by LuAnn McLane
Then the lights all went dark and the smoke fizzled into the air.
The heartbeat stopped.
A murmur reverberated through the crowd and then they fell silent.
And then the first five deep notes of their megahit “Hold On Tight” blasted through the speakers. The stage lights went up, Heartbeat did a crisp spin, and they let the fedoras flip down their arms. “Hold me, hold me . . . tight. Hold me tight, tonight.”
And the crowd went wild.
CHAPTER EIGHTEEN
I WANT YOU TO WANT ME
Arabella watched the performance with her hands to her cheeks. The brothers executed the dance moves with precision and fluid grace. Grady sang lead while Jimmy, Jesse, and Oliver harmonized to the monster hit that had made them a household name. While the routines contained patented boy-band moves, this sleek version of mature Heartbeat captivated the audience on another level. The rich sound of their voices, in perfect pitch, perfect harmony, gave Arabella goose bumps, and she knew she wasn’t alone. When the song ended, the crowd erupted in thunderous applause.
“Good evening, Sea Breeze!” Grady shouted, and then had to wait for the cheers to die down before he could continue. “Welcome to the reunion of Heartbeat and to the benefit concert for the Susan Heart Lupus Foundation. Your generosity has already been overwhelming and we hope you will spread the word through social media! Lupus is a silent but deadly disease, and together we can fight back with education, awareness, and research,” Grady said, and then had to wait while the crowd applauded. “Our parents loved the joy, the beauty of music, and tonight is dedicated to them,” he added with a crack in his voice that made Arabella’s throat ache with unshed tears. “So with that in mind, don’t be shy! Stand up and dance, sing along, and have the time of your lives in our beautiful home of Sea Breeze!” Grady shouted, and then Heartbeat slid into the next song.
From her front-row spot, Arabella watched the energetic, electric performance, rapt. Sexy but playful, each brother added anecdotes here and there, making the audience roar with laughter. The mature showmanship added an element to the performance that had been missing during the earlier years. She could tell that they were relaxed and having fun onstage. Even Jimmy seemed to be more at ease than she remembered. The crowd adored their hometown heroes, and while many of the attendees were local, Heartbeat had drawn fans from all over, and they were making some real noise. Grady had also invited and paid for transportation and accommodations for several families of those suffering with lupus. This wasn’t just a concert—this was a reunion, a celebration that would be talked about in Sea Breeze for a long time. The energy of the crowd was palpable.
Chairs, blankets, coolers were forgotten while the audience stood, danced, sang, and cheered. It seemed to Arabella that nearly everyone knew the words to the songs, even the younger kids. While Grady had staged the event as a tribute to their parents, this was a day to celebrate Heartbeat’s success too.
Arabella had known that Heartbeat would blow the audience away, but she was blown away too. Rehearsals had indicated they would be amazing, but this went beyond her expectations. On top of their flawless showmanship, the emotion the brothers clearly felt while singing radiated from the stage and spilled over into the audience.
Heartbeat sang hit after hit tirelessly while the audience clamored for more. Arabella smiled, thinking that the strenuous rehearsals had really paid off and the guys looked amazing. Her focus zoned in on Grady. She felt the giddy excitement of the young girl who had fallen in love with him mixed with something stronger, deeper. Movement continued all around her, but she stood still, transfixed, feeling as if her entire life had come together in that very moment. Grady looked down from the stage as if looking for her and she smiled, feeling something warm and wonderful wash over her. Someone bumped her from behind, and she laughed and started dancing. At the end of the song, Arabella cheered with the crowd, demanding more.
The only breather came when Oliver introduced the band, followed by a ballad where Grady sang a soulful, simplified version of “Give Me Another Tomorrow.” Arabella swooned along with the rest of the ladies in the crowd, but when Grady looked down and caught her eye, she knew the lyrics were meant for her. When his rich, deep voice crooned the love song filled with regret and renewed hope, Arabella knew she’d never be happy without him. They’d been given a second chance, and she intended to tell him that she didn’t care if Heartbeat decided to tour—she would go with him. It was about damned time she faced her fears and allowed herself not only to love, but to need.
