Crystal Clear Ch. 32

I repeated with certainty because I knew instantly, "I asked for you to marry me, and the question still stands. I will gladly accept a 'Yes' instead of the 'No' you gave me at the time."

From below my chest I heard through a cracking voice, "You will?"

"I will, and I do. You say the right word, and I'll make it happen. I'll do it as soon as we can get a marriage license, or I'll fly to Vegas with you tonight and do it. Crystal, I still love you just as much, if not more, than I ever did."

Crystal pulled away to look at me again. She was still crying and trying to focus on my face through her red, teary eyes. "You forgive me for all that shit I did, for not talking to you, and you accept the imperfect me, and you'll have a baby with me, and you'll marry me?"

"Yes, on all counts."

"Oh, God, I love you so much. You're making this so easy for me. It took me a two whole months with Dr. Cowan to work up to coming back and saying these things. I haven't slept well at all worrying about what you'd say or do, whether you'd kick me out ... instead, you ... you love me! ... And, you'll take me back!"

Crystal launched herself into my arms and planted a super-molten volcanic cosmic explosion nuclear kiss on me that curled my toes. A kiss I'd missed for six months. I kissed back with equal fervor.

After we broke apart, I spoke, "Just to remind you: you had some good reasons for saying 'No' at the time that mostly involved the others."

Crystal said excitedly through her tears, "I know. I know. I've thought about that – about them – all our friends and lovers. I talked about this over and over with Dr. Cowan too – back to my inferiority complex. We can still have the same relationship with everyone we do now; it'll just be with US instead of YOU and ME separately. Can you live with that?" For a second, she looked worried again.

"I keep saying 'Yes' to you." I gave her a supportive smile.

We were quiet for a moment, and I asked, "Is there anything more?"

Crystal nodded almost in relief, "Just one, and I hope it's easy for you. It's nothing bad or earth shaking, or as dramatic as anything we just talked about. Would you come back to Tucson with me for a couple of days and meet with Dr. Cowan and probably me? She thinks it would a good idea to meet you, talk to you, and for the three of us to hash over some of this stuff in her presence – sort of like couples therapy. It'll help her give me some closure on some of this stuff, plus I think she might have some homework questions for you to think about, but she never told me what they were about."

I laughed, "That'll be another 'Yes.' Lauren worked through dozens of deep and probing questions with me about what your homecoming would be like, how I felt about you, what made me mad, what made me happy, how I'd react, how the others would react, what you'd be like, and on and on. I'm used to tough questions and doing homework thanks to her. She tapped into a friend who's a psychiatrist at her hospital to get ideas about what to talk to me about. It seems like those questions have been a major part of my life since you left. So, yes." I paused and asked again, "Anything more?"

Crystal hugged me, shook her head, and sobbed with happy tears this time instead of tears of anxiety and fear, "Oh, no. You forgive me, you'll live with me, and love me, you'll be a parent with me, and you'll marry me, what else could I wish for? Right now, you've made me the happiest I've been in a year. I feel as if an elephant just stopped sitting on me."

"Shall we tell the others?"

"Yes. All of it, please. But, first, I want to talk with just Ellen and Claire. Could they come talk? You can stay too if you want."

I understood the dynamics of the situation. I went inside and got Crystal's sister and her nearly adopted sister. The three of them sat side by side on the stoop with Crystal in the middle. I sat back and let Crystal do it her way; she'd obviously put a great deal of thought about what she'd say and how she'd say it. Another ocean of tears descended onto the front stoop from the three of them.

Ellen didn't blink when Crystal told her on the front stoop that we planned to marry, but I watched her eyes tear up, and she bit her lip to control her emotions. Eventually, Ellen started sobbing uncontrollably with her face in her hands. After talking with Crystal, Ellen staggered down the driveway sobbing wildly. Claire had gone with her – also with tears streaming down her face. Crystal followed close behind the pair. They stood among the parked cars and talked, Crystal doing most of the talking. I couldn't hear them. After fifteen minutes, the trio came back to the stoop and looked as though they'd reached some understanding that satisfied each of them. I find out later from one of them what got said; I thought it important.

They said they were ready to meet with the others, so we went inside to see the rest of our circle of friends. I put my arm around my new fiancée, and we went through the front door of 'our' home with Ellen and Claire part and parcel of the family.

Crystal had another tough and teary time with all our friends. I got her some water, probably to replenish her supply of tears, and she went through her agenda with everyone, answering questions along the way, and losing more tears in the process.

When she finished, we partook of a buffet supper that Nadia, Ellen, Claire, and Cindy had arranged. Crystal tried to avoid being the center of attention, but given the notoriety of her return that was a tall order that evening. She toughed it out, however, and I thought became the stronger for it. I could imagine her doctor praising her for sticking it out and not running for the hills. Often, I'd find her at my side seeking my strength to make it through the evening.

I found four aspects of the evening particularly interesting after we had rejoined the others that night, no one blinked an eye that I'd forgiven Crystal for her sins; second, everyone took it in stride that Crystal wanted a baby by me and that I'd agreed; and lastly, no one did anything but cheer that Crystal and I had decided to get married.

The only woman to react at all to the last two points was Crystal's Mom, Kim. She swooned over the idea of having a grandchild and over the idea of the two of us getting married. She told me she felt a little distant to the children I'd had with Summer and Edie, but told me she suddenly realized she'd be a grandmother to four children – and maybe more. She could now relate to the children I'd had with Summer and soon by Edie.

At one point, I pulled Ellen aside. I put my hands on Ellen's shoulders, "Hey, are you OK with what go said tonight? You looked sad at one point – really sad."

Ellen shook her head and bit her lip for a second, "I'm OK now. Maybe you don't know how much I love you. I would marry you in a heartbeat and have babies with you, and everything. I was worried that things would change when you married my sister – that I'd be on the 'outs.' I want to be in your life, and I mean just like a wife – just like we've been. I know you think about me all the time – Crystal and Claire too. We've been like wives, but just didn't take the steps to legalize it for any one of us."

I hugged Ellen. I said, "And now?"

Ellen smiled, "Crystal is so inclusive. That's all I'll say for now. I love her. I love you and Claire. And we love each other. Nothