Chapter 40

The next day and in the days that followed, Ignazio was his usual happy self. His eyes shone brightly with playful excitement, he joked around with me and the other boys, and he was silly and cheerful. There was no trace of the night in the dim New York hotel room, and I almost forgot about it…almost.

A few times I asked him to explain himself, but each time he distracted me or brushed me off. When I finally got frustrated and I cornered him and demanded an explanation, he became serious and tender, and he took me into his arms and told me not to worry. He said he was upset about something he had to do, but he had done it and now wanted to forget about it for a while. I asked what it was, but he kissed me and wouldn't answer me, telling me softly not to worry about it.

I was busy covering the tour anyway, and it felt good to once again be traveling with the boys. I was engrossed in my work, and occasionally I went out and did some landscape photography when I had finished the things I wanted to accomplish. The Il Volo fanbase was still rapidly expanding, and many people at the concerts told us eagerly that they were new fans.

Everything was and fun and exciting, though I did pick up on some strange minor occurrences. Occasionally I would catch one of the boys watching me, just silently observing me, but when I asked them what they were thinking they would just shake their heads and refuse to answer. Michele and Barbara complimented me on my work as they normally did, but seemed to be trying to demand my attention, willing me to take in what they were saying. Even though the touring was hectic, Ignazio insisted on taking me out on a few short dates in the early days of February.

One evening in February only a few days before Valentine's day, I was taking pictures at a Chicago Il Volo concert when the boys decided to surprise me. I had just gone backstage carrying my camera after taking some pictures when Barbara intercepted me and turned me around. She ignored my protests and marched me to where I could see the boys. A song had just ended, and instead of introducing another, they had their own ideas of what they were doing next.

"Tonight we'd like to pay tribute to someone very special to the three of us," Gianluca said, his voice reverberating around the stage.

"We'd like to recognize an ambitious, amazing person, who never ceases to do everything she can to get us the best she can get," Ignazio picked up. "She's always working, always picking up new ideas and running with them, and always devoting herself to us and her work."

I stared open-mouthed as they continued telling the huge theatre of people about how much this person meant to them, and I was standing on the side of the stage watching from behind the curtain.

"Even though she's not one who typically likes to be onstage…," Piero said, "We'd like to bring out our photographer, Tamzin Montgomery!"

Ignazio was jogging over to me, beaming, and Barbara took my camera out of my arms so he could take my hands and pull me onstage.

"Ignazio!" I said anxiously, looking up at him, but he wrapped an arm around me and led me out onto the stage, where hundreds of people applauded me, to my embarrassment. The boys all hugged me and told me they had something to show me, and as the crowd murmured and stirred excitedly, they turned me around to face the gigantic screen on the stage. At once, a video began to play, images and clips of me they had taken on their phones throughout our time together, along with samples of my work. Ignazio took my hand and held it tightly, and Piero took my other one, pulling me away from the crowd and helping me to focus on the video. "Questo Amore" echoed throughout the building, and I stared up at the screen in speechless awe.

There was a picture of me on the plane headed to my first tour with them, me sitting beside a glamorous stage working on my laptop, fixing my camera on the floor of a theatre, and my back running away from a hotel room with my camera in my hand. There was an image of me smiling breathlessly at Michele after the Christmas album photoshoot I had taken over in Latin America, dozing with Ignazio in a cab with my head on his shoulder, clips of Ignazio and I dancing at the Christmas album release party. There I was holding my T-shirt and poster for Barbara to see, being taken onstage by Ignazio at the Christmas Eve Extravaganza, posing with the boys in a hotel room after I had returned from the first Christmas break. There were several summer photos in Los Angeles, sitting in the condo with Ignazio, filming in the studio, editing my documentary and ignoring Ignazio as he sat across the table and videoed me. There I was at the AMAs, then playing around with the boys in a hotel room, and finally sightseeing with Ignazio in Marsala.

When the screen faded to black and the crowd applauded, I realized I was crying, especially when the boys all turned to me and proclaimed, "We love you, Tamzin!"

I hugged Gianluca and Piero, and when I hugged Ignazio he turned my face up to his and smiled.

"I hope you're not to afraid to be up here with us," he said softly and without the microphone, "We just wanted to give you something you'll remember forever!"

"Oh, I will!" I said, and then he kissed me. I heard the crowd cheer, and I pulled back quickly. "Ignazio!" I said, and looked nervously out at them applauding and watching us. Then I turned back to him and saw him smiling sweetly down at me, and I suddenly stepped forward and kissed him back, ignoring the applause. When I pulled back I made him lead me offstage, and when we were out of the eye of the crowd I took the front of his jacket in my fists and pulled him close to kiss him again.