And she needed Grady Heart.
Oddly, giving into the need felt like freedom to her, when she’d always thought that needing someone else was a sign of weakness, a shift of power that she wasn’t willing to risk. Now she realized that wanting—craving—took a back seat to need. Arabella conceded that she wanted to be in Grady’s arms, but she needed to be in his life. What else would really matter if they were apart? How could she fill that gaping hole? The answer was simple: she couldn’t.
And it was about damned time she stopped holding back and loved him fully, completely, without hesitation or reservation. The thought caused a shiver of fear to slide down her spine, but she shook it off.
Arabella looked around and smiled at the joy the concert was bringing to the crowd. She laughed at two little girls holding hands and spinning around. A young couple to her left swayed to the music, arms around each other. In this fast-paced world filled with stress, music could ease pain, energize, and heal. The happy faces indicated that for the next couple of hours, the crowd could forget about everything except for dancing, singing, and having fun.
Music had gotten Arabella through some tough times in her life, and she wondered if Grady and his brothers understood the magnitude of the gift they were giving the audience right now. She also noticed young women in their twenties and thirties swaying, swooning, many of whom must have been Heartbeat’s fans from back in their heyday. Arabella understood. Boy bands, teen heartthrobs, were often the first taste of young love that girls felt toward boys. Posters on bedroom walls. Writing their last names in their school notebooks, thinking that surely there was a chance of marriage or, at the very least, a kiss. A date. Fantasy? Yes. But the feelings for your first boy-band crush never truly go away.
Being a pop star, a heartthrob, meant giving a piece of yourself to the fans, giving up precious privacy and a normal life. She knew that it was difficult for people to sympathize with rich, famous celebrities, but Arabella saw things from the other side. Grueling days on the road, constant travel, and the pressure to stay on top wasn’t easy. She remembered seeing the brothers perform when sick and exhausted but unwilling to disappoint a sellout crowd.
But what Arabella also knew was that when the Heart brothers walked off the stage, they were simply human beings, wanting and needing, feeling and hurting, just like everyone else. Looking back, she supposed that she still viewed Grady as being larger than life, even when they were together alone. She thought about the comment he’d made that all he wanted was to get back to her after the concert and she put her hand over her mouth, having a lightbulb moment. . . .
For the first time, she got it.
Arabella grinned when she heard the screams after Heartbeat launched into “Love Me.” But instead of feeling the old jealous pang of resentment, her heart thumped with the knowledge that Grady loved her. She let out her own little scream and laughed, realizing that she could watch the concert and not worry about a damned thing, and just enjoy the performance like everybody else.
Oliver sang his bubblegum pop single “Will You Be My Baby,” but his original high-pitched prepubescent voice had given way to a deeper tone that sounded a lot like Grady’s. The audience ate it up, and Arabella knew that if Oliver really wanted to go solo, he could do it. In a rogue move, Oliver did a back flip and the audience went nuts.
“Thank you, Sea Breeze!” Oliver
shouted to the crowd. “You’ve been amazing! Heartbeat loves you all!” he added as the brothers tipped their hats, bowed, waved, and then exited the stage.
Arabella knew they were saving “You’ll Be with Me Always” for the encore. Whistles, wild applause, and cell-phone flashlights held high indicated that the audience had no intention of going anywhere. Rhythmic clapping mimicking a heartbeat started, and Arabella joined in.
A few minutes later, the band came back onto the stage and the audience applauded in anticipation and appreciation. Four empty stools were already waiting for Heartbeat’s return.
Arabella felt hot emotion well up in her throat and she had to work hard to not burst into tears. Putting a hand to her chest, she took deep breaths, knowing what was to come.
A few more minutes went by while the band played an instrumental medley. The crowd started chanting, “Heartbeat! Heartbeat!”
