Chapter 35

"Tamzin, you've barely touched your breakfast. Aren't you hungry?" Ignazio asked me in his hotel room in Los Angeles. We were only staying for a very short time for the American Music Awards, so we had decided not to rent our usual condos.

"Yes, because plane rides are so exhausting, huh?"

"So sassy," he said, sipping his coffee, but his eyes shone at me from behind the mug.

"I'm just not hungry. Do you realize the AMAs are in less than twelve hours?"

"Yes, I do," he said, setting down the cup and leaning forward on his arms. "Can you just imagine it, Tamzin!? The boys and I going up onto the stage and getting our award?"

"I never stop imagining it!" I pushed aside my plate and leaned toward him across the table. "Aren't you nervous, though!?"

"I'm too excited to be nervous! Do you realize that nominations are cut off in September!? Our CD just barely made it!"

"It's late November," I said thoughtfully. "That means it's been a year since you told me your dream. American recognition, huh?"

He nodded, his eyes dancing, and he rubbed the lengthening stubble on his chin as he gazed off into the distance. Then he refocused on me and held out his hand, and I took it and squeezed it hard, excitedly.

"Tonight it might come true."

"But you aren't nervous!?"

He laughed.

"Should I be?"

"I'm so nervous," I admitted, taking my hand from him and clasping my hands to my chest.

"Really? Why?"

"I've been thinking about this for so long, trying to get you guys closer to your recognition for so long! All year, I worked on this, trying to help you get your dream, and tonight I find out if your efforts and mine were enough. What if they weren't, Ignazio!?"

He was looking at me strangely, staring intently at me with an incredulous look on his face, and then he pushed back his chair and got up.

"Come see," he said, sounding suddenly serious, reaching down to me, "If you're not going to eat breakfast, come see."

He took me with him to the couch and sat, and then sat me on his knees.

"You've been thinking about this all year?"

"Yes!"

"Are you cold? I could turn on the heater."

It occurred to me that I was shaking, but I shook my head quickly.

"Tamzin, I know you've mentioned before how our work might eventually win us recognition, but I always just thought you were noticing it because it's part of your job-dealing with how the public perceives us. But you've been thinking and working specifically trying to get me my dream?"

I nodded.

"After we watched the Grammies together in February, I made it my mission to help you get an AMA."

"Why?"

"Because you deserve to have your dream, Ignazio!"

He stared at me bewilderedly, and I took his face in my hands, seeing him entirely focused on me.

"You're amazing, Ignazio," I told him softly, "You deserve to have your dream, and it's my pleasure to help you get there."

He stared at me, stunned, gazing into my eyes at a loss for words, and then he reached out and pulled me tightly into his chest, cuddling me to him. He held me silently for a few minutes, and the only sound was the activity in distant parts of the hotel.

Then I said softly, "I hope you get your award, Ignazio. I hope you get your recognition tonight. But if you don't, I will keep working until you do get it, I promise."

"I…love…you," he whispered, and he sounded as if he was crying, or about to, but I couldn't see because of how tightly he held me, so I just stayed snuggled up to him and hoped my efforts were enough to help Il Volo win their award.

In the evening, Barbara did my hair and some light makeup for me in her hotel room, as I sat in my sweatpants and Il Volo T-shirt in front of her mirror.

"There!" she said, smiling approvingly with her hands on her hips. "You are stunning! Just wait until Ignazio sees you! I can't wait to see the dress you said you have!"

"Oh, it's beautiful. I'm sure you'll love it."

I went to my hotel room and changed into the dress Barbara had bought for me to wear to the Christmas party almost a year earlier, the strapless, brilliantly red gown with a wrapped middle that flowed into a long cascade of shining red fabric.

After I had it on, I stood in front of the mirror, smiling at myself, admiring the grandeur of the dress and the perfect, flattering way it fit me. I looked…radiant.

"Tamzin, your gentleman caller has come for you," Ignazio called playfully as he knocked on the door, and I laughed and moved to unlock it.

