Jessi realized that she didn’t want to leave either. “Me neither.”
“Leave?” Tommy asked. “Who said anything about leaving? I could stay another few weeks. What about you guys?” he asked Lucas and Tessa. “Are you ready to go home or do you want to stay?”
“Stay!” both kids shouted.
“I guess we’re staying then.”
The next three weeks were filled with endless days under the sun and nights in front of a bonfire. Bora Bora was truly an island paradise, and the time together meant more to them than anything in their lives right now. They bonded as a family. Jessi didn’t think it was possible for them to be closer than they already were, but this trip reinforced their love and commitment to one another. The kids, who were always independent, clung to their parental figures, and it warmed Jessi’s heart.
She regretted that they were going home in a few days, but she was also eager to resume her life as a fashion designer. The beauty of the island proved to be a major inspiration, and she couldn’t wait to bring her ideas to life. She also missed visiting her boutiques and interacting with the customers. Soon, she’d have to start getting ready for fashion week, and, before long, she’d be traveling to Milan, Paris, and London. They were short jaunts, only a few days away from home. Before it wouldn’t have bothered her. Now the idea of being separated from her family, even for that short amount of time, pained her.
“Ahh. The smell of New York.” Angel took a deep breath and inhaled the exhaust from the line of cars in front of JFK. It smelled like home. “My lungs almost forgot how to process carbon monoxide after all that clean air.”
“My sinuses are burning,” Tommy joked, as he placed his hand on Angel’s lower back and guided him toward the waiting limo. “Let’s go before anyone notices us.”
It was unlikely that anyone would notice Tommy right away with his overgrown facial hair, ponytail, and baseball cap, but Angel and Jessi didn’t downplay their appearance, and they each held one of the kids on their hip.
“That was unexpected,” Angel commented, as soon as they were inside the vehicle. “Not being recognized.”
“We’ve been gone a long time. Maybe the world forgot about us,” Tommy suggested.
There was definite disappointment in Tommy’s voice, and it gave Angel hope that Tommy missed the limelight. He stopped fastening Tessa’s seatbelt when he realized that maybe Tommy was right. The label had made the announcement about Immortal Angel taking an indefinite break shortly after they left for vacation. Since they were disconnected from the internet, Angel had no idea how the fans reacted. Could it be possible that the fans were over it and moved on to the next blockbuster band?
He dismissed the idea as ridiculous and finished securing Tessa in her seat. Fans weren’t waiting at the airport because no one knew they were coming back today. But they had been escorted by a crowd of security through customs and the entire airport, which brought attention to themselves. They didn’t blend in with the crowd. They stood out, and still no one noticed them.
As the limo pulled away from the curb, Angel looked over his shoulder at the airport behind them. He adored the two months they’d spent in Bora Bora. It was wonderful to walk freely in public without a circle of security shielding them from the world. Privacy was a welcomed break from the onslaught of fans. He loved them, but they were often intrusive, and it sometimes diminished enjoyment of the simplest outdoor excursions. But arriving in New York without a reception from fans or the paparazzi was unprecedented and unnerving.
They’d been back for 15 minutes and tension already wrinkled Angel’s forehead. He glanced at Jessi. Her smile practically split her face in two as she listened to Tessa and Lucas recant their animated story about finding a crab walking along the shoreline yesterday. Tommy had his hands laced behind his head and his legs stretched in front of him as he gazed out the window. At least they hadn’t lost the island glow.
Angel looked closer at Tommy. He wore a carefree smile on his face, and the little crease between his brows had totally disappeared. He never looked more relaxed, and that’s what Angel loved the most about vacation. During their time away, Tommy had never seemed happier. And it suddenly had Angel very concerned. Not once did Tommy mention the band in all their time away. He picked up his guitar daily and played with Lucas or on his own, but he never uttered a single word about Immortal Angel.
“We should be arriving in about ten minutes,” the driver announced through the intercom.
“Can we turn our phones on now?” Jessi asked, her Android already in her hand.
“Not yet,” Tommy replied. “Let’s wait until we’re home and settled in.”
“Home,” Angel said with a sigh. “I didn’t know I was homesick until this moment. What about you two?”
Jessi stretched her arms over her head. “I can’t wait to sleep in our own bed.”
Somehow, all Angel heard was that she couldn’t wait to get into her workroom and create new designs inspired by the tropics.
She caught his eye and gave him a crooked smile.
He knew her so well.
When Tommy didn’t add his own sentiment about being glad to be home, both Angel and Jessi looked to him for his reply.
Obviously, Tommy was thinking about his answer. Slowly, he began to nod his head. “Yeah. I’m glad to be back too. I really missed my Les Paul.”
His Les Paul. Not writing music. Not playing with Jimmy and Damien. Not Immortal Angel. He missed his Les Paul.
Angel refused to let dismay into his heart and focused on the drive home. He lowered the window when the car took a sharp turn into the driveway that led to their mansion. Jessi also lowered her window, and the three of them leaned over to view the front gate to their home. Colorful signs and posters, along with wilted flowers and stuffed animals, covered the wrought iron entrance.
“What is all that?” Angel asked.
“I don’t know,” Jessi replied.
