Epilogue
One year later
“Thank you so much for being here tonight.” I kiss Lila on both cheeks and Dallas gives Colton a man-hug. “It means so much to have you here.”
They’ve become close friends, along with all the Maddox family, who seem to be multiplying by the day. Because of various births and other commitments, Colton, Lila and their two children are the only Maddoxes who could make it to our grand re-opening tonight.
“We’re so happy for you, Amelie,” Lila says. “Everything looks absolutely stunning.”
“Thank you so much. We’re thrilled with the way it turned out.”
Lila is dazzling in her gold sequin maternity dress, one of her own designs.
I remember watching her on the runway after her fashion show and thinking that she looked like a person who was fully realizing every single one of her wildest dreams. That was just over a year ago.
It seems amazing that I’m now doing the same.
She’s six months pregnant with twin girls and her belly is already huge. “We’ve decided on names for the girls.” Her smile is elated. “Ava and Amelie. If you don’t mind.”
“Of course I don’t mind.” We’ve laughed about the coincidences before, that Lila and Colton’s oldest child is named Sadie, and that their little boy is also named Jack.
“I’m glad we’re continuing the name tradition.
I’d be honored to share with one of your gorgeous babies.
I’ve never known another Amelie. Except for Sabine Amelie, of course. ”
Lila leans down to kiss Sabine’s head. She’s wrapped in a blanket, asleep in my arms. Dallas is holding a very sleepy Jack.
The day we found out we were having twins was one of the happiest of my life. It just felt like one of those cosmic miracles that make you believe magic really can happen.
We wave as Colton, Lila, little Sadie and “Big” Jack (as a two-year old, he absolutely loves that this is his new title) make their way up the grand staircase of the hotel to their room. I gave them Room 27, which is now a three-bedroom luxury suite.
We say goodnight to a few more guests, then Dallas wraps his arm around me and we take the back entrance into the private courtyard of our new dream home.
Jack Dallas Theodore Thibodeaux Wilder was born at 11:55 p.m. on the last day of November. His twin sister Sabine Amelie Hattie Thibodeaux Wilder was born twelve minutes later, at 12:07 a.m. on the first day of December.
After they were born, they spent a week with me in the hospital, not because they needed to but because Dallas wasn’t taking any chances and wanted us watched around the clock until the specialists gave all three of us the all-clear.
Which seemed a little overzealous, since my pregnancy went without a hitch and the birth was as straightforward as it could have been.
But my husband is nothing if not thorough.
He promised to take care of me, and us, and he makes sure he does.
I think a part of me knew it was going to be twins, as though we’d pre-ordained it that day we named them. When we saw the scan at twelve weeks, we figured out they must have been conceived that very first weekend Dallas and I met and spent together in New Orleans.
I’m glad we chose the names we did. I’ve forgiven my father, like Dallas said I would.
We went together to the family crypt a few months ago to put flowers on the front step, like I do every now and then, and I felt like I understood my father a little better.
I know now, after all, exactly what he lost.
I also know for a fact that I would never give up to the extent that he gave up, but it doesn’t really matter anymore.
I’ve made peace with him and with every aspect of my life, because it all brought me to this moment in time.
And this moment in time is always my favorite one.
I am so very grateful, maybe more than most, for all of it.
It was my idea to add Dallas’s mother’s name as one of Sabine’s middle names.
He’s made peace with his past too, and we both just appreciate that every storm and every loss ended up putting us in each other’s paths.
I can admit that it’s easier to make peace with your past when your present is so beautiful and your future looks so bright.
Our wedding in Paris was a dream. We stayed in the most gorgeous hotel.
Sadie, Apollo, Boone and Dallas’s other brother Rhett were all there and we all went up to the top of the Eiffel Tower, which Dallas had rented out exclusively for us.
Dallas and I exchanged vows and danced our wedding dance to the quartet he’d hired, then later that night we all ate dinner on a riverboat on the Seine (which he’d also hired out, along with piano music by my old friend Lenny Fontaine, who Dallas brought in just for the occasion).