"Come in," I said, taking a few steps back, and then he slowly opened the door and peered inside. His face lit up when he saw me, his eyes bright, his dimples showing, and he closed the door and leaned against it, gazing at me.

"I figured you'd wear the same dress."

"You figured right."

"You look gorgeous," he almost whispered, and I smiled, gazing back at him.

"And you look so handsome, Ignazio."

He was wearing a white collared shirt under a sleek back jacket, with a brilliant red bow-tie around his neck, with black pants and smart blue shoes. But I was drawn mostly to his face, especially the lower half.

"You shaved," I said, and I walked toward him and took his face in my hands, feeling the smooth softness of it under my fingertips. I kissed his bare chin, lingering there to feel the softness, and he sighed, smiling and closing his eyes.

"I did it just so you would do that," he said, and I laughed and then he kissed me, hugging me tight.

"Barbara made you, didn't she?"

"That too."

I laughed, and he kissed my cheek and then took my hand and spun me around, facing me to the mirror. He put his hand gently on my waist and led me forward, closer to it.

"Since I figured you were going to wear the same dress, I got you something…extra…to go with it."

"You did?" I asked, turning toward him, and he smiled and took my shoulders to turn me back toward the mirror.

"Just admire yourself for a minute while I get it."

I smiled, and in the mirror watched him pull back the side of his jacket and reach into the pocket inside it, pulling out a little box that quickly disappeared behind my back, and he met my eyes in the mirror and smiled as he fumbled with it.

"Okay," he said. "Watch."

Then he lifted up his hands and draped around my neck a dazzling diamond necklace.

"Oh, Ignazio…" I breathed as he fastened the back and then let go. I reached up and gently touched it, felt the cool jewels under my fingers as I stared at it in the mirror. "Is it real?"

"As real as I am to you."

I turned to face him, my fingers still on the shimmering diamonds.

"Brilliant," I whispered, and then I stepped forward and threw my arms around him, pulling him toward me for a long kiss as his arms wrapped around my waist.

"Thank you," I said, when I pulled back. "It's beautiful. I love it."

"Good. Is another thank-you too much to ask for?"

I laughed and gave him another long kiss, and then I pulled back and smiled up at him.

"Ready to go?" he asked, leaning his forehead against mine, and I felt a flutter of anxiety run through me as my breath caught in my throat. "Hmm…I can tell by the flickering of terror in your eyes that you're not. Tamzin, it'll be okay. There's always next year."

"But you're so close now," I whispered, and he nodded.

"I know what you mean. But regardless of whether or not we win tonight, we're going to go out and have fun, right?"

"Right," I said, and then smiled and kissed his freshly-shaven face again. "Okay. Just let me get my shoes on and then we'll go."

He nodded, and then smiled as he watched me go to the door and pull on the red high-tops.

"What?" I asked. "They go perfectly with the diamonds."

After I had taken pictures of the boys in the hotel and uploaded them for the fans, we went to the massive theatre. I watched as the boys had their pictures taken on the red carpet and listened to the frantic reporting and interviewing of the media around me, and I longed for my camera.

I wasn't taking pictures because we figured that all the other photographers had it covered, and Michele wanted me to just experience it, especially since I had worked for so long to try to help the boys get there.

I was very anxious, and I didn't even really pay attention to the huge celebrities walking around everywhere you looked. I was only focused on Il Volo, and I kept thinking, terrifying myself with the idea that we would soon know if Il Volo had won.

"Relax," Ignazio said softly to me when he returned from his interview with Piero and Gianluca. "Are you ready to go in?"

"As ready as I'll ever be," I said anxiously, returning his brilliant smile, and I took his arm when he offered it to me.

We headed toward the entrance of the building, and as we passed a group of reporters, we overheard one of them remark, "That blonde girl in the red dress certainly seems to walk well in heels, doesn't she?"

Ignazio and I laughed, and I nudged Barbara and said, "See? I told you it wouldn't matter! No one can see the shoes under the gown anyway!"

