on.”

“Wow. Yeah.” Greg pulled the acoustic back around and did a little fingerstyle.

“I can sing it, if you can play it,” Taylor said.

“Yeah, okay,” Greg said, nodding. “I think I can do it. It’s in C, I think.”

Nelson found C and did his own quick trip down memory lane. “Okay. Yeah.” He looked at Wes. “You good?”

Wes nodded without saying anything.

“Great,” Taylor said, and she went back over to the front mic. “Okay, we’re going to slow things down a little bit. We really hope you’ve enjoyed the evening.”

“After we finish,” Greg said, coming over to his own mic next to Taylor’s, “feel free to stick around. We’re going to play a few on the iPod so our best man can have a dance or two with his best girl.” With that, Greg turned to Taylor. “You ready?”

“Absolutely.”

Taylor

Out of all the songs Rev4 had ever performed, Only When I Dream was Taylor’s very favorite. They didn’t do it often though she was never really sure why. It just kind of got lost in all the others, but it had always made her think of the possibilities rather than the limitations in life. As Greg’s fingers danced softly and slowly across the acoustic strings and Nelson added in slow slides on the electric behind them, she allowed herself to let go of how hard and confusing life had become and just remember how easy and right it used to feel. The baseline settled her even further.

Closing her eyes, she drifted off into a peace she hadn’t remembered even existed as the words came back to her, never forgotten, only pushed aside by life’s more pressing matters. “Tell me what would you hope for, and what would you see, if wishes weren’t just wishes and dreams weren’t just dreams.”

She smiled and shook her head as she looked over at Greg. Soft and sure, strong and true, his voice asked the question her spirit never quit whispering.

“Oh, baby, where would you go to, and what would you be, if real gave way to visions and you could do anything?” He smiled back at her for one flash of a moment before ducking to the strings under his fingers. Another breath and he lifted back to the microphone. “Tell me what are the dragons that’re standing in your way? And if your clock was stuck a minute-to-midnight would you dance the night away?”

Taylor swayed on the words as she leaned in to her own mic. “Oh, tell me where would you go to, and what would you be, if real gave way to visions and you could do anything?”

A heartbeat, and without seemingly any effort at all, they were flying together just as they had so many times before.

“Only when I dream…. I can do anything. I could fly, I could soar, The limits would be no more… Yeah, only when I dream, when it’s just you and me. So, baby, close your eyes… Oh, baby close your eyes… and just dream.”

Greg took the start of the third verse. “Tell me what would you go for, and what would you try, if nothing was impossible, and all these chains were a lie?”

With a smile, Taylor countered. “Tell me all about tomorrow and who you’d like to be, if wishes weren’t just wishes and you could just believe?”

Together, their harmonies blended in utter perfection. “Oh, tell me where would you go to, and what would you be, if real gave way to visions and you could do anything?”

She couldn’t stop the grin as he looked over at her. Why did the song always feel so very real?

“Only when I dream… I can do anything. I can fly. I can soar. The limits will be no more… Yeah, only when I dream, when it’s just you and me…. So baby, close your eyes… Oh, baby close your eyes… Close your eyes… and just dream.”

“Just dream,” Taylor added, her voice floating on the feeling and the hope it gave her.

“Just dream,” Greg echoed, and he melted back into his own mic.

“Just dream,” she sang back before the music faded out around them, leaving only his fingerstyle.

“Just… dream,” they sang together, and though Taylor smiled, she was honestly sad to see the magic of the song end.

As the music faded away, the dancers parted and clapped.

“Thank you,” Greg said only to them. “And now, please feel free to stick around and dance a few more. I think we have about an hour before we’ll be sending the bride and groom off, and we’d love for you to stay for that. Again, Joe, Janet, thanks for letting us be a part of your special day. We’re Rev4. Thank you all.”

Chapter 13

Nelson

The breath Nelson took when the last song ended could have been from relief or fatigue, he couldn’t tell which. Just the same, he took the guitar off his shoulder and dropped his head to one side and then the other. His neck might never recover.

“We did it,” Wes said as he put his hand upright to Nelson, and Nelson returned the handshake.

“Unbelievable,” Nelson said, and he meant it. That had gone far, far better than he could have even let himself hope.

Greg was already at the amp, hooking up his phone, apparently concerned that everyone would leave the dance floor if he didn’t hurry. The center of Nelson’s heart jagged hard at the thought that no one put anything together.

“Did you do the playlist?” he asked Greg, praying he hadn’t forgotten that detail.

“Yep. All done.” With two presses of the buttons, a song started on the speakers, and Greg held up his phone. “If anybody has a request, just let me know. I’ve got unlimited downloads.”

“Ah, man.” Nelson let out another breath. “Thank you.” Their handshake became a hug. “Seriously,” Nelson said, hitting Greg on the back lightly, and even when he came out of the hug, neither one really let go. “All of you. This… You just don’t know…”

“I think we do,” Greg said, clapping him on the shoulder with a smile and a duck of his head. They’d never really learned the fine art of sharing emotion, and this tiny step into it was trying really hard not to become awkward.

“Yep,” Wes said. “I think it was a pretty special night for all of us.”

“And me. Don’t forget about me,” Taylor said, wriggling between them and diving right into Nelson’s arms. He caught her like he’d expected her appearance there, which honestly he hadn’t.

“Seriously, Tay, you think we could ever forget about you?” Wes said. “Man, I’ve got to say, that was just like old times.”

“I think I’d forgotten,” Nelson said, his arm still around Taylor as he swiped at his eyes with his other hand. All the emotions leaking out came as more than a little surprise. “Man, that felt a-mazing.” He hugged Taylor closer to him, so grateful his heart simply overflowed with it all.

“Yeah, and your dad,” Taylor said, her gaze sliding up to him. “Have to say, that was unexpected.”

“Just so cool,” Nelson said. “So, so cool.” Finally he let go of her but found his emotions had made him more than a little unstable. When he went to move, he faltered just a bit, and with a laugh, Taylor reached out and steadied him. “Whoa. Careful there.”

Nelson laughed and put his arm around her again, more for him than for her. “I think I need to find some water.”

“Good plan. We should all get some water,” Wes said, “and find our dates. That would be good too.”

“Yes, it would,” Nelson agreed, and with that, the four of them stepped through the back of the equipment, and life became life once again.

Greg

It was so stupid to feel like this. Yes, there was the lingering euphoria of singing with them again, but that euphoria always came tinged with a ripping jealousy he couldn’t quite get himself not to notice. He shook his head at himself as he followed them out and hung back to check his phone once more. It was set to just play, but with everything else having gone so well, he was almost sure to mess something up before the night was over.

By the time he got the playlist checked through, the others had all dispersed, which was fine. It was better that way anyway. They all had someone, save for Taylor, but just like always, she didn’t even know he was alive. He set the playlist on Play All and laid the thing carefully back on the amp.

When he emerged from around the equipment into the front of the hall, it took little to nothing to realize he was back on his own again. Wes and Lauren were already dancing. Nelson and Paige were talking to his parents. LJ was talking with the Graysons, and Yoli and Taylor had somehow disappeared altogether.

Looking at his sparse options, Greg headed not toward any of his friends but instead over to where his parents and sisters were sitting at a table by the back wall. Probably it wasn’t the best idea in the whole world, but when your options became that limited, anything was better than nothing.

“Oh, my goodness.” His mother stood on his approach, and when he got to them, she gathered him into her arms. “That was… Wow. I mean really, wow. I had no idea.”

The compliment brushed Greg’s heart softly, and he smiled ruefully as he stepped back from her. “I’m just glad we made it through it.”

“It was really good,” his mom said. “Really. Man, it was so good.”

“It was,” Emme said, coming up next to him. “You guys sounded like a real band.”

Greg looked down at her and grinned. “Well, thanks. We try.” His gaze chanced back to his dad who was still seated and then yanked reflexively back to his mother. “So, are you guys going to stick around for a while?”

“Oh. Uh…” She looked back at her husband who only stood at that moment. “I think we might be going soon.”

“Yeah.” His dad cleared his throat. “I’ve got a plane to catch tomorrow, so we’d probably better…”

“We can’t stay for one dance?” Emme asked, and there was a definite whine to the question. “I wanted to dance with Greg.”

Surprise jumped into Greg’s heart.

“Oh. Well…” his dad said, looking at his daughter as words failed him.

“One dance, right quick,” Greg said as he put his hand out to her.

“I want to dance too,” Charlotte said.

Greg nodded. “Okay. Two dances.”

His mother nodded. “Okay, two dances and then we really do need to be going.”

“Yay!” Emme took off, dragging him out onto the dance floor.

“Okay. I guess we’re dancing now.”

Taylor

When they met Yoli and LJ coming up to congratulate them, Taylor had enlisted Yoli’s help to get waters for everyone. It wasn’t a planned thing, more of the fact that Yoli happened to be there, and Taylor needed more than two hands.

“I have to say,” Yoli said as Taylor bent and dug in the refrigerator for the waters, “I am impressed.”

“With what?” Taylor asked. Of course, they had to have put the case on the bottom shelf. She finally sat on her heels to get the leverage she needed to pull out the plastic bottles. Counting out two for each of them as she handed the bottles back to Yoli, she wasn’t really paying too much attention to the conversation.

“You and the guys,” Yoli said, collecting the bottles. “I mean, they sounded good before, but man, you guys killed it tonight. Major props for that one.”

“Oh. Thanks.” Taylor pulled out two more and stood.

“No. Really. We heard them practice before, and they sounded good, but tonight, with you, they sounded… I don’t know… complete or something?”

Taylor laughed as they headed out to hand out the waters. “Oh, gosh, please don’t tell them that. They’ll get a complex.”

“I’m being serious,” Yoli said. “There’s just something about your voice that just… it’s… it’s like it’s the perfect fit.”

“That’s why we’re called Rev4 and not Rev3.”

They made it to Wes and Lauren who were already wrapped around each other slow dancing.

“Water?” Taylor asked Wes, holding up the bottle. He took it with a thanks. “And one more for when he finishes that one.” She handed the second to Lauren.

“Thanks,” Lauren said, and she sounded a little surprised as if she hadn’t expected Taylor to be nice to them.

“Welcome,” Taylor said, choosing to ignore the icky feeling that tried to snake over her heart with the look Lauren gave her.

With Yoli tagging along behind her, she went right over to Greg who was dancing with his little sister. Taylor grinned at the cuteness they made together.

“Water?”

Greg, too, seemed surprised. “Oh, cool. Thanks.”

“I’ve got another one when you finish that one.”

“Thanks. Hey, Yoli.” Taking the bottle, he opened it, started dancing again and took a long drink.

“Hey, you guys did great…”

The conversation faded behind Taylor as she headed for Nelson and Paige who were standing there, talking to his parents. Oh, boy. This could be a disaster. Just be cool about it, Tay. Be cool. They are not going to bite. “Here you go. Just what the doctor ordered.”

“Oh, man,” Nelson said, taking the bottle from her. “You’re a lifesaver, Tay. Thanks.”

“And a spare, just in case.” She handed the second bottle to Paige who didn’t look terribly happy about it.

“Taylor,” Janet said as Taylor started to turn to make her escape from Awkward Town. Rats. She’d almost been fast enough, but she couldn’t just leave. Of course, she had heard.

Slowly, she turned back, gathering her courage as she did so.

“Wow,” Janet said. “We can never thank you enough.” Without more warning than that, the woman put her arms around Taylor and hugged her tightly. “That last song…” When she came out of the hug, Janet was brushing at the tears. “Really, you all need to record that one.”

Not sure what to say to that compliment, Taylor chose instead to focus on Joe Samuels though maybe that wasn’t the best idea in the whole raft of options. “Well, personally I was a fan of Rock It tonight. That drum solo was off-the-charts.”

There was a definite sheepishness to Joe’s grin. “I was just trying to keep up.”

“Well, it was great.”

“Thanks.”

For one more second, Taylor stood there as awkward descended again. “Well, I’d better go find Yoli. She’s got my waters.”

“Oh, thanks again,” Nelson said, holding up the bottle.

“Any time.”

Paige

Just why Taylor had to make such a production of absolutely everything, Paige had no idea. It was like she couldn’t keep her nose out of the picture for five minutes without feeling the burning desire to remind everyone of her presence. As her sister talked with Joe, Janet, and Nelson, Paige wound her arms in front of herself. Defensiveness intertwining with jealousy coiled around her until she could hardly breathe.

“Are you…” Nelson asked as Taylor started to walk away when the conversation came to a blessed end. He glanced at Paige as Taylor turned, and he hesitated before he continued, “uh, are you going to stick around for… for a while?”

“Oh.” Taylor’s gaze swept across them, and Paige prayed her answer would be No, I really have to get back. “Uh, sure,” Taylor said with a soft smile. “Have to stay and see the bride and groom off, right?”

That Nelson smiled was a given, and Paige dropped her gaze so as not to see it.

Taylor’s smile brightened at him. “Save me a dance, okay?”

And with that, she turned and sauntered off. Ugh, could she be any more obvious?

“You have such a wonderful family,” Janet said to Paige. “We were talking with your parents earlier. They’re so incredibly nice, and Taylor too. We really need to make more time to get together.”

Paige swallowed what she really wanted to say and somehow managed a small smile. “That would be great.”

Taylor

Why, oh why did she say she would stay? Now she was trapped, and it was her own stupid fault. Going back over to where the dancers were swaying, she took out her cell phone and checked it. At least there were no messages. Small miracle there. Then again, that probably meant Chris had gone out to play poker or to the bar. That could be good and bad, but she tried not to think about it as she stuffed the phone back in the hidden pocket of the outfit. It was one of the reasons she’d bought it in the first place for one of the dances at her sorority. Things like hidden pockets and cell phones could come in really handy as she had well learned over the years.

“Taylor.”

Her mother’s voice from behind her shot panic all the way through her, but Taylor turned to find her mother’s arms open.

Carefully as if it might be a trap, she stepped over and let herself be enveloped by those arms, fighting not to feel any of it.

“My baby girl. Oh, my goodness. You were amazing up there.”

“Thanks,” Taylor said, genuinely surprised that either of her parents were brave enough to cross the abyss that yawned between them. When she let go and stepped back, Taylor put her head down so her hair draped over her face. It took effort to get her gaze back up again.

Her mother’s gaze turned liquid as she looked at her. “Are you… You know you’re welcome to spend the night… at the house tonight… if you want. There’s really no reason…”

“Oh, yeah.” Taylor’s attention plummeted to her shoes as she shook her head before lifting it. “I… You know I would but, I really need to be getting back. Lot of studying to do. You know how it is.”

“I just hate the thought of you driving all the way back by yourself in the middle of the night.”

With a shrug, Taylor fought not to let the emotion in her mother’s voice find her heart. It was better for everyone if she didn’t get sucked into that. “I… uhm…” She wound her arms in front of her as a new song started, and her gaze tripped out to the dancers beyond. Wes and Lauren, LJ and Yoli, and now Nelson and Paige and his parents. “Uh, I’ll… I’ll see…”

Slowly her mother nodded as if she knew that was a lie. “Okay. But really, if…”

“Yeah, uh, you know, I was supposed to dance with…”

At the table next to them, Greg was saying goodbye to his family, and before she could think it all the way through, Taylor blurted out his name.

“Greg,” she said with far more definitiveness than the name warranted. “And it’s getting late. If we don’t…”

“Oh, yes, yes, of course,” her mother said. “Go have fun with your friends.”

Because she couldn’t not now that she’d made the excuse, Taylor went right past her mother and right up to Greg who looked at her in utter shock upon her arrival.

“Hey,” Taylor said to Greg who didn’t really get a reply out.

“Taylor,” Greg’s mother said. “You sang so beautifully.”

“Thanks,” Taylor said, and she glanced behind her to make sure her mother hadn’t followed her. Thankfully she hadn’t. “Uh, listen.” She angled her gaze up to his. “I was just wondering if you wanted to…” When he didn’t respond, she put out her hand to the dance floor and hoped like everything he wouldn’t turn her down. If he did, she was sure she would never recover.

“Wh…?” he started to ask. “Oh.” He looked like someone had shoved him backward. “Uh.” He glanced at his mother who was smiling at them though Taylor didn’t notice for the panic racing through her veins. If he turned her down now… “Uh. Yeah. Sure.”

Glad he had saved her from utter and complete humiliation, Taylor turned for the dance floor as Greg accepted a quick kiss from his mother and headed out after her. When he got to her, his gaze flopped onto the floor, and she knew he wasn’t exactly excited about this. Still, she knew he wouldn’t let her down.

Carefully he stepped toward her so he was right in front of her, and she put her wrists up onto his shoulders as his hands came to her waist. It was only when they started swaying together that she finally released the immense relief from her chest.

“Whew. Thanks for that,” she said, breathing out the words as she rolled her eyes.

“For?” he asked as his face twisted in confusion.

“My mother,” Taylor said with a shake of her head. “I can’t believe I’m in college and she’s still trying to run my life.”

Greg nodded twice very slowly. “Oh, yeah. I hear you there.” His gaze snapped over to the door where his family was just leaving, and Taylor’s followed his for a long second. “I mean, they mean well, you know, but…” When his gaze came back to her, it didn’t even hold before falling to their shoes. “Uh, listen, Tay, I was going to tell you, I’m really glad you came tonight.”

Her smile felt really good. In fact, it was the first real one she’d had since she’d left that microphone. “Yeah, well, I was starting to think you might come hunt me down if I didn’t.”

He grinned at that. “Was it that obvious?”

“Only if you can read between the lines.”

With a nod, he put his gaze down again. “Well, I know it meant a lot to Nelson.”

Taylor nodded and closed her eyes on that thought. “I’m glad.”

Greg

Don’t do it. Don’t. Don’t let her get to you. This isn’t real. You know it’s not. It’s just the night and her parents hounding her and all of that. Besides, you saw how she was with Nels earlier. It’s just because he’s with Paige now and she doesn’t have anyone else...

Then, with no warning at all, Taylor’s arms slid off his shoulders and around his arms as she laid her head onto his chest. Passing out or throwing up were both within the realm of conceivable. Slowly, very, very slowly, Greg let out the breath that was now swimming in his head and swirling across his heart. He glanced down at her before closing his eyes and shaking his head. Don’t, Greg. Don’t… Please don’t. It’s not real. You know it’s not real…

LJ

Across the way, LJ was slow dancing with Yoli. They’d both spent the evening in awe of their present company.

“Oh. Hey,” he said softly, nudging her, and she straightened as he lifted his chin to the tender sight behind her. “Check it out.” Without causing undo motion so as not to attract attention, he turned them carefully so Yoli could see.

“Aw,” she melted at the sight of Greg and Taylor slow dancing together as if no one else in the world existed.

“I told you,” he said with a bob of his head and a grin.

“Yeah,” Yoli said, her voice softening. “You could so tell it when they were singing together. Oh, my gosh. It was like watching them fall in love.”

“It’s crazy,” LJ said. “If they’re not together, I think it’s only a matter of time now.”

Yoli slid her hand across his back. “I think you missed your calling.”

“Oh? What’s that?”

“Match-making.” She kissed him. “You’re two-for-two so far.”

“Two-for-two?”

“Yeah, us and Nelson and Paige.” Tipping her head the other way, she indicated the pair dancing, wrapped together and melded.

LJ grinned. “I’m getting pretty good at this, huh?”

Yoli nodded. “Yep, I’d say so.” And she kissed him again. LJ soaked it all in. He could get used to this.

Taylor

When the song ended, Taylor pulled herself out of the safety of Greg’s embrace. She didn’t know why that was, but she’d never worried for even a single second about him having ill-intentions toward her. “Uh, thanks,” she said, ducking and winding her arms in front of her. “It’s nice to have somebody to hang out with.”

“Always,” he said with a slight shrug, and his hands went to his waist even as his gaze followed her when she went backward away from him.

“Uh, I think Yoli got off with my water. I’m just going to…” Taylor pointed behind her, and Greg nodded.

“Yeah, you should.”