Still, the stools remained empty, and Arabella knew it was because they were setting up for the live recording of Susan Heart’s song. The chants continued, and when the drummer started to let the crowd know the brothers were close to appearing, the anticipation felt like a living, breathing thing.
When Grady, Jimmy, Jesse, and Oliver came back onstage they’d shed their suit jackets and ties. Shirtsleeves were rolled up to their elbows and the first few buttons were undone. Arabella knew they did this to show a more down-to-earth approach to the song, and to connect to the crowd on a deeper, more personal level. The only accompaniment would be a piano, the stripped-down performance making for an intimate experience.
They sat down on the stools and Grady raised his hands, waiting for silence. Instead of the headpieces, they had traditional microphones. Finally, the crowd gave in to his request and fell silent.
“We have a few things to say, so please give us a few minutes while you hold your much-appreciated applause. First, we want to thank all of you for attending,” he said, and his brothers nodded. “And thanks to all the local businesses who sold tickets and promoted the concert with posters and word of mouth. We couldn’t have done this without the whole town coming together to help,” he continued. “Many of you knew us even before Heartbeat was a thing,” he said, and had to hold his hands up for silence again. “Our parents instilled the love of music into us from the moment we were born. Singing and playing instruments became part of us as children and shaped who we are as adults.” He extended his hand toward his brothers. “We used to joke that living in our house was like being in a constant musical, and we thought it was normal,” he said, and waited for the laughter to die down. “And we loved performing for our parents every Friday night. We never wanted to be famous. We just loved music,” Grady continued, with a catch in his voice. “But our parents also brought music to Sea Breeze with our music shop that’s still in the family. They made sure that anyone who wanted to learn to play a musical instrument or have voice lessons would be able to do so. Broken instruments were fixed and donated to the Sea Breeze High School band and, in their honor, that remains true today,” he continued, and had to wait again while the audience cheered. “We lost them way too soon, but their legacy will continue in our hometown. Jesse, Jimmy, Oliver, and I will make sure of that,” he said. “And I want to extend a special thanks to Arabella York for the amazing choreography. We couldn’t have pulled this off without her. She is the best in the business and is one of the reasons for our success, both in the past and tonight. We were so lucky to have her on board,” he said, making Arabella blush at the compliment.
Jesse lifted his microphone and spoke up. “I want to introduce this next song, which means so much to us. It’s a tribute to our parents, beautifully written by Jimmy,” he said, and nodded to Jimmy.
“While the lyrics were written for our parents, this song also goes out to anyone, meaning all of you, who have lost a loved one,” Jimmy said. “We lost our mother from complications due to lupus, and we also want to remind you to give generously, not only to the Susan Heart Lupus Foundation, but to other foundations raising money to fight disease and bring awareness to their cause.”
Oliver spoke up. “While the pain of losing loved ones never goes away, precious memories remain. We ask you now to please sit down, listen, and remember that though our loved ones might be gone . . . they are with us always,” he said, and then, after a pause, Heartbeat launched into the slow, beautiful song. The soothing piano accompaniment seemed to float through the air while the spotlight remained on the four brothers pouring their soul into the song for their mother.
Arabella felt tears streaming down her cheeks as she thought of her own grandmother. She could hear and feel the collective emotion of the crowd and knew there couldn’t be a dry eye in the audience. She watched Grady and his brothers trying to hold it together and get through the song, and she had trouble not dissolving into a puddle of noisy sobbing herself.
At the end of the song, Heartbeat took one last bow and then left the stage. Although the audience clamored for more, they did not return. Arabella wondered how they could possibly be able to sing after such an emotional last song, but the audience refused to budge or stop their rhythmic applause. How could they come back out?
And yet, they did.
To the surprise and delight of the audience, they performed three more songs and finally brought the house down again with a cover of “He Ain’t Heavy, He’s My Brother.”
“Good night, Sea Breeze!” Grady shouted, and the lights on the stage went out for good.
People finally started folding chairs and packing up coolers and blankets. While Arabella could sense the post-concert come-down of the crowd, she could also feel the sizzle of excitement still hanging in the air as she walked around, picking up tidbits of conversation.
“They were awesome,” said a blond-haired girl of maybe nine or ten. Her friend nodded. “No wonder my mom wanted to come! She said she had posters all over her bedroom wall and got to see them back, you know, like, when they were young.”
“My mom said the same thing!” said the friend. “Her favorite was Grady, the lead singer. Who’d your mom like the best?”
“She said Jesse because he was so funny and sweet.”
“And it’s so cool that Heartbeat is from Sea Breeze! I mean, I always knew and stuff, but I had no clue they would be this amazing. How awesome is that? They should totally start touring again.”
“And they’re hot, you know, for older guys,” the little blonde agreed, causing Arabella to chuckle. Of course, when she was a teenager she thought being over thirty was ancient too.
Arabella listened in to other comments and observations, all positive to the point where she knew that Heartbeat had gone way beyond the expectations of how they would sound and perform. And she knew that even the harshest of critics would agree that tonight’s show had been stellar.
Arabella picked up her purse and shrugged into her sweater. The evening had cooled off considerably, but the crisp night had been perfect weather for the concert. She stood there waiting for the crowd to thin so she could go give Grady and the guys her congratulations.
And be in Grady’s arms.
After a few more minutes, Arabella tried to make her way toward the RV, but even though the crowd had lessened somewhat, many people remained, hoping to get a glimpse of Heartbeat. She was supposed to meet them at the RV, but it was impossible to weave her way through the sea of people. Arabella also spotted several newscasters, both national and local, wielding microphones and cameras, hoping for a glance or an interview.
When Arabella somehow managed to get closer to the RV, she shook her head. Media and fans surrounded the trailer like a fortress, making it impossible for her to get anywhere near the door. She became surrounded by the noisy crowd, unable to proceed any farther. Unease washed over her and she didn’t know what to do.
When Heartbeat finally emerged, media and fans shouted questions their way, all of them cl
amoring for attention, creating near chaos.
“Will you begin touring again?”
“Is there an album in the works?”
“When is the next concert?”
Flashes from cameras and cell phones flickered like strobe lights, making Arabella feel slightly disoriented. She heard screams from fans but was determined to get closer, so she pushed forward until she had been bumped and shoved to the point where she was starting to feel claustrophobic. Panic made her throat constrict and she moved sideways, away from the fray. When she was out of the mad crush, she leaned over and inhaled a deep breath.
Arabella pushed her hair back with trembling fingers and knew she had to get the hell out of there. She nearly ran to her car, parked in a private lot with easy access to the main road.
During the short drive back to the beach house, she began crying, but she wasn’t sure why. The success of the concert, her realization of how much she not only loved, but needed, Grady had put her in such a good place emotionally, and she’d accepted that she’d go and support whatever he wanted in his future, including a full-fledged Heartbeat reunion tour if that was what the brothers wanted. But she hadn’t been prepared for the overwhelming onset of panic at being lost in the crowd in the same way she’d been in the early Heartbeat years.
And suddenly she felt shaky, unsure . . . forgotten.
Questions started bouncing around in her head: Should she have sold her business? By coming back into Grady’s life, was she losing herself in the process? Giving up her hard-earned independence? Could she truly be happy living in his shadow no matter how much she loved him? Needed him? Thoughts, questions, worries banged around in her head like snare-drum cracks and refused to let up.
And the need to run was overwhelming.
As soon as Arabella arrived at the beach house she started yanking clothes off hangers, tossing items into a suitcase, not really paying attention to what she packed. Her world was spinning way too fast. All she knew was that she desperately needed to get away, to think, to distance herself from Grady so she could look at her life clearly and make sound decisions. If he walked into the room, she knew she would fly into his arms and not be able to leave.