We were escorted to our seats by the ushers, and the three boys sat together in the row, with me sitting beside Ignazio.

We chatted happily for a while about the celebrities around us, and I laughed as the three boys practically fell out of their seats watching other singers walk by.

"Justin Timberlake! Justin Timberlake!" Piero cried, craning forward, and Gianluca shoved his head down to catch a glimpse of him.

"Where!? Where!? Let me see him!"

I laughed, and Ignazio turned to me.

"Aren't you excited to see the other singers?"

I shrugged.

"Nah. I know the three best singers in the world," and he smiled sweetly and leaned forward to kiss me.

Soon the awards show started, and I managed to forget my anxiety and get absorbed into it. We watched the live performances and Ignazio and I sang quietly along with the songs we knew as we oohed and ahhed over the elaborate shows of the different artists.

Whenever they announced the nominees for an award, Ignazio and I picked who we wanted to win, and then we went crazy if they did win.

"Soon your name's going to be up there!" I exclaimed in realization, gripping his arm and looking up at the screen behind the host.

He nodded, gazing dreamily up at the stage, and I watched him, hoping with all my heart that he was about to win. I grew more anxious by the minute, until I was rapidly tapping my high-tops on the floor, and Ignazio put a hand on my knee to stop me.

"It'll be soon…" he said softly, and I nodded,

And before long, Il Volo's category was introduced: "FAVORITE ADULT CONTEMPORARY ARTIST!"

Everyone cheered and looked to the screen as the nominees appeared and their names were announced.

"IL VOLO!" Everyone applauded as a clip from one of their music videos played, and I dug my nails into my leg as I became oblivious to everything around me but their faces on that screen.

I stared up at it, entranced, unbounded joy exploding within me. Then their image faded, and the joy instantaneously switched to anxiety as the next nominee, their competition, appeared.

"Tamzin," Ignazio said quickly, taking my hand tightly in his, and I broke out of my stare and turned my face to him, getting lost in his dancing eyes. His hand was trembling just as much as mine, but he gazed at me with firm conviction. "Whether or not I get my dream tonight, I love you, and you love me too, right?"

I nodded vigorously, unable to breathe.

"That means more to me than anything I could win."

Then we just stared at each other as the music playing at full volume around us stopped, and there was quiet except for the voice of the announcer. And in that moment, there was only Ignazio and I and the voice.

"The winner…of the Favorite Adult Contemporary Artist American Music Award is…"

There was a pause, and Ignazio and I both broke from our gaze and turned our heads to the stage, gripping the other's trembling hand.

"IL VOLO!"

The crowd and I screamed as the three of them jumped up, and Ignazio released my hand and turned to smile at me for an instant before they jumped into the aisle and went running up to the stage.

I was aware that everyone around me was standing up, applauding them, and I jumped up too and clapped as I laughed excitedly, my voice lost in the roar of the crowd.

They ascended the steps to the stage, and Ignazio received the award, staring at it in awe as his eyes danced in the brilliant stage lighting. Then they moved to the microphone, and Gianluca took the award so Ignazio could pull out a slip of paper from the inside of his coat, the same place where he had kept my necklace.

"First of all, we'd like to thank God for giving us our beautiful voices, our families, who are always supportive of us, our producers, Humberto Gatica and Tony Renis, our managers, Michele Torpedine and Barbara Vitali…"

As he ran through the long list of names, I just gazed at him, smiling as I saw the elation in his face, relishing the way he smiled as he read, until I heard him say, "And finally, Tamzin Montgomery, our photographer who is much more than that, who did so much to help us get here today!"

Then they all leaned into the microphone and shouted in their Italian accents, "We love you all!" and blew kisses to the cameras.

I realized that I was crying, and they crossed the stage to come back down the steps. When they reached the top, they all leaped into the air at the same time, jumping over all the steps and landing on the carpet in the aisle as the audience laughed and cheered, standing up again. Then the boys came down the aisle, laughing and passing around the award as they returned to their seats. Ignazio pulled me up and into his arms, hugging me tightly as he kissed me.

