NOVA’S EPILOGUE
NOVA’S EPILOGUE
On the first weekend of spring, Boone and I were married at the Sorority House.
I wore a sexy white dress in contrast to the modest one from my first wedding.
Boone looked gorgeous in his black jeans and T-shirt, along with his club vest. Dan walked me down the aisle.
The girls wore pale pink dresses with purple tutus.
They also had colorful feather barrettes in their hair, thanks to Cher.
I felt spellbound throughout the wedding as my long-time fantasies and my current good fortunate blended into a single moment when Boone and I became husband and wife.
After eating from both pink cakes, we danced late into the evening, including to several Eddie Murphy songs. The girls eventually crashed on an inflatable bed in Goldie’s room. Though I never wanted the party to end, I was also ready to strip down my husband and explore.
Two months later, after Skylar finished kindergarten, Boone and I started our official honeymoon at Disneyland.
Blackjack and Yarrow joined us and played babysitters.
After a few days at Disneyland, we moved our fun to Santa Monica.
Before traveling to San Deigo, we visited the Hollywood sign.
We finished off our honeymoon with a visit to the San Diego Zoo and another day at the beach.
As much as I loved our trip, I was relieved to return to Little Memphis. My third pregnancy had come with early nausea and fatigue. Many days during that summer, a pregnant Ivy and I did nothing more than sit on the couch while people enjoyed life around us.
Before the girls started school, Boone brought us to Rawlins for an extended vacation at the house we bought with Goldie. The five-bedroom house wasn’t fancy like Lula’s or sleek like Boone’s condo, but it reminded me of my childhood before everything was turned upside down.
The girls loved the backyard even if it didn’t have a lake or city view. Mostly, they loved having Yarrow and Blackjack close by. They were already so attached to their new grandparents that I asked Blackjack and Yarrow to visit for the girls’ first week at school.
“Lyric is nervous, and Skylar fears she’ll get that bully in her class again,” I explained to them. “Having you around will help.”
“I could kill this bully kid,” Yarrow offered.
“No killing children,” Blackjack said and rolled his eyes. “Kids can grow out of their bad habits. That’s why we only kill adult bullies.”
Yarrow frowned as if her husband was wrong, but she didn’t contradict him.
Like the girls, I adored Yarrow and Blackjack. They welcomed me into their family with open arms. Blackjack and Yarrow were the opposite of what I knew growing up, and I felt lucky for my girls to grow up with such amazing people in their lives.
Yarrow and Blackjack were at the house when I brought the girls home from their first day. Lyric ran to them, teary-eyed and cranky.
“The kids smell,” Lyric told Yarrow.
“I don’t doubt that. Most kids are gross. Aren’t any of them any good?”
Lyric shook her head while Skylar was much more chill. The bully had moved away, and she liked her new classmates. Yet, Lyric was miserable.
After her grandparents returned to Rawlins, Lyric called them each evening to complain. But by the end of the first month, she admitted to having two friends and liking the praise she got from her teacher.
“I’m smart,” Lyric told Yarrow on their daily call. “I know how to read. I also follow the rules. The teacher likes me.”
“Of course, she does. You don’t stink, either.”
By the time Halloween came along, Skylar and Lyric had gotten the hang of the new school year. They were also excited about our forever house, which was in the very early phase of being built. Mostly, though, they were thrilled about adding to our family.
Having bonded with Trent, the girls accepted that he wasn’t the monster they believed he might be based on his ultrasound pictures. They also adored Lula’s son, who was born near Thanksgiving.
Despite their fondness for Trent and Paxton, Skylar and Lyric danced around in celebration when they learned they would have a little sister.
“There’s too many boys,” Skylar told me as the girls looked at Ivy who was expecting a son. “We need more foxes.”
A week after New Year’s, we welcomed Willow Aurora Chester into the world. Her middle name was in honor of her paternal grandma, who was born Aurora before being christened Yarrow by the women of the Everything Nice Crew.
Willow was larger than her sisters had been, weighing over nine pounds. Even knowing Boone was nearly a foot taller than Chris, I hadn’t expected such a large baby. A few times, Willow acted as if she might get stuck on her way out. Yet, she finally emerged, looking like perfection.
Boone couldn’t stop smiling as he held his daughter. “She looks like my favorite person,” he told everyone.
With her brown hair and big, blue eyes, Willow did resemble me. As she got older, though, I noticed how she had her daddy’s crooked smile.
Skylar and Lyric adored Willow. As part of her big sister duties, Skylar took charge of shushing anyone who might wake the baby. Lyric decided her job was to ask everyone if they had washed their hands before touching Willow.
Boone carried Willow everywhere, first in the baby harness and then on his hip. I knew he’d be a great dad after seeing how he wrapped Skylar and Lyric in his love. Willow was a lucky little girl to grow up with a happy, healthy family.
Just before Willow began to crawl, our Sleepy Eye Community house was finally finished. Boone and I had designed the one-story house with an industrial flair since we really enjoyed those elements from his condo. In the dining room hung a smiling Eddie Murphy portrait painted by Vanessa.
Skylar, Lyric, and Willow had their own rooms. There was also a spare room just in case baby four ever happened.
We designed the basement with a bedroom suite, kitchenette, and family room.
Yarrow and Blackjack had their own space for when they stayed over, while the kids could use it as a hangout spot as they got older.
In Baton Rouge, I had turned a rundown fixer-upper into a comfortable home. This forever home was a whole different beast. Boone and I designed everything from top to bottom. The reality of having it finished left me overwhelmed.
On our first night in the new house, I checked on each girl, feeling overly paranoid despite how Skylar and Lyric decided to share a bed.
After I let the dogs in from their new fenced yard, they cuddled up in their large cage next to the fireplace.
The house was beautiful and quiet. Nothing was wrong, yet I paced around the family room.
Boone finally took my hand and guided me to the couch. We cuddled up and sighed together.
“Our forever house is gorgeous, just like you,” Boone said and kissed my forehead.
“I don’t know why I’m nervous,” I admitted and teared up. “I have everything I want.”
“Your past will always linger in the back of your thoughts. That Nova you once were will never be fully gone, but she isn’t the one calling the shots anymore. This new badass version of you is in charge,” Boone said and handed me a piece of paper with Eddie Murphy’s face on it.
Laughing, I took his hand and stood up. “Let’s go run around naked in our new bedroom.”
Boone startled me by lifting me over his shoulder. He headed down the hallway toward our bedroom, situated on the other side of the family room from the girls’ rooms. I laughed when he gently dropped me on the mattress. As his lips covered mine, I gripped hold of this incredible man.
Boone and I had only started our lives together, but he’d already proven himself better than my wildest fantasies.