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 tomake 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. EvenIfound things that were new to me: ornatelycarved 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 littlewrought-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.
I find it incredible, that people want to buy my art and that I suddenly have a surprisingly big following. Dallas hired an assistant for me whose name is Eden Jackson. Her job is to promote my work, even if I never want to sell it. I told Dallas it’s not really necessary to have someone working full time on that, but he said it’s worth doing, that my art is important and deserves to be seen.
Which just made me love him even more. I didn’t know that was possible at this point, but every day he proves me wrong.
We divide our time between New Orleans and New York. Dallas also has—I couldn’t believe this when Dallas told me—six other houses, which I’ve only seen one of so far.
One of the houses, it turns out, is on its own island in the Bahamas. We spent a month there before the renovations started, as an extended post-honeymoon honeymoon, Dallas called it.
The house’s front yard is a sugar-sand beach. It’s a largewhite Conch-style house, on stilts, with a wraparound porch, louvered wooden shutters and light blue trim that’s almost the exact same color as the warm, crystal blue water.
We swam every day, made love non-stop and treasured every part of our crazy, deepening bond. We ate delicious local food, we laughed more than I can ever remember laughing, and we watched my belly start to grow. We also went out on Dallas’s yacht (unreal).
I didn’t know such a beautiful place existed and the month we spent there, in my memories, has taken on an almost mythical quality because it was such a beautiful time. I can’t wait to go back.
Dallas also has houses in Tuscany, L.A., Nashville and London. As soon as we have time, we’re going to visit each one of them.
We’re also going to visit the ranch in Montana. A lot has happened between Rhett and Mia, which is its own story …
Sadie hit it off with Apollo and Boone and they’ve become good friends. The night after I went to the nightclub, got a concussion and found out I was pregnant, the three of them came to Dallas’s apartment for dinner. Apollo asked Sadie if she’d ever done any acting because they were currently casting his next film and, as it turns out, one of the characters in the script was a dancer from New Orleans. The director was having trouble finding someone who could do an authentic accent and also looked the part. So, the next week Sadie went to the audition …and she got the part.It’s not a huge role, but she absolutely loves acting. So she’s moved to L.A. to pursue her new dream. She had to leave Dance Utopia but she’s since joinedanother dance company in L.A., which she does part time between acting gigs.
