Page 24 of Punk Rock Reflection
They ended up having dinner with the Kovals two more times that week, and the kids played together almost on a daily basis. Jessi also had a spa day with Nadiya while the kids attended a crafting class in the adjacent room, and the men went on a half day deep-sea fishing excursion.
They were all sad to say goodbye when the Kovals’ time in Bora Bora came to an end, especially Lucas and Tessa. Jessi explained to them that maybe they would meet a new family in a few days, and then when that family left, they could meet another.
Now it was just the five of them sitting on the lanai in front of the villa facing the serene ocean listening to the gentle sound of waves crashing on the shoreline. It was magnificent. Even the kids were content to just sit there and stare into the horizon.
This trip was wonderful. It was about family and spending time together. And that’s exactly what they did. They were together every moment of every day, and it brought them closer.
The need to hold her babies overtook Jessi, even though they were far from babies any longer, and she went to her little ones. She deposited a kiss on each of their heads as they sat together in the glider, and they stared up at her with happy smiles. She fingered Lucas’ blond curls and ran her hand over Tessa’s soft cheek. “I love you both so much.”
“We love you too, Mommy,” Tessa and Lucas both replied.
And Jessi’s heart almost exploded.
“Can we get some of that lovin’?” Tommy asked, smiling mischievously.
She cupped his cheeks in her hands, dug her fingers into his growing beard, and grinned. “I love you.” She kissed him gently, just a peck since prying eyes were watching.
“Love you too, hon.” Tommy held onto her wrist and stole another kiss.
She chuckled. “Behave.” Then she went to Angel and gave him the same soft kiss as Tommy, only Angel exercised more control. “I love you too.”
“And I love you,” Angel replied. Then he kissed Tommy, and they also exchanged I love yous with one another.
Jessi returned to her lounger and leaned her face up to the sky. “I don’t remember when I’ve been this relaxed.”
“Me neither,” Tommy agreed. “Anyone in the mood for a little acoustic background music?”
Lucas jumped off the glider. “Can I play too?”
“Of course.” Tommy stood and held out his hand for Lucas. “Let’s get our guitars.”
“He seems really happy,” Angel commented, as soon as Tommy entered the villa with Lucas. “This vacation will give him the clarity that’s been eluding him.”
A pang of something—acceptance, maybe—hit Jessi in the center of her chest. She knew that Angel was still hoping that Tommy would change his mind about leaving the band once they returned home, because she had been thinking the exact same thing until a few days ago. She had noticed something different about Tommy. It was a calmness that had never been there before. The little worry lines in his forehead were gone. He no longer looked pensive when he was quiet. Instead of overthinking something, it looked as if he hadn’t a care in the world. And she loved this side of him.
Tommy was a worrier. He fretted over everything, like bills, even though they had more money than they could spend in two lifetimes. He worried about the kids, Jessi, Angel, his hair, his diet, his health, music, the band, his Les Paul. The list could go on forever. Almost everything had Tommy’s brain in constant motion. But now, as Jessi watched him strum his guitar on the beach with Lucas, he never looked more content.
While Tommy and Lucas played, Angel sang the lyrics at a soft pitch. The song drifted across the sand and into the open air with precision, showcasing the clarity in Angel’s melodic voice and the soft notes that the father and son duo created on the guitar. It was beautiful.
Jessi looked over at Tessa, who was clearly more enamored with her new hair braids than the performance. The little girl swirled her head from side to side listening to the sound that the beads on the ends of her hair made as they clacked together.
“You look so pretty,” Jesse told her daughter.
“Thank you, Mommy. I love my new hair. Can we call Aunt Alyssa so I can show her?”
They’ve had a no-phones policy since they’d been on the island, but Lucas had FaceTimed Mason on several occasions. Having never been separated from his best friend before, they gave into the boy’s pleas. It was heartbreaking to see Lucas tear up the first week they were away because he missed Mason, but five minutes after he ended the call, he was splashing away in the ocean, his homesickness forgotten.
Although Tessa loved seeing Mason’s face and talking to him, she didn’t have any little girl friends to call, so Jessi conceded. “Of course, baby.”
The phones were locked in the safe. As Jessi punched in the code, she couldn’t help the excitement that bubbled in her belly at the idea of talking to her best friend for the first time in weeks. A pang of guilt momentarily overtook her for breaking the agreement about the phones, but this was for Tessa. At least that’s what she planned on telling Tommy and Angel if they squawked about it.
Sitting on the hammock with Tessa in her lap so they could both view the phone screen, Jessi placed the call to Alyssa.
“Oh my God!” Alyssa exclaimed. “I miss you guys! You both look amazing! How’s the South Pacific?”
“We miss you too!” An unexpected baseball of emotion clogged Jessi’s throat at seeing her friend, and she was grateful Tessa asked to make the call.
“Hi, Aunt Alyssa! Look at my hair!” Tessa jumped off Jessi’s lap and twirled around on the sand, not realizing that she was no longer in front of the phone camera.