When our group returned to the hotel rooms, tired and breathless with excited laughter, Michele and Barbara asked to speak with me alone. I followed them into Michele's suite, and they sat me down on the couch.

"With the appreciation of the boys being evident to you tonight, we just wanted to make sure you understand that you mean a lot to us, too," Barbara said, sitting beside me and smiling.

"You are the best photographer we've ever had, but you're so much more than that," Michele agreed. "You are so involved in everything Il Volo does, with the planning of the tours to arranging interviews. You seem to have learned your way around the music industry."

I laughed, and they did too, beaming at me.

"You're ambitious, and confident, and you're always on the move, working on something and keeping the boys in line," Barbara said, "And Ignazio is just getting happier and happier as the months go by."

I smiled and looked down at the camera in my arms.

"I do my best," I said, looking up at them.

"We know you do," Michele said, nodding. "And your best is amazing. We just wanted to make sure you know that we appreciate everything you've done for Il Volo, and we'll always remember the time you've spent working with us and the boys."

"Well…thanks, guys," I said softly. "I'll remember it too."

I set my camera aside and reached out to hug them, and they each held me tightly.

"But seriously, someone should have told me about this whole video thing! Come on, guys!"

They laughed.

"Goodnight, Tamzin," Michele said, smiling, and I waved and left, slinging my camera over my shoulder. I felt them watching me all the way out the door. Piero and Gianluca were standing in the hall, and they turned and smiled when I stepped out of the suite.

"Hi, Tamzin. We were waiting for you," Gianluca said, smiling gently at me.

"What for?"

"Just to tell you goodnight," Piero said, and he moved close and hugged me tightly for several moments. "Goodnight," he said softly, and then pulled back and kissed my cheek. Gianluca hugged me in the same way, tightly and lingeringly, and then kissed my cheek too.

"Is something…going on?" I asked questioningly when Gianluca pulled back.

"It's just a special night," Piero said, and Gianluca agreed.

"Okay. Well goodnight."

"Goodnight," they both said softly, and then I felt them watching me as I went into my suite and shut the door. I went about getting ready for bed, and when I got out the shower there was a knock on the door.

"Who is it?" I called.

"Guess."

I smiled and hurried to the door, pulling it open and crying out in surprise when Ignazio leaped forward and scooped me up, running a few steps forward and turning to collapse on the couch with me on his chest.

"Hey!" I said, laughing, and he laughed too and kissed me.

"So what'd you think? Of the video!?"

"It was brilliant, Ignazio. It really was. But like I told Michele and Barbara, you need to give me some warning!"

"No way! It was your surprise! I wanted it to be memorable."

"Oh, it was memorable, all right!"

"I brought you something, but it's in my pocket."

"Okay. I'll get up."

"No!" he protested when I started to get off of lying on top of him. "It can wait a minute!"

I laughed, and he hugged me tightly and kissed the top of my head.

"I love you."

"I love you, too."

He was quiet, and when I glanced up I stared at him in surprise. His face was somber and serious, and he looked down at me with frightening sadness.

"Ignazio?" I asked, and he smiled slightly. I started to get up, but he stopped me again and kept hugging me tightly. I turned my face up to his and kissed him, and kept kissing him, and finally he released me and I got up. He sat up too and reached into his pocket, pulling out a flash drive labeled, "My dear Tamzin," which he handed to me.

"For your collection," he said, and some of the sparkle returned to his eye. "It's a copy of the video for you to keep."

"Oh, brilliant! Thanks, Ignazio!"

I leaned forward and kissed him again, and he smiled at me.

"You should go to bed now," he said.

"Why? We're not doing anything much tomorrow."

"It's just late. You should get some rest, my dear. I love you, Tamzin."

I smiled at him, and he smiled back.

"Will you kiss me goodnight?" he asked softly, and closed his eyes when I started to lean in. I kissed him and felt him kissing me back, and when I pulled away he stood up.

"I love you so much. Sleep well."

He turned and left, and I thought for a moment that I saw a glimmer of the sadness again just before he turned his face away, but maybe I was wrong. He closed the door, and I left it unlocked just in case he decided to come back.

I got up and uploaded a few photos from the concert, and discovered that Michele had posted the video the boys had made for me during the concert. Hundreds of comments expressing appreciation for me were flowing in, and I thought I might cry as I read them. I uploaded my photos and then went to bed smiling as I replayed the evening again and again in my mind.