Punk Rock-A-Bye Baby(51)

“I’m ready to hit the stage!” The statement couldn’t be further from the truth. Tommy was shaky and weak. He barely ate half of his breakfast before his stomach revolted and he needed to push the offending eggs away from his nose. It was 9:00 in the morning, and he was ready for a nap.

Audra slipped her hand in his. “I think Immortal Angel can take a few months off while you recuperate. I’ve cancelled the remainder of the tour.”

It was a huge disappointment. There were so many other what ifs and uncertainties bouncing around Tommy’s head that he hadn’t even thought about the rest of the tour. His gaze dropped to his lap. He had let his fans down and disrupted everyone’s lives.

“Hey.” Jessi stroked his cheek and lifted his chin. “The fans will understand.”

Angel was at the window. “They’re still outside. They’re still sitting vigil. Everyone loves you, Tommy. Your health is all we care about. Fans included.”

“Falcon released a statement that the tour was cancelled due to your illness and will be rescheduled,” Audra said. “Concerned messages and well wishes are flooding all Falcon media sites. The fans understand, Tommy. It’s the last thing you need to worry about now. Take care of yourself. That’s all we care about. That’s what’s important.”



Chapter Fourteen

Home. It had never felt as welcoming as it did right now. The limo rolled up to the gates and stopped behind the SUV that contained Immortal Angel’s security team. Tommy dipped his head to look out the window. There were scores of fans blocking the entrance to the long driveway. Security cleared a path and formed a barrier between the crowd and the car. There were bouquets of flowers, both fresh and wilted, tied to the wrought iron rungs of the gate. Candles, teddy bears, and blow up guitars were lined up on the grass. Fans held signs that read “Welcome Home” and “Get Well Soon.” People were shouting his name and girls were crying.

“How long have they been here?” Tommy wondered out loud.

“Probably since the night you collapsed on stage,” Jessi answered.

After the car drove through the gates, Tommy stepped out of the car and looked back at the fans. They stretched their arms through the slats and called to him. He waved, and they erupted into a round of cheers.

Tommy stepped through the huge double doors and into the entry foyer of the house. He looked up at the cathedral ceiling and into the living room. In an instant, a half-dozen memories of their life together flooded his head: the day they moved in and Angel insisted on adding a million cabinets to the already-oversized kitchen; the day they returned from the European tour and Angel sang Home Sweet Home by Mötley Crüe, and the three of them danced in the living room; the morning he and Angel returned from Asia and surprised Jessi in the bedroom. The memories of the life they built here kept coming. “I think we should do the extension.” He finally conceded to the playroom Angel wanted to build on the first floor.

“Really?” Jessi was the first to comment. “But you were so dead set against it. We don’t have to go through the trouble and expense if you don’t want to. This house is big enough for all of us.”

“I know, but you both want it and I’m done trying to be sensible all the time. Life’s short. I know that now, and I’m not going to stop either of you from doing anything you want. I don’t care if you want to blow out the back of the house or make it ten stories high. Let’s go for it.”

Angel laughed. “I don’t think we need ten stories. I just think we need that big playroom I talked about. Jessi, what do you want?”

“This house has everything I’ve ever wanted, but if I had to pick something to add, I want my own design studio on the first floor. Off of the new playroom. It could have French doors that open up to a covered patio. That way I could sit outside and sketch and still be close enough to keep an eye on the baby while he’s napping.”

Tommy nodded. “I like that idea.”

Angel draped his arm over Tommy’s shoulder. “What do you want?”

He didn’t need anything except his family. “I have everything I want right here in this room. You. Jessi. And our son.”

“Splurge, mi amor. Indulge yourself. What do you want? A room just for your guitars?”

He basically already had that in the studio. It was hard to come up with something their home lacked, but necessity wasn’t what he was looking for. “An in-ground pool would be nice.”

Angel’s chest puffed up with excitement. “And we’ll get the biggest hot tub we can find!”