Tommy couldn’t deny that he was shocked at Damien’s outburst and by the uncomfortable silence that remained at the table now that it was over. Everyone looked at one another, unsure if Damien’s rant was really over, until a soft little-girl giggle broke the silence.
“Uncle Damien said Daddy had his head up his butt.”
Everyone at the table burst into laughter, including Tommy and Damien, relieving any lingering tension.
“Sorry, baby girl,” Damien told Tessa. “Your Uncle Damien’s got a potty mouth sometimes, but you know I don’t mean anything by it.” He shifted his eyes toward Tommy. “I love your old man, even if I think he’s making the wrong decision. I told him how I feel. He told me how he feels. We’re still family, and I still love him. That’ll never change.”
“Well, that almost turned into a nightmare,” Angel said, with a huff, as he joined Tommy and Jessi in bed.
Tommy looked in Angel’s direction. “What? Dinner?”
“Of course, dinner. I’ve never had anyone stop eating in the middle of a meal before.”
Damien wasn’t kidding when he said Angel was going to blow a gasket for letting his food get cold. “Crisis averted. Sorry, A.”
“You joke,” Angel said, “But Damien wasn’t the only one who thought this whole thing about stepping away from the band was just a phase.”
“Really?” Tommy was stunned. “Everyone thought I was just talking out my ass?”
“Yes,” Jessi snapped, then her voice and posture softened as if she didn’t mean for the word to come out so harsh. “Sorry, baby. But it’s the truth. Maybe it’s just wishful thinking on our part. I’m not going to lie. It’s a hard pill to swallow. But . . . I think it’s starting to sink in that you’re serious.”
“Iamserious. I’m enjoying the lack of responsibility. For the first time in my life, I have nothing to worry about, and it’s freeing. We can make plans and do anything we want without worrying about touring and rehearsal and writing music. We’ve done that. We’ve lived that life. Now we can liveourlife.”
Angel cleared his throat. “You’re forgetting something. While you may be done with Immortal Angel and music, I’m not. It’s my life, and I have no intention of giving it up. Right now, as far as I’m concerned, we’re on hiatus.”
Tommy was about to protest, but Angel held up his hand and continued.
“I don’t want to talk about it anymore right now.” Angel shook his head vehemently. “I can’t. It’s too hard.”
The guilt kicked in again, and this time it hit Tommy below the belt. He didn’t want to apologize again and again, even though he felt like he needed to. An idea came over him, and he blurted out, “Let’s take a long vacation. Let’s go to Hawaii, or Fiji, or somewhere remote where no one knows us, and let’s just enjoy life like normal people.”
“A long vacation in a tropical paradise? Just us and the kids?” Jessi asked, perking up at the idea.
“Yeah. You got people to run your design studio. You can be away for a couple of weeks. Maybe a month or so. Right? If there’s an emergency, you can always fly back for a day or two.”
“A month or so? On vacation?” Jessi practically exclaimed, full of excitement. She paused and thought about it. “Yeah. I’m only a phone call away if anything arises.”
Now that he knew Jessi was on board, he turned to Angel. “Let’s take advantage of this time. What do you say, A? It could be like a second honeymoon, only with the kids.”
Angel’s ebony eyes warmed, and he nodded. “I can never say no to you, mi amor. I think this will be a wonderful opportunity for us as a family.”
Jessi shielded her eyes and stared up at the clear blue sky behind dark tinted sunglasses. Contentment filled her to her core. They’d been in Bora Bora for two weeks, and it couldn’t be more divine. Her skin, slicked with oil, bore a deep golden tan, something she hadn’t sported since her college years when she and Tommy spent endless days at the beach in Coney Island.
They agreed to take a break from social media and the internet while they were on vacation, and, for the first time, disconnected from the rest of the world. If anyone needed to get in touch with them, they could do it through the hotel. Jessi never realized how much time she’d spent on her Tablet. She still sketched but limited her work to one hour each night before bed. Designing could wait. This vacation was about quality time with family.
Tommy’s hand on Jessi’s thigh made her turn away from the sun’s warmth.
“Sitting here with you on the beach like this reminds me of when we were in college and used to go to Coney Island all the time,” he said. “Remember?”
Jessi’s mouth dropped open. They’d been together for almost 20 years and were still on the same wavelength, but it shouldn’t have been a surprise. They were connected from the very beginning, and that would never change. “I was just thinking the same thing!”
“We never go to Coney Island anymore. We should bring the kids. I can’t believe we’ve never brought them there.”
She tilted her head and knew he read her mind. Again.Paparazzi.
He sighed. “It sucks that our kids can’t enjoy things because we’re famous.”
“Becauseyou’refamous. No one is knocking people over to get my autograph,” she teased.
