A Single Sparky (The Spark Brothers Book 1)

by Liwen Y. Ho

  Applause immediately resonated in the circular-shaped building.

  “Hi, I’m Abby from 103.1, the number one station in the Bay Area station for today’s hits. Have we got a show for you tonight! We’re going old school and taking it back a decade to bring you America’s favorite boy band. Let’s give it up for Heartland!” She clapped and walked off stage as the curtain rose.

  Women began shrieking, their voices joined together to create a high-pitched frenzy. Abby would’ve screamed, too, if she weren’t on duty. The thought of her favorite boy band taking the stage at this very moment gave her chills. She looked back, expecting to see four men, but only Aiden stood there, a guitar in his hands.

  He stepped up to the mic and greeted everyone, as if he did this sort of thing every night. He was a natural on stage with his confident stance and the charming smile Abby recognized from his younger days.

  Aiden was a star, always had been and always would be. It was evident when he opened his mouth to sing. Upon hearing the first few notes, she might’ve swooned a little. Okay, she swooned a lot, especially when he glanced her way for a split second. Their eyes met, and she had to remind herself to breathe. Her body warmed remembering how it felt to be near him, to touch him. No man ever looked at her the way he had—as if he really saw her. Not only that; he liked what he saw. What a wonderful—yet crazy—thing it was to be on the receiving end of such affection. It was yet another reminder of God’s grace to her.

  After Aiden sang his first song—a Heartland classic—he began speaking. All eyes were focused on center stage where he stood in the spotlight. She admired the ease with which he spoke to the audience.

  “You may have noticed it’s only me here tonight. Due to unforeseen circumstances, the rest of the band couldn’t make it. God wasn’t surprised by any of this though, and I believe He has everything under control. I hope you’ll stick around and enjoy the rest of this night with me. I’ve got a full set to sing for you, both old and new songs, that I think you’ll enjoy.”

  Several women in the audience called out, “We love you, Aiden!”

  He grinned in response and began strumming a few chords. Abby immediately recognized another one of Heartland’s hits and began clapping. Memories of herself singing along to this song as a high schooler came to mind. Who knew she’d one day be standing twenty feet from her crush and listening to him sing live? Her inner teenager wanted to squeal. Once a Heartland fan, always a Heartland fan. This fact rang truer now that she knew the man behind the song. He who was so much more than a pop star. He was kind, giving, and strong, and someone she was falling for more and more.

  Aiden finished singing and suddenly turned in her direction. He gestured for her to join him. “Abby, please join me.”

  What?! Why was he calling her over? She shook her head adamantly. There was a reason she worked in radio. She didn’t mind deejaying or briefly emceeing a concert, but there was no way she was going to be the center of attention.

  Aiden didn’t seem to understand this, because the next thing she knew, he was walking over to her. He reached her side and held out his hand. He mouthed the word please and gave her the most endearing smile. Before she could think clearly, she had placed her hand in his.

  He pulled her on stage and introduced her to the crowd. “You probably recognize this woman from her job on the radio, but she is more than a pretty voice or face. Abby Dearan is very special to me. She came into my life—actually, God brought her into my life—when I needed her the most.”

  Abby squeezed out a shaky smile as she stared wide-eyed at Aiden. What was he doing?

  “Not only is she beautiful on the outside, she has a beautiful heart. Because of her persuasion, I decided to put on this concert to raise money for cancer research.” He took a deep breath. “Several years ago, I lost someone I loved to cancer. Afterwards, I lost my desire to sing, too. But thanks to Abby, I picked up my guitar again. I also started writing. I’d like to sing my newest song that I wrote for you.”

  Abby’s chest tightened when she realized Aiden was speaking to her. “Me? You wrote a song for me?”

  He leaned in to whisper in her ear. “It’s one of the perks of dating a pop star, in case you were open to the idea. I meant what I said about being on the same side.”

  His masculine scent, paired with his warm breath tickling her ear, made her mind go blank. She nodded and let her dopey grin do the talking.

