her to her feet, and then Scott circled her, checking the drape of the floor-length, silk lavender sheath dress that had seemed too old for her when she put it on an hour and a half ago but exactly right now that Scott had worked his magic.
"Stand over here," he said, positioning her in front of the bedroom's set of French doors, so the light played softly over her hair and face. "Okay," he called toward the door. "Come see your maid of honor!"
The door opened and Risa stepped inside, her breath catching when she saw Alison.
Alison smiled at her mother, who was more beautiful than she'd ever seen her, in a gray strapless wedding gown with a mermaid silhouette and a spray of tiny flowers in her hair. "Mom, you look fabulous," she breathed.
"Not compared to you," Risa replied, her voice trembling. "This is the only wedding in history where the maid of honor is going to outshine the bride."
"No crying!" Scott ordered. "Control yourselves—both of you."
Risa stepped over to Scott and kissed him lightly on the cheek. "I'm not going to cry, and neither is Alison. But I am certainly going to thank you for everything." Keeping one arm around Scott, she pulled Michael close with the other and kissed him, too. Then she glanced at Alison. "There's a bottle of champagne in the living room. Why don't you bring it in, and we'll have a little toast." As Alison left the room, Risa squeezed the arms of the two men flanking her. "Sure you won't change your minds?" she asked. "I should think you'd both want to give me away, considering the way I acted a year ago." Alison reappeared at the door and stopped uncertainly, but Risa dropped Michael's arm and motioned her in. "It's all right—I was just trying to get them to change their minds."
"They won't," Alison said. "I already tried."
When they all had glasses in their hands, Risa raised hers high. "To us," she said. "First, to Scott, not for just finding Henrik and doing everything he could to make this day perfect, but for taking such good care of Michael, too. And to Michael, for still being my best friend." She turned to Alison. "And most of all, to you, sweetheart, for putting up with your father and me while we sorted things out." They all took a sip, then Risa stepped over next to Alison and raised her glass once more, this time to Michael and Scott. "May Conrad and I be half as happy as you two."
"Now I really do want to give you away," Scott grumbled, though the slight tremble in his voice belied the sarcastic tone he'd aimed for. "Aren't we all just the image of the perfect American family?" Giving Risa and Alison each a careful peck on the cheek, he ushered them to the front door. "Now get out of here, both of you—you don't want to be late for your own wedding."
Risa followed Alison through the courtyard and gardens of the hotel, reveling not only in the perfect spring afternoon, but in everything else as well.
She was getting married.
She was going down to the edge of the swan lake, to be married to Dr. Conrad Dunn.
And it all felt right.
* * *
ALISON WATCHED Conrad kiss her mother after the judge pronounced them husband and wife, barely able to believe it had all happened. Even as she stood behind her mother under the bower next to the swan lake, the afternoon sun warming the air to a perfect temperature, the air itself perfumed by the profusion of flowers that filled the hotel grounds, it was still almost impossible to believe it was all real. And yet it was—the next words she heard brought the reality home with enough force that she almost cried.
Almost, but not quite.
"It is now my great pleasure to present Dr. and Mrs. Conrad Dunn," Judge Rousseau said, and everybody who had been sitting in the white satin-covered folding chairs rose and began to applaud.
Alison handed her mother's bouquet back to her and prepared to take the best man's arm, to follow the bride and groom out from under the bower and down the aisle toward the lawn on which the reception
"Stand over here," he said, positioning her in front of the bedroom's set of French doors, so the light played softly over her hair and face. "Okay," he called toward the door. "Come see your maid of honor!"
The door opened and Risa stepped inside, her breath catching when she saw Alison.
Alison smiled at her mother, who was more beautiful than she'd ever seen her, in a gray strapless wedding gown with a mermaid silhouette and a spray of tiny flowers in her hair. "Mom, you look fabulous," she breathed.
"Not compared to you," Risa replied, her voice trembling. "This is the only wedding in history where the maid of honor is going to outshine the bride."
"No crying!" Scott ordered. "Control yourselves—both of you."
Risa stepped over to Scott and kissed him lightly on the cheek. "I'm not going to cry, and neither is Alison. But I am certainly going to thank you for everything." Keeping one arm around Scott, she pulled Michael close with the other and kissed him, too. Then she glanced at Alison. "There's a bottle of champagne in the living room. Why don't you bring it in, and we'll have a little toast." As Alison left the room, Risa squeezed the arms of the two men flanking her. "Sure you won't change your minds?" she asked. "I should think you'd both want to give me away, considering the way I acted a year ago." Alison reappeared at the door and stopped uncertainly, but Risa dropped Michael's arm and motioned her in. "It's all right—I was just trying to get them to change their minds."
"They won't," Alison said. "I already tried."
When they all had glasses in their hands, Risa raised hers high. "To us," she said. "First, to Scott, not for just finding Henrik and doing everything he could to make this day perfect, but for taking such good care of Michael, too. And to Michael, for still being my best friend." She turned to Alison. "And most of all, to you, sweetheart, for putting up with your father and me while we sorted things out." They all took a sip, then Risa stepped over next to Alison and raised her glass once more, this time to Michael and Scott. "May Conrad and I be half as happy as you two."
"Now I really do want to give you away," Scott grumbled, though the slight tremble in his voice belied the sarcastic tone he'd aimed for. "Aren't we all just the image of the perfect American family?" Giving Risa and Alison each a careful peck on the cheek, he ushered them to the front door. "Now get out of here, both of you—you don't want to be late for your own wedding."
Risa followed Alison through the courtyard and gardens of the hotel, reveling not only in the perfect spring afternoon, but in everything else as well.
She was getting married.
She was going down to the edge of the swan lake, to be married to Dr. Conrad Dunn.
And it all felt right.
* * *
ALISON WATCHED Conrad kiss her mother after the judge pronounced them husband and wife, barely able to believe it had all happened. Even as she stood behind her mother under the bower next to the swan lake, the afternoon sun warming the air to a perfect temperature, the air itself perfumed by the profusion of flowers that filled the hotel grounds, it was still almost impossible to believe it was all real. And yet it was—the next words she heard brought the reality home with enough force that she almost cried.
Almost, but not quite.
"It is now my great pleasure to present Dr. and Mrs. Conrad Dunn," Judge Rousseau said, and everybody who had been sitting in the white satin-covered folding chairs rose and began to applaud.
Alison handed her mother's bouquet back to her and prepared to take the best man's arm, to follow the bride and groom out from under the bower and down the aisle toward the lawn on which the reception
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