Eduardo waited in the wings as the last note faded into the night. Outdoor concerts were always the most difficult, logistically and acoustically. But there was something magical about the music soaring to the stars above as though returning home. And Angel concluding her sold-out, two-year tour in La Bombonera, Boca’s famous stadium, had both sentimental and practical significance. They were back where they’d started. And they could fly to Mendoza tonight with ease.
Fans screamed Angel’s name as she waved her way off the stage. She’d be exhausted, he knew, especially after six encores that took the concert into its third hour. But she’d also be so high on performance adrenaline that it would be hours yet before she could relax.
He didn’t have that problem. All he needed to relax was to wrap his arms around her and send up another prayer of thanks that he’d made the right choice and followed his heart. The past thirty months had been the best of his life. He woke every morning with Anna next to him, worked alongside her each day, and watched as she transformed into Angel, singing superstar, delighting thousands with her songs.
“Amazing concert,” he said into her ear. “As always. You sure you’re ready to give all this up?”
“I’m sure,” she replied. “I know a way to keep busy.” Her lips captured his in a blistering kiss that promised so much more once they were alone.
‘Hurricane Heart’ had broken sales records within a month of release, only to be eclipsed by ‘Penitent’ when it debuted on the airwaves. Anna was taking a break from her career at its pinnacle. Her choice. She wanted a baby. Or two. Or three.
They had some catching up to do. Maya had recently delivered her second set of twins. Two boys this time. Everyone was doing fine, including Jacques, who was by now an expert at changing diapers. Tiago and Vivi had an almost-two-year-old boy for Miranda to dote on and had just announced another pregnancy. Even Daniel and Lexy had gotten in on the family expansion business and produced a girl a year ago, much to Max’s delight.
Eduardo and Anna had been adopted into the ever-increasing de Launay-Michaud-Alvarez clan. Anna’s mother had never bothered to contact the daughter who had, in essence, saved her life. He knew it had bothered Anna for the first few months. But with the constant reassurance of his love and the whirlwind that accompanied launching a new album, she’d been too happy and too busy to worry about a woman who’d never really wanted her in the first place. The money she used to send her mother now went to Vivi’s educational charity for impoverished children in Central America. And they both had a more loving family than the ones they’d been born into.
Raul and Timo were also included in the extended family celebrations when they took place in Mendoza. A judge had granted Raul full custody before Eduardo had left to follow Anna to LA. Raul’s ex-wife’s ties to a criminal organization were considered too risky to allow her even supervised access to her son. The two had moved to Mendoza permanently, where Raul worked for Tiago in the winery and Timo went to school with Miranda.
Eduardo’s own transition to Angel’s manager had not been without its challenges, but he’d relished them. By the time her tour had kicked off, he’d learned most of the ins and outs of the music industry. And, with the assistance of seasoned professionals, they’d ridden the highs and clung together during the lows of a volatile entertainment sector.
He’d also taken the opportunity afforded by their travels to study the real estate market globally. He was now perfectly placed to direct Alva-Suarez Developments’ international acquisitions department, a position he would take up a month from now. After a much-delayed honeymoon.
Their wedding, at Jacques and Maya’s chateau in France nearly two years ago, had been a small, family-only affair. Anna believed that her abuela had been looking down from heaven with a huge smile on her face and an “I told you to hold tight” on her lips.
And hold tight they did. Anna melted against him, her stamina depleted from having danced and sung for hours. He held her against him as the roadies began to pack up the show. The crowd at last realized that Angel wasn’t going to reappear and started to disperse. They always stood like this for at least ten minutes after the show, a ritual that allowed Angel to transform once more into Anna.
“I’m looking forward to being an executive wife for a change,” she said, gazing up adoringly into his eyes. “It’ll be my turn to stand at your side while you charm everyone to your way of thinking.”
“You will always outshine me. Not only with your beauty but your kindness and strength.”
“Then we’ll make quite a team. Because I only have those things because of you. I love you, Eduardo. And always will. Even if Angel never takes the stage again, I’ll have no regrets. Thank you for letting me live my dream. Now I want to help you fulfill all of yours.”
It was his turn to capture her lips until they were both breathing heavy.
“You make my dreams come true every morning when I wake next to you.” He nodded his head towards a few diehard fans who stood at the edge of the stage, still calling for Angel to reappear. “Are you sure you’re not going to miss people screaming your name?” he asked as he lifted her in his arms to carry her to her dressing room.
A sexy smile curved her lips while she slid a hand down his back to cup his ass. “I’m only interested in one man calling my name. And it’s not Angel I want to hear from his lips—it’s Anna. If it’s accompanied by declarations of love and devotion, all the better.”
He tightened his arms around her.
“Para siempre.”
~~~~~~~~~
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