My framed photo of Ruth Ginsburg had been placed on the altar beside a crystal vase of roses. Ruth needed to be here, and I might’ve heard her murmur, “Very nice. And you know, I could’ve performed the ceremony, because I’m a judge.”

Edgar and I had already initiated a tradition, as we’d celebrated our mutual birthday a few months back. We’d thought about a party, but with the wedding approaching, it would’ve been overkill. So we’d had a small cake for just the two of us, in the nursery. Edgar had told me, “Thirty looks good on you” and I’d answered, “Fuck you, because everything looks good on you.” We blew out the candles together and sang to each other, which we agreed was perfect and also too revoltingly cute for any guests to witness. I was, and remain, deeply superstitious, but I let myself envision the two of us devouring cake and laughing and making love, in this room, every January 22, for many years to come. I no longer dreaded turning thirty with nothing to show for it; now I wanted to be equal to the task, and the opportunities, and the man who was about to become my husband.

We’re at the altar. Edgar and I can’t stop smiling in joy and disbelief. As Abby always told us, we’d both gotten so lucky, to have found each other and to have her in charge of our wedding; she’d commissioned an official oil portrait of herself with the title Westminster Abby. No, I couldn’t stop her.

This day, and our meeting at the appropriately named United Nations, and our marriage, were loony and enchanted, and I had no idea what would happen next, once we left the abbey. But I was exactly where I should be, with exactly the right guy. So for the moment, I let myself stop fretting, second-guessing and doubting. If Edgar believed in me, that was more than enough. So I let myself believe that this was my life, or at least a fabulous beginning. I let myself be in love.

ACKNOWLEDGMENTS

I’d like to thank Cindy Hwang, my wonderful editor, for welcoming this book and for her terrific guidance and enthusiasm. I’m also so grateful for the efforts of everyone at Berkley, including Ivan Held, Christine Ball, Claire Zion, Angela Kim, Jeanne-Marie Hudson, Jin Yu, Bridget O’Toole, Jaime Mendola-Hobbie, Dana Mendelson, Craig Burke, Erin Galloway, Loren Jaggers, Lauren Monaco, Jennifer Trzaska, Brian Contine, Max Felderman, Jennifer Myers, Christine Legon and Colleen Reinhart.

As always, David Kuhn was instrumental in helping this book find such a great home.