Punk Rock-A-Bye Baby(69)

Chapter Twenty

Fifteen Months Later

Tommy sat with his acoustic Fender on his knee, quietly strumming a Metallica song. Lucas, now almost two years old, with eyes as bright as the morning sky and blond tresses that fell below his ears, reacted to the sound of the guitar. He abandoned his pile of toy trucks and padded over to his father.

Tommy smiled at his son. “Let me show you something, Lucas. Watch my fingers. He pressed an E chord into the neck of the guitar and ran the pick across the string. “Do you remember that sound? Do you remember what that’s called?”

Lucas’s big blue eyes stared off to the side for a quick second, “E!”

“That’s right. Good job. You’re such a smart boy.” Tommy showed Lucas a D chord, and then a C. Then he played them together to form the first measure of Nothing Else Matters.

Lucas sat at his father’s feet in a semi-trance as he absorbed the knowledge that Tommy passed down to him. His little mouth opened in awe. “More!”

Tommy played the first line of the song. “That’s from a band call Metallica. Do you remember the melody? Do you remember we played it last week?”

Lucas nodded and smiled happily.

“Get your little guitar, and we can play it together. Okay?”

Angel watched them from across the room. Father and son. Mentor and student. Lucas already expressed great aptitude and coordination on the guitar for a toddler.

A gurgle made Angel’s gaze drop to the playpen to his right. His heart ballooned with love, and a silly smile spread across his face.

He picked up his six-month old baby daughter and held her in his arms. Her hair was as black as the night, with eyes to match, and her skin was a warm olive, but she was all Jessi. The frilly clothes that held her attention and her strong, determined personality mimicked her mother. Tessa, an unimaginative combination of Tommy and Jessi’s names, was also the nickname of Angel’s Aunt Theresa, his mother’s sister. When Jessi had asked Angel to pick the name of the baby, Tessa was the first name that came to mind. Tessa Blade Garcia was the full name on her birth certificate. Blade wasn’t a hyphenated surname; it was Tessa’s middle name. Although not grammatically feminine, Angel was sure Tessa would live up to the edgy name.

Angel’s thoughts drifted back to the day Tessa was born. He had been in the delivery room, naturally, but this time he had watched the birth. He had watched intently as Jessi’s body changed and contorted to bear his daughter, and he watched her entrance into the world. It was the most beautiful and miraculous sight he had ever witnessed. He had cut the umbilical cord and had been the one to present the baby to Jessi. He had been the first person to hold Tessa. He had cried so many tears of joy that day.

Conception was . . . fun. He had made love to Jessi twice and found inventive ways to impregnate her. A turkey baster had been an interesting aid, but Tommy’s mouth had been, by far, Angel’s favorite means of transmission.

When Lucas was born they became a family. The ties that held Angel, Tommy and Jessi together were strengthened. But when Tessa was born, those ties became unbreakable. Angel never envisioned that his life would be filled with so much love and happiness.

He placed a soft kiss on his daughter’s hand. “How’s my baby girl?” He tickled her belly, and she laughed. It was an endearing giggle that rang with musical undertones.

Lucas tugged on Angel’s pant leg. “Baby.”

“Are you done with your guitar lesson already, Lucas?” Angel turned to the couch and found Tommy gone. “Where’d Daddy go?”

“Find Mommy.” Lucas reached for his sister. “Tessa!”

Angel sat on the floor of the playroom with Tessa and Lucas. Tessa gazed at her brother. She was constantly mesmerized by him and replicated his every move. Lucas was equally enamored with his baby sister. If she cried, he was the first to react and attempted to console her with a toy, which usually worked. She loved attention, especially from her big brother.

Tessa clapped her hands, which was her signal that she wanted to play with something. Her hands were constantly touching and analyzing everything. She especially loved the different fabrics of Angel’s clothes, be it leather, denim or cotton. She loved to grip it between her fingers and feel the different textures. Colors were another stimulus that kept her attention. She was dazzled by Jessi’s hot pink hair and always picked the brightest toy. Even now, Lucas presented her with two of his toy trucks, one royal blue, and the other banana yellow. She chose the yellow one.

“So this is where you three disappeared to.” Jessi entered the playroom and sat on the floor with them. Both kids tackled her with a hug.