Bette had made a promise to herself on Mother’s Day to make an effort to locate Kit’s son David Waters. It took several months but she’d finally tracked the whereabouts of her nephew. He was a surgeon living in Boston with his wife Gina. After corresponding via email and phone calls for a while he finally agreed to meet Bette. He was harboring a lot of anger and resentment towards his family and was determined that he didn’t want to have anything to do with them. Bette didn’t pressure him. She just told him that he had a family that wanted to know him. Little by little he started to drop his defenses.

They’d met for dinner in New York back in September when she’d gone there to meet the art consultant for the private showing. She told David how much Kit had changed over the years and how she had stopped drinking and doing drugs. She told him that Kit was now a respected business woman and that she owned the Planet. She told him how much Kit regretted leaving him and how desperately she wanted to see him but she respected if he didn’t want to see her.

Bette didn’t push him. She told him she really just wanted to see him to make sure he was OK and to reach out to him to let him know that he had family that loved him. He told her of his career as a surgeon. She was extremely proud of his accomplishments. He said he’d recently gotten married and his wife was a lawyer. They didn’t have kids but were planning on having them.

Bette told him about Tina and Angie. She showed him pictures of his cousin. She’d also brought along pictures of Kit. She could see how emotional he got when he saw pictures of his mother. He broke down and cried. Bette just held him. After dinner, they went back to her hotel room and talked for hours. He opened up to his aunt. He told of all the pain and hurt he had suffered. He wanted to forgive his mother for abandoning him but he just couldn’t take that first step on his own.

Bette opened up to him as well. She told him about her relationship with Tina. How devastated she was when it ended and how she had to pull herself back up from the bottom. She told him how much Emma helped her in therapy. How far they’d come and how happy she was now with Tina and Angie. How much better life was once she let go of the anger and realized how much love was there.

Bette left her position as the Dean of the School of Arts at CU in mid-November and made her introduction as the owner of the Bette Porter Gallery a few days after she and Tina returned from Lake Arrowhead. They would take time for a honeymoon between mid-December and the first of the year.

The gallery was scheduled for the grand opening in January after which Bette’s days would be filled.

Bette had acquired several wonderful and unique pieces of artwork; paintings, sculptures, and photographs over the past several months. She had works from famous as well as emerging artists. She loved the freedom to express her creative passions that owning her own gallery gave her. She was really excited to showcase several new artists that she’d discovered some of whom had never shown their work publicly before.

Yolanda, Joanie and the construction crew had done a fabulous job with the gallery’s interior design. The craftsmanship of the showcases were works of art in themselves. The entire design was fluid so they could change the look and feel by adjusting lights or moving a display case or changing the wall color.

Bette was excited to once again immerse herself in the rich art culture. Her name and reputation still attracted interest from wealthy private collectors. The first two weeks in December Bette hosted intimate artists’ dinners and private showings where she invited the most influential and renowned patrons of the arts. She also gave personal interviews to top art magazines which served as a great marketing venue and opportunity to showcase both the gallery and the artists Bette represented.

She’d hired Kristen Clark a brilliant CU graduate with the same passion for art as herself to be her full-time assistant. She also had a curator and a receptionist on staff. As she walked around the gallery Bette Porter could not have been more pleased at how everything had turned out.

***

Bette was working in her office at the gallery when her assistant Kristen knocked on the door.

“Bette? You promised Tina you’d be out of here by 5:00pm so you better get going.”

“Thanks Kris. It’s so easy to lose track of time here. I just wanted to make sure I didn’t leave anything pending. You’re going to have your hands full as it is.”

Bette and Tina vowed their life-long commitment to each when they exchanged the Shared Heart necklaces at the Big Bear Lake cabin in early Spring but after Tina’s impromptu proposal and Bette’s acceptance of her hand in marriage they decided on a public affirmation.

Though not legally binding the public ritual of a commitment ceremony witnessed by others would serve to strengthen and deepen the special family bond that they already shared. They gathered their closest family and friends to celebrate their love and in return receive from them support, blessings, and sanctioning of their union.

They incorporated some traditional elements in the celebration but mostly they just did what felt right. They chose Lake Arrowhead because of the beauty and the extraordinary vistas that it offered as the backdrop for their special occasion. They were able to hold the ceremony and the reception on location as well as have convenient lodging for themselves and their guests at an all-inclusive resort.

They asked Kit Porter the matriarch of the family to officiate as the Mistress of Ceremonies. Tina asked Alice to stand up for her and Bette asked Shane. Angie would be escorted by James and given the honor of handing her parents one to the other. Sophie, Suzie, and Jackie were the flower girls and Joey the Ring Bearer. Lisa is the official photographer/videographer and she is assisted by her two year old son Zach. They hired Carmen to DJ and Monica arranged all the transportation. Lara Perkin, the chef at the Planet oversaw the catering and made the cake.

The rest of the guest list included, Leigh, Emma & Liz who was now 7 months pregnant, Dani & Cindy, Jamie Chen, Julie & her husband Paul, Mark & his wife Karina, Peggy Peabody, Phyllis and her partner Joyce. They all arrived at the resort on the Friday after Thanksgiving. The ceremony immediately followed by the reception was set to start just before sunset on Saturday evening. The weekend included Sunday Brunch after which they would all depart to their respective homes.

***

Bette and Tina’s Commitment Ceremony

Kit called everyone’s attention and asked them to take their seats. Folding chairs were set up inside a tent which was situated in front of a decorated white canopy overlooking the lake with the mountains in the background. Each guest found a white candle in their seat which would be used later in the ceremony. The area was beautifully decorated with silk flowers but there was little need for anything more to enhance on what nature had provided in this natural setting.

A few days prior …

Bette was in New York City to meet with one of the art consultants that Peggy Peabody had introduced her to over the Memorial Day weekend. The art consultant had invited Bette to a private showing of several talented artists that he represented in the hopes that Bette would display their works and feature some of the artists in her Los Angeles gallery. Now that they all lived together as a family Angie was handling the separations much better when Bette traveled. Although she didn’t have any further meltdowns it didn’t stop her from missing her Momma.

Tina and Angie are home preparing dinner after a day spent at the center.

“Mommy, when is Momma coming home?”

“She’ll be home in two days sweetie.”

“Why did she go to New York again?”

“She told you sweetie. She has to meet some artists so she can get new artwork for the gallery.”

“Oh yeah. I remember. Is she meeting Jodi?”

“She might see Jodi while she is there.”

“Is Jodi her girlfriend again?”

“No. They are just friends. Momma is with me now.”

“Momma is your girlfriend?

“Momma and I are more than just girlfriends. We are life-partners. We’re your parents, we love each other very much, we all live together, and we are a family. Neither one of us is going to have another girlfriend. You helped to bring us back together again. I don’t think I ever said thank you. So thank you.”

Tina gives Angie a loving kiss. Angie beams proudly that she played a part in bringing her mommies together. Little did she know that this was the third and hopefully final time that their love for her had brought them back to each other. She truly was their guardian angel.

The name Angelica means messenger and it’s the name of a plant (Angelica atropurpurea). How prophetic was it naming their child Angelica. Her message planted a seed in both of her mommies’ hearts that allowed a love to be rekindled; to grow and to blossom into what they now shared as a family.

Tina had once told Bette “Angelica is your heart Bette and if you ever need a gauge she is the one you need to look to. She is the one that will help you find the way to your future. She is your moral compass.” It was true for both of them.

The summer months were a blur…

Angie and her friends enjoyed sleep-away camp immensely and actually stayed for the two weeks. The parents and all their friends made the trip on the first Saturday to celebrate Angie’s 7th birthday and Alice’s 37th. Judging by the way Alice acted no one really believed that she was 30 years older than Angie.

Alice tried to wage her water balloon war on the gang but Bette and Tina had warned everyone in advance. They ended up finding her supply of balloons and confiscated them. Instead of being used for water balloon fights they were used to decorate for the party. Alice called Angie a traitor for conspiring with the enemy.

Chelsea the camp counselor made sure that the gang had everything they needed for the birthday celebration. They decorated the dining hall where they would have the food, cake and ice cream. The recreation room offered indoor entertainment; video games, board games, pool table, table tennis, computers with internet access, big screen TV and DVD’s, stereo system for music, even a Karaoke machine. Outdoors they were able to participate in water sports, horseback riding, tennis, basketball, volleyball, hiking, etc.

They arrived late Saturday morning and by the time everyone settled into their rooms it was lunch time. After lunch the gang split up and did different activities until around 5pm when everyone got back to clean up for dinner and the party. James, Bette, Emma, and Dani were in charge of grilling the meats. Tina, Liz, Cindy, and Kit handled all the sides and desserts. Alice, Leigh, Lisa and Shane entertained the kids (Angie, Jackie, Suzie, Sophie, Joey and Zach) in the rec room until it was time to eat.

After dinner they sang Happy Birthday to Angie and Alice. Since they didn’t want to put 44 candles on the cake they used the number candles and had the 3 & 7 for Alice on one side and on the other side just the 7 for Angie.

They blew candles and Alice held Angie’s hands while they cut the first two slices of cake. They of course have a cake fight initiated by Alice and they both end up with cake smashed into their faces and hair. As she’s done for the past 5 years since Angie and Alice started celebrating their birthdays together; Bette caught the action on her digital camera.