By the end of the day, I was going to be a Boswell.
I twirled, watching my dress move. Not a ball gown, or a cocktail dress.
My wedding dress.
I stood in front of the mirror in the room where I’d stayed when I first met Richard. After Bella was released from the hospital, we both moved into the mansion. I’d stayed in Richard’s room every night from then on.
He’d asked, rather haltingly, if I’d consider it, and I had wanted to be close to him. The awkwardness between us faded rapidly after that.
Richard had created the wedding dress as a surprise for me. It was a gorgeous couture dress, created in Milan, Italy by one of the top fashion designers. The look was similar to the pink gown I’d worn on that disastrous night a little over a year ago. We had donated that gown, not wanting to relive the memories it evoked.
But this dress would hold only happy memories. It was strapless, but instead of sequins, the bodice was covered in tiny cream-colored crystal beads. The waist was fitted, and the sparkling tulle skirt bloomed out, just skirting the floor. Once again, I looked like a princess.
Just a few months after Bella’s miraculous recovery from her kidney surgery, Richard had asked me to marry him. He took us on a sailing trip to Catalina, and he proposed on the sailboat.
Of course I said yes.
As I adjusted the beaded crystal hair piece that would hold my veil, Bella burst into the room. Each time I saw her, I marveled at her health. She was full of energy and bursting with excitement each day.
She wore a dress similar to mine, but it was a light shade of apricot with cap sleeves. At nine, she could have been a flowergirl, but she’d insisted on being my maid of honor.
She spun in a circle, letting her dress billow around her. “You said I can wear lipstick!” She headed straight for my dressing table.
“Wait! Do not touch anything.” I managed to snag the back of her dress. “Let me help you.”
She gave me her best you-can-trust-me smile. “I’ll be careful.”
“I know you will. But just imagine a bright red stripe down the front of that dress.” It was easy to picture. Bella was a smart, sweet, fun-loving girl, but she never slowed down. We’d had many mini-catastrophes over the last few months, including slime on the dining room chair cushions, super glue stuck to the kitchen granite, and silly putty in the drain of the bathtub.
Through it all, I was grateful she was healthy and able to create so much chaos, and Richard never minded her messes. We did make her clean them up herself, although the silly putty in the drain had required a little professional help from a plumber.
Once she’d settled herself in front of my vanity, I draped a towel over her, then applied the lipstick.
I saw her eyeing the rest of my makeup. Her little face looked perfect the way it was, so I needed to find a distraction.“I need you to go find Lily. I need you both to make sure the chairs are in a straight line. Then find Nana and check on her. Do not go out to the beach for any reason.”
Bella put her hands on her hips and studied me, probably trying to discern whether or not this was a real errand, or a made up one. I lowered my voice. “Nana is nervous. She planned all this. Ask her if she needs anything.”
That had been another unexpected bonus of my engagement to Richard. Richard’s mother Olivia had declared Bella her granddaughter on day one, and Bella had taken to her as if she’d been born into the family. Olivia insisted on everyone calling her Nana.
I’d been afraid we might be moving too fast for Richard. But no. He took it all in stride, even confessing late one night that his relationship with his mother was better than it had ever been, and that Olivia having my sister in her life had given her a new sense of purpose.
Bella broke into a grin.
Lily had not been insulted to have her role taken by a nine-year-old, but had laughed and deferred to Bella’s request. Richard had involved Lily in the wedding planning process as well, and let her meet with the designer to create her own couture bridesmaid dress.
Bella had to move schools, but we’d stayed in contact with her former teacher and her classmates from the charter school. Richard had even donated a significant sum of money to the charter school so they could provide lunches to students like Bella who might have a hard time bringing a packed lunch.
He’d enrolled her in a private school in Santa Monica, where she was exposed to a rich curriculum of literature, the arts, science and math. She even got to continue archery at the school, and we’d added private lessons as well.
Each day I was grateful for Richard’s help. Bella was mine now. Richard had hired a phenomenal family lawyer. She’d filed the paperwork to have my mother’s rights terminated. My mother hadn’t bothered to show up that day, and the judge ruled in our favor. Now the caseworker’s visits were a formality. We had one more follow-up visit, and then we would be released from her supervision.
The relief that brought me each day could not be expressed in words.
As I’d predicted, Bella adored Richard just as much as he adored her. She saw him as a father figure, so Richard and I had discussed having him adopt her once we were married.
We could have gotten married anywhere in the world, but I thought having the ceremony at our home would be meaningful, for both us and for Bella. I’d lobbied for a small, easy-to-plan wedding, but I’d been overruled. Bella, Richard, Olivia and Lily wanted a big fancy wedding.
Richard’s mother had offered to plan the big day, and I’d been more than happy to let her. I’d been asked if it was hard having my future mother in law in my business, but the answer was a resounding no.
Richard’s mother wasn’t perfect. She was flighty, and sometimes self absorbed, but she loved Richard, and she was crazy about Bella. She also liked hanging out with me. I’d come to enjoy having a mother figure in my life.
Now that I was taking as many classes as possible, I didn’t have the spare time to plan a wedding. But Olivia did. And she’d enlisted Bella’s help.
Together, they’d spent the last seven months in full-on wedding planning mode. Idea websites were on every computer screen. Stacks of wedding magazines were on every flat surface. Florists, caterers, designers, and coordinators were in and out of the house. Each time they asked my opinion, I reminded them they could make all the decisions.
At night, I’d study in the kitchen while Olivia, Bella, and sometimes Lily would crowd around the table with their notebooks. Sometimes I’d catch Richard standing in the kitchen doorway, watching us. He always had a small smile on his face.
“Is this driving you crazy?” I asked him.
“I feel like I should say yes. But it’s not.”
I’m pretty sure he liked having a full house.
Olivia had chosen apricot as the main color, with gold and ivory accents. My bouquet was an unconventional mixture of flowers, berries, and leaves. The end result was and elegant eye-catching bundle of flowers.
If anyone had asked me, I’d say roses went into a bouquet. But not mine. Mine was made up of antique hydrangeas, roses, Icelandic poppies, bay leaves and pepperberry as an accent. Olivia and Bella had worked for three weeks to create it.
Smaller versions would be replicated on the back of each chair and would be tied up with an ivory tulle bow.
The ceremony would take place on the patio, at sunset, the reception on the courtyard.
They had done a fabulous job. Rows of white chairs were set up across our patio. The arbor where we’d say our vows was at the edge of the patio, so the ocean would be visible behind us.
Lanterns with tea lights inside floated in our pool. Ivory runners crossed the long rows of tables set up for the reception. Glass vases filled with real apricots added bright spots of color to the decor. The favors were custom-made wine stoppers with a B for Boswell on top.
If it had been up to me, the wedding favors would have been a piece of chocolate.
The ceremony flew by in a blur of happy hears. My cherished memories would include flashes of Richard, stunning as always in his tuxedo, say the words ‘I do.’
By the time we made our way to the reception, I was a little more grounded and ready to savor each moment. My very first dance with Richard at that first party had been a traditional waltz, and we were going to recreate that today, before letting the DJ take over and play more popular music.
As we stepped onto the courtyard, surrounded by people who loved us, the orchestra began to play.
Richard twirled me around the dancefloor they’d installed for this.
As we passed Bella who was clapping for us vigorously, Richard paused to take her hand. He pulled her onto the floor with us, joining our arms together so the three of us could waltz together. With three people, including a nine-year-old, the steps weren’t right, but the dance was perfect.
“I love you,” I said. “You have made me the happiest woman in the world.”
He kissed Bella on the head and kissed me on the cheek. “There are no words to express how much I love you. You’ve made my life complete. Chrissy Bowell, I love you.”
