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

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

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

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

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

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

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

I looked back at Anna, floored. "They love us."

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

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

This was really going to happen.

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

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

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

Kellan's lips curved up in a wry grin. "My apologies."

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

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

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

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

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

Wide smile in place, he told me, "It's what I do."

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

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

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

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

Abby blinked in surprise. "Even me?"

I peered around Denny to smile at her. "Definitely you."

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

"We love you, Kiera!" was their response.

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

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

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

While Mom held Gibson and Anna supervised from the only semi-comfortable chair in the room, a handful of us tried to hide some of the unsightly machinery. Riley and I were standing on step stools, awkwardly attempting to hang a superlong linen sheet from the ceiling; I was trying to keep my shoulder rested by not lifting my right arm too high, which made decorating a bit challenging. Kellan frowned while he watched me. "I feel completely and totally useless."

Dropping the sheet, I huffed a stray lock of hair out of my eyes and smirked at Kellan. "Well, that's what happens when you go and tear an internal organ. Maybe next time you should be more careful."

Kellan's lips curled into a sexy half-smile. "The next time we're hit by a floral truck, I'll be sure to do that."

My mother's face paled. "Not funny, you two."

The clerk from the city arrived when we were halfway done with decorations. She seemed flustered to be near Kellan, and even though he wasn't feeling all that hot, he did his best to put her at ease. Perhaps excited that there was finally something he could do to help, Kellan even flirted with the woman a little. Her cheeks flamed bright red, and Kellan shot me an amused glance. Just like the clerk, I had been a blushing mess when Kellan had first started flirting with me. There was nothing that I could have done about it, though. Kellan was just too sensuous for his own good.

By the end of the day everyone was tired, but everything was all set, and I was ready to marry the man of my dreams.

I couldn't sleep at all that night, especially since Anna had made me go back to the hotel with her and the girls. She said I couldn't spend the night before my wedding with my fiance. When I told her she'd spent the night before her wedding with hers, she scoffed in my face. "Griffin and I are way different than you and Kellan." Pointing a finger at Mom holding Gibson, she'd added, "We did everything back-asswards."

The next morning, Abby disappeared for a few hours to go watch the parade with Denny while the other girls prepped me for my big event. Even though it was a holiday, we were able to get manicures, pedicures, and relaxing facials. New York City really did never sleep. Abby returned while Mom was getting my dress ready, and Jenny and Kate were curling my hair into long loose ringlets. Saying that the natural look suited me better than a fancy updo, they left my hair flowing down my back and across my shoulders. When they were content with my finished look, Anna went to town on my makeup. I reminded her that I was a pretty simple person, so my makeup shouldn't be too much.