My dad had arranged for a limo to pick us all up. It was a plain one, clearly on the bottom of the rental scale. There were no real frills on the inside except a shelf in the wall holding bottled water. It was perfect, and I greatly preferred this simplicity to the overdone elegance of Sienna’s limo.
The limo dropped us off right in front of the hospital. The fans outside went ballistic when they saw me. They tossed out such flowery compliments that my cheeks felt heated, but I smiled and gave them a gracious curtsy anyway. I even waved for the paparazzi. Let them splash my face all over the magazines. It would only give me more photos to use for my wedding album.
Our entourage walking through the halls had to have been a strange sight, but all I saw everywhere I looked were smiles. The nurses, the doctors, the other patients—everyone seemed as excited about this moment as I was. Well, maybe not as much as I was. I was nearly bursting at the seams as I clung to Mom’s arm. When we got to Kellan’s floor, rose petals were scattered along the ground. My eyes misted up just seeing the bright red velvet. My vision watery, I followed the path marked in flowers.
When I reached the hallway that led to Kellan’s room, the moisture in my eyes grew disastrously thick. Dressed in gray slacks and a dark blue button-up top, my dad was waiting for me at the end of the hall. He looked ten years younger as pride filled his face. New tears spilling from her eyes, Mom handed me off to Dad. Whispering, “I have never been more proud of you,” in my ear, he enclosed me in a warm hug. It took everything in me to not start crying.
Holding on to Dad for dear life, I looked down the hallway toward where the injured love of my life was waiting for me. The corridor was lined with at least a dozen nurses, doctors, technicians, and other staff members, and all of them were holding the softly glowing vigil candlesticks that the fans outside were using. Some patients’ doors were open, with curious faces peeking through the cracks, but I didn’t care one tiny little bit if strangers were watching this bizarre spectacle. I was getting married today.
The hallway floor was also littered with red rose petals, and at the end of the hallway, standing right in front of Kellan’s door, was Deacon. He had Kellan’s acoustic guitar strapped around his neck. The minute he saw me, his face split into a wide smile. “You’re beautiful,” he mouthed, then he started to strum my favorite D-Bags song. I just about lost it. My mother did.
Carly handed Anna and Jenny small bouquets that had been gifts from Kellan’s fans; she gave Kate, Cheyenne, Rachel, Abby, and Hailey flickering candles. She handed me a bouquet of white and yellow Cala Lillies. I hadn’t seen these in Kellan’s room. Seeing my confusion, she shrugged. “I ordered them this morning.”
Awed and impressed, I gave her a swift hug as each of my bridesmaids started drifting across the petal-strewn tile; their dresses perfectly matched the roses. Once they disappeared into the room, Deacon’s song shifted to the traditional wedding march. I couldn’t stop the tears then, and Mom quickly dabbed my eyes before running to the end of the hall so she could film my father walking me to my husband.
I had no idea how I did it, but I made it to the end of the hallway upright. I was shaking so bad, I was sure Dad could feel it. He patted my arm in reassurance as he helped me along. I gave Deacon a brief smile, then turned toward Kellan’s room. Even though I’d helped set it up, the room marveled me. Long, silky tablecloths were hung from the ceiling all the way around the sides of the room, hiding the telltale signs that we were in a hospital. Strands of tube lighting were hung along the tops of each sheet-curtain and in between the seams. It bathed the dimly lit room in warmth.
The hospital had placed red industrial carpets from the door to the other end of the room where the minister, dressed in a sharp black pantsuit, was waiting by the wide window. Linens wrapped with tube lighting and flowers were hung in a way that framed the window, like an altar; outside the window, I could see the swarms of fans in the background. The floor was covered with the rest of Nick’s ostentatious floral arrangement. The remainder of the bouquets lined the windowsill.
Except for Kellan’s bed, all of the furniture had been removed from the room, creating space for the guests to stand. As my eyes drifted around the area packed full of witnesses who loved Kellan and me, each of whom was holding a flickering candlestick, I was overwhelmed with love.