All I Ever Wanted(68)

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 clamoring 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.