With that, Taylor headed off to the kitchen. The last thing she wanted to do was get caught talking with her parents again, and although she had told Nelson she wanted a dance, it was pretty clear that Paige would rip her lungs out if she was the one to ask. Worse, she really didn’t want to put Nelson in an awkward position by acting like he should ask her. No. It was far better to simply remove herself from the equation altogether.

So, after she got her water, she shut the refrigerator and leaned on it as she took a long drink. Oh, to be able to just leave. Really she should. She took another drink, knowing she couldn’t do that. The thoughts of how to extract herself from this mess began to weave around her, and she fought through the web they created in her head and over her heart. It had never been this awkward with the guys before. Never. Well, at least before Paige… and Lauren…. And all of that anyway…

With that water bottle empty, she pitched it into the trash, and rather than rejoin the festivities, she headed instead to the restroom. No one could fault her for that, and if she just quietly disappeared for a while, no one would miss her either. Slipping through the shadows on the edges of the room, she made it to the restroom and found it thankfully empty though there were four stalls.

Quickly she checked her phone once again. Still no messages. That was a blessing too great to even believe. Stowing it back in the hidden pocket, she went into a stall. The whole disappearing for an hour thing might not be such a stretch she realized because the one big drawback to the cute outfit was that it was, in fact, an old-style jumpsuit, and there was nothing easy to this part of wearing it.

Greg

After Taylor disappeared to find her water, Greg saw no point in hanging out by himself on the dance floor. Nelson and Paige were lost in their own little world as were Wes and Lauren and Joe and Janet in addition to several other couples who were clearly in this for the long haul.

So, he headed over to the tables that skirted the wall in the relative darkness. At the table where his parents had been, he grabbed a chair by the wall and sat down, wishing instantly that he had thought to go with Taylor to get more water. That was one of the drawbacks of playing and singing, it would be days before he didn’t feel thirsty anymore. Then again, the thought of going with Taylor anywhere was stupid in the extreme.

No, he should be thankful she had left after only one dance. Any more than that would have killed him completely. Just as he was letting the pointlessness of all of it slide over him, his gaze jerked up to find LJ coming over. At first Greg thought Nelson’s friend couldn’t actually be coming to talk to him, but in the next thought, he was there, grabbing a chair, and sitting down in a heap.

“Man, you guys make this look so easy,” LJ said.

“Oh, yeah? What’s that?” Honestly Greg wasn’t up for chit-chat, but he wasn’t going to be rude either. Especially because LJ had so clearly come to talk.

“Moving equipment, up there singing, dancing. I’ll be honest with you, I should’ve taken a double dose of my vitamins this morning. You guys are like Energizer bunnies.”

Greg laughed at that, more thankful for the company than he had realized he would be. “I’m sure I’ll be paying for it tomorrow.”

LJ rolled his shoulder. “Yeah, you and me both.”

It took Greg another second or two to find a topic to stave off this becoming awkward. “So, you guys are leaving tomorrow then?”

“Yep,” LJ said. “We fly out right before noon.”

“Back to Washington?” Greg asked, leaning back and putting his arm on the table.

“Yep, back to the grind.”

“So, you’re a… what?” Greg asked. “Senior?”

“Junior,” LJ clarified. “Yoli’s a senior. She’ll graduate in December.”

“Wow.” Greg nodded. “And then what? Graduate school? A job?”

“Probably a job,” LJ said. “At least that’s the plan right now. It’ll be another year and a half before I’m out though, so…”

“Must be tough,” Greg said as he sat forward and put his elbows on his knees, “being together and trying to get life to work out for both of you.”

LJ shrugged. “I don’t know. You just figure out the best plan for both of you, and you make it work.”

Greg nodded again. “And so you, when you get out, what’s your plans?”

“Well, I’m actually going to try to get a position somewhere as a youth pastor.”

“Really?”

“Yeah, that’s the plan anyway. But I guess we’ll see where God wants to put me.”

As weird as maybe that should have sounded, Greg found it didn’t sound weird at all. “Yeah, well, sure wish He’d send a little direction my way.”

“Oh, yeah? Why’s that?”

“Just…” Greg pursed his lips having not realized he was going to get into a discussion quite this deep with a guy he barely knew. “I don’t know, the whole moving off, trying to get a job, going to a new school, navigating it all. It can be a little overwhelming sometimes.”

“Yeah, I hear you there. That’s why part of me wishes Nels didn’t look so dang happy out there dancing with Paige.”

Greg puzzled at that, and LJ laughed softly.

“Gonna have to break in another new roommate,” LJ clarified. “Not exactly looking forward to that.”

A second and Greg laughed. “Yeah, well, they don’t make ‘em like Nels, that’s for sure.”

“Truer words, my friend. Truer words.”

Taylor

Taylor had managed to get the jumpsuit back up but with her hair down and the tie at the back of the neck, she was having serious complications getting herself the rest of the way presentable. At the mirror, she tied and then had to untie the thing again because her hair kept getting caught in it. “Really? Ugh.”

From another stall, Yoli emerged looking as put together and gorgeous as ever. She washed her hands before looking over at Taylor. “Problems?”

“Uh, yeah, you could say that. This stupid tie is getting on my last nerve.”

“Here. Let me help.”

Probably Taylor should have protested or said she would get it, but Yoli didn’t give her the chance. “Nice outfit.”

“Thanks,” Taylor said, and she felt herself blush on the compliment. “It’s great so long as you never have to actually go to the bathroom.”

“Ah, yes. The price of being beautiful,” Yoli said. “There you go.”

“Oh, wow. Thanks. I’d have probably been in here long after they locked the place up the way I was going.” There was no real way to stay in the restroom so Taylor followed Yoli back out into the darkness. Because the restroom was so bright, it took a minute for her eyes to adjust, and another for her to scope things out and realize she would have been better off staying in the restroom.

Stopping because she had no idea where she was going if she continued, she leaned against the wall and pulled out her phone. Maybe Yoli would get the hint and just keep walking. However, in the next breath, Taylor realized she couldn’t be that lucky as Yoli turned and stopped as well.

“You coming?” Yoli asked.

“Oh, uh. Yeah. In a minute. Just checking messages,” Taylor said, waving the phone as if to express the pressing nature of her social life.

Instead of continuing on, Yoli came back over and wound her arms in front of her. She didn’t lean on the wall. Rather, she came parallel with Taylor like a beacon announcing their location for anyone who happened to glance their direction. For her part, Taylor bent into the little glowing screen. Still no messages, but now, that was less-than-helpful.

“So, are you going to stay at your parents’ house tonight?” Yoli asked, and Taylor heard a hint of something she couldn’t quite decipher.

“Oh, I… Uh… I was thinking about heading back.”

“After we move all of the equipment?” Yoli asked with concern. “Isn’t that going to be a little late?”

Taylor hadn’t realized she would be moving equipment, but she couldn’t quite figure out how to tell Yoli that. “Uh… yeah. I just…” Trapped. And worse by kindness and concern. Great. Now she was going to have to stay or be seen to be the diva she knew the others all thought she was. “I’m… I’ll have to see…”

Greg

Chatting with LJ had turned out to be not so bad after all. He was actually a pretty cool guy. Of course, Greg had seen Taylor emerge from the restroom, and of course, he had seen her choose to hang out with her phone in the depths of the darkness on the other side of the room rather than come across and join them. It didn’t surprise him, but it did hurt.

One beat slid into another as a new song started. He looked at his watch. Any minute now, Joe and Janet would decide it was time to take off. At least then this awkward charade would finally be over.

“Hey, you mind doing me a favor?” LJ asked.

“Sure thing. Name it,” Greg said without hesitation.

“Well, I’d like to get at least one more dance in with Yoli before we call it a night, but I don’t want to leave Taylor hanging. You mind asking her if I ask Yo?”

Oh, lands. Why had he said Sure thing? Great. And worse, it wasn’t like he could bail now. “Uh. Yeah. Sure. O… Okay.”

Somehow, he got himself to standing, and regretting every single step he took, Greg followed LJ all the way across the room. He saw but tried not to the glances of his friends. Some things were just not fair. This was one of them.

“Ladies,” LJ said as smooth as ever.

“Hey, babe,” Yoli said, sliding up next to him and giving him a quick kiss.

“What do you say we put this music to good use?”

Although Yoli didn’t really give him an answer, they departed arm-in-arm leaving Greg stranded with a very disinterested Taylor. Not seeing another option, he leaned on the wall in front of her as she continued to swipe down her phone.

“Anything exciting?” he finally asked, lifting his chin toward her phone.

“Uh, no. Not really. Just checking in.”

A second and Greg nodded. He glanced back at the dance floor and without trying, noticed LJ watching him. Ugh. Yeah. This was pathetic. “Uh, you know,” he said, hating himself for being him and not Nelson or one of the other thousand guys she had dated over the years. “This is probably like the last dance.”

“Yeah. I figured.”

“So, uh, you want to…” Greg glanced back at the dance floor before returning his gaze to her.

“To…?” Finally, she looked up from her phone, and the blank look on her face told him just how big of a chump he had to be for her not to know what he was talking about.

“Yeah, I mean,” he said, scratching his temple before putting his hand out. “If you want.”

For the longest second of his life, he seriously thought she was going to turn him down.

“Well, I guess I do owe you one,” she said, and she clicked her phone off and put it in a side pocket of her silverish-peach outfit that flowed and fitted in ways that made his heart jump and jitter.

Greg laughed as he took her hand, and they went to the dance floor together. “Lucky me, huh?”

When they got there, he spun her under his arm, and her smile was enough to live on for a month.

“I didn’t know you could swing dance,” she said, teasing him as she came into his arms.

“What? You liked that?” Taking her hand, he lifted his arm and spun her again twice before pulling her back into him and doing a jig that had nothing to do with smooth.

“Hey, Fred Astaire, are you trying to make me dizzy?” she asked, and her laugh made his heart leap for joy.

“Maybe.” He pulled his head back to look down at her. “Is it working?”

“You do that anymore, and you’re going to have to carry me out of here or pick me up off the floor.”

“Oh, man, don’t do that. I’d probably end up there with you.”

“You wouldn’t catch me?” she asked coquettishly.

“Well, I would probably try, and I would probably fail, and we would probably both end up on the floor.”

“You have so much faith in yourself.”

“You forget, I’ve lived with me for 20 years.” Spinning her again, he put his hand behind his back, and somehow, she caught it, looking remarkably graceful as she came back around even though now he was just messing around. “You forget, I’m the one who tripped getting off the bus in 7th grade, caught the curb, and had to get six stitches.”

Taylor arched her neck back to look at him as they spun together in a wide circle. “I think I remember that.”

“Yep. Still have the scar right here.” Tilting his head down, as if she could see it, he shrugged. “But that was nothing compared with the time I hit the post and knocked myself out cold.”

“You did not,” she said.

“Yes. Yes, I did. That was…” He spun her again and back under his arm. “Fifth grade.”

“Why did you hit a post?”

“I was running with my head down and caught that thing square right here at the top of my head.”

Taylor half-laughed even though she looked really concerned.

“Yep, that one took eight stitches. Had a concussion too. Didn’t go to school for three whole days.”

“Are you sure it’s safe to be dancing with you?” she asked, and the concern hadn’t left.

“Probably not,” he said, “but you said yes, so I’m not questioning it.”

She laughed out loud at that as he pulled her to him, and they swayed a couple times just as the music faded out.

“See,” he said, angling his gaze down to her. “You lived through it.”

Patting her hand on his chest, she laughed again. “That I did.”

The sway became a long hug before she finally stepped back and away from him.

“Wow,” she said, “it’s crazy all the stuff you forget.”

As his gaze travelled down her, all Greg could think was how much he remembered—about her. Little moments along the way that probably meant nothing at all to her. In fact, it was pretty obvious she hadn’t really remembered much of any of them, but he did. And maybe that was enough. The only problem was, they all seemed to be coming to an end so fast, and nothing in him wanted to see that ending become reality.

“Greg,” Nelson said, striding over with Paige’s hand in his, and Greg and Taylor each went another step backward from each other as they looked over at the approaching couple.

“Yeah?” Greg asked, winding his arms in front of himself and hating how he could now feel her goodbye coming like a freight train he could do nothing to stop.

“Can you announce that we’re about to do the birdseed thing outside?”

“Oh.” Greg put his hand onto the back of his head. “Uh, yeah. Sure thing.”

Taylor

With no more than that, Greg walked past her and disappeared into the darkness of the equipment as she watched him go. He was so much fun, so laid back and just ridiculous and wacky. Not like all the other guys in the world who were more like vultures when she was with them. No. Greg Everett was not like any of them, and he never had been. Not that there was anything between them like that or that there ever would be, but she couldn’t help but think how lucky some girl was going to be to get him someday.

“Taylor,” Nelson called, holding a little basket filled with tufts of tulle in one hand and Paige’s hand in his other, “you coming?”

Her gaze slipped back over to where Greg was at the microphone. “If everyone will head on out to the parking lot, we’re going to give our bride and groom a great send-off.”

Why did her heart say she should stay and wait for Greg? It would only be a couple more seconds. She hesitated, but then realized she was being ridiculous. It wasn’t like they were together or anything. He was just Greg, and he was a big boy. He could certainly take care of himself. “Sure. Wait up.”

Greg

By the time he came back after making the announcement, most everyone was already headed for the doors. That most definitely included Taylor, which shouldn’t have hurt nearly so bad as it did. Still, he was getting really good at ignoring the pings of his heart when he was around her—just like he always had in high school. Besides, after this, she would surely say she had to get back to what’s-his-face.

The only good thing about the evening was that she hadn’t spent the whole thing bringing that jerk up. In fact, Greg thought as they headed out into the growing darkness, he wasn’t even totally sure the two of them were still together. He thought about asking, just casually mentioning it, but then he nixed that idea. What good would it do him? If she wasn’t with tattoo-boy, she was surely with someone else. Then again, she hadn’t brought anyone else…

Frustration with himself hit a zenith as he took two little bundles of birdseed from Paige and worked to get them untied.

“Oh, I love their car,” Lauren said when she ended up right next to Greg in the little line that had formed opposite the one that Taylor was in with Nelson and Paige.

Looking out to the parking lot, Greg saw the little two-seat black Porsche. “Wow. When did he get that?”

“Just for tonight,” Wes said.

“Nice.”

“Here they come!” the maid of honor said, coming out the doors.

In the next heartbeat, Joe, with Janet’s hand tucked firmly in his, emerged, and birdseed came from every conceivable direction along with shouts and laughter. There was so much birdseed, it wasn’t just the bride and groom that got covered with it. A minute more and they were climbing in the car.

“Here!” Nelson started tossing more bundles to the revelers. Greg barely caught the one that came his way. “Hurry!”

More birdseed started raining down and because he was midway down the line, most of it went on him instead of all the way to the car which Joe had fired up. In seconds, it pulled away and everyone cheered. Thankfully, the whole thing had gone off without a single hitch.

Chapter 14

Nelson

It seemed strange that it was over considering all the thought and planning he’d been doing for the last three weeks. Then again, it wasn’t really over for them just yet. They still had a ton of work to do.

“So, I guess this means it’s time to clean up,” Paige said.

“Guess so.”

“Boy howdy,” LJ said, coming up and swinging his arm onto Nelson’s shoulders, “you sure know how to throw one incredible party.”

“We’re so glad you enjoyed it,” Paige said. “And now you get to help clean up.”

“Oop, that’s my cue,” LJ said. “See ya!”

“Yeah, you’re not going anywhere,” Nelson said, head locking his friend to drag him back to the doors. “I invited you for a reason.”

“Thanks for telling me that now.”

“Nels,” Wes called. “I’ll bring the truck and trailer around.”

“Sounds good.”

It was akin to being in a beehive that just got jostled as people inside and out were gathering up their things and going in all directions, most of them heading out.

“What do we do with all of the centerpieces and tablecloths?” Kimberly asked already rolling things up.

“Tablecloths go in the kitchen. I guess we take the centerpieces,” Nelson said. He set the basket with the remaining tulle bundles to the side and went to work helping with the tables.

“You want them at Joe’s or Janet’s?”

Considering Joe’s would be Janet’s when they got back in a week, it made no sense to take them to Janet’s. “We can load them in my car. I’ll take them home.”

“And what are we going to do with these?” Kimberly asked of the two enormous arrangements from the church. Both looked more than a little worse for the wear-and-tear of the day.

“Oy. I have no clue.”

“Are we keeping them? Trashing them? What?”

“Well,” Nelson said, considering, “I don’t want to trash them, but…”

“I guess it doesn’t matter, we could pull them apart and take a few flowers,” Kimberly said, appraising the things. “Josi wanted some if that’s what we’re going to do.”

“Yeah,” Nelson finally said. “I guess so. They will be wilted and dead by the time Dad and Janet get back anyway.”

“K.” And with that Kimberly started pulling flowers out of the arrangements and laying them on the table next to it. “Here, Paige. Have a flower or ten.”

Taylor

Knowing she was better off to stick with the guys and out of the way of the wedding disassembly owing to Paige being over there, Taylor went straight to the equipment as someone snapped on the bright overhead light. “Wow. Yikes. You could warn a girl.”

“Eh. What fun would that be?” Greg asked, striding over and going right into the center of the setup. He had unplugged the power cords by the light switch and so he simply started unplugging cords from the amp and the instruments. “You helping or what?”

“Uh. Yeah, it looks like it,” Taylor said, holding out her hands to the sides. “What do you need?”

“A double shot of espresso and a two-month nap.” He was winding a thick black cord around and around his arm.

“Whoa. You planning on pulling a prom night?” Taylor asked, stepping into the melee and unplugging another black cord to start winding it.

“Hey, watch it now. I was a good boy that night. I was in bed by like two.”

“Nice,” she said with a bob of her head. “I think I was in bed before the sun came up, but I’m not sure I would put money on it.”

“Never fear, the A-Team is here,” Wes said, coming up with LJ and two dollies.

“’Bout time you show up,” Taylor said but not with any malice.

“Hey, don’t go shooting your mouth off there, missy,” Wes said. He rolled the dolly over to one of the speakers. “Let’s get these big ones first.”

Taylor continued to wind cords as the guys loaded one of the speakers and headed out to the trailer to load the thing. How could there be so many cords?

“You need help?” Yoli asked, appearing on the other side of the equipment no one had yet touched.

“Sure.” Taylor handed her the two cords she had rolled before picking up the one Greg had abandoned. “Just put them over there so the guys can take them out.” When she straightened with this cord, she noticed Greg’s phone on the amp. It was making a strange sound, and picking it up, she realized why. Mom was on the display. She swiped it on. “Hello?”

“Oh,” his mother said in surprise, and Taylor realized her mistake.

“Oh, it’s okay, Mrs. Everett,” Taylor said in her best speaking-to-the-parents voice. “Greg is just hauling out the equipment. He left his phone.”

“Oh,” his mother said, but she said no more.

“This is Taylor… Grayson. I can give Greg a message if you want.”

“Oh. Taylor. Okay. Uhm, just tell him I put the key out under the back mat for when he comes in. We have both of our vehicles in the garage, so he can’t park in there.”

Taylor nodded even as she handed the heavy cord to Yoli. “Okay. I’ll be sure to give him the message.”

“Thanks. Oh, and Taylor?”

“Yeah?”

“It was really nice to see you again.”

That stymied Taylor for a heartbeat. “Oh, well, it was really nice to see you too.”

“Take care.”

“I will.”

“Bye.”

“Bye.” And Taylor hit the off button about the time the guys strode back in. Interesting conversation, but she pushed that aside and held Greg’s phone out to him. “Your mom called.”

“My… mom?” Greg’s face plunged into the depths of horror as he took the phone from her and looked at it.

“Yeah, she said the key’s going to be under the back mat,” Taylor said as she went back to work rolling another cord. “You can’t park in the garage because both of them are parked in there?” It should have been a statement but ended up being more of a question because he looked so horrified. “Something like that.”

He looked from the phone to Taylor. “You talked to her?”

