“Stop bouncing, Brandy. Dammit!” Nathan screeched exasperatedly. “I can’t fix your collar if you don’t stand still.”

“I can’t wait to see her.” Brandon kept shifting his weight from one foot to the other, crumpling the necktie in his hand. “The town will hear her sing for the first time today. I can’t wait.”

He turned on his toe, heading towards the door of the dressing room. Nathan grabbed the end of his coat.

“For god’s sake,” he reminded him, snatching the tie out of his hands to fasten it around his neck. “You’re worse than a kid on Christmas eve.”

Brandon rolled his eyes, standing still for a moment as Nathan examined his hair and his suit. Then he was bouncing again like a manic pogo stick.

“Hey, lads.” Mark barged into the room. “Guess who I saw in the audience?”

Brandon and Nathan looked at him.

“The Taoiseach’s daughter,” he smiled, nudging Nathan in the ribs.

“What?” The Dubliner stared with wide eyes. “She’s here?”

“I saw her beside your mam,” Mark explained.“They’re chatting.”

“Holy cow!” Nathan laughed, and was about to head out when he noticed Brandon’s absence. “Where’s Brandy?”

Mark looked around but found no one because Brandon had already headed out of the dressing room, still impatient to catch a glimpse of his love. The penultimate performance was on at the moment. Isabel was the closing act. It had been difficult to get her accommodated at the show after how she’d fared that first time, but they had managed it. They were the finest ambassadors for Sligo, after all.

Loud cheering filled the hall when the ongoing performance ended. The stage went dark for some time and then the spotlight came on, the emcee walking out to the front.

They had it all planned. Mark and Nathan came out of the dressing room to see if things were going all right. Brandon had finally stopped bouncing and was fidgeting with his necktie.

“There. All done.” Mairead appeared beside him with a pleased smile. “She looks gorgeous.”

“Wh—where’s she?” Brandon looked around. His sister pulled a face at him.

“She’s right where she has to be,” the blonde lassie explained. “You look grand, by the way.”

“You remember what you have to do, right?” Mark whispered to him. “You’re supposed to walk on to stage singing and take your place beside her. Oh.” He disappeared, and returned with a microphone. “Here,” he handed it to him.

“Presenting the final performance of the night!” the emcee said, drawing loud applause from the audience. “We know you’ve been waiting for this,” he quipped, leaving the stage as it went dark again.

Brandon’s heart was in his mouth. He just hoped she would not bungle up again. Closing his eyes, he said a silent prayer.

And then, there it was. The opening notes of the piano, expertly delivered by Ben. Followed by the guitar, deftly performed by Kyle. And then the flute.

With each note, the lights started coming alive, bathing the stage in a soft halo.

And then the voice.

Isabel.

“Come over the hills, my bonny Irish lad,
Come over the hills to your darling
You choose the road, love, and I’ll make the vow…
And I’ll be your true love forever…”

Brandon was sure his heart stopped beating as the rich, mellifluous voice cloaked the theatre. She was stunning in that red evening dress that she’d bought with some of the prize money from the writing contest. Of course, she would have been content spending it on books or not spending it at all, but Elsa had taken her out shopping and coaxed her into picking some fancy clothes. Her long hair flowed across her shoulders, her dreamy eyes highlighted by the makeup, and her small, beautiful hands held the microphone with the practised skill of a trained singer. Adorning her was the necklace he had gifted her. She had not taken it off since he put it on her.

He saw Emily wipe tears, his own mother looking on without realising she was crying. Beside him, Mairead tried to stifle a sob by pressing her hands to her mouth.

Brandon’s eyes welled up. They had not heard that voice in so long and the sentiments were understandable. But Nathan’s mother, his sister, and his girlfriend, who were all seeing Isabel for the first time, were also in tears.

“Red is the rose that in yonder garden grows,
Fair is the lily of the valley…
Clear is the water that flows from the Boyne,
But my love is fairer than any…”

Mairead had started to cry. There were smiles on every face and tears in every eye by the time Brandon pulled himself together and made his way to the stage. Isabel looked at him and smiled quietly. He struggled to catch his breath.

“It was down by Killarney’s green woods that we strayed,
The moon and the stars, they were shining…
The moon shone its rays on her locks of golden hair,
And she swore she’d be my love forever…”

He could not help staring at her while he sang his part. She seemed like a different person, not the stoney and impassive Isabel. He could never have imagined that his dream of singing with her would come true in such a manner, with almost half of the town at the theatre that evening. It meant more to him than any concert he would ever do in his entire life.

His hand crept towards hers and their fingers entwined as they sang the chorus together. Isabel looked at him, smiled again with tears in her eyes.

“Clear is the water that flows from the Boyne…”

They held each other’s gaze, love coursing between them like electricity.

“But my love is fairer… than any…”

The hall erupted in a standing ovation, including the people who had so far only been mean to her. There were the three selectors of the concert, stunned that a girl so broken could also be so talented. Behind them, Ben and Kyle had risen, clapping. Brandon led her to the front of the stage and they took a bow together. And then, with the applause refusing to die, he pulled her close and kissed her. Felt tears against his face, not sure whose they were.

The lights dimmed, but the applause continued. Brandon looked at her face, tears washing her makeup away. She laughed, putting her arms around him.

“Thank you,” she whispered into his ears. “This is the best day of my life.”

Brandon failed to form words. He only held her tight, wishing he could freeze that moment forever.

Epilogue

Ten years later

“Brandy?”

The familiar voice made him turn around from the mirror to find a raven-haired beauty behind him with a slightly concerned look on her angelic face, her pregnant body draped in a flowy black dress.

“Have you seen Snowflake anywhere?” she asked, stepping inside the master suite of his Sligo mansion, aptly named Castledale. “I can’t find him.”