"Ignazio!" I exclaimed as I pulled back, blushing, "In front of all these people?"

"I don't care if you don't," he said, beaming, and then I laughed and threw my arms around him, kissing him and becoming oblivious to the people around us.

Then we had to sit down, and Ignazio took the award from Piero and hugged it to his chest, smiling at me.

"Thank you," he said softly, leaning into me and softly kissing my cheek.

"Hey, you're the one who won it. I just did my best to help."

"Thank you," he said again, leaning in and kissing my neck, and I blushed. "Here, hold it," he said into my ear, and then handed me the trophy. It had a square black base and a clear pyramidal structure on top, with a rounded point that I reached for and fingered curiously. I ran my hand down the side and felt the flat facets, and I laughed and was drowned out by the crowd clapping for something else.

I pulled it against my chest, feeling the cool metal on my collarbone. I placed it gingerly on my lap and looked eagerly at Ignazio, smiling brightly. It was a symbol of our hard work, and I loved it. Ignazio was beaming, and we shared an excited smile.

"You can hold it for a while if you want," he said, and I shook my head and handed it back.

"It's your trophy."

"Our trophy."

I shook my head.

"I helped, but it's yours. My trophy is my camera."

Without it being there, I imagined it in my hands, the weight of the camera in my lap, the strap that I played with when I was thinking, the cool metal and the black lens… I smiled off into the distance, and then felt Ignazio kiss me on the cheek, pulling me back into the joy of the American Music Awards. I turned and watched the three boys gazing at the award, and there lay my reward.

When we returned to the hotel very late into the evening, we had our own celebration, with cake and singing and hugging and all of us congratulating each other. Our party lasted quite a long time, and at one point Ignazio offered me his arm and asked, "My lady, how about we go for a little evening stroll?"

"You mean an early morning stroll?" I asked, smiling, "Sure, I'm game."

He nodded, and we grabbed our jackets and slipped away from the party. We went down the hallway and took an elevator down to the lobby. We had both changed into our regular clothes when we got back from the AMA after-party, and we went out together into the cool, busy November Los Angeles streets.

As soon as we were walking together on the sidewalk, I broke away from him and jumped around in front of him, singing, "We are the champions…Of the world!"

He laughed and reached out to me, and when I ran to him and took his hand, he twirled me around and then pulled me to him to kiss me.

"I still can't believe we won!" he exclaimed when I pulled back and we started walking together, arm in arm. "It's like an elaborate dream!"

"Believe it, Mr. Favorite Adult Contemporary Artist!" I said, and he laughed and whooped.

"So what's next, Tamzin?"

"We're going to experience this wave of American appreciation to the fullest!" I said, and he threw his fist into the air.

"Yes!"

"Christmas concerts are next!" I said, "Can you believe how many new people will show up for them, and how much more popularity you'll gain over the next month! Oh, brilliant!"

He ran ahead of me suddenly and leaped into the air to click his heels together, and I doubled over with laughter as he came running back.

"I love you!" he said, pulling me into a tight, excited hug, "I love you so much!"

"I love you too!" I said eagerly, and he kissed me.

"I was wondering, though," I said, looking up at him, "Is this enough to say that you've gotten your dream? Is an AMA enough, or were you dreaming of more? Not that I was going to stop working if you thought an AMA was enough…I was just wondering."

"Tamzin," he said softly, offering me his arm so we could keep walking, "I wanted to capture America's heart, and I think the award is the proof that we've gotten it, at least to an extent!"

"This shows that America's fallen in love with you," I said softly, thoughtfully.

"I think so too," he said, smiling.

"So do you have another dream? I mean, after this one?"

He stopped walking and turned to me, smiling sweetly at me.

"I think I do," he said softly, moving his arms around my waist, and then he pulled me in for a kiss.