Taylor rolled her eyes. “No, I saw her smoke signals over that mountain over yonder. Of course I talked to her. What, is that a crime?”

“Uh. Well, no.” Greg stuffed his phone in his pocket, not looking terribly happy about it.

“You sure about that?” Taylor asked, raising her eyebrows and getting a little more defensive with each passing second.

“Yeah. I’m sure. Why would that be a thing?”

She didn’t know, but it made her wonder even as Wes summoned Greg to help with the other speaker. The instruments were starting to be a problem, so she picked up the acoustic in one hand and the electric in the other and headed over to the wall where the cases were.

“Tay,” Greg said with concern as he worked with the speaker with Wes, “be careful with those. We can get them.”

With no real thought to it, she did a 180 but kept walking backward. “They’re guitars, Greg. What do you think, I’m going to smash them for fun?” Even she could hear the irritation in her voice.

“Well, no, but you could just leave ‘em. We can get them in a minute.”

Frustration with him poured through her. “I promise I won’t hurt your precious guitars.”

And because his help was needed with the speaker, he just shook his head and followed the guys out.

“Jeesh,” Taylor mumbled as she got to the cases. “It’s a guitar. I think I can manage to put a couple guitars away. Is that really such a big problem?” She was still mumbling as she slammed the acoustic case closed.

“Do we take the mics apart?” Lauren asked as Taylor stood to put the electric in its case.

“I don’t know,” Taylor said, the hurt started pouring out of her. They acted like she was incompetent or something. “Ask Greg the magnificent. He might not want you to touch them.”

Lauren

Great, Lauren thought. Now what had Greg done to tick Taylor off? About the last thing they needed was for the diva to show up and wreck everything.

“Yoli,” Lauren said as sweetly as she could, “could you help with these?”

“Oh, sure thing. No problem.”

Taylor

By the time Taylor returned from stowing those two guitars, Lauren and Yoli were busy chattering away about how amazing the night had been. With a roll of her eyes, she grabbed the bass from its stand and headed back to the wall. If anybody, anybody said anything about her touching the bass, she was going to wallop them upside the head with it.

It wasn’t like she was a little kid. She was as much a part of the band as they were. Okay, granted all she usually did was show up and sing. But that wasn’t because she couldn’t do anything else. Mostly it was because they always told her they could handle it.

With the three guitars safely tucked away, she stood and righted the cases before striding back over to the set up. There was one of the thick black cords on the floor from the speaker, so she grabbed it up and started rolling it with all the anger in her.

Her gaze caught and held for ten seconds too long on Paige and Nelson over by the tables, looking sickeningly in love. Must be nice.

That cord was rolled and stacked with the others. Besides the speakers, amps, and the microphones Lauren and Yoli were doing, all that was left was the keyboard. Rather than carry it to the wall, she opted to get the large rolling case from the wall and drag it over. She had unzipped the thing and had just started trying to figure out how to get the keyboard off the stand safely when the guys came back in to get the other speakers.

“Tay!” Greg said, dragging everyone’s attention to him and then to her as he raced over like one false move and the building might come down. “Jeez, you’ve got to be careful with that.”

Anger and humiliation flooded her system as she stepped back from it and put her hands on her hips. In front of her, he bent and started unscrewing things.

“Sure,” she said, under her breath and with a roll of her eyes, “because I so can’t unscrew a couple things.” She wound her arms in front of her. “That’s way too complicated for me to do. What was I thinking?”

“Greg,” Wes said from the other side by one of the two remaining speakers.

“Yeah, just a sec.” He took the keyboard off the stand and kicking at the case, got the top of it open to put the thing in it.

Knowing she should just let him do it, Taylor’s anger bent her, and she swept the connection cord that went to the amp up. She rolled it like she was putting it around Greg’s neck and strangling him, which was exactly what she wanted to do. It was a keyboard. Not the Hope Diamond.

“Here,” she said, pitching the cord onto the stack, and he looked up at her and took it like he was as happy about this as she was.

“Greg, dude!” Wes said. “Today?”

“I’m coming.” Standing, Greg surveyed the case. “It needs the power cord and the foot pedal. They go in here.” He unzipped the side pocket and stood for another second like he wasn’t sure she could handle it.

Taylor waved both hands in the air. “Go. I’ve got this.”

“Fine.” With that, he strode over to Wes and LJ, leaving her fuming and ready to tell them all it was fun but to never call her again.

Greg

Even as he helped get the speaker onto the dolly, Greg’s gaze betrayed him and slipped back over to her. What had he done that got her in such a snit? High maintenance. Man, that girl gave new meaning to the words.

They went outside to the trailer which was a blessed addition to the job. With Paige’s place being all the way across town, this would’ve been a monster without it. On the edge of the trailer, he helped the large black block up the ramps and then hopped on and went all the way to the back where Wes set it down and pulled out the dolly.

“You got it?” LJ asked from the back of the trailer.

“Yep,” Wes called back.

“Cool.” LJ headed back in.

“Hey,” Wes said, slowing the dolly down as he started back for the ramp, “what is up with you and Tay?”

Greg exhaled hard. “I don’t know. Everything was great, and then all of a sudden, it’s like I’m Public Enemy #1.” He hopped off the trailer, which was probably not the smartest move seeing how it was dark, and he couldn’t really see the ground for the black asphalt. Thankfully, he made it down in one piece as Wes rolled the dolly down the ramp.

“Well, could you dial it back a little? The last thing we want is for her to have a reason to come burn our place down when we get to Tech next week.”

That they would probably never even see her when they got there flashed through Greg’s mind, and he hated that thought even more than the other.

“Look,” Wes said, more in control and less pushing buttons as before, “we’re all exhausted here. I’m sure this has been tough on her too.”

Tough on her, Greg wanted to say. She’s about to kill me! But he swallowed that as they went in the bright hall that was looking less-and-less like a wedding reception with each trip.

“Let’s just get through this,” Wes said, “I’m sure she’ll be headed back any minute now.”

“Flowers?” Josi, one of Kimberly’s children, said, skipping over with an armful of them. Not giving Greg a chance to decline, she handed him three.

“Uh, thanks.” He hardly stopped, but stalking across to the dwindling equipment, Greg thought about Wes’s words. He was right. What was the point of trashing it all over the fact that she would never feel about him the way he felt about her? Not wanting to, but knowing he should, he went over to where she was pitching a cord onto the growing stack. “Truce?” he asked, holding the sad, little bouquet out to her.

Taylor

For one acid-drenched second when Taylor turned, she wanted to tell him where he could put his truce. But then she found him standing there, holding flowers out to her. Okay, they were sad and pathetic, but the truth was, he looked about the same. She took a breath to settle her jangling anger at him and halfway smiled.

“I see you went all out,” she said, taking the flowers from him.

He shrugged. “It was the best I could do on short notice.”

Although it made no sense, she put her nose in the middle of them and took a deep breath. Either the smell or the breath helped to clear her head. “You better get over there, or Wes is going to fire us both.”

His gaze fell from her for a second. “K.”

Greg

They managed to get the rest of the place cleaned up without spilling any blood, which was a blessing. By the time everything was loaded and the reception debris cleaned up, it was already well past 11:30. His heart had started asking when it should be preparing itself for her departure, and every so often, he would look around to make sure she hadn’t just left. Knowing Taylor, that was a distinct possibility.

That’s why, he was as surprised as anyone when they all met in what had been a fairy tale only little more than an hour before but was now just a wide open, empty space. He was even more surprised that Taylor was still holding the flowers he’d given her. In fact, he was shocked they hadn’t wound up in a trashcan somewhere.

“Okay,” Wes said. “I say we take the equipment over and at least get it back in the basement.”

Next to Greg and with his hand in Paige’s, Nelson nodded. “Sounds like a plan.”

“Uhm, not to rain on this parade here,” LJ said, “but I was thinking, maybe Yoli could ride with Taylor, and they could stop on the way and get us something to eat. A double cheeseburger and fries would not be a horrible idea right about now.”

Hunger. Greg hadn’t even thought about it, but when his gaze jumped to Taylor standing over by Yoli and LJ, he knew he would starve to death rather than ask her to do him a favor.

“Oh, uh…” Taylor said as her eyes widened. “I… Uh…” She looked at Yoli. “Uhm, yeah, okay? We could stop at the Burger Barn on the way over. They don’t close until 2.”

“Great.”

“Awesome.”

“Here, we can give you some cash,” Wes said, pulling out his wallet, and just like that, so did all of the guys, including Greg.

“Uhm, what do you all want?” Yoli asked as she collected the cash.

“Surprise us,” Wes said, and Greg laughed at that, thinking he probably should check his burger for poison when they showed up.

“Okay,” Taylor said with an exhale. “We’ll get the food and meet you guys there.”

Taylor

She had had a plan. She really had. And this was not it.

How exactly was she walking to her car with wilted flowers from Greg and Yoli in tow? They were going to get burgers, which meant going home. That was definitely not in the plan. But how could she ever explain all of that to Yoli? Answer: she couldn’t. So she kept walking.

“Is this place out of the way?” Yoli asked as she got in the passenger’s side, and Taylor got in and fired up the car. It wasn’t a cool car. Even in high school, it wasn’t cool. But it was reliable and not falling apart, so that was something.

“Not really,” Taylor said, and her gaze caught on the guys as her headlights flooded over them. They were standing at the back of Wes’s trailer, having a final mini-conference about the next steps to this project.

With a small, sad shake of her head, Taylor ducked from the sight and readjusted her hair, the air conditioning, and the radio. Why did the thought of leaving them suddenly feel like she was going on without her heart? Yes, they made her squirrely. Yes, they could be infuriating sometimes. But she had forgotten how right life could feel with them around.

“They’re great,” Yoli said, seeming to read Taylor’s thoughts. “All of you are.”

Taylor bit back the words that wanted to ask if that included her. She knew what they thought of her. How could she not? She knew what she thought of herself when she got all over-the-top hysterical about things. “Yeah, they are that.”

The guys’ meeting broke up, and without her permission, Taylor’s gaze followed Greg off to the left as he went to his car that was still sitting next to hers. She hadn’t realized he would look her way, but when he did, he picked up his hand and half-waved with a tight, I’m-sorry apology in his soft, dark eyes. Ratcheting her eyes down as if she hadn’t seen him, she scrambled for something she could have been looking at.

“Greg is so sweet,” Yoli said with no warning. “He seems like such a nice, decent guy.”

“He is.” Really, she needed to stop with the whole where-is-Greg-now thing, but before she got herself to do that, she glanced over at his car. Her heart flipped at the sight of his silhouette in the darkness. He, too, was busy getting ready to go and no longer looking at her. That hurt, but of course, that was stupid.

She shifted her gaze from the sight with effort, and without another glance over though her heart was begging and pleading for her to, she put the car in drive and headed out.

Greg

As he watched her pull away, Greg shook his head. His heart felt like it had been squished under the high-heel of her shoe, which was about par for the course when he was around her. If she just wasn’t so sweet when she acted like he was on the planet… if he could just get past the way she wound her arm through his and put her head on his shoulder, or the way she slid her hands down his arms while they danced together… her laugh… her smile… even that triple-wrinkle that knitted down the center of her eyebrows when she got really mad. And boy, could she get mad. Fire had nothing on that girl.

Following Wes, Greg tried to remember or figure out just what had set her off before. Was it him or something else? Maybe she was still in a twist over Nelson and Paige. That, honestly, was a possibility. She and Nelson had seemed quite chummy at least a few times throughout the evening. Then again, it was hard to tell because Taylor had a way of being a total flirt with all three of them. That was probably owing to the fact that they had all had a thing for her at one time or another. Less Wes, more him and definitely Nelson, but still...

And he knew that she had been less-than-thrilled with the Nelson-Paige pairing. Maybe Wes was right. Maybe tonight had been hard on her. Then there he was practically ripping her head off for trying to help. What did he think she was going to do with those guitars anyway? He would trust her with his life, so why he didn’t trust her to put a couple guitars away? What was that anyway? It made no sense whatsoever.

He wondered if she would actually make it back with the burgers though having Yoli as a hostage or chaperone made it a better bet that she would. He hoped she would, and he hoped she would stay and eat with them, too. Not for him, of course, but for the others and for her. It would be far better than giving her a reason to burn their house down around them like Wes had said.

Stopped at a light, Greg smiled at that. That was Taylor—extreme and dangerous when she wanted to be. He let out a sigh. She was dangerous to a guy’s heart. That was for sure.

Glancing down at the clock, he shook his head. It felt like their whole life together had suddenly shrunk to the last, few small hours they had left tonight. Just why he knew that, he couldn’t really say, but something told him that when she took off tonight, when she drove away, there would never be another reunion. And if there was, by then, she would surely be happily married with a husband who was a male model and CEO of a Fortune 500 company all wrapped up into one, and a couple of kids that looked just like her. Two little firecrackers, sparkling up the whole world. Yep. It wouldn’t surprise him at all.

Carefully he pulled into Paige’s driveway just as Wes and Lauren got out of the truck and Nelson, Paige, and LJ came from the side. Greg parked and crushed all the thoughts and feelings deep down inside of him. “Just get through this. Get through it, and don’t do anything you’ll really regret. You can fall apart tomorrow. Tonight, just keep it together.”

Taylor

Unfortunately, the drive-through was their only option as the main restaurant was already closed.

“What do you think?” Taylor asked, pulling up behind the two other cars already in line for the little speaker.

“I say we get doubles for each of the guys, singles for all of us, and fries for everybody,” Yoli said, counting through the cash.

“Do we have enough for all of that?” Taylor asked with concern.

“Well, Wes and Greg both threw in 20’s and Nelson and LJ just handed me this whole stack, so yeah, I think we should be good.”

“Heck, who needs burgers? We should just head to Vegas and try our luck there.”

Yoli laughed at that. “Boy, would they be surprised.”

“No kidding.” Taylor pulled forward and sighed as she glanced at the clock. At best it would be two before she got home. How had it gotten so late? She ran her hand up and through the waves of hair and down to where her hand stopped with her elbow propped on the window and her head in her hand. It was going to be a long, long, late night. Not that she hadn’t had more than her fair share of those, but this trip home loomed larger than most of the others she had endured in the last two years.

“Do you ever think how weird this all is?” Yoli asked, and her eyes spoke of vulnerability.

“All of what?”

“This. I mean, what are the chances, you know? LJ and Nelson rooming together. They didn’t even know each other. And you and the guys, so many things had to be just right for this to even happen, for us to be sitting here like this.”

Taylor couldn’t remember ever having the thought, but as she pulled forward again, she couldn’t help but have it now. Quickly, she placed their order. Order placed, she went forward again. “Yeah, sometimes it would be nice to be able to read the last page, to see if it ends the way you want it to.”

Looking at her, Yoli smiled. “I’ve read the end.”

That yanked Taylor’s gaze over to her. “You have? How?”

“I have. In the end three things will last, faith, hope, and love, and the greatest of these is love. That means, in the end, love wins.”

“The Bible, right? That’s from the Bible.”

Yoli smiled. “It is.”

“So, you believe all that stuff then, all that Bible stuff?”

That seemed to puzzle Yoli. “I do. Don’t you?”

Taylor pulled up one more space as she shrugged. “I don’t know. I mean, we went to church like you’re supposed to when I was younger. I did the whole youth group thing and all of that. Just not sure if it ever did me much good.”

“Oh?”

“Yeah, you know, all the rules, all the thou shalls and thou shalt nots.” She shrugged. “I mean, what’s the point, you know?”

“So, you don’t believe in God?”

“I don’t not believe in Him, but do you really think there’s this guy up somewhere in Heaven with a big gray beard waiting to smack you if you do something He doesn’t like?”

“I don’t think that’s what He does… smack you if you do something wrong.”

Taylor bounced her eyebrows as the car ahead of them pulled away. “Yeah, well, that’s the way I learned it.” Going up to the window, she waited for the guy to come back. When he did, he told her the total, and she and Yoli both counted it out before she gave it to him.

“Okay, great,” he said, and he pointed across the parking lot. “If you’ll just pull over there, your order will be out shortly.”

Smiling a tight, trying-not-to-be-annoyed smile because there was literally nothing else she could do to speed the process, Taylor did as instructed. The parking space across the way was much darker than under the neon of the restaurant’s lights. It got even darker when she killed the headlights to keep them from reflecting off the storefront window beyond and blinding them both.

Time was quickly becoming her nemesis.

“So, you’re at Tech,” Yoli started after they’d sat long enough for awkward to start slithering over them.

“I am.”

“And you’re studying…?”

“Pre-med.” Taylor reached for the air and flipped it down to next-to-nothing.

“Wow, really? That’s impressive.”

“Yeah, well…” Taylor slumped back in her seat and let her gaze drift out to the city beyond.

“And you’re a… what? Junior? Senior?”

“Will be a junior in the fall,” Taylor said, if I pass this class, but she didn’t add that.

“I just think it’s so cool how you’re all so different,” Yoli said. “Wes is into cars. Greg’s doing… radiology, right?”

The mere mention of his name threatened to shred Taylor’s heart. Why did the memories of the evening come back like they did? And why had she lost it there at the end? No wonder they thought she was a drama queen. She was. “Yeah. I think that’s right.”

Yoli checked her with a strange look but continued, “And now Nelson is going into music, and you’re pre-med. It’s like you’re all so-so different, and yet when you sing together…” She shook her head slowly. “It sounds like… like… It’s so special.”

“Yeah, well, that took a lot of practice.”

“Oh, I’m sure,” Yoli said quickly.

“No. You have no idea how many hours it took to get it to sound like that,” Taylor said, her mind and spirit slipping back to that time when they’d first started. “Nelson was the only real natural of the bunch. I wasn’t too bad I guess, but then I never tried to play anything either.”

“I noticed that,” Yoli said. “Not that it’s a bad thing…”

“Eh, I thought about it a few times, but it never really came up, so what’s the point, you know?” Sitting there, she put her gaze on her fingers and let it stay there. “Truth is, they really didn’t need me. They just needed my basement, and I think they felt guilty for being there all the time and me not being a part of it. So…”

Concern drained down Yoli’s face. “Are you… Is that really what you think, that they don’t need you?”

The tap on Taylor’s window about sent her into the stratosphere, and spinning to it, she quickly rolled it down. The guy from before started calling out the order before handing her bag after bag. There was no real way to check it all, so Taylor just gave it all to Yoli who stowed it in the floorboard at her feet. When the order had been transferred, Taylor thanked the guy and rolled up her window.

“It’s about time,” she said, glancing again at the clock. Two was looking decidedly optimistic.

Greg

Getting the equipment back down the stairs was no picnic, and had there been another option, Greg would surely have suggested it. But they couldn’t just leave it upstairs for Paige to move later, and he knew Nelson was taking LJ and Yoli to the airport in the morning, so coming back tomorrow was out too.

“Careful,” Wes said from the lower end of the speaker as Greg negotiated the top of the thing around the doorpost.

“You got it?” Greg asked with concern as Wes started down the stairs. He knew he’d gotten the easy part.

“Yeah, just don’t go getting all crazy with trying to do this fast.”

Greg knew that talking wouldn’t help anything so he simply dug into the task of keeping his balance and kept his comments to himself. When they got to the bottom of the stairs, they carefully carried the thing all the way over to the corner where the carpet was mushed down for all the years it had sat there.

“Ugh,” Wes said when it was back in place. “Man, I’m glad we don’t do this every weekend.”

“You and me both. Wow.”

“Little help here,” Nelson called from the stairwell, and Wes rushed past Greg to help.

Now alone in the basement, Greg looked around at the mess of cords the girls had been bringing down. How could there be so many? “Are we hooking this thing back up tonight?”

“And down,” Wes said when the three of them got the other speaker into its spot opposite its twin. “Don’t know,” he said, looking at Nelson and laying his head back and forth before putting his hand up to his shoulder. “Are we?”

“You know,” Nelson said, and Greg saw how beat his friend was, “if we could just get it all down here, I can hook it back up next week. It’s not like I won’t be over here.”

Wes nodded as Greg’s heart turned over. Lucky Nelson.

