A Nantucket Wedding(96)

    And now Felicity would open up her world, too. She could not save the world as Noah was trying to do with his green food. But she could make one little child smile, she could give comfort to one small child, and that would fill her heart. That would be sufficient treasure for her.

Today was her mother’s wedding, the beginning of a new life for Alison.

Tomorrow would be the beginning of a new life for Felicity. And honestly? She was ready to leave the lazy lounging on the beach, the long, slow afternoons of falling asleep while reading, and the careless disorders of the day. But she was not going to return to the rigid organization of the past few years. She was not going to base all her happiness on Noah’s relentless problems. She was going to take good care of her family, but she would also open a door into another world, a noisy, chaotic, giggling, wobbling world of small children, and she couldn’t wait to get started.

And she was going to eat bacon and let the children have some, too.



* * *



—

“Mom gets married today,” Jane whispered.

She was snuggled up as close as she could get to her husband. His good arm was around her as they lay in bed beneath the light covers.

“Mmm,” Scott said, kissing the top of her head.

“I’ve been thinking,” Jane continued softly. “I’ve been thinking we could leave New York. Move to Boston.”

Scott raised up a bit and looked down at her face. “Are you kidding?”

    “Not kidding. Just think of the house we could buy in Boston. Real estate is so much cheaper than New York. Everything’s so much cheaper than New York.”

Scott flopped down on the bed, keeping an arm across Jane. “Where are all these ideas coming from? Your mother? Your sister?”

“No, they’re my own ideas. But I wouldn’t mind being closer to my family. Especially if…”

“I like your mother and David. I like your sister. Noah? Not so much. I’m not sure I’d want to be closer to him.”

“I agree! We wouldn’t move into the house next door.” Jane laughed.

“And what about work? Our firms don’t have an office in Boston.”

“So we interview at other firms. We’ve got spectacular resumes.”

“I don’t know…”

“I’ve been thinking, how we are always spending money on traveling to faraway places. And yes, of course, our trips have been fantastic, but we have to work so hard to afford them that we never have time for ourselves at home. We don’t have downtime together.”

“We go to plays. We go to the symphony. Art openings.”

“Yes, and we go to those places with friends. Although most of them aren’t really friends. They’re business associates. People we see only in our best clothes. We’ve never shared the rough and tumble of real life.”

“But we never wanted to be like that.”

“But maybe I do, now. And if we have children, wouldn’t it be nice to be near Felicity and her kids? And my mother would be over the moon.”

“It’s kind of unsettling, thinking of such enormous changes, leaving New York for Boston.”

“I know,” she said. “And I’m not saying we have to do it right away, or do it at all. But isn’t it nice to dream?”

Scott pulled her close and nuzzled his chin into Jane’s hair. “Jane, life with you is full of surprises.”

    Jane smiled. “When we married, we agreed we wanted adventures. I think some of them can take place right in our own home.”



* * *



—

Alison showered and creamed her skin, using English Garden Creams, of course. She sat very still, not talking or smiling, while Felicity bent over her, applying the perfect amount of foundation, eyeliner, mascara, and blush to her face. She accepted the new tube of red lipstick that was supposed to last all day, even if she ate—or kissed—and carefully applied it. She brushed her hair until it gleamed. She asked the others to leave the room to put on their own dresses while she donned her brand-new silk and lace underwear. Now she stepped into her ivory wedding gown.

“Wow,” she said. “You’re looking pretty good for an old girl.”

“Mom? We can hear you talking to yourself in there. Are you ready?”

It was Felicity, standing in the hall.

Alison opened the bedroom door, and her wedding attendants flooded in, babbling, exclaiming, laughing.

“You all look so beautiful!” Alison said, and burst into tears.

“Stop it, Mom. Stop it right now. You’ll ruin your makeup.” Felicity held Alison’s shoulders and gave her the same look she often gave her children.

Alison sniffed back her tears.

“I’m going to zip you up,” Jane told her. “Hold still.”

Then came the friendly, familiar zing as the zipper interlocked the two sides, and Alison could actually hear it because everyone in the room had gone quiet, waiting for the moment when the dress was completely on Alison.

Then, everyone went: Ahhhh.

Anya had fit the dress to perfection. The ivory silk accentuated the tan Alison had achieved over the summer, and she absolutely glowed.

“And now, my wedding gift from David.” Alison lifted a black velvet jewelry box off the dresser and opened it, bringing out the diamond jewelry.