  Aiden released her hand and picked up his guitar. As he plucked a melody on the strings, he began singing.

  Abby stood rooted in place, her heart softening with each note. A trail of tears reached her chin before she realized she was crying. She’d never heard such a beautiful song before, and to think it was written for her.

  When the song ended, Aiden stepped away from the mic. He set down his guitar, then reached for her hand. He laced his fingers between hers and gave them a gentle squeeze. Even with thousands of people watching, he only had eyes for her. “Thanks for trusting me enough to join me on stage. I meant every word I said. I believe God brought you into my life. He had mercy on me for some reason.”

  “Because He loves you,” she answered him simply. “He doesn’t give up on the people He loves. And boy, He must love me a whole lot, too, because I don’t deserve any of this. The song, you singing to me—my teenage self is freaking out right now. My adult self is freaking out, too.”

  One side of his mouth curved up in a tender smile. “I’m feeling like a teenager, too, and it’s not because of these boy band songs I’m singing. You make me feel young again, Abby.” He touched her face, running his calloused thumb ever-so-gently down her cheek. “It’s taking everything in me to not kiss you right now.”

  A thrill shot through her body at the thought of his mouth on hers. “Why don’t you?”

  “It’d be nice not to share our first kiss with three thousand people watching.”

  “Good point.” She narrowed her eyes as an idea came to her. “Hold that thought.”

  She walked over to the mic stand and addressed the sea of eager faces. “Thanks for your patience, everyone. We’ve got more music and more of Aiden Spark for you coming up. Right now, we’re going to break for intermission. Go stretch your legs, grab some food, and come back in fifteen.”

  A curtain fell upon the stage, enveloping them in their own world. Abby turned to find Aiden at her side with a knowing smile on his face.

  “Using your powers as emcee to your advantage?”

  She laughed. “It’s one of the perks of dating a deejay, in case you were open to the idea.”

  “Oh, I’m definitely open to it.” Aiden pulled her into his arms and rested his forehead against hers. He gently nudged the tip of her nose with his. “How about you? How do you feel about dating an old pop star?”

  “A pop star who’s also America’s Hottest Professor? I’m definitely signing up for his class. And don’t worry, I won’t miss any of my office hour appointments,” she joked.

  “I’ll send you a text if you ever do,” he winked.

  She rolled her eyes. “No more texts. Let’s stick to talking on the phone or face-to-face.”

  “Agreed.” He paused with a smile. “What about mouth-to-mouth?”

  “Mouth-to-mouth? Like CPR?”

  “No, like this.” He tipped her chin up and leaned in.

  “Oh!” She gasped as his mouth claimed hers. Warmth zinged through her entire body from her cheeks to her toes. The kiss deepened, and Abby had to grab onto Aiden’s arms to keep from melting to the floor. She should’ve known he’d kiss as well as he sang! When they pulled apart, she took a quick breath and leaned in again to bridge the gap between them. As much as she enjoyed talking, she could get used to this kind of non-verbal communication.

  “Hey, we’re really going to need CPR if we keep this up,” Aiden murmured in between several more kisses.

  Abby pulled back, squinting as she looked up at him through her now-fogged up lenses. She raised her glass
es with the palm of her hand to see more clearly. “This has never happened before.”

  “You do know you’re kissing America’s hottest professor?”

  She groaned. “And the corniest one, too, apparently.”

  “Are you having second thoughts now?”

  The uncertainty in his voice tugged at her heart. Second thoughts? No. Freaking. Way. Abby shook her head, his gorgeous face now in clear view. “You’ve got me, Aiden. All of me—the good, the bad, and the ugly. If anyone should be having second thoughts, it’s you.”

  He narrowed his eyes, holding her gaze steady and sure. “I see you, Abby, and what I see is nowhere near ugly. You are absolutely, one hundred percent—“

  “Beautiful?” she finished for him in a playful tone.

  “Exactly. You read my mind.”

  “It’s not hard to,” she teased him, “when you say the same line over and over.”