“You know, not to flake out on you or anything, but I’m really liking that plan.” Wes looked at his watch as they headed back up. “I’m supposed to have Lauren home in an hour.”

“Wonder where Tay and Yoli are,” Nelson said as the four of them headed through the house and back out the front to the trailer.

“They just got the burgers,” LJ said, putting his phone away. “They’re headed this way.”

That made the breath in Greg’s lungs jerk into a tight knot. Great. Nothing like the imminent arrival of Taylor to make him think twice about this whole idea.

“Here, you get that side,” LJ said to Greg as he lifted one of the smaller speakers.

“K. Got it.” And with that, the two of them headed off the trailer and back for the house. Maybe if they got this finished before the girls got back with the burgers, he could beg off, say he had a headache or something and be out of here before they showed up. It was an idea, and one he would sell a kidney for if it had any chance of working.

“Dang. Whose bright idea were these stairs anyway?” LJ asked when they got back to the door of the basement. “This could have been so much easier.”

Greg well remembered his first trip to, into and through this house and down into the basement. There were times he wished he didn’t remember so much about all of it. “Yeah, well, it was the least worst option at the time.”

“What were the other ones, Mars?”

Down. Down. Down they went, with LJ on the bottom desperately trying not to crash land at the bottom of the stairs with the speaker on top of him. Greg couldn’t blame him. The bottom was always the hardest.

“Well, honestly it didn’t start out like this,” Greg said, and he lowered his side when they got it in place.

“Oh, yeah?”

“Yeah. We started with two second-hand guitars and an old keyboard that only worked about half the time.”

“Wow. No speakers?”

“No anything else. I think we shagged a few stools from upstairs to sit on and that was about it.”

“Hey, they say don’t despise small beginnings,” LJ said but then put his hand on his back, “unless it involves two-ton speakers and a mountain of equipment.”

“Something like that.” Up and back out they went. Once again at the trailer, Greg hopped up onto it and grabbed the rolling case for the keyboard. It was his, but he never actually took it home. Maybe after tonight he should. What was the chance that anyone would even play it after tonight? “You can grab the guitars out of the bed.”

“Got it,” LJ said and shuffled off to get that done.

“What do we lack?” Wes asked, coming up before Greg got to the ramp.

“Just the amp,” Greg said. “Oh, and I think the bass is still in the truck.”

“Nels,” Wes called as he hiked up the amp that was not exactly light. “You get the bass?”

Nelson went straight to the truck bed. “Got it.” He met the two of them at the sidewalk. “Hey, man, be sure to thank your uncle for the truck and trailer. This would’ve been impossible without it.”

“Will do,” Wes said, and just as they got to the front door, a set of headlights swept across them. Greg looked back, and with one glance, he knew his escape plan was toast. Why hadn’t he bailed when he had the chance?

Taylor

It wasn’t like she was trying to find the guys, but her headlights did just the same. Greg was the farthest back on the sidewalk, and he looked up as they pulled in. Even Taylor had to admit he was looking pretty good tonight especially now with the dark five o’clock shadow and the hair that had become more curls than perfect as it had been at the wedding.

Without smiling or even reacting very much, he turned and followed the other two in, dragging the keyboard case behind him. Taylor’s heart fell. Why couldn’t things be easy? Then again, maybe she was the one making far too much of a fuss out of it. Maybe Greg didn’t even notice. It wasn’t like he’d ever been more than just over clueless.

Holding onto that hope, she parked and took the bags Yoli handed her. It would probably be best if she just took hers to go. That would simplify so much.

Together, they went inside and found Paige and Lauren in the kitchen dragging out plastic cups and drinks from the refrigerator.

“Did you guys get drinks?” Lauren asked, and Yoli answered in the negative.

“That’s what we thought,” Lauren said, and when she stood, she twisted in her fancy dress. “Man, I’m ready to get in some sweats and veg out for a change. This get up is getting on my last nerve.”

“You could borrow some of mine if you want,” Paige said. “The guys won’t be up for a couple minutes.”

“You don’t mind?” Lauren asked.

“When have I ever minded?”

And with that, the two of them headed off to Paige’s room to get comfortable. A part of Taylor thought that sounded like a great idea, but getting comfy meant getting tired, and she didn’t have the luxury of doing that.

“Do we want to separate everything out?” Yoli asked, digging in one of the bags.

“Sounds like a plan.” Taylor went over to a cabinet and pulled out a couple of plates. “There’s paper plates down under that cabinet.”

Yoli pulled them out just as hushed voices came from the back hallway. With no other warning than that, the four guys emerged, looking far less put together than they had most of the evening. Wes, Nelson, and LJ came out first, and for a split-second before she thought about how ridiculous she was being, Taylor thought about asking if they had lost Greg.

Thankfully, before her mouth got that out, he stepped through the doorway and glanced her direction. It was like getting hit by a bolt of lightning from a clear blue sky. She didn’t see it coming, and it was gone so fast, she wasn’t sure other than the hard jolt it took to her heart if it had even really happened.

“Oh, thank the Dear Lord,” LJ said, sliding onto a stool. “Father bless this food and all those who eat it. Amen.”

“That’s some shorthand there,” Nelson said as LJ took a burger and he followed.

“Those are the singles,” Yoli said quickly. “Here are the doubles.”

“Doubles,” LJ said. “Now you’re speaking my language.”

Like a pack of hungry wolves, three of the four of them grabbed for burgers. Only Greg still stood on the far edge of the island. Trying like mad to make this all be no big deal, Taylor looked over at him. “You want a Dr. Pepper?”

Surprise lit across his face and sparked through his eyes. “Uh, sure. You got one?”

Taylor went to the refrigerator and took one out. “They’re probably a couple years old.”

He laughed. “Nothing like aged Dr. Pepper.”

She handed it to him as Paige and Lauren came out, looking imminently more comfortable but decidedly not fancy. Glancing down at herself, Taylor wished she didn’t feel like such a guest in this house. “Yeah, well, you get what you come to, I guess.”

“Fries!” Lauren said not bothering with a plate or a burger. “Oh, man, those are so good.”

Wes laughed at her and scooted over to make room for her on his lap. “Help yourself.”

“Hey, we’re among friends,” she said. “It’s not like I’m trying to impress anybody.”

“True that,” Wes said, taking another bite of his burger.

By the stove, Taylor leaned there and crossed her arms, watching them all chow down. Something about it all made her less-than-hungry. Maybe it was the nostalgia jamming into the top of her chest. She didn’t know, but it was making her swimmy-headed and tired. A yawn attacked her before she knew it was coming, and she put her wrist to her mouth to thwart it. But it was too late.

“Hey. No,” Wes said, pointing at her. “No doing that.”

“Ugh. Sorry,” Taylor said. She shook her head hard. “Long day.”

“You not eating?” Nelson asked her from under Paige who had sat on his lap.

Taylor shrugged. “Not really hungry.”

She saw the look of disdain that Paige shot her, and figuring she was better off to not call more attention to herself, she went over to the refrigerator. “Mom obviously knew you guys were coming. She left some cupcakes.” Taking the plate out, Taylor took it over and put it in the center of the island.

“Have I mentioned that I love your mother?” LJ asked, taking one and taking a bite of it. “Oh, man, now that hits the spot.”

Standing on the other side of the island as they all talked as they polished off the food, Taylor just watched them. She didn’t really feel a part of the group anymore for reasons she didn’t want to explain or articulate. But she felt them all just the same.

“So, what’s the plan for tomorrow?” Nelson asked LJ. “What time do you guys need to be to the airport?”

LJ looked at Yoli. “Probably no later than 10:30, wouldn’t you say?”

“10:15, 10:30,” Yoli said, and when Taylor looked at her, the oddest feeling of wishing Yoli didn’t have to go drifted through her. She put her hands on the stove and her head down, trying to get that thought to leave her alone. They weren’t even friends, not really. But it would be weird to never see her again.

“Paige,” LJ said, “are you planning to go with us?”

“Planning on it,” she said. “But I guess that means we’ll miss church.”

“Ah, man,” LJ said. “I didn’t think about that. Sorry, guys.”

“Eh,” Nelson said. “One day isn’t going to kill us.”

Greg

The mention of church dragged Greg back from the edge of nowhere. He hadn’t thought about that. He looked at his phone. Nine was going to come awful early at this rate. However, as he was putting his phone back in his pocket, he thought not of himself but of Taylor. It was long after one. That put her home after three even if she left now.

As the conversation about plane schedules and arrival times continued down the way, he glanced over at her as she leaned on the stove not really joining in with any of it. “You’re not going back tonight, are you?” he asked, lifting his chin to her.

Her gaze jumped over to him in surprise as she shrugged and came over to lean on the island. “Planning on it. Why?”

Worry coursed across his heart. “Seriously? You couldn’t just stay tonight?”

“Oh, I don’t know.” She scratched the back of her head, “I really probably do need to get on back.”

Greg glanced down at the others who were buried in their own conversations, and he caught Yoli’s gaze at the far end of the island before returning his gaze to Taylor. “So, is it really going to make that big of a difference if you go tonight or tomorrow morning? I mean, it is Sunday after all. It’s not like you have class or anything.”

“Yeah. I know. I don’t, but…”

He was very glad for Yoli’s apparent ability to read silent, panicked S.O.S. signals as she left the others and came over to them, ostensibly to get one of the cupcakes. But slyly she just kept right on coming.

“So, what’s shaking over here?” she asked, leaning next to Taylor and peeling the wrapper from the little cake. “Aren’t you going to eat?” she asked Taylor as she bit into the chocolate as if she had no other ulterior motive in mind for coming over here at all.

That wasn’t exactly the S.O.S. message Greg meant for her to help with, but it was a start.

“Eh,” Taylor said, waving her away. “It’s fine. I’m not really that hungry.”

“No,” Yoli said and she downed the last of the cupcake and dusted off her hands. “Woman cannot live by air alone. Here.” Not waiting for Taylor to protest, she went over and retrieved a paper plate, the last burger and the few remaining fries, and coming back over she set it in front of Taylor and pointed at it. “Eat.”

Taylor straightened and put her hands on the island, locking her elbows as if trying to get away from the food. “Really, I…”

“I said, ‘Eat.’ Now, I’m not your mother, but I can play one on TV with the best of them.” Yoli folded her arms and raised her eyebrows before nodding at the plate. “No lie. You need to eat.”

Greg had to bite his lips to keep from laughing at the scene they made. He’d never seen anyone put Taylor in her place like that before. It was certainly a sight to behold.

Taking a few fries, Taylor ate them slowly. “Fine.”

“Now,” Yoli said as she leaned back on the island. “What’s the plan? You’re not going back tonight. I really don’t mind sleeping on the couch if I have to.”

Taylor nearly choked on the fries. “Oh, I’m…”

“Staying here,” Yoli said with a nod. “Yeah, you are not getting on that road and wrapping your cute car and self around a tree at three in the morning on account of me.”

Greg swallowed at that. He knew it wasn’t safe, but the thought of Taylor getting killed over it hadn’t even entered his mind.

“Now, if you want your bed back, just say the word,” Yoli said. “The couch would be fine.”

“Oh… I… Uh… You don’t have to,” Taylor said, and as Greg watched her, he saw a side of her emerge that he had never realized was even a part of her. It was smaller, timid almost. Like a little kid who didn’t want to be too big of a bother to anyone. It confused him because she so wasn’t like that normally.

“I agree with Yoli,” he said, leaning down casually and taking a drink of his Dr. Pepper. “You really should stay.” He started to take another drink but then stopped. “Hey, doesn’t your dad still have that air mattress in the garage? I know he used to.” Greg took another drink though he was homed in on her like a carrier pigeon on crack.

Some random pieces of past historical knowledge came in handier than others. That trip to the lake they took with the youth group back in sixth grade wasn’t turning out to be such a bad memory to have kept up with after all.

“Oh. I… uh…”

“We could go look,” he said with an off-handed shrug as if his entire life didn’t hinge on gently talking her into it and not scaring her away. The image of that car and tree were doing nothing good to his equilibrium.

“Do you know where it is?” Yoli asked him, straightening, which drew the attention of others at the opposite end of the island. He fought not to notice.

“Can’t be that hard to find.” Greg crushed the Dr. Pepper can in his hand and stood as well. “You finish that. We’ll go get it.”

Taylor looked so surprised she clearly lost every word she’d ever known.

“Eat up, Mija,” Yoli said, giving her a quick hug. “We’ve got this.”

Greg wasn’t sure what a mija was, but he was awfully glad Yoli was taking the lead on this thing. Together, they went into and through the back hallway and turned the opposite way from the downstairs door and right out into the garage.

“Do you really know where this thing is?” Yoli asked him when they got out there on the flip of the light switch he did on his way through the door. “I really don’t think she should be driving back tonight.”

“Well, that makes two of us.” He went into the garage and skirted past the vehicle there to the shelves on the far side. There, he started his search. “Come on. Come on. Come on. Where…? Ah. Here it is.” Reaching up to the top shelf, he pulled the box down. “Oh, and here’s the blower to fill it.” He handed the boxed mattress to Yoli, and she dusted the thing off. He glanced at her as he retrieved the blower. “You sure you don’t mind sleeping on that thing?”

“Hey, whatever it takes to keep her here.”

Greg grinned with the blower in hand, and he threw his other arm around her. “I knew there was a reason I liked you.”

“Hey, right back at you.”

Paige

Everything was fine in Paige’s world right up to the moment that Greg and Yoli came back in, looking all chummy with the box and the blower. Her eyes widened at the sight, and she searched for words that had abandoned her. They couldn’t be serious. Let Taylor go back already. She needed to go back. What were they doing?

Lauren’s gaze too followed them in and around and into the other hallway before sliding over to Paige who knew she should hide her displeasure though that wasn’t working at all. Nelson, Wes, and LJ were talking as if nothing in the whole world was or ever had been wrong. Paige closed her eyes and shook her head before forcing her eyes open again though her heart was squeezing something terrible. Noooo….

Yoli was supposed to be her friend. Greg too. And now, somehow, Taylor had put them both under her spell. Glancing over at her sister who stood over half-a-burger still on her plate, Paige let the annoyance bordering on hate filter down into her. How could everyone be so naïve? And how did Taylor manage to brainwash absolutely everyone?

The blower went on in Taylor’s room, and Paige was surprised her sister didn’t go back there to help. Instead, across the way, she folded the paper plate over the last half of her burger and pitched it in the trash.

“Man, I don’t know about you guys,” LJ said, “but my feet waved the white flag like six hours ago.”

Without joining the conversation, Taylor started clearing away the debris at the other end of the island. Plate-by-plate, she discarded what she could without asking or saying anything.

“So, you’re staying tonight?” Paige finally asked when Taylor got to her end. One glance and a shrug was all she got in reply.

When Taylor turned to dump the rest of the plates in the trash, Paige looked at Lauren who didn’t look any happier than she felt about the situation.

“Well, boys and girls,” Wes said, moving from under Lauren before standing. “It’s been real and it’s been fun, but I think I’m starting to turn into a pumpkin.” He ran his hand down Lauren’s back. “What do you say, you about ready?”

“Uh, yeah, just let me get my stuff.” Lauren shot Paige a look that said she was sorry for abandoning her with the hyper-awkward situation, and Paige shook her head that it was fine.

“I think we’re going to bounce too,” Nelson said with a long sigh behind her, and Paige took that cue to slide off his lap. “We’ve still got to unload all those centerpieces back at the house before we call it a night.”

“Oh, yay for us,” LJ said just as the blower noise ceased. “I’m just going to go say goodnight to Yoli.”

“Sounds good,” Nelson said, standing and stretching. “We’ll be out at the car.”

“Don’t leave without me.”

Nelson laughed and put his arm around Paige. “Then don’t take too long.”

Taylor

It wasn’t a plan, more just something to keep her busy and occupied as everyone else prepared to exit. She pitched the paper plates first, then stuck the actual plates in the dishwasher before going back for the bags and cups. The very last thing she wanted was for her parents to get up in the morning to find a mess in their kitchen. It was a good-sure bet she’d get blamed for that one through next Christmas at least.

“All done,” Greg said, coming back through the kitchen with the blower in hand. “Good as ever.”

Taylor ducked with a handful of trash as she headed to pitch it. “Uh, thanks?” It came out more of a question. “Is… Did you… Is Yoli?”

“Saying goodbye to LJ,” Greg said as he leaned on the cabinet next to the stove. “I think him and Nels are about to take off.”

She knew that, but it seemed pointless to tell him that. “Okay.” Stuffing the trash into the can without looking at him, she realized it was full and made the snap decision to at least empty it. Her mother always had that thing back when they were growing up about am I the only one who ever notices this thing is full? Now that she lived with people who thought nothing of leaving an overfilled, overflowing trash can for the next unfortunate soul to find, Taylor could hardly justify just leaving it for them to find in the morning.

Taking hold of the bag handles, she started tugging on it even as she tried to hold the solid can down. All that managed to do was to snag it on the side, and she yanked twice, growing more frustrated with each yank. With a hard exhale, Greg set the blower down and came over to her like she’d lost her mind.

“Here, hold… hold up there. Jeez,” he said, taking the handles from her. “Calm down. You’re going to have this stuff all over the place if you do that.”

Taylor bit the words back about as ferociously as she did the tears. Could she do nothing right in his book? “Yeah, fine, whatever.”

In seconds he had the thing out. “You want me to take this out when I put the blower back?”

She grabbed a dishcloth and started wiping down the island, not really even acknowledging his presence or the question. “Sure. Whatever.”

Greg

Raising his eyebrows at that and with no accounting for how drastically she could go from hot to cold and back again, Greg brushed his own irritation to the side and picked up the blower in one hand and the trash in the other.

“See ya, Greg,” Wes called from the front door, and Greg lifted the hand with the trash in reply.

The rest of them, save LJ and Yoli, went out the front. Greg needed to go too, and once all this was taken care of and Taylor had calmed down, he would. Then again, if he waited for that to happen, he might never leave. He half-laughed at that as he went out the small garage door and into the side of the backyard, hoping upon hope that the back gate wouldn’t be locked.

It wasn’t, and with one swing through it, he found himself out in the darkness of the alley. The late-summer air had turned much cooler, and he looked up at the stars that he could almost make out through the pale ambient light of the surrounding houses. The Graysons didn’t live in the country exactly, but it was much more country than his own house in the city. In fact, out here, it was nice and peaceful. And it had been a while since he’d felt any peace.

He pitched the trash into the dumpster and made sure to close the lid quietly. No need to bang it closed and wake everyone up. The trip back in brought even more peace, and for that, he was thankful. After the insanity of the day, it was a welcome reprieve. Back through the gate he went, and he made sure to latch it behind him. He smiled remembering Lauren’s birthday party in this very backyard. That was a fun day. Taylor had shown up and helped them decorate, saving what probably would have been a disaster of epic proportions if it had been left to him and Wes. And they had sung together that night too.

Just with the acoustics, sitting on the coffee table in the living room. With a shake of his head to get it to clear of thoughts of her, he headed into the garage and stowed the blower back where he’d gotten it. Friends. That’s all they were and all they would ever be, but he would never stop caring about her, worrying about her, and thinking about her as she floated through the fondest memories of his life. He couldn’t if he tried.

Going back in, he found the house had gotten much quieter. In fact, the only one left in the kitchen was Taylor herself. She was pushing buttons on the dishwasher to get it going. Without pause, he went right over to where she was and leaned his hip on the stove not three feet from her.

“That everything?” he asked, dipping his head because he wanted to see her soft almond eyes one last time.

“Uh, yeah,” she said, head down, still punching buttons. “I think so.”

Greg nodded slowly. Why was this so impossible? He knew he should leave, but his heart said nobody was around. What if he just did it, just told her how he felt about her right now? Just came out and said it, straight up, no apologies, no beating around the bush. Would that really be so terrible? Would it? Or would it ruin everything?

The thought of her laughing in his face dragged his gaze down to his shoes before sanity pushed that insanity away. “So, you are staying, right? You’re not going to go back tonight?”

When her gaze came up to his, it was like it had been beaten into submission. “I guess.”

One slow nod followed by three more as he stood there, appraising her. “Good. It’s probably better for you not to be out on the road at all hours.”

Inexplicably her gaze cut past him toward the hallway where her parents slept before she bounced her eyebrows, wound her arms, leaned on the opposite side of the stove, and let out a breath. “I guess.”

Thoughts and feelings zinged through him with no rhyme or rhythm. “So, I guess this is goodnight then.”

Her gaze came up to his, and her smile was so soft it almost wasn’t there at all. “Guess so.”

Could he withstand another hug and not fall apart completely? He wasn’t sure, but before his mind could decide, his body made the decision to step toward her and bridge the gap between them. In the next second, inexplicably, she was buried in his embrace. Surprise lit through him as he held her there because she didn’t let go right away. Instead, she seemed to be soaking in the hug or falling asleep, he couldn’t tell which.

Honestly, he loved just holding her more than he should have, and besides, it was just them being friends. The hour or something like it pulled his head down onto hers as his hands rubbed up and down her back, finding the bareness of her skin at the top. That did things to him he had to fight to ignore. “I had fun tonight,” he said softly, trying not to break the spell.

With a nod, she finally pulled herself backward, away from him, and when they were back to being two separate people, she folded her arms in front of her. “Yeah, me too.”

Greg stood there, watching her—hoping, wishing, knowing. His hands burned from touching her, and his heart begged him to say something, to tell her what she meant to him. But he couldn’t do that, and he knew it. Finally, he nodded to get himself to move. “Well, I’d better go.”

Her gaze never really came up to his. “Yeah.”

Taylor

The only thing that made any sense was to walk him to the door, but Taylor wasn’t sure she could make it there without collapsing. This was tired to the nth degree and then some.

At the door Greg only partially stopped at the threshold. “Guess I’ll catch you later.”

“Yeah,” Taylor said, too tired and emotionally wobbly to say more. That hug had about wrecked her heart over saying goodbye to them again, and then, he was gone—walking down the walk where he said something to Nelson and Paige who were standing at Nelson’s car. That was enough for Taylor. Fighting not to let the sight lodge inside her which it did anyway, she turned and found LJ coming through the living room.

“Welp, Taylor, it’s been great.” LJ held up his hand, and Taylor caught it like the guys always did. His other arm came around her for one single second. “You take care of yourself and all of them.”

Nodding was all Taylor could do. How could you explain to someone that being around only complicated your life and theirs, and so it was better to just not be? “Have a safe trip.”

“Will do.” LJ got to the door and turned to point at her. “You too.”

With a small, tired, sad smile, Taylor nodded. “I will. See ya.”

“Later ‘gator,” and with that, he was gone.

Taylor checked over the entire kitchen and living room with one sweep of her gaze wrapped gently in a sigh as she went through them. Paige would be in soon, so there was no reason to hit the lights. It took another breath to get herself to go down the hallway to the closed door of her bedroom. Oh, yeah, that wasn’t weird at all. Her bedroom door was never closed if she wasn’t inside of it.

“It ain’t no thing,” she whispered to herself when she got to the door. “Just like the dorms. This is no big deal.”

Okay, that probably wasn’t the best pep talk she could have given herself, but it was too late to think of another one. Not wanting to just barge in, she knocked on her own door, which was weird, but she also didn’t want to walk in on Yoli changing.

“’m in,” Yoli called softly.

Still feeling off-balance by the whole thing, Taylor went in and found Yoli standing at the bookcase on the opposite side of the room. It took up most of the wall—owing to Taylor’s fascination with all things literature in the fourth and fifth grade when they had moved to this house. She loved books, and her parents did absolutely everything they could to encourage that love.

“You’ve got quite a collection,” Yoli said as Taylor closed the door and went to her dresser to figure out what she might wear for bed.

“Yeah. Mostly middle school stuff. I was a big book buff back then.”

“Back then?” Yoli asked. “What happened to that?”

“Life.” Taylor got a T-shirt and some sweats out and headed to the bathroom. “I’ll be back.”

“K.”

Greg

Now that the night was over, Greg should have been thankful. The only problem was that one unknown had now delivered him on the doorstep of the next one. Thursday. Moving day.

He needed to start packing tomorrow. The thought dragged him right down into a pit of near-sleep. By next Monday he would be in class on what felt like the other side of the world from here, and by then, tonight would be a distant memory.

It probably wasn’t smart, but the darkness persuaded him that letting himself dream dreams that would never come true was safe for tonight. So, when he got home and retrieved the key from under the mat, he let himself in and went straight to his room without bothering to turn on a single light.

In fact, he let the darkness swaddle him whole as he changed for bed and fell blessedly into it. There, he finally let out the breath he’d been holding probably since she’d shown up at his pew what felt a lifetime before. With a soft smile and a shake of his head, he let his mind and heart catalog the whole amazing day. A million precious, priceless memories to store with all the others. And one thought drifted through all of them, there was nothing in all the world like the feeling he had when he and Taylor Grayson sang a love song together.

Taylor

In the bathroom, Taylor scrubbed off the makeup and simply grabbed a Scrunchi from the drawer and whipped her hair up into it. What was the point of being fashionable or even presentable? With any luck, Yoli would already be asleep by the time she got back to the room.

Just before she started the trek back, she heard the soft sounds of her sister’s return, and it hitched Taylor’s breath. Paige coming back meant that Nelson was now leaving, and when she got really, really quiet, she could almost hear the sound of his car pulling away from the driveway. Whether that was her imagination or real, she didn’t know, but standing by the door with her hand on the knob, she closed her eyes and told him goodbye in the silence of her heart. It didn’t hurt like it had in the past, but the pang still jangled softly as it probably always would.

A second more and she realized if she didn’t go now, she was sure to meet up with Paige coming to need the facilities. That got her moving again, and she scooped up the champagne outfit from the heap it had made on the floor. She would have to remember to grab a plastic bag from her mom’s stash in the morning. Otherwise, it was too possible that Chris would see it when she got home and ask. Nobody wanted the way that conversation would go down.

Like a cat fitted with a silencer, she shut off the light, opened the door, and tiptoed without a single sound down to her door. “Please be asleep. Please be asleep.”

Paige

The magical day had come to an end. Prince Charming had gone home, and she was once again deposited back into the arms of reality.

In her room before putting things back to right, Paige turned on the CD very, very quietly. No one needed to know she was still floating on the soft wings of the day. She slowly picked things up and put them away, knowing she should just go to bed already but not quite ready to. Her whirlwind changing session with Lauren earlier hadn’t done her room any favors. Still, it was nice to have a few minutes to just be alone and remember.

Tomorrow morning, they would be taking LJ and Yoli to the airport. It was only that thought that dragged her animosity toward her sister back into her consciousness. Why it could never be gone for very long was frustrating and irritating.

Paige let out a hard sigh. “Just forget about her already. She is so not worth the energy.”

No, she would much rather use all her energy to remember and to dream about all things Nelson—present and future. That was a much more productive use of her time. What a night. One she would never, ever forget.

She smiled at that as she set the shoes in the closet. This time she had actually managed to get home with her shoes. Maybe things were finally looking up.

Yoli

Yoli hadn’t planned to get captivated by Taylor’s collection of books. She was only going to peruse them for a few more minutes, but she found herself still enthralled by them when Taylor came back. There were so many.

“Oh, gosh,” Taylor said when she came back from the bathroom. “You’re going to give me a complex looking at those things.” She dropped her clothes and shoes next to the corner of the blowup mattress and sat down on it before putting the side of her head on her fist and looking over at Yoli.

“Ahh, I love books,” Yoli said, finally leaving the shelf, but when she turned, she puzzled at what she found there. “What…? Why are you…?” She looked from Taylor to the actual bed that was still made up from the morning. “I thought…”

“Eh.” Taylor waved at her. “You’re the guest. You should have the nice bed.”

“But it’s yours?” Yoli asked, not at all comprehending the dichotomy staring her in the face.

“Not really,” Taylor said, and her eyes grew sad right before she laughed without making a sound. “I’m more of a guest than you are these days.”

Not feeling up to arguing about it because she was truly exhausted from the day, Yoli went over and clicked off the lamp. “If you’re sure you don’t mind.”

“Totally, one-hundred percent sure.”

Yoli laughed at that as she pulled the covers back and sat on the bed. “So, what’s up with that anyway?” she asked, brave for the darkness now surrounding them. “Why don’t you come home? It’s not like you’re going to school on Mars or something.”

Through the darkness she heard the sigh but nothing more, and she knew Taylor hadn’t yet bothered to lie down.

“I don’t know. I guess when you don’t fit in the mold they want you to, it’s just easier not to try,” Taylor said, and then she moved and laid down.

“Mind explaining that?” Yoli asked, carefully sliding between the sheets.

“I don’t know. I guess if you’re Paige and they are lining up to lick your feet, it might be okay, but when you’re me…”

For someone so seemingly together, it was frightening how easily it came unraveled with one little tug. Before Yoli found a way to ask the questions on her heart, Taylor continued.

“Thing is, they have this whole deal figured out.”

“Deal…?”

“My life, you know? How it’s supposed to go. What I’m supposed to do with it.”

“Oh, yeah? What’s that?”

“The usual. Make the grades, get the scholarships, get the degree. Make them proud. The right husband. The right house. The right job. The right… life.”

Yoli puzzled at that. “And that’s not what you want?”

Taylor’s sigh could’ve been heard five counties away. “What does that matter?”

“What does what matter?”

“What I want.”

“It doesn’t matter?”

“Not to them it doesn’t,” Taylor said with such certainty Yoli knew she wasn’t just saying the words to say them. “Nope. They’ve got it all figured out. No need for any input from me.”

“And that’s why you don’t come back?”

“Pretty much. You ever get tired of fighting with your folks about what you want versus what they want for you?” Taylor asked, and Yoli knew then that Taylor didn’t know.

She fought not to let her own reality find a space in her voice. “Uhm, well, no not exactly…”

“Huh, lucky you. Wish I didn’t have to.”

“Yeah,” Yoli said softly. Although part of her wanted to set Taylor straight, Yoli knew this wasn’t about her own past, it was about Taylor and helping her. That wasn’t always as easy to remember as it sounded like it should be. “Hey, I’m curious about something.”

“What’s that?”

“Just thinking it might be nice to connect when I’m back in Washington beating my brains out this last semester. What do you say, would it be cool with you if we traded numbers?”

Taylor

The request came from so far out of the blue that it stunned Taylor. “Seriously?”

“I mean, only if you want to,” Yoli said quickly. “It’s just… I don’t really have a lot of friends I can talk to like this.”

Wow. That was surprising.

“I’m actually way more of an introvert than it seems like I am,” Yoli continued. “I’m pretty good at faking it, but if you don’t want to…”

Like Taylor was going to turn down that request. She had a few friends at Tech, but mostly they were the when-it’s-convenient-for-them type, and even Trina had drifted off once she had moved out. Taylor drew in a breath at that thought. She knew Yoli was ultra-religious. What would she think of her if she knew Taylor was living with a guy she wasn’t even engaged to?

“Well, I know that feeling,” Taylor said of faking it. In that category, she was a master. “Sure. Sounds cool.” She picked up her phone from the floor. “What’s yours?” After typing in the number Yoli gave her, she gave Yoli hers. “Oh, and just so you know, if I don’t text right back, don’t freak. Okay?”

“K,” Yoli said, clicking off her phone which plunged the room back into darkness.

“’Cause I don’t check it all the time,” Taylor explained. “It’s just that sometimes I get busy with stuff and I don’t see it right away.”

“Yep, totally understand.”

“So if I don’t get right back to you…”

“Don’t freak,” Yoli finished for her. “That’s cool, Tay. Seriously. No worries. I know how it goes.”

“K,” Taylor said, and when she let out the breath, she found sleep waiting there for her. “’Night, Yoli.”

“’Night, Tay.”

Yoli

It wasn’t more than a few minutes before Yoli heard Taylor’s soft breathing. Rolling onto her back, Yoli held onto her phone as she had the previous two nights. At least tonight the oppression of the room had lifted. She drifted out as the memories of the wedding wove together with the memories of what Taylor had said in their brief conversation.

Taylor. She seemed so together from a distance, but the short talk in the midst of the darkness had snaked more than one question into Yoli’s mind. She had wanted to ask about Greg, but that was probably not the best idea in the whole world. Closed was a good word to describe Taylor when you got closer to her. Closed and very good at making everyone believe in an image that probably wasn’t even real.

“God,” Yoli whispered in her heart, “I know Taylor needs someone, and I know You know who she needs. Please send that person to her to show her she really is cool without all the smoke and mirrors…”

In all honestly, she hadn’t realized she had even fallen asleep. It was only when she found herself in the white room with her mother outside the door that she realized she must have.

“Yoli, Mija, it’s time.”

Panic swept over her as her gaze jerked and jumped around her. The wedding. How could she have forgotten? How could it be time to go already? “Coming, Mama!”

She made it all the way to the door before she remembered. Spinning back to the room, she raced for the little nightstand and rummaged through it.

“Come, Mija! We’re going to be late! You don’t want to keep him waiting.”

“Coming!” Yoli called. “Where are they? Come on. Come on. They were here somewhere…” And then she saw them. Scooping up three of them, she held them to her heart as she slammed the drawer closed and hurried to the door. There, with her hand on the knob, she opened her other hand once more just to check. Yes. The red cough drops were safely with her. “Coming, Mama!”

With that, she raced out to start her new life.

Chapter 15

Taylor

When Taylor awoke the next morning, at first she wasn’t sure where she was. Familiar seemed just out of reach. Coming up out of sleep, she opened one eye and the strangeness of life jerked her awake. She blinked as she sat up and rubbed her eye, keeping the blanket firmly clenched in the other hand around her.

Slowly it all began coming back to her.

The wedding. Bringing the equipment back. Home. Yoli.

Taylor turned, and sure enough the young woman was asleep on Taylor’s bed. Without pause, Taylor breathed a sigh of relief. At least she wouldn’t have an audience for her great escape. She grabbed up her phone and with another blink, swiped through it. Nearly 7. If she left now, she might even be home before Chris got up.

Carefully, slowly, quietly, she moved the covers off her feet and pulled up to standing with the help of her desk chair. Once up, she looked at her makeshift bed and shook her head. There was no way to air it down and put everything away without waking Yoli. No. She would be better off gathering her things and leaving.

The only real problem with that was the only shoes she had brought were her heels from the wedding. It took only a few seconds to come up with a new plan. At the closet, she opened the door as quietly as humanly possible and ducked inside without turning on the light. It didn’t take long to find a semi-suitable pair. Good thing she had left a few behind.

Sliding the shoes on, she went back out into the room and wished again that she could tidy up before she left. Then again, if she didn’t get gone ASAP, her parents—one or both—might get up and be in the kitchen on her way to and out the front door. That would be an unspeakably bad case of unluckiness she could do without.

Quietly she tiptoed back over to the air mattress and gathered up her clothing and shoes from the day before. She considered writing a note, but who she would make it to or what it might say was beyond her ability to decide, so she simply slipped out the door and shut it behind her without making a single noise.

Once she was safely in the hallway, she listened to every sound in the entire house before she moved even a millimeter more. Nothing. All was completely quiet.

“Okay, here we go.” She went first to the hallway door and peaked around it. If there was anyone in the kitchen or living room, she at least wanted to know that going in. But all was early Sunday morning silent. With a quick, “Thank You” to whomever might be listening, she made a dash for the front door, went to and through it without stopping and right out into the cool morning air. She made sure to lock the front door behind her and only panicked once when she wasn’t sure she’d grabbed her keys.

Doing a short dance with her hands, she found them tucked in the midst of her clothing with her phone. Only then did she remember she was going to grab a plastic bag for her clothes. Too late now. She would have to store them in her car until it was safe to bring them in.

At the car, she did just that, stowing the outfit and shoes in the little compartment of the trunk. No one ever opened that. They would be safe there. It was like her body had sprouted wings as it took her to the driver’s door and she hopped in. She didn’t bother to put on the seatbelt. She could do that when she was out of the driveway and gone.

With barely-controlled panic dogging her every move and sending her heart racing out ahead of her, she looked back at the front door half-expecting to see someone coming out to yell at her. Memories she would rather forget scratched across the surface of her mind at the sight of that front yard, but stoically, she turned her gaze forward and drove away.

A half-mile from home, when she finally took a merciful breath, she remembered the seatbelt and with a sigh clicked it on. She slumped back in the seat and shook her head. Time to get back to real life.

Nelson

That LJ and Yoli were leaving hadn’t really registered in Nelson’s heart until he awoke on Sunday morning. Oh, he knew it, but with all of the Friday and Saturday craziness, somehow he had convinced himself that Sunday was the other side of never.

He was up before LJ, and because they had the house to themselves, he decided that a surprise breakfast for his friend wouldn’t be out of the question. He was knee-deep in pancakes, eggs, and bacon when LJ stumbled into the kitchen that had the little breakfast nook off to the side.

“Wow, dude, you’re up early,” LJ said.

“Not early. Same time as usual.”

“Huh.” LJ slumped at the little island and put his head down on his arms. “I feel like I got run over by an army of that equipment of yours.”

“Oh, yeah, I was going to say, ‘Thanks for helping us move all that.’”

“Yeah, well, I would say, ‘You’re welcome,’ but I’m not so sure about that.”

“You want syrup with your pancakes?” Nelson asked.

“Sure.”

It took two trips to get everything to the island, and Nelson didn’t bother with relocating them to the breakfast nook. LJ looked like he might not live through getting himself to move ever again.

“Bacon,” LJ said, lifting his head and putting it on his hand before nearly going back to sleep. “You’re a good man, Nelson Samuels.”

Nelson clapped LJ on the back lightly before going to his own food. “Just trying to make sure you might want to come back sometime.”

“Come back?” LJ asked, managing to take a drink of the orange juice. “Dude, I’d never leave if I didn’t have to.”

Feeling that go all the way into his heart and alight there, Nelson nodded. “Well, in case I didn’t get that said, I’m really glad you came.”

LJ smiled. “Too bad there’s no one else getting married anytime soon that we need to come back for.” He stopped. “There’s not, right?”

For a second, Nelson played along. “Well, you never know.”

“Oh, really? Does Paige know about this?”

Scrunching his face, Nelson bit into the toast. “Ha. Ha.”

“Okay. Just checking.”

“You know, we could be making the trip up there for your wedding first.”

That seemed to jolt LJ awake. “Man, dude, I’m gonna have to make some serious headway in the life department before that happens.”

With a breath, Nelson thought about that. “But if you do… I mean, when you do… you’ll send me an invite, right?”

“An invite, man, you’d better be ready to do the whole tux thing again.”

Picking up a piece of bacon, Nelson nodded. Crazy. He could almost picture his own wedding, and LJ was definitely in that wedding party. “Is it weird to you? This? How this happened and everything?”

LJ shrugged. “Dude, I learned a long time ago that God never works in straight lines.”

Nelson laughed at that. “Huh, wish someone had told me that a long time ago.”

“Yeah, well, good news, now you know.”

“That I do.”

Paige

When her alarm went off at just after eight, Paige reached over and moving only as much as she absolutely had to, she shut it off. It took another long second before she got her eyes peeled open. What day was it anyway?

Yesterday was…

Ugh, she thought as dread tracked through her, I’ve got to get up.

As she pulled herself out of bed, she wondered if she would have to wake Yoli. That was a less-than-pleasant thought because going into Taylor’s room meant the distinct possibility of running into Taylor. Thankfully she hadn’t done that the night before when she came in after saying goodnight to Nelson. She’d only run into LJ on the sidewalk, but she hadn’t seen anyone else.

But this wasn’t night anymore, and her luck was bound to run out sooner or later.

Yoli

The little alarm on her phone was the first indication that life had once again arrived on her doorstep. Rolling over and back again, Yoli fished for the thing and barely caught it from flying off the bed when she finally found it. Quickly, she turned it off, hoping it hadn’t already awakened Taylor.