“Sounds like Snowflake,” he smiled, walking up to her and drawing her close to him. “You look gorgeous.”

“Oh, please.” She rolled her eyes. “I look like a penguin. But I appreciate the kind words.” With a laugh, she dropped her head back, her long, dark hair falling across her shoulders.

Isabel. His wife. Soon-to-be mother of their first child. His rock, always beside him through thick and thin, come what may. His undeserved blessing, the soulmate he had not been able to live a day without.

“You look mighty fine yourself, big boy,” she said, reaching up to fix the lapel of his jacket. Then she turned and stepped out into the hallway, her smile fading. “But seriously, where is Snowflake?”

Brandon answered by dipping his head to capture her lips in an insistent kiss. Isabel giggled, then melted into his arms with a sigh, her hands sliding up his shoulders.

“Izzi!” Kyle called out while sprinting up the stairs. Dapper in a casual suit, he smirked after having interrupted them.

“You guys are shameless, you know,” he teased, leaning against the bannister. “We’ve always been envious that you work with us.” He looked at Isabel. “It lets Brandy see you way more than we can see our respective partners. And you can still never have enough of each other.”

Brandon laughed, and so did Isabel. She was Pentoniac’s award-winning chief sound engineer and a part of their production team, a music teacher for blind children, an advocate for their local wildlife, a magnet for animals, and a saviour for the less fortunate. But most importantly, she was their best friend and anchor, keeping them grounded with her wisdom, humility, and warmth.

“Can you find Snowflake for me?” Isabel asked him. Kyle frowned.

“Your cat?” he said. “I have no idea what he looks like. That bugger’s always hiding from me.”

Isabel glared at him with arms tightly crossed. “Don’t you dare call him that.”

“Maybe I wouldn’t, if he were a little friendly.”

“Well, your little bugger of a dog hisses at me all the time.”

“He’s tiny. It’s not his fault that he’s scared of everything.”

“Okay, stop.” Brandon intervened, looking at Kyle. “Just go, will ya? We’ll be there in a minute.”

“Fine,” Kyle grumbled. “I’ll get the bar set up while the hosts are busy snogging.”

His laugh echoed as he sprinted up to the third floor. Brandon slid an arm across Isabel’s waist as they sauntered down the massive spiral staircase of their luxury home. From the floor-to-ceiling window, they sighted the flurry of incoming guests at Brandon’s birthday party.

A lot had changed in the last ten years. Pentoniac was the most successful boyband in the world, the only pop group without a breath of a scandal, and the five of them the ninth richest celebrities of Ireland. Year after year they had hit new heights, capturing the world with their lyrical, mellifluous songs and setting every arena on fire with their iconic concerts. Only weeks ago, they had ended their tenth-anniversary world tour with a massive show at Croke Park Stadium, and were raring to go for many more decades.

They were no longer the fresh-faced young lads who had been taken from an obscure Irish town and thrust into the spotlight. They were men pushing thirty, with families, responsibilities, and a public life that chased them everywhere. His parents had closed the restaurant and now travelled all over the world, owing to his success. His siblings were all settled to their own families and he had fourteen nieces and nephews. Nathan and Ginny were married and parents to one-year-old twin boys Max and Jay. Ben had a companion in his former schoolmate and London girl Susan Cavendish. Mark was out of the closet and had found love with boyfriend Kevin. Kyle was mellow now and mere months away from marrying his fiancée Rose. Thomas was retired from the university, Emily was preparing to be a first-time grandma, and the charming Elsa had finally found a man.

“I never did thank him, did I?” Isabel suddenly said, staring at her brother being silly with Nathan’s boys in the garden. Brandon followed her gaze.

“For what?”

“Saving my life all those years ago.” She lowered her head. “Just imagine what would’ve happened if he hadn’t returned home earlier than he was supposed to? I would be dead, like I wanted to be.”

“Izzi…”

“I was so displeased that he saved me, remember? I never understood why I had to live when I had no desire to.”

Her hand went to her abdomen. “Today I have my reason why.”

When she looked at him, her dark eyes were moist. “One day at a time, one breath at a time, and look where we are today,” she smiled. “I wish I knew ten years ago that I would be so happy someday. That you would love me back to life and make me the queen of your universe.”

Brandon drew her into his arms, his eyes welling up. He had watched the shy, socially-awkward girl transform into a woman for all seasons, gracing his life with devotion, discipline, and unending solicitude, packing a slap whenever needed, and helping him up every time he stumbled. And each day, he had fallen in love with her all over again, their electric chemistry and unbridled passion rousing envy and admiration around the world. It was a fairytale like no other.

“What the—” Isabel nearly swore as she pulled away and gaped. Brandon looked over his shoulder and it took him a long minute to discover the cause of her amazement.

Next to the window was a tall, potted Peace Lily and a fluffy grey cat fast asleep amid the foliage. 

He laughed. “That’s one clever way to dodge a herd of kids, innit?”

“I looked for him everywhere!” 

“He’s practising.”

“Practising what?”

“Hiding from the baby.”

Isabel pulled a face at him. “He’s always hiding. Do you mind making sure his bowl is filled? I’ll go and check on the cake.”

Brandon blinked. “What cake?”

“Your birthday cake. It’s in the dining hall, where you’re going to cut it later.”

“Hey.” He reached for her elbow, pulling her close again. “Just how did you keep the cake a secret?”

Her lips curled. “Mark might or might not have had a big hand in it,” she said. “I made it just the way you love it, with extra cream.”

Brandon broke into a watery laugh. Fourteen number ones, thirty million albums, eight world tours, and two Guinness World Records were Pentoniac’s achievements so far. But for him, everything paled in comparison to the love of his life. Because, despite all his successes, Isabel would always be his biggest dream come true.