  “I only say it because it’s true.”

  “You might want to think about switching it up now and then. You know, throw in some other adjectives like brilliant, funny or incredible. I wouldn’t mind hearing those things.”

  “All right. Abby, you are brilliant, funny, incredible, and amazingly beautiful,” he added with a grin. “And I’ll keep on telling you these things until you believe them yourself.”

  Without a doubt, his words had already started to sink in. “It’s working. But you can still say them even after I believe them. There’s no need to stop with the compliments, you know.”

  “You got it.” Chuckling, Aiden wrapped his arms around her more tightly. “There’s no need to stop with the kissing either.”

  “I’m afraid there is. You have a show to do,” she reminded him. “How about we kiss more later?”

  “Deal.”

  Abby cupped his face and planted a loud smack on his lips. “All right, America’s Hottest Professor, go do what you do best. Sing!”

  * * *

  Be sure to check out Brandon and Bria’s story, A Sudden Spark, book two in The Spark Brothers series.

  He’s a writer too shy to speak to women. She’s a single mom who’s sworn off men. Little do they know how much a marriage of convenience will shake up their lives.

  Brandon Spark may know a thing or two about women as a romance author, but his real love life proves otherwise. Between his hang-up over a college friend and bouts with social anxiety, dating is the last thing on his mind … until he runs into his old crush.

  Hair stylist Bria Montgomery made some major mistakes a decade ago—wandering from her faith, then getting pregnant and dropping out of college. She’s desperate to leave her past—and the men from it—behind, but it’s impossible when they keep showing up in her life.

  Brandon can’t believe he has a second chance with his first love; Bria can’t fathom ever falling for a guy she friend-zoned years ago. When an unexpected custody battle forces them to become husband and wife, things get intense and personal—fast. Will this sudden change end their friendship or spark a lasting romance?

  * * *

  Check out Chapter One of A Sudden Spark here …

  Brandon Spark ran his arm across his forehead, catching the beads of moisture gathered there. He groaned. The bookstore had turned up the air conditioning to compensate for the mid-June heat wave, yet he was still sweating. He closed his eyes and tried visualizing his happy place, the quiet sanctuary of his study where he worked. Outside the window, birds sang a cheerful tune; inside, a candle burned with his favorite citrus scent. He placed himself in the picture and felt the tension in his shoulders melt away … until some high-pitched screams penetrated his bubble.

  Yikes. His eyes popped open. This could mean only one thing. His fans were already arriving for today’s meet and greet. It was a good thing he’d set multiple alarms to make sure he’d gotten here early. The author event wasn’t set to start for another twenty minutes, but there they were, fast approaching the corner of the store where he sat behind a small table. His heart began racing again at the thought of socializing for the next hour.

  How he longed for solitude. His fingers itched to get back to his laptop. Just hours earlier, he had been downing his third cup of coffee while he worked on his latest novel. He was right on schedule to finish the story, if he could only find a way to end it. He needed something better than And they lived happily ever after. His readers wouldn’t be happy with a generic ending like that.

  After successfully publishing ten romance books within the last two years, one would think he’d have this genre down. Actually, he did. He could plot out character profiles, story arcs, and conflict resolution in his sleep. His imagination had always been his strong suit ever since he was a kid. Whereas his four brothers excelled in talent, humor, strength, and charm, he majored in dreams—daydreams to be exact.

  He’d been the kid who lived at the library while his brothers played outside. As they grew up, he became the teenager who made up his own stories and scribbled them down in his journals instead of going out on dates. Now, at age thirty-one, he created stories in the comfort of his two-bedroom condo in a suburb outside of San Francisco. Not much had changed, except that he now made money selling books to eager women looking for happily-ever-afters.

  Which was why he needed this book to end the way his readers liked—in a swoon-worthy yet believable way.