Taylor.

Yoli rolled to the side and let her gaze fall to the mattress below. The blankets lay helter-skelter, revealing a completely empty bed. Sitting up in confusion, Yoli squinted through the sunshine pouring in through the blinds on the large window. She rubbed her eyes and checked once again to be sure.

Sure enough, Taylor was not in the bed. Contemplating that, Yoli also noticed Taylor’s clothes and cell phone were nowhere to be seen. She picked up her phone to check. It was only a little after eight. Surely, Taylor hadn’t already gone.

The soft knock on the door dragged her attention from the phone. “Come in.”

Even softer, the door opened to reveal Paige standing there, still disheveled from sleep and meekly peering in. “Morning,” she said, and her gaze cut for a split-second down to the other mattress.

“Morning,” Yoli said as she slid off the bed.

Paige’s face fell in puzzlement and worry. “Where’s Taylor?”

“Don’t know. Is she not out there?”

Turning, Paige looked to the bathroom before her gaze came back. “No. Hm.” More worry coursed over her face. “Hang on.” And with that, she left, returning only moments later. “Her car’s gone.”

“She left?” Yoli asked, her heart sinking as she felt at least a little responsible for Taylor. Not because she left but because who knew when she had?

“Looks like it,” Paige said and there was a note of frustration as well as dismissal as she wound her arms in front of her. “Well, we should probably get ready. The guys will be here in less than an hour. You want the shower?”

The sudden shift with no actual resolution to the Taylor issue slammed into Yoli. She wanted to ask but had no words to do so. “Uh, yeah. I guess so.”

“K. It’s all yours.”

When Paige left, Yoli considered everything and hoping she remembered the night before correctly, she picked up her phone. Sure enough, Taylor’s number was there. Quickly she let her thumbs race over the little keyboard before she hit SEND. She might not be able to fix it, but at least she could make sure Taylor had actually made it home safely. That would be a good first step.

Nelson

“You ‘bout ready to head on over?” Nelson asked, ducking into the guest room as LJ swung his bag up from the made bed.

“As I’ll ever be,” LJ said, and he followed Nelson down the hall. However, in the living room he stopped, and halfway to the other side, Nelson did too.

“You forget something?” Nelson asked in concern.

“Nah, man.” But LJ didn’t move. Instead, he dropped the bag next to his foot and pulled out his cell phone. “I just… I mean, feel free to tell me no if it’s weird, but…”

Nelson raised his eyebrows even as he frowned. “Now I’m worried.”

“No,” LJ said quickly, “it’s not… It’s… I was just wondering if… if you’d… play something.”

That dropped one eyebrow, leaving the other arched. “What? Now?”

“Yeah.” LJ glanced down at Nelson’s piano. “Just in case…”

Without trying to, Nelson heard what LJ would never say. In case they never got together again. In case this goodbye was the last one. How could he say no, even though he wanted to assure his friend this wasn’t the end? How did he know it wasn’t? He didn’t.

“Okay,” Nelson said, and he went over and pulled out the bench. He sat and opened the lid like he’d done a million times before.

“I’m gonna record,” LJ said, holding up his phone, “I mean, if that’s cool.”

Nelson shrugged. “Up to you.” He laid his fingers on the keys, closed his eyes, and remembered the night LJ had crash landed into the center of his life. The smile came with the melody and it danced through his fingers out onto the keys. So many, many memories, each one more precious than the last. No. He would not let this friendship go. He’d learned his lesson on that count. Friends were precious, but if you let them go, you might not ever get them back. No, like it or not, LJ was stuck with him, and Nelson would spend a lifetime making sure of that.

Yoli

When she got back to the room, showered, dressed, and ready for the return trip, Yoli checked her cell phone again. Nothing.

Taylor had said she might not text back, but somehow Yoli had envisioned a crazy-busy Tuesday filled with classes. Not a lazy Sunday afternoon after driving home. Then again, maybe Taylor had gone back to sleep when she got home. It wasn’t like Yoli would blame her for that.

Still, it was important to make sure her new friend had made it, so she tip-typed on the little keyboard and sent a second message.

“God,” she said softly as she stowed the cell phone in her back pocket, “please be with Taylor. I know she needs You more than she’s letting on.”

The doorbell rang, and Yoli grabbed up her suitcase and bag. She had made her bed, but she felt bad about the one on the floor. Okay, it wasn’t like she could put the thing away, but still…

“Paige, Yolanda,” Paige’s mom called down the hallway, “the guys are here.”

What could she do? With a shake of her head, she gave up on fixing it and left the room.

“Yeah,” Nelson was saying when Yoli got to the doorway, “we have time.”

“Good,” Mrs. Grayson said just before spying Yoli in the doorway, “oh, Yolanda, here, sit, we have breakfast for you.” She set an empty plate on the island next to the feast.

“Thanks,” Yoli said as LJ came over to give her a hug, and then he stood beside her as she sat on the stool.

“LJ, Nels,” Mr. Grayson said, putting a plate of waffles on the table, “you’re welcome to join us.”

“Oh, no thanks,” Nelson said. “We already ate.”

Taking a small drink of her coffee, Mrs. Grayson seemed to count heads and came up one short. She glanced back at the hallway. “Is Taylor still sleeping?”

Yoli nearly choked on her toast, and she looked down the way at Paige who withered under the question. “Oh, uh, no,” Yoli said, fielding the question. “I think she had to get back early.”

“Oh.” Sad understanding went through Mrs. Grayson’s eyes. “She already left?”

No one really answered that. No one had to.

“I’m sure she had studying to do,” Mr. Grayson said, half-smiling at the lot of them. “Not much time for partying and celebrating when you’re studying to save the world.”

Not a single one of them said anything in reply, and the silence of nobody replying was stifling.

“These waffles are really good,” Yoli finally said, “way better than the frozen-toaster kind I usually have at school.”

“This is not a lie,” LJ said, stealing a bite from her plate.

“Hey, I thought you already ate,” Yoli said.

“Yeah, like 30 minutes ago,” LJ said as if that meant he should be starving to death by now. He reached over and snatched a piece of bacon from her plate, and Yoli lifted her fork as if defending her food.

“You do that again, and you’re going to have one less finger.”

“Ooooh!” the others all said, and thankfully, the pallor of the morning was finally lifted.

To Yoli, that was a win even if her cell phone was still being frustratingly silent. She considered asking Paige about it, or Nelson, but that wouldn’t accomplish anything. So, she kept her concern to herself and finished her breakfast even though the prayers in her heart doubled and then some. It was going to be an eternity before she could voice her concerns to LJ when they were finally alone, but she knew even as she buried them under a thin layer of reality that she would tell him and sooner rather than later. She needed the prayer back-up, and LJ never backed down from a prayer challenge for someone who needed it.

It wasn’t long and they told Mr. and Mrs. Grayson goodbye and hopped in Nelson’s car for the ride to the airport. Not long after the trip had commenced, Yoli began to sense that LJ’s mood was much more subdued compared with what it usually was. Wanting him to know she was there for him, she slid a little closer to him so he put his arm around her and she huddled into his embrace. Yes, they were a team, and they would get through the coming hours together.

She knew he was sad and that leaving his friend was going to be difficult. “God,” she whispered in her heart, going where she always went when situations became more than she knew how to handle, “please help me be here for LJ and be what he needs. Give him strength, grace, and mostly give him peace.” Closing her eyes, she leaned back into his arms, and because she’d gotten so little sleep the night before, in seconds she was asleep.

Nelson

Glancing in the rear view to check on them because they had both gotten so quiet, Nelson smiled at the picture they made, wound together, both sleeping. He grinned even more, glanced at Paige and nodded his head backward to get her to look. When she did, she smiled too.

Gently, she reached down and laced her fingers with his on the console between them, and that’s how they made the rest of the trip to the airport.

Paige

The two in the back didn’t move again until they got to the airport. Under the awning, Nelson let the three of them out, and Paige followed LJ and Yoli into the ticket area.

“I’ll just wait over here for Nels,” she said, and she peeled off their journey to go stand by the giant windows.

To Paige, goodbye was a word she had grown to loathe saying, and she was already dreading what this goodbye would do to Nelson. Why did life have to force such choices? Why couldn’t LJ and Yoli just stay? It was a like a giant game of hide and seek that nobody could ever win.

Before LJ and Yoli made it back, Nelson came in from parking the car. In mere moments, he was next to her and wound around her. She hugged him to her, feeling the things he wasn’t saying.

Carefully she put her hand on his chest and looked up at him. “You okay?”

His eyes said no even as he nodded. “Trying to be.”

She squeezed him tighter and breathed in the soft scent of his musk. She’d never thought she would feel so bad about him staying, but right then, she really, really did.

LJ

With Yoli’s hand tucked in his and their carry-ons in his other, LJ headed with Yoli back over to collect their friends for their final walk together.

“So,” LJ said as the four of them turned to make the walk to the first check point, “Thursday?”

Nelson nodded. “And you guys start Monday?”

“Nine a.m.,” LJ affirmed, hating every step they took.

“Be sure and tell Pastor Mark I said hello,” Nelson said.

“Will definitely do that,” LJ said. “Oh, and I almost forgot. Guess what I signed up for this semester?”

“Dare I ask.”

LJ threw his arm around Yoli. “Contemp Psychology and Modern Cinema.”

“Yeah, right. That ain’t funny,” Nelson said, holding Paige even closer.

“One-hundred percent Gospel truth,” LJ said. “What can I say, you inspired me.”

Nelson looked at Yoli. “Call me if he gets as mental as I did.”

She laughed. “I think he’s already there.”

LJ shrugged. “She’s not lying.”

The check point was now just ahead of them. Although he wanted to make this last as they still had an hour before their departure time, LJ knew that they needed to not procrastinate.

“Well, if you need any tips about Contemp Psych, just let me know,” Nelson said. “Oh, and a piece of advice, never wear a tie to Dr. Brown’s office.”

“A tie?” LJ asked in confusion. “What does that mean?”

“Just take it from someone who knows,” Nelson said. “It’s not a smart idea.”

“Okay?” LJ half said, half asked.

In ten more feet, he angled them over to the large windows that began the overlook of the tarmac.

“Well, I guess this is it,” Nelson said, and his gaze found his shoes. “You guys have a safe trip, and don’t be strangers.”

“We couldn’t be any stranger if we tried,” LJ said, but it was clear the effort it was taking to remain upbeat. He stood for another five seconds. “Well, I guess this is it.”

“Guess so,” Nelson said. He finally pulled his gaze up, and LJ saw the raw emotion written all over his friend.

“Hey.” Letting Yoli go, LJ stepped over to Nelson, and there was no preemptory handshake before the hug. It wasn’t necessary anymore. LJ hugged his friend and though his own emotions were quaking inside him, he knew he needed to be strong. When Nelson backed up, LJ put his hands on Nelson’s shoulders and shook him as Nelson swiped at the tears. “This isn’t the end. Okay?”

Nelson nodded.

“Just remember,” LJ said desperately wanting to make this better, “in the end, it’s going to be okay. If it’s not okay, it’s not the end.”

With half a laugh, Nelson nodded again, and LJ put his hand on Nelson’s head and pulled him in for another hug.

“We got this,” LJ said. “Okay? We do. You need to be here, and I need to be there, and that’s cool, right? God put us where we are for a reason. We’ve got to trust that.”

Nelson was nodding now, almost without stopping.

“You keep taking the steps He asks you to take,” LJ said, “and so will I. He’s got a plan. He does. K?”

The sniff Nelson took was long and hard, and when he stepped back, he was still nodding. “Thanks for coming.”

“Dude.” LJ held up his hand and Nelson matched it with his own. “I wouldn’t have missed it.”

One more hug, and the two of them broke apart to hug the girls.

“We better get,” LJ finally said when he was back with Yoli after the merry-go-round of hugs.

She looked at him and smiled. “Yep.”

He nodded and looked once more at Nelson, standing there, now veritably clinging to Paige. “Catch your act down the road.”

“That a promise or a threat?” Nelson asked, and LJ grinned.

“Both,” LJ said, and with that and just a couple quick goodbyes, he turned with Yoli to the check point. When they were through to the other side, they turned once to wave, finding Nelson leaning against the window with his arms down and around Paige as they both watched. LJ waved, and they did too.

Then like the rip of Velcro, they each turned back and headed off into their futures.

“You okay?” Yoli asked, tightening her grip around LJ, which was more than welcome at the moment.

“Crazy isn’t it?” LJ asked as he leaned down and kissed her hair.

“What’s that?”

“You ever wonder what would’ve happened if that pipe hadn’t busted that night?”

“God works in mysterious ways.”

“That He does. That He does.”

Epilogue

Nelson

It wasn’t easy to get himself refocused on what came next. He’d been so focused on the details of the last three days, that now that they were over, Nelson was at a loss. He couldn’t tell if the same was true for Paige or if she was just tired. Either way, they went back out to the car without really talking. In the car, she waited for him to get on the road before she took his hand.

The silence between them wasn’t uncomfortable or worrisome, just nice after all the craziness. When the airport had receded in the rear-view mirror, Nelson realized he didn’t really even know where they were going. “So, you want me to take you home or what?”

Paige sighed which was the loudest noise she had made since she’d told LJ and Yoli goodbye. “I guess. I really need to get Taylor’s room back in shape. And what’re we doing with the equipment? It just kind of stayed where it landed last night.”

Tipping his head, Nelson nodded. “True. We probably do need to get it back together.”

“We don’t have to today.”

He shrugged. “Hey, what else do we have to do?” Then, glad that she was with him on the other side of everything, he pulled her hand up to his lips and kissed it. “Thanks for everything.” He glanced over at her. “I couldn’t have done this without you.”

She grinned though he could see the tired in her eyes. “You could have, but it wouldn’t have been nearly so fun.”

The sigh felt amazing. “It was fun, wasn’t it?”

“Yep. It was awesome… just like you.”

Paige

When they got back to her house, Paige let Nelson go on down to the equipment mess downstairs. She didn’t know much about that stuff. Besides, deleting Taylor’s imprint from her life felt far more important. “I’ll be down there as soon as I get this.”

“Sounds good.”

Paige had never really liked Taylor’s room, and with it being at the end of the hall, she very rarely went even near it. So this wasn’t about enjoying the task. She went in like a nurse doing a disgusting job. Just get this over with.

The blankets on the blow-up mattress weren’t hard to fold and put away, but the mattress itself proved much more challenging. It took two trips to the garage, not to mention a step ladder and more minutes of her life than she wanted to waste on it. In the middle of it all, she decided to wash the sheets on Taylor’s bed on the off-chance that Yoli might need it again.

That pulled her thoughts to Nelson. She knew he was sad, but she didn’t know what to do about that. Glancing at the clock, she had a thought, and if he wanted to, maybe they could.

With the room finally in some kind of order without the mattress taking up half the floor, she gave up the task, grabbed up all the bed clothes and headed for the washer. Taylor owed her one for this.

Nelson

Because everything had come in in the dark and after midnight and with a few people who didn’t know what they were doing, the basement was in a huge mess. It was a good thing that Paige had thought about it. This way he could get it back to good in case they ever decided to get together to play again. However, it was in such disarray that he’d barely even started when Paige came down to check on him.

“Wow,” she said, surveying the mess. “It looks like a bomb went off in here.”

“My sentiments exactly,” Nelson said, hefting the amp into place. One thing at a time. Now to hook up the speakers which thankfully had at least gotten placed correctly. He went over to the cords which were in bejumbled, chaotic mess. Before he even touched them, he put his hand to the back of his head as he looked down at them and sighed.

“Need some help?” Paige asked, leaning on the wall, watching him.

“I don’t know. I’m not sure anything could help with this.”

“Ah, but you forget,” she said as she pushed to straight and came over to him, “I’m your lucky charm. Remember?” She put her arms around him and snuggled into him as his arms came down around her.

“Oh, yeah, huh?”

“Yeah. Huh,” she said as she angled her gaze up to his, and gently he kissed her. Something about her and the kiss settled him, made him feel more grounded and less like that chaotic stack of cords. “Now,” she said, “you tell me, where do we start?”

“Goooood question.”

Slowly but surely, they sorted the cords. Sometimes he would just toss them here or there to get them separated. Sometimes he would actually go hook them up. It was painstaking and tedious, but little-by-little they got the thing back to the way it was supposed to be.

“You know,” Paige said after a while, “I was thinking, they have an evening service at my church if you want to go. We almost never do just because, but if you want…”

Peace touched his heart at the suggestion. Church. That was a great idea. “Sounds fantastic.”

“We can get this done,” she said, unrolling one of the mic cords. “I can get ready here, and then we can go over to your place for you to get ready. That would save you a trip coming back here to get me.”

“Man, where have you been all my life?” he asked, truly thankful to not have to be the one to figure everything out. “You’re a master at this.”

She shrugged. “I try.” In confusion, she looked around. “Um, any idea where the mics got stashed?”

“They should be in the little blue bag that was right behind the amp stand.”

“Oh. I think that’s over here.” She went over to where the guitars were lined up in the back corner. “Yep. Just what I thought.”

“Again, what would I do without you?”

Laughing, she dug out the mics. “Tell you what, let’s not ever try to find out.”

“Deal.”

Paige

The service started at six. They were in the pew by 5:45. Paige couldn’t help but smile a little at that. She was going to have to get used to being really early for everything.

But it wasn’t just that. This was the first church service they had ever gone to without a whole gaggle of people with them. It made her feel grown up, or at least like she was getting there. How many times had she been in this church since she was small? Countless, but it had never felt quite like this.

Without fanfare, he slipped his hand over onto hers, and when he looked at her, there was peace in his eyes. That was a nice change. Nelson at peace. Who would have ever thought that was even possible? Especially after the weekend they had just weathered.

Sitting back, she closed her eyes and took a long breath. LJ and Yoli were on the last leg of their flights, and she said a prayer for the two of them in her heart. She really hoped that God would see fit to get them all together again. Her thoughts turned to Wes and Lauren, and she almost laughed out loud, knowing they were out walking Prince. Wes was such a trooper, helping Lauren with the massive dog every evening. They’d only missed a few times of it all summer.

Then as Wes and Lauren slid from the canvas of her mind, Greg slid onto it. She dragged in a long breath, hoping for the best for him as well. “God, please help Greg find the right girl for him. He deserves to be happy.”

As if her mind was simply cataloging them all, it tripped right over her sister and jerked to a stop. Paige felt the center of her heart slam shut and triple bolt close. Like a slide show she had no power over, her mind started flipping through the memories of Taylor at the wedding. Hugging Nelson. Sitting by Greg. Singing. Dancing. And always, always flirting. Her sister could flirt the bark off a tree, and the tree would gladly give up its protective covering.

Paige’s thoughts were neither kind nor generous, and finally she batted at them to get them to leave her alone. Here, of all places, with Nelson’s hand firmly in hers, why was she even thinking about Taylor? And how and why could her sister ruin her life even when she wasn’t around?

Without moving it, Paige shook her head to clear it of the loathsome thoughts. They didn’t really leave, but thankfully the service started so it drowned out at least a few of them.

Nelson

This had been a quintessentially brilliant idea. As they sat down together for the sermon, Nelson thanked God once again for the gift of Paige in his life. That thought was followed by one thanking God for not abandoning him when he was being a complete and total idiot about everything.

He laced his fingers into hers, liking this more than he had realized he might.

“Think of your heart like a cup,” the preacher began when they had sat down for the sermon.

Nelson settled in, loving these lessons and how they gave new focus and meaning to his life. Who would’ve ever thought? He was going to have to call LJ later, to make sure they’d gotten home, yes, but more so to just talk everything over. “Thank You, God, for LJ,” his heart whispered.

The preacher held up a cup. “Now normally, you fill the cup up with something, right? Tea. Water. Coffee, for me in the morning several times over.”

A smattering of laughter crossed the congregation.

“But what if before I tried to fill it with my beverage of choice, I had put something else in there. Say several paper towels or a dishrag. Could I fill it with my favorite beverage?”

