All I Ever Wanted(65)

Grady grabbed her and pulled her into his embrace before she could escape. "I love you."

She gave him a trembling smile. "I love you too."

Grady watched her walk away and had an urge to go running after her, but the mayor's voice boomed over the PA system: "And now, please welcome the pride of Sea Breeze, Florida! Our very own . . . Heartbeat!"

An elaborate laser show coincided with the pulsing sound of a beating heart. Smoke swirled and billowed over the stage, giving them time to run onstage, find their marks, and strike their poses. The crowd cheered, whistled, and screamed in anticipation.

Grady's heart thumped while he stood on his mark, head down, hand holding his fedora in place. The thump thump, thump thump seemed to coincide with his own pulse. Adrenaline surged through his body and he could feel the excitement radiating from the crowd and spilling onto the stage. Arabella was right. He did miss this.


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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.