  Brandon leaned back in his chair and released a heavy breath. He hated reading stories that didn’t have a happy ending. But he also hated romance that made love seem easy and cheap. He’d grown up in a Christian home and knew all the Bible verses about love by heart. The passage from First Corinthians chapter thirteen that listed the attributes of love was one of his favorites. He’d witnessed his parents’ marriage—thirty-five years next month—and how earnest and committed they were to each other. That’s the kind of love he hoped to portray in his books.

  His one problem though? He’d never experienced a relationship like that. Or any serious one for that matter.

  A young blonde woman appeared at Brandon’s side. “Don’t worry, Bran. You’re going to do great. I’m praying for you.”

  “Thanks, Danica.” He squeezed out a grateful smile in response to the store owner’s sympathetic one. He took several deep breaths, hoping to tame the anxiety gnawing at his chest. “I really appreciate you having me here again. As hard as these in-person events are, I know they’re good for me and my sales.”

  “They’re good for the store, too. I ordered an extra box of your books for today since we sold out last time.” She gave his arm a friendly squeeze. “I brought some extra make-up wipes, too, in case the ladies get a little overzealous with the kissing.”

  He winced, remembering the lipstick stains Danica had insisted on wiping off for him at his last book signing. He’d appreciated her effort, but the gesture had been too close for comfort. He didn’t want her getting the wrong idea about their friendship. That’s why he had come prepared this time. He took out a small pack of wipes from his pocket. “Thanks, but I can clean myself up today. You’ll likely have your hands full with all the purchases.”

  A hurt look crossed Danica’s face, but she quickly composed herself and nodded. “Yeah, that’s a good idea.” She backed up and gestured to the small crowd gathering before them. “I’ll tell everyone to have a seat. We’ll start when you’re ready.”

  Brandon nodded gratefully then wiped at the sweat on his brow again.

  Buzz!

  His cell phone sitting on the table vibrated with an incoming call. Number One flashed across the screen. A sense of relief fell on him to see the familiar words. “Aiden, thanks for calling.”

  “Hey, bro, of course.” The smooth voice of one of America’s hottest boy band members came over the line. His older brother, Aiden, had held that title as a teenager, but recent events in his life—specifically a woman—had brought him back into the limelight. “Are you at the bookstore already?”

  “I’m here, trying my best not to faint,
although that sounds like a good option right about now.”

  Aiden scoffed. “Don’t worry, you’re going to do great. Isn’t this your third signing? You’re a pro by now.”

  “It’s my fourth, and I’m nowhere near being a pro. I do everything my therapist told me to do—take omega 3s, deep breathing, visualizing—but my body still goes into fight-or-flight mode.” Brandon rubbed his chest to ease the tension building there. “I wish I could handle public speaking like you do. You thrive on stage; I barely make it out alive.”

  “Hey, you’re not helping yourself by thinking like that. Getting stuck in negative thoughts only pulls you down further. Have you prayed about this? Unloaded your worries to the Lord? That helps me with my nerves before a performance.”

  One corner of Brandon’s mouth curved up. It was both surprising and comforting to hear Aiden talk like this. After a decade of trying to help his brother renew his faith in God, the tables had switched. Now Aiden was the one encouraging him. “I haven’t yet, but thanks for the reminder.”

  “Just returning the favor,” he quipped with a smile in his voice. “Is this signing at Danica’s bookstore again?”

  “Yeah, it is. She’s really good about supporting indie authors. I got quite a few new readers from the last one I did here.”

  “Are you sure she’s not just good at supporting one author in particular?”

  Brandon raised a brow. His brother had been making a lot of implications about Danica lately. He guessed Aiden’s girlfriend, Abby, was encouraging him in the background since she and Danica were best friends. He lowered his voice as he reiterated, “Like I told you before, there’s nothing going on between us.”

  “You’re not interested in her at all? She’s a great girl, a solid believer, and you both love to read.”

  “I know she’s great. I just don’t see her that way. She doesn’t make me feel the way Abby makes you feel, you know?” Brandon paused, trying to grasp the right words. “Like time stops when the two of you are together and nothing else matters.”