Soft “no’s” murmured from the group.

“No. I couldn’t. I could maybe fit some of my beverage in it, but I would not end up with a cup full of it. This cup is like our hearts. If our hearts are filled with things like jealousy and annoyance and hate, they can never be totally filled with love. Oh, there might be a little love here and there in it, but total love can’t fill you if your heart is already filled with other things.

“God knows that our hearts, our cups, get filled with things that really shouldn’t be in there. And in His infinite wisdom, He has given us a way to clean out our cups so they can be filled with joy and peace and hope and love. That way is called forgiveness. To forgive someone is to clean your cup out, to forgive is to literally clear our hearts out so they can be filled with better things. It’s not about letting people off the hook or them deserving you to be mad at them. Half the time, they don’t even know or care that you’re mad.

“In fact, most of the time when people act unkindly toward us, it is an indication that all is not right with them. Very often it has nothing really to do with us. It’s as if their heart is filled with un-good things, and it just spills over and lands on us. Then we get offended or angry, and our hearts get filled with that. If we do not know how to forgive or if we do not avail ourselves of the mercy and grace forgiveness offers us, then our cups get filled with all the yuck people have spilled on us. They get so filled with that stuff that no good stuff can even get in.

“So first we have to clean our cups out with forgiveness. Understand though that cleaning your cup doesn’t happen in a vacuum. Our cups were meant to be filled, so as you clean your cup out with forgiveness, it’s important to intentionally fill it with something you want to be in there. A good place to start is with gratitude. Being grateful for all the little and big blessings in your life fills your cup. In doing so, you begin to experience joy and hope and love, and all the good God wants to pour into your life.

“Clean your cup out. Forgive. Fill your cup. Be grateful. And when you do this, your cup will begin to overflow with the good things God is pouring into your life. As this happens, the natural outcome is generosity. You want to share the love, grace, and mercy God has given you with all those around you. In my experience, trying to be generous from a dry cup will only leave you with frustration—toward yourself and everyone that needs something from you. Just like you can’t pour good coffee in a cup filled with something else, you cannot pour good things out of a cup filled with yuck.

“When you get these three things in the right order—forgiveness, gratitude, and generosity, you become a natural channel that God can work through to bring miracles into the world. When you get them out of order, your Christian walk will be filled with resentment, regrets, irritations, frustrations, and you will eventually burn out. That’s not a possibility, it’s a guarantee. Let God help you with these three steps—clean out your cup, fill it with gratitude and all things God, and then pour that out generously to all who need it. God is ready and waiting to do just that through you. The question is, when are you ready to start?

“Let us stand.”

Paige

Somehow, in her desire to help Nelson, Paige had not realized she would be put in front of a firing squad and shot through the heart. She had heard so many sermons from that pulpit that she had never really listened to that she’d come to believe herself immune from being convicted or touched by any of it. This sermon, however, went straight into her and utterly destroyed the belief she’d had in herself.

She was a good person. She was. At least she thought she was until they stood together.

Okay, the truth was she hated her sister, but that had nothing to do with her ability to love. Did it? She hadn’t thought it did, until that sermon. Besides, she tried to reason with God or whoever thought that was a good idea, Taylor deserved it. Her sister was a royal jerk and a total pain. And she did it on purpose too. On purpose as in… with aforethought and malice. She blithely toyed with all of them and then left without so much as a sayonara, see you later.

When the last song was sung and people began to leave, Paige knew she should just follow Nelson out, but her legs simply wouldn’t carry her another step. She sat down on the bench and reached for his hand to stop him.

The second he felt the tug, Nelson turned, and concern mixed with confusion immediately raked across his face as he slipped back down next to her. “Are you okay?”

Oh, how she wanted to tell him yes. She wanted to, but she couldn’t. She couldn’t lie. Not to him. Not here. Not anymore. Slowly she shook her head, and tears beaded on her eyelashes.

“Paige? What’s wrong?” He slid his arm across the bench behind her. “Are you sick?”

Winding her arms in front of her, she got one of them up to her lashes where she swiped at the tears and sniffed hard.

“Talk to me, Paige. Please. You’re scaring me.”

She dragged in a long breath, knowing she could tell him, that he wouldn’t judge her for it but still having no idea how to get the words out. “I don’t know how to do that.”

“Do… what?” he asked as more confusion twisted across his face. “Talk to me?”

“Forgive.”

Nelson pulled in a breath, and his face fell with more concern. “Oh, man, Paige, I’m sorry. I…”

“No,” she said, cutting him off. “It’s not you. Not anymore. That’s… it’s okay. It is. It’s not that.”

“Okay,” he said with a serious nod, “then what is it?”

Wow did she not want to say these words. They said so many awful things about her. She put her hands on the edge of the bench and arched her arms, lifting her shoulders nearly to her ears. “I don’t know how to do that… with Taylor. I mean, part of me wants to. Part of me…” She stopped and shook her head. “It just feels so much bigger than me, you know? Like I’m not even sure it’s even possible. I mean, she hates me, and I can’t stand to be around her. And I don’t know, maybe it would be better if I just leave it all be and be done with it.”

Slowly Nelson nodded, the knot of confusion gone, leaving in its wake a delicate strand of worry. “Yep, I’ve been there before.”

A touch of surprise narrowed her gaze as she looked over at him.

“Oh, yeah.” He came forward until his elbows were on his knees and his head was down. “Last year…” Sitting up, he jerked his chin up toward the pulpit. “That was me, man. Totally and completely me. I was mad at my dad and Janet and you guys.”

Paige felt like she’d been shot with no warning. “Us? What did we do?”

Rubbing his hands together, Nelson let out a breath before he sat back up. “You were here, living your lives, going on with everything like I never existed.”

Anger slashed through her. “No, we weren’t.”

“No,” he said softly as his gentle gaze came over to hold hers. “You weren’t. But I thought you were. I thought a lot of things back then. I thought my dad was a jerk. I thought he was purposely trying to ruin my life. I thought LJ had lost his mind, and Wes and Greg were glad I’d left.”

She wanted to say something, but nothing would come out.

“The thing the preacher didn’t say is how that whole forgiveness thing helps you see things so, so differently, like from a completely different perspective or something. I can’t explain that, but I know that’s what happened when I finally did it.”

“But how did you do that? I don’t even know where to start. What am I supposed to do? If I showed up at her doorstep and said, ‘Tay, I forgive you…’” Paige shook her head. “I can’t even imagine doing that. And she’d laugh in my face.”

“Well, you might be surprised about that,” Nelson said. “But really, that’s not even the first step. For me, that was like Step Number three hundred and ninety-two thousand.”

Paige puzzled at that.

“Seriously,” he said. “It took me a long, long time and a lot of work to even be ready to start that conversation. And you of all people know how badly I botched it when I tried at first.” He shrugged. “I guess I learned it’s not about one big declaration and everything’s fine, it’s about a whole lot of little steps, and just being courageous enough to take them.”

“How did you do it? When you…”

“Well, I learned to pray about things, about everything actually. Things that felt too big for me to handle. Things I didn’t know how to say to people. The right time. The right moment. And I learned how not to run from having tough conversations. That was a big one. And not an easy one either, but huge in terms of not just pushing things under the carpet and hoping they’d go away. They don’t go away. They just get bigger. I think I also learned that there’s another side to the story, and when people do things, it’s like the preacher said, they’re doing them out of what’s in their hearts, not because of what’s in yours.”

As much as Paige wanted to hear this and it somehow fix things, there was one part of her heart that whispered something she really didn’t want to hear or to tell him. What had he just said about having difficult conversations?

“To be honest with you,” she said only barely above a whisper, “it was tough, seeing the two of you together yesterday.”

“The two of…” Nelson puzzled so much at that, he didn’t even get the thought out. “Me and Taylor?”

Reluctantly, Paige nodded and just like that, she was talking, trying to explain what she herself didn’t even understand. “I know, it’s not like that with you guys. I do. I know that, but…”

Although he well could have gotten mad, Nelson only sat waiting for the rest. “But…”

Finally, Paige collapsed from the effort. “I don’t know. I guess when I see her, I see that I’m not her, and I know, everybody thinks why have Taylor 2.0 around when you could have the original?”

At that, Nelson slid over to her and put his arm around her. “I don’t think that.”

“I know, you say that, but…”

“But I do know what you mean,” he said, overwriting her statement with one of his own.

That jerked her gaze up to his. “What… What do you mean—you know what I mean? About Taylor?”

For one long second, Nelson bit his lips between his teeth before shaking his head and letting out a breath. “About Greg.”

“Greg?” Paige asked totally perplexed. “What does Greg have to do with anything?”

This admission took far longer. “With you. I see how he looks at you, and when the two of you were singing together…”

The thoughts swirled through her head. “Wait. You thought me… and Greg?”

Nelson shrugged. “I didn’t want to.”

A second and she slid into the hollow of his side. “Wow. I guess we’re going to have to learn not to let the green-eyed monster get a foot in the door.” She took his hand. “Okay. For the record, me and Greg are just friends. Really and truly. He’s a great guy and everything, but it never was with him the way it is with you.” She tilted her gaze up to him as his came down to meet hers.

“It’s the same with me and Taylor,” Nelson said. “We’re friends, but I see now it never would have worked with us. She wanted the stage Nelson, the guy who could fly without wings, the one who wore the mask that everyone thought was so amazing. That was never the real me.”

Still looking at him, Paige nodded. “Yeah, well, she has her moments.”

“We all do.”

With a nod, she let her gaze fall to their hands. “Will you help me?”

His thumb traced across her shoulder and down her arm. “Absolutely.”

“I don’t…” She lifted her gaze to his again, and it was only courage that got her words going again. “I don’t know how…”

With perfect peace cascading in his eyes, Nelson nodded. “Then I think it’s time to learn.” Gently he pulled his arm from around her, took her hand, and pulled her forward to kneeling.

As strange as that might have been at one time in her life, it now felt not strange at all but rather safe, like he was taking the lead so she could have courage to get out of the boat in the midst of the storm.

When they were kneeling together, Nelson put his arm around her, and she slipped just closer to him, hoping he had words because she didn’t even want to try to find them for herself.

“God,” he said quietly but with that silk-smooth voice of his that did her heart in and then some, “we thank You so much for how far You’ve brought us. Lord, we need You to be with us as we make this transition to Tech this coming week. You know the pitfalls and obstacles that stand in our way. We ask that You guide us through each one of them so that we can become what You’ve always meant us to be. Lord, we also ask Your guidance and wisdom with Taylor.

“We know that even when we don’t understand, You do. Help us to see Taylor as You do, help us to learn to forgive her, to learn to be willing to forgive her, so that our cups might be fully clean, ready to be filled with more and more of You.”

Honestly, Paige wanted to ask when he’d gotten so good at this, but she didn’t want to interrupt. Apparently, words had become his specialty more than she had realized, and it filled her to the brim with hope that God could really do the impossible if you let Him.

“Where we can’t, Lord, do it for us and through us. Show us when we can do something,” he said, “and give us the courage and right judgment to do the things we can do. Most of all, Lord, just be with us. Be with Paige and help her with every step You put in front of her. Be with me so that I can more and more fully rely on You for everything. And Lord, be with us together, so that the three of us together—You, me, and Paige—can make a real difference in this world. I ask all these things through Jesus Christ, our redeemer and king. Amen.”

“Amen,” Paige whispered, and when she moved again, she found peace waiting for her. Not a lot but a little. Her cup wasn’t yet all cleaned, but for the first time in forever, it felt like that was an actual possibility. “Thank you.”

Nelson hugged her to him, tightly and then tighter still. “God has a plan. He does. You’ll see.”

And right there, in that church, held by love she’d never thought could be that real, it was almost possible to believe it. “I love you.”

He nodded and smiled down at her. “I love you too.”

She hadn’t expected him to kiss her, but when he did, she knew it was right. He was right. They were right. Being hopelessly devoted to someone was starting to mean things she never knew it could.

“You ready?” he asked, his eyes twinkling at her even as he stood.

Paige followed him up and tightened her hold on his hand. “Absolutely. Let’s go be awesome.”

With a shake of his head, he leaned down and kissed her again as they went out of the pew. “You know, this could be interesting.”

“Yep, absolutely it could be.”

And together, they headed out—hopelessly devoted to each other, and finally, solidly together for all the world to see.

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Shhh!  Sneak Peek
at Book 7 in

The Imagination Series

Chapter 1

After five texts throughout Sunday and Sunday afternoon, Taylor Grayson finally decided that Yolanda Salazar, Yoli as everyone called her, was not going to give up until she got a reply. So, when she was alone in the kitchen, Taylor took out her cell phone and sent a quick text back.

Made it home. Hope you have safe travels.

She wondered for a second if that was too much, too likely to establish some phantom connection that Yoli would think she needed to respond to. Noise in the hallway, however, made that decision moot as Taylor didn’t have time to erase the message. There were only enough seconds to hit send and stuff the phone in her back pocket. Thankfully, she managed to look like she’d done nothing at all by the time the noise made it all the way to the doorway.

“I can’t find my Warriors shirt,” Chris said, coming into the kitchen shirtless which showed the inked skulls on both shoulders as well as the rounded, smooth muscles of his shoulders and chest.

Taylor kept her gaze down as she stirred the hamburger meat and pasta, trying desperately to drag her attention back from thoughts of the weekend. She had to get those things to stand down, to leave her alone. Thinking about any of it was a one-way ticket to disaster. “It should be in the top drawer.”

“It’s not.” Going to the refrigerator, Chris took out a beer and popped it open.

Taylor fought with her brain as she tried to remember the details of Chris’s laundry. “I’m sure it was with the laundry I did Friday morning.”

“Yeah, well, it’s not there now.” He set the beer on the cabinet by her with a clank that rattled her nerves.

She knew well enough what that meant, and without really thinking about it, she dutifully turned the stove down and banged the spatula on the pan. “I’ll go look.”

Leaving the half-prepared dinner, she slid around him and headed to the bedroom.

“Are we having this again?” he called from the kitchen, and Taylor breathed down the frustration that leaped into her chest like a hungry lion. “This is all we ever have anymore.”

Her nerves frayed dangerously as she went into the bedroom and right to the dresser as her mind replied a million things she never said. Opening the drawer, she moved things this way and that before retrieving the sacred Warriors shirt. It was a fight not to slam the drawer closed, and an even bigger one not to stomp back to the kitchen. Calm. Somehow, she had to stay calm.

“Seriously, babe,” Chris said just before she got there, “I think it’s time to up your game with this whole cooking thing.”

One more breath kept her from losing it completely as she went back into the kitchen. Her books were scattered all over the table from her vain attempts at studying since she’d gotten home that morning. Of course, she hadn’t dared to go back to bed or even to take a quick nap on the couch. That would invite questions, and she didn’t need questions.

“Here it is,” she said as sweetly as possible, needing a truckload of saccharine to cover what she really wanted to say. She handed him the shirt, which he promptly put on as she went back to stirring the meal. Truth was, she was tired of eating this too, but with rent and summer supplies for her class eating up the student loan she had taken out to cover everything, her budget for food was practically non-existent.  In fact, this particular pasta was in one of the baskets by the front of the store, begging people to take it before it expired and would have to be thrown away.

“You know, the least you could do is throw some cheese on that stuff or something,” Chris said, smoothing out his hair. “I’m getting sick of eating soggy dogfood all the time.”

“Yeah,” she breathed, knowing they didn’t have cheese to just throw on it. “Well, this is almost ready.”

Chris heaved a sigh as he looked at the almost-ready meal. “You know what, I think I’ll just grab something with Hayden and the guys. That’d be way better than eating that garbage.”

The fight with the tears nearly did her in, but Taylor just nodded. At least something good would come out of this. If he left, she could get some studying done. “Okay.”

When he came up behind her, Chris ran his hands from her waist down the sides of her hips and laid his lips in the softness of the back of her neck. Taylor closed her eyes, not as she once had in desire but now just battling to keep herself from pushing him away.

“Wait up, okay?” he breathed.

She nodded, blinking the tears back, fighting with everything in her to keep herself under control.

And then, he stepped away and headed out.

Even after he was gone, she didn’t let her feelings come to the surface. Part of it was, he might well come back. Part of it was, there was no point in feeling any of it. It wouldn’t change anything and she knew it.

Like a barely life-like robot, she turned off the burner, got herself a plate, and filled it. Her appetite was shot, but she knew she needed to eat. It had something to do with staying alive though she couldn’t honestly tell why she would even want to at this point.

She had just slid into the chair at the table and set her plate down when her cell phone buzzed. It was a bad idea, she knew. Starting conversations was never smart. Once they got started, she had no control over them, and who ever knew when a text would come in at the exact wrong time?

Still, she needed the distraction from the crumminess of her life, so she rewound her memory of the sound of his motorcycle leaving just to make sure he really was gone and dug out her phone.

Made it back. A text from Yoli. Great.

That’s great, Taylor texted quickly. Somehow it was like convincing herself that if she typed fast enough no one would ever know she had.

You get any sleep?

See, this is why she didn’t start conversations. Too often they led to more conversation. But tired or something like it took over because against her better judgment she sent back, Nope. Not yet. Been studying.

Oh, yeah. The summer thing. You must have finals coming up?

Why? Why? Why? Thinking each time that this was the last text she’d send, she typed in, Yeah. Wednesday.

Ah, crunch time. Nothing like it in the world for being utterly exhausted and completely stressed out.

A brush of softness wafted over Taylor. At least someone understood. No lie there. Really need to do well on this one too. Never a good thing going in.

I hear ya on that one!  What time’s the test on Wednesday?

Taylor puzzled at that. What difference did that make to Yoli? Like 11:15.

With the two-hour time warp, that’s 9:15 for me, right?

That puzzled Taylor even more. She wasn’t good at time zones. I think so???

K. Then I’ll be praying for you at 9:15. Do you mind if LJ prays too? I think God answers his prayers better than mine.

An actual smile came to Taylor’s face and drifted across her heart. I doubt that, but sure, I can use all the prayers I can get.

Cool. Then we’ll be praying for you.

Thanks.

Well, LJ’s here with the car, so wish us luck getting the rest of the way home.

Luck, Taylor wrote. I’ll be praying for you.

Thanks and right back at you! Have a blessed night.

You too. When Taylor laid the phone on the table, the thought crossed her mind that she should have thanked Yoli for checking on her. Then again, saying that might invite even more checking on her. Slowly her gaze crossed over the papers scattered and strewn across the table, and stress descended on her like a rock. In a breath, she felt the tears come up once again. It was a long time until 11:15 on Wednesday. She should have told Yoli to pray for her from now until then. The thought of all the hours she had to endure until then nearly made her give up right then and there.

Yet, still, she marched forward. She had to.

Scooping up some of the pasta and hamburger from the plate, she ate it one small chew at a time. Sleep. Boy, would that be nice right about now. When that bite was finished, she ate another and took a long drink. Somehow she had to keep going. Somehow she had to cram all of this knowledge into her head and keep it there until Wednesday. Then, she could blessedly forget everything she’d learned, provided that she actually passed this test. The thought of not passing it tried to get in, but she beat that back.

It would have been nice if she’d have passed this class in the spring semester, but with the entrance of Chris into her life and the whole roommate fiasco with Trina, getting through the class had slipped right through her fingers like hot sand on a beach. Without her permission, memories of April and May slid into her thoughts. The late-night party where she had first met Chris. Him being interested beyond just one night of fun with her.

Taking him home to meet her family just a couple weeks later, which had turned into a royal disaster she wanted no part of remembering. Okay. Honestly that wasn’t her fault. If her dad just hadn’t blown it all out of proportion… After all, she’d only been out with Chris a few times before that, and yeah, it was fun, but it wasn’t like they were really even dating at the time. In fact, she’d only asked him to go home with her because…

Heaviness descended on her. The weight of every decision she had made and many that had been made for her since then felt ginormous and then some. Like the night Chris had shown up less than a week after their ill-fated trip home with no warning, needing a place to crash for a couple of nights. Trina wasn’t thrilled about it, but how could Taylor turn him away? Besides, it was only for a couple of nights.

