All I Ever Wanted(33)

"Come on, Oliver," Grady said. "Quit putting pressure on us to do something we'd already decided against from the beginning. Let's not rock the damned boat when we're doing so well."

Oliver shoved his fingers through his hair. "I don't get it. Singing, music, is what we were born to do. Why not give it another shot? Look at Britney Spears. Backstreet Boys. New Kids on the Block. Come on! Give it some thought."

"You can always go solo," Jimmy pointed out. "You were the youngest and your voice has only gotten stronger, Oliver." He swung his arm in an arc. "If this is what you want, then go for it. I don't want to go on the road, and I don't want to move to Vegas."

Oliver closed his eyes and then blew out a sigh. "Okay, I'll shut up about it for now. But do me a favor and give it some serious consideration." He looked at Arabella. "Would you too?"


      ///
       
         
       
        

"Sure." Arabella nodded, but Grady knew she was only being polite. They'd carefully avoided any talk of the future beyond the benefit concert. He did know that before she left, he was going to find a way to tell her that he'd been innocent that damned night. His pride had gotten in the way of professing his innocence before, especially when she'd made it clear that she still believed the worst. But after being with her now, he didn't want to go through the rest of his life without getting the chance to let her know the truth. If she failed to believe him, that was on her. But he'd give anything to have her trust again.

"Let's just call it a day," Grady said, suddenly feeling a little bit moody.

"Okay." Oliver nodded reluctantly. "But this is our chance, and it likely won't come again. So keep that in mind before you toss it out the window. I'd like to show the world what we can do instead of letting people think we're just some washed-up boy band from a decade ago," he said with a hint of anger. "Remember I said this. Years later you might wish we would have given a comeback a shot and it will be too damned late." Waving a hand in the air, he stormed out the door.

"I'm going to put a ‘No Stomping Allowed' sign up," Arabella said.

Grady felt tension throbbing in the back of his neck. "I was afraid of this from the beginning."

Jesse shrugged. "He'll just have to get over it, Grady."

"We're doing this for Mom," Jimmy added, turning to Arabella. "We don't want you to feel any pressure. It's just that Oliver never wanted Heartbeat to end. He was younger and didn't get quite the same experience we did. I think he feels like he missed out. If Mom hadn't gotten so sick, we would have had a couple more years in us. Oliver never got to reach his full potential as a performer. I get it, but it doesn't change anything for the rest of us."

"I understand," Arabella said. "And you're spot-on, Jimmy. Oliver's voice is good enough for him to go solo if he wants to. He sure has the drive, the stage presence, and the charisma. But I guess it would be intimidating without you guys with him."

"You're right," Jimmy said. "And we're all musical, but that doesn't mean we have to be in the limelight." He walked over to his gym bag and picked it up. "See you guys tomorrow."

"Well, I'm taking off too," Jesse said. "See you in the morning. Unless we get a day off for being so awesome?" He raised his eyebrows and folded his hands in prayer. 

"Not a chance," Arabella said with a grin. "Sorry."

Jesse groaned. "Had to give it a shot."

"Be sure to ice that knee," Arabella reminded him.

"Hey." Jimmy grabbed Grady's shoulder and squeezed. "Stop looking so guilty. The concert is going to give us tons of exposure. Oliver can ride that wave if he really wants to. It's his choice."

"I know." Grady nodded, but he couldn't shake the guilt or the sudden sullen mood that had descended upon him after Oliver left. He watched the door close behind the twins. "Well, that sure as hell sucked."

"Hey," Arabella said softly. "Would you like to come over to the beach house? Get away from here for a little bit? I can throw some chicken on the grill and toss a salad?" She tilted her head to the side. "Open a bottle of wine?"

Grady looked at her with mild surprise. Having her offer to cook for him felt more emotionally intimate than the hot fling they were supposed to be having. Part of him wanted to take her up on it, but so far, he'd avoided going to the beach house, not wanting to have the memory of being with her there after she left. The thought made him irritable because he wanted to join her but shouldn't. "I'm tired. I think I'll make it an early night, if you don't mind," he said, making no mention of having her stay over or go for their usual swim. He felt like a jackass when her smile faded, but then she quickly recovered.