Who I Am With You (Imagination #10) - Staci Stallings Page 0,242

emotion that was overtaking him again. “I told her I loved her. I told her I was in love with her.” He wrenched his head up and looked all the way into Heaven. “Why? Why? Why would I say that? Why?”

Nelson absorbed that for a second and then two. “Because it’s true?”

Lauren sat Taylor on one of the beds that faced each other in the small room. “Okay, first of all, sit down, and take a breath. Let’s sort this thing out.” She stood in front of Taylor with her arms crossed like the principal. “Okay, now, tell me what exactly happened.”

Now that she was here, Taylor realized how terrible of an idea this really was. First, this wasn’t Paige, and second, she knew all-to-well how rumors started around these kinds of things. This had all the hallmarks of becoming a huge issue for all of them that could get out of control easier than not.

“Taylor,” Lauren said like she was trying to control the harshness of her words. “Spill. What the heck happened?”

“I…” Taylor closed her eyes, willing herself to stand up and say nothing, everything’s fine, sorry to bother you. But in the next second, she realized she just couldn’t hold it in any longer. Right or wrong. Smart or not. She had to tell somebody. Her heart lurched at the words. “Greg said he loves me.”

The shaking in the center of her started again, and she wasn’t sure she could control it this time.

“He… did?” Lauren asked in shock as she uncoiled. “Really?”

Taylor nodded miserably. “Yeah.”

“Oh, well, all right then. Hallelujah. It is about time.”

With a hard snap, Taylor’s gaze came up, perplexed and confused by that reaction just as a knock sounded at the door. “Wh…?”

Lauren put her finger up. “Hold on. Just one second. Don’t move.”

Hallelujah? What? What did that mean? Why would Lauren say that?

Hallelujah made no sense on any planet in any language. In fact, hallelujah only made sense if you were glad the world had just ended.

“Just one second. Stay right there,” Lauren said again to Taylor when she got to the door, and with that, she stepped out into the hallway.

Taylor was still trying to figure out what Hallelujah could possible even mean when the door came open again, and Lauren came back in with… Wes. Instantly, Taylor crumpled forward. No. No. No. No. NO! This could not be happening. She put her face in her hands, willing herself to disappear right there. Heat rushed over her. Great. Now everybody was going to know. This was a disaster.

“Hey, Tay,” Wes said, coming over to sit next to her on the bed.

She sniffed hard, completely unable to get herself back under control.

“So, I heard you had a big night,” Wes said.

“Wes!” Lauren said in concerned surprise.

“What?” he asked.

Be helpful, Lauren mouthed as Taylor picked her gaze up to them. She was right. This was a disaster.

“I’m sorry, guys,” Taylor said. “I am so sorry. I shouldn’t have come. This was a mistake.” She started to stand.

“Yeah. I don’t think so,” Wes said, and his hands came over her shoulders as he brought her back down next to him. “Hold on there, sunshine. Not so fast.”

All the energy drained from her to fight or flee. The only thing left was to give up. It was then that she saw the little electric candles scattered around the room, and frustration with herself and all the misery she had caused all of them cut deep into her. “And look, I’m ruining your night too.” Taylor sniffed hard, and then she remembered. Valentine’s Day. “Oh, you guys… It’s Valentine’s. Really… I didn’t mean to…”

“Maybe not,” Wes said, matter-of-factly and his arm stayed right there around her shoulders, mostly comforting but also not allowing her the option of running, “but you did. And that’s okay because right now, this is way more important.”

Taylor wasn’t at all sure Lauren would agree.

“Okay, now, take this slow. What is going on?” Wes asked. “Lauren said you were out with Greg…?”

That memory unleashed a whole new cascade of emotions, and Taylor crumpled forward again.

“Wes,” Lauren said as if she was frustrated with him.

“What?”

Coming over, Lauren sat on the other side of Taylor.

“Look, Taylor, honey,” Lauren said, and Taylor wondered if Lauren had ever sounded so nice in her life. “Listen to me. This is not the end of the world.”

“It’s not?”

“No,” Lauren said. “Look, I know right now it’s all new and confusing and everything, and you don’t even know which