And then his stuff started appearing. Where it had come from, she still didn’t know, and after the first discussion on the subject, she had learned not to ask.

It was when Trina came home and found the drugs on the coffee table that things had spiraled completely out of control. Not that Taylor blamed her roommate for freaking out. She probably would have done the same had the tables been turned. But what was she to do? Toss him out on the street? For one, he said that he loved her, and that should mean something. For another, he knew where she lived.

At that thought, she pulled her foot up onto the chair with her and leaned her head on it. Taylor still remembered the night Trina showed up to get her stuff and leave. Never in her life had Taylor felt so alone as when that door closed behind her friend for the last time.

Then, somehow, she and Chris were living together by default. After Trina had moved out, she no longer spoke to Taylor. In fact, she’d probably blocked her completely though Taylor had never really bothered to test it. In fact, she hadn’t had the heart to make too much of a point to keep in touch with her former friend except when she randomly saw her at Alpha Chi, considering Chris’s nightly, out loud, malicious appraisal of their former roommate. Somehow she had acquired terms that rhymed with witch and hunt, and he used the terms liberally any time Trina’s name came up. So, it had stopped coming up. As had other things like home and money for food and rent.

Sniffing at the emotions, Taylor forked through what was left of her meal. How had all this happened again?

She thought forward, trying to find something, anything to be excited about, but the future looked as bleak as the present. Only the past held quiet moments of escape from the misery of now.

An almost smile came as she allowed the memory of the night before to drift through her. Singing. Man, that had felt so good. With that one, other memories came up too. Greg pointing at her and himself during that one song and then looking all confused before laughing at his own unspoken joke. Her spirit felt how sweetly wonderful that was and then it fell into how nice just dancing with him being so hopelessly silly had been. All these years later, he could still lift her spirits just by being his eternally goofy self.

Unwinding, her spirit landed on other memories, like going around giving all of them water. They had all been so surprised, but it was really no big deal. Not to her anyway. She had practically grown up taking care of them, always having snacks and the right drinks ready after practice. They never really noticed maybe, but it had always been important to her that they felt at home when they came over.

Wes and Greg. And of course Nelson. Who could forget about Nelson? Although honestly, Nelson now hardly resembled the shy, kind of awkward kid she remembered from way back then. Regret slid into her heart over how she had treated him back then. Maybe, if she had been a little nicer to him, things between them would’ve turned out differently.

Then again, who knew?

Besides, he was with Paige now. Solid as solid could be.

No. There was no way Taylor could ever compete for his love and affection now. No way. And that was depressing on so many levels.

She wondered then if when they moved to Tech she would ever even see them. And if they saw her, what would it be like?

The next thought was of Chris, and it shivered through her. Chris wasn’t fond of her having friends or being with friends. That much she had learned. But the guys didn’t know that. Her heart hitched at the thought of what they might do if she let them find out about that. With them back at home, it had been easy. Just don’t go home, don’t answer texts. Just disappear.  With them here, it might not be so easy. Closing her eyes, Taylor breathed down something very much like a prayer that they would just quietly go on with their lives and leave her to her own.

That would be best for everyone. Of that, she was one-hundred percent sure.

By now, her plate was empty, and it was pointless to just sit here and think. Thinking wasn’t going to get her very far. No, she needed to get to studying, and now was her golden chance.

Those didn’t come around very often anymore, and they were as unpredictable as the weather in March. She stood and took her plate over to the sink, rinsed it, washed it, and set it in the drainer. Then she put the rest of the meal in the refrigerator. Just who would end up eating it was anybody’s guess.

Going back to the table, she put her hands on her hips and surveyed the mess. “Okay, Taylor,” she said to the empty room, “it’s time to put up or shut up. Let’s do this thing.”

The problem was, she’d always been much better at pep talks than actually making the object of the pep talk happen. Trying not to think like that, she sat down and pulled the textbook to her. Covalent bonds with elements that had once been so easy to her swam there before her tired, bleary eyes. “Nope. We are not sleeping. You’ve got to get this done.”

And with that, she forced herself to buckle down and get to work.

Eighteen hours, thirty-two minutes, and give or take a few seconds here or there. That’s how long it had been since Greg Everett had been forced to go on with his life without the hope of Taylor Grayson being in his life... again.

Sure, that was probably being overly dramatic and completely pathetic all rolled into one, and of course, he would never actually say that out loud to anyone. It was just something about the night before that kept dragging him back there and reminding him once again that the dream of her ever feeling about him the way he felt about her was just that… a dream. A fairy tale. Not real, and never going to be.

In short, not going to happen in this lifetime.

Crazy, he thought as he dug through his closet, trying to decide what to take and what to leave, he’d so looked forward to her actually coming to Nelson’s parents’ wedding, what that might mean, what she would look like, how she would be, what he would say, what she might say back, that he’d never really considered there would be an “other side” to that night.  Now that he was on the other side, he wasn’t at all sure that living through it had been worth it.

He pulled out a T-shirt he’d spent his entire life in sometime around freshman year. It had certainly seen better days. Without another thought, he tossed it onto the growing give-away pile.

High school. It seemed like eons had passed since he’d lived that life.

High school. When everything was simpler, and life made some sense.

With a sigh, he pulled three nice shirts off their hangers and folded them. Okay, so it wasn’t like his mother folded anything, but close enough. This moving thing was a whole lot harder than he had bargained for. How do you box up an entire 20 years? What do you take? What do you admit you’ll never need again?

Across the way, his cell phone beeped and he hopped over three piles of things to answer it. “Y-ellow. This is Greg. Talk to me.”

“Hey,” Wes said with a hard breath, “how’s it going?”

Crossing his arms, Greg looked around the room and then put his hand up to his head. “Well, it’s going. How about you?”

“Starting to wonder how great of an idea this even was,” Wes said.

“Yeah, you and me both.”

“Actually, I was mostly calling to make sure everything’s a go on the place. I’d hate to get down there and be homeless.”

“Uh, y-yeah,” Greg hedged. “I’m supposed to transfer the deposit and the first month’s rent tomorrow.”

“Oh. Okay. You needing the money for that?”

Greg sat down on his bottom bunkbed but ended up sitting on a random shoe partially hidden by the unmade covers. He pulled it out and flipped it onto the floor. “Nah. I think I’ve got it covered. I was thinking you and Nels can just pay me back when we get there.”

“You sure? I can send mine tonight if you need it.”

“Uh, yeah. Yeah, I’m sure I’ve got it. That overtime in July is coming in handy right about now.”

“I hear you there. It’s a good thing for the car sales, or I’d be sunk.”

Leaning back, Greg kicked at the pile at the end of the bed and managed to relocate it to the floor. “So, you got your job all lined up?”

“Ready and waiting. You?”

“I interview at University Hospital on Friday.”

“Figures you’d leave us with all the boxes,” Wes said, but he laughed at his own joke.

“Hey, I got the place,” Greg said with a smile. “You can’t expect me to do everything.”

“True enough.”

Another thought brushed Greg’s heart. “So how are Lauren and Paige? They ready for Thursday?”

“Oh, you know Lauren. I think her freak out meter’s probably cracked from the pressure by now.”

Greg laughed at that. “Yeah, well, I’m right there with her on that one.” The laughter fell away. “You talked to Nels today?”

“Nah. I figure he’s got enough on his plate taking LJ and Yoli to the airport and all of that.”

“Yeah.” Greg let a breath pass between them. “So, you recover from last night?”

“Pretty much. You?”

Letting his head thump back on the wall, Greg arched his gaze up. “Trying to.” Memories like real-life videos flashed through his mind. Most of them, unfortunately, featured Taylor, and he shook his head, knowing he was being stupid and weak even bothering with those.

For a second he thought Wes would just let it go. Old Wes would have. But Greg, of all people, knew old Wes was long gone now.

“Was it weird?” Wes finally asked. “Singing like that again?”

“With Tay?” Greg asked to clarify.

“Yeah.”

He thought about that. “Honestly, I want to say no, but…”

“I wondered about that,” Wes said, his voice falling into compassion. “But, hey, you and Tay looked like you were having a good time afterward.”

Reaching up, Greg played with the cord of his overhead bed lamp. “Yeah, well…”

When he said no more, Wes took the hint. “Okay. I mean, who knows? Maybe Tech will be a new start. Lots of new faces and new people.”

Really, Greg appreciated the effort, but it hurt to know his friend had to try so hard to make his life sound unpathetic. “Yeah, and lots of books and tests and homework.”

Wes laughed at that. “Wow. Way to be a buzz-kill.”

“Yeah, well, let’s face it, me and the love thing are pretty much batting zero for a thousand here. I don’t know. Maybe I’ll just take a breather from all the drama for a while. It certainly couldn’t hurt. Besides, I’ll be too busy for all of that anyway. Going to school and working? I think that’ll be enough to deal with.”

“Okay,” Wes said, “but don’t completely rule it out.  Okay? Who knows? There could be a cute girl in one of your classes that you take one look at and fall madly in love with, and…”

“Yo, Wes. Dude.”

“Yeah?”

“Can we cool it with the fairy tale garbage already?” Greg sighed. “I just want to do this thing drama-free, get that piece of paper in my hand, and move on with my life.”

Wes let out a breath. “Well, okay, if that’s what you want, I’ll do my best, but I’m not making any promises where the girls are concerned. I heard them talking the other day about finding somebody for you.”

“Ugh,” Greg groaned. “Are you kidding?” He rolled his eyes and rolled off the bed. This whole moving thing wasn’t going to do itself. “Tell them I don’t need any help finding a date… from either of them.” His heart panged hard at the thought of Paige finding him a date. How ironic was that? “Just… tell them I’m fine. Really. No need to swoop in and fix my love life in five easy steps.”

This laugh was less than happy. “Okay. If it comes up again, I’ll tell them.”

“Thank you.”

The pause stretched for a few seconds between them. “So, you’ll get the deposit in then?”

“Yep. Consider it done.”

Studying lasted until almost midnight when Taylor found herself propped up on her own wrist asleep. How long she had been out, she didn’t know. What she did know was that her wrist hurt something fierce.

She hit the button on her cell phone to bring up the time, and she groaned when she saw it. With a yawn, she waved the white flag and gave up for the night. No amount of force would get one more thing to go into her brain and stay there.

Frustrated but too tired to even dwell on that, she tromped out of the kitchen, shut off the light, and headed down the hallway. A shower would have to wait until morning. Her body had officially and effectively shut down for the night.

It was hard to blame it. She was, after all, operating on barely four hours of sleep in the last 48. Of course, she had heard the horror stories about med school and residency, but right now, she didn’t want to focus on what the future might ask of her. All she could focus on was getting to and into that bed before she collapsed in a heap on the floor.

She didn’t bother to change. Her only hope was that she would be up early enough to change in the morning. Her clothes would surely thank her for it. Climbing into bed, she put her head on the pillow and was out in fewer seconds than should have been allowed. Oh, did that bed and finally giving up feel good.

Somewhere in the midst of the lulling waves of sleep, her mind registered the noise. First, it was the front door. She rolled over, knowing it was Chris, and even asleep, she hoped he would just go to bed and be done with it. Sleep’s arms embraced her again so she had drifted completely out when she heard noise again.

Now it was in the room with her. She felt it. Heard it. Sensed it. She swallowed the snaking fear that rose inside her down and jammed her eyes closed harder, willing herself not to move. Maybe if he thought she was asleep…

Her entire body went rigid as she felt him slide in the other side behind her. This was it. Either he went to sleep, or… The breath in her lungs tangled up into a knot when she felt him move next to her. The smell was unmistakable, and she knew it meant only one thing.

“Hey, babe,” he whispered, nuzzling the back of her neck as his hand turned her over, “I’m home.”

Greg and… Taylor?
How?
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Kindle and Audiobook Editions

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The Imagination Series

Becoming Me (Kindle Unlimited) Paige Grayson knows Nelson Samuels is out of her league. Not only is he her sister’s best friend, but he is also far-and-away talented on the piano, guitar, drums, and any other instrument someone puts in his hands. But when Nelson asks her to help him with a song, what’s a girl to do but say yes and hope she can get out of this with her heart intact?

The Taste of Tears (Kindle Unlimited) Nelson Samuels fell head-over-heels for Paige Grayson—he even did something he never does—let her see into his world. But Nelson’s world has never been a stable place, and with college on the horizon and decisions to be made, will he put their future first… or his own?

Little Drops of Sunshine (Kindle Unlimited) Lauren Miller has always been in Paige Grayson’s shadow. As her best friend, Lauren only got asked to the parties because Paige was going. But one band member might have had ulterior motives to asking Paige. The only problem is, Lauren’s young. Too young. And that might just wreck her chance at finding true love…

Broken Heart Strings (Kindle Unlimited) Sometimes happily ever after doesn’t go quite the way you had planned. For Paige Grayson, it sure didn’t. Trying to go on with life after having watching the love of her life drive away, Paige has one goal in mind—make everyone believe she has gone on with life. Unfortunately, that’s a lot easier said than done.

Only Together (Kindle Unlimited) Nelson’s finally coming home, but home has changed a lot since he left. Can he win Paige back, and if he does, will Greg and the gang hate him forever?

Hopelessly Devoted to You (Kindle Unlimited) The gang’s getting ready for a big wedding. Who will show up? Who won’t? And whose lives will change forever?

Always (Preorder) Greg’s in love with Taylor. Taylor’s in love with someone else. Who will win and who will lose in this game that doesn’t feel like much of a game anymore?

Watch for more books in The Imagination Series coming in the future!

The Hope Series

Flight 259 {Kindle Unlimited} Scott Browning went looking for a new start after his first marriage ended in disaster. He never guessed he might end up trading his life for that second chance.

A Time to Love {Kindle Unlimited} Jenna Davis’s entire life changed on Flight 259. Can she now pick up the pieces and find hope and love again?

Some Say Love (Kindle Unlimited) Death is a moment. Love is forever. Jenna Davis and Scott Browning’s relationship has never been easy, but her grief and his pre-conceptions about love and marriage might destroy them before they even get started. Did God really have a second chance in mind for these two, or are second chances and happily ever afters only found in fairy tales and story books?

The Grace Series

Mirror Mirror {Kindle Unlimited} As a popular senior in high school, Sage Wentworth has the life others can only dream of living. But secrets of the past have a way of making themselves not stay secrets. Begin the incredible journey of “The Grace Series” with Mirror Mirror.

When I’m Weak {Kindle Unlimited} Jaycee Lawrence has never done any job halfway. Now working with America’s top television remodeler, she does her job and the jobs of everyone else as well. Not wanting to let Derek West down while guarding her heart from his heart-throb ways, she will stop at nothing to make sure the job gets done right. But when Derek realizes how indispensable she has become to him, will he be able to keep himself from falling in love with the woman he thought was just his assistant?

A Love Like This {Kindle Unlimited} Called on by his boss to fix a house that is practically falling down around the owner, Caleb James is just the man for the job. Never one to give up on a project just because it’s difficult, he soon finds the “project” he’s working on is not the house at all but the young widow and mother who is one frayed emotion away from giving up completely. Can Caleb’s patient renovation of her spirit bring her back from the brink?

A Moment Like This (Kindle Unlimited) It’s a whirlwind trip to the altar for Caleb and Rachel as all the Ridgemount friends pitch in to make sure their day is the most special one ever.

Raising Attabury (Kindle Unlimited) Dani Richardson may have finally met her match in the rickety, old house called Attabury. Can Caleb and the gang bring this house and this family back to life again, or are some things too far gone to be saved?

The Courage Series

To Protect & Serve {FREE on Kindle} {Audiobook} She’s a control freak. He’s a firefighter with a death wish. Watch the sparks fly when these two get together.

White Knight {Kindle Unlimited} {Audiobook} The one he couldn’t save was the love of her life. How can he ever make that terrible failure right again?

For Real {Kindle Unlimited} {Audiobook} She’s got issues. He’s got secrets. Can they ever learn to be “for real”?

The Friendship Series

Eternity {Kindle Unlimited} Aaron never noticed Harmony until now. Now, it might be too late.

The Easy Way Out {Kindle Unlimited} Drew thought he knew what love was, maybe he was wrong.

Or get the whole series…

The Friendship Series {Kindle Unlimited}

The Harmony Series

Cowboy One night Ashton Raines walked away from everything.

Lucky {Kindle Unlimited} One man. One woman. One night that changes everything.

The Faith Series

A Work In Progress {FREE on Kindle} Rebecca hated “the beautiful people” until she fell for one. Now what? (COLLEGE)

A Little Piece of Heaven {Kindle Unlimited} Emily loves God. Jeremy doesn’t believe in Him. How will this ever work? (COLLEGE)

A Light in the Darkness {Kindle Unlimited} One night, he becomes her angel in the darkness. (COLLEGE)

The Dreams Series

Dreams by Starlight {Kindle Unlimited} Sometimes where you are is not where you are meant to be. (HIGH SCHOOL)

Reunion {Kindle Unlimited} 10 years later. Everything has changed. Or has it?

Or get the whole series…

The Dreams Series (Kindle Unlimited)

Single Titles

Deep in the Heart {Kindle} {Audiobook} He’s worth billions. She’s penniless. What do they have in common? Everything.
More Than This (Kindle Unlimited) He was only looking for a cup of coffee and a quiet place to write. She helped him find himself.

Dance with Me (Kindle Unlimited) Kaci McLauren’s life of dance came down in a crashing heap, but sometimes what you thought was your destiny can surprise you.

Coming Undone {Kindle} {Audiobook} Ben was footloose and fancy-free until he got the call that changed his everything.

The Long Way Home Jaxton is about to learn what is really important in life, and it’s not what he thought.

If You Believed in Love He’s given up on love, but love won’t give up on him.

The Price of Silence Who can you trust when the unseen eyes are watching your every move? (HIGH SCHOOL)

Princess She hated basketball—and him. Could Heather have been wrong about everything? (COLLEGE)

Whisper If You Have To She’s got secrets. So does he. Can they learn to be honest together? (HIGH SCHOOL)

For Love’s Sake (Historical) Bryna Elliott’s strong-willed ways don’t set well with those trying to keep her in her place, but everything she does, she does For Love’s Sake.

Living in the Light Bible Studies

Theirs is the Kingdom Who is your Source? Why does it matter? Meditations on the first Beatitude.

The Two Trees In the Garden of Eden there were two trees, and those trees still present a choice for us today.

The Gifts of the Holy Spirit Seven gifts that can change your life.

Non-fiction

Something’s Not Right One family’s journey through dyslexia.

Reflections on Life 52 real life stories about struggles and victories in this life.

Reflections on Life II 83 new real life stories that challenge us all to reach for the life God truly wants for us.

Reflections on Life III Trials and pain… through it all God is there. Real life stories from the “territory.”

True Power & Real Peace How do you find True Power & Real Peace?

The 9-12 Project A journey from Healing to Hope

Spiritual Wholeness Breaking FREE to the LIFE You Want to LIVE

In Print

(click the links to read more about the books)

Eternity

Cowboy

Lucky

Deep in the Heart

Dreams by Starlight

Reunion

Reflections On Life I

Reflections On Life II

Coming Undone

To Protect & Serve

White Knight

For Real

Visit
http://www.stacistallings.net
for more about each available title

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About the Author

A USA Today Best Selling Author and stay-at-home mom, Staci Stallings has a husband, three kids and a writing addiction on the side. Stallings offers numerous titles for readers to choose from. Not content to stay in one genre and write it to death, Staci’s stories run the gamut from young adult to adult, from motivational and inspirational to full-out Christian and back again. Every title is a new adventure! That’s what keeps Staci writing and you reading. Although she lives in Amarillo, Texas and her main career right now is her family, Staci touches the lives of people across the globe with her various Internet and writing endeavors.

You can catch up or keep up with all of Staci’s work at:

http://www.stacistallings.net

For more information on

Staci’s Romance Novels

Free first chapters, excerpts, etc.

http://ebookromancestories.com

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