Dallas and I spent two weeks exploring the city, buying furniture to send back to the hotel, and tracking down Marcel, who, when he heard what Dallas was offering to pay him, immediately accepted.
It took less than a year to complete the entire restoration of the hotel and our new home. Our house is just … outrageously perfect. I love it all the way down to my bones.
The Hotel Thibodeaux has already been re-rated with five stars.
I’m not sure how Dallas accomplished that, considering we’ve only re-opened tonight after being closed for six months, but he made a few phone calls.
Three people in the “industry” came to inspect the hotel and we were able to make it official just hours before our doors opened.
And just in time for Mardi Gras, which starts next week.
Every detail of the hotel has been refurbished.
I took a lot of care to make sure we honored all the traditions, and much of my great-grandfather’s workmanship has been restored and showcased.
Even I found things that were new to me: ornately carved woodwork and old-fashioned touches that we’ve brought back to life.
But on top of all that, the hotel has had a major overhaul.
A new roof, new plumbing, new curtains, new wallpaper, new paint, new carpet, new light fixtures, new wiring and a brand new kitchen for the restaurant.
All the stuff Dallas bought back from the estate sale has also been refurbished, reupholstered, polished and brought back to its former glory.
My art and the paintings bought by three generations of Thibodeaux collectors decorate the spaces. And the Parisian furniture is divine.
We’ve redecorated with tradition and classic New Orleans flavor in mind, but with very modern amenities. The bar now looks like a fancy and tasteful 1920’s speakeasy that has been transported through time and fitted with every luxury detail along the way.
And the restaurant has had a new lease on life. Marcel returned from Paris last week and is determined to earn himself another Michelin star.
We kept on most of the staff and hired twenty new staff members.
We’ve increased everyone’s pay rate and made sure no one is overworked.
If they choose to do overtime, they get paid double.
Those temps Dallas hired to replace me have proven to be worth their weight in gold and are now our new managers.
Ellen, I’m happy to say, resigned by choice soon after she found out the hotel had been sold. She’s going to follow her dream, she said. She quit the hotel business and moved back to Texas to go to law school. She wants to become a litigation lawyer. I think she’ll make a good one.
We left the White Swan mostly as is, although we’ve made a few select upgrades, so it’s even more modern and luxurious than before.
It’s a very different vibe to the Hotel Thibodeaux and attracts a more corporate clientele.
We kept André on as the manager and gave him a raise, and he’s given us a lot of innovative ideas about how to take the whole establishment to the next level.
He lives and breathes hotel management, so in some ways he feels like a kindred spirit. We’ve become good friends.
Both hotels are booked out solidly for the next four months.
We got a lot of press, some of it intentional, some just because people were interested in Dallas Wilder’s new marriage, new babies and new business venture.
It also didn’t hurt that Apollo visited us last week and posted a reel of himself (shirtless) on his social media, giving a tour of his room and telling his followers that it’s his favorite hotel in the world.
Last time Dallas checked, the reel had thirty million views.
Our new house takes up two complete four-story buildings and sits between the Hotel Thibodeaux and the White Swan.
It has seven bedrooms (one for us and one for each of the six babies we’re having, Dallas said), nine bathrooms, three living areas, a game room, a bar, a home office, an art studio, a chef’s kitchen, balconies galore, and a roof garden.
It’s also basically a fortress. Dallas has taken no chances when it comes to security.
My favorite thing about it is the courtyard, which is partly inside the back part of the house, leading to an outdoor area that’s full of lush tropical plants. It even has a hot tub, a sauna and a pool.
My art studio has French doors and an ornate little wrought-iron balcony that looks out over the garden.
I’ve rediscovered my passion and am working on several new pieces, although I haven’t had a lot of time to work, with the travel and the babies and the renovations.
But I don’t need to rush. I don’t plan on selling them.
Maggie Hayworth, the editor of the American Artist magazine and the former owner of my paintings, came to visit us in New York after we got back from the Bahamas to interview me for the feature I agreed to do.
Since they ran the issue a few months ago, Maggie said they’ve been inundated with requests from collectors around the country who want to buy one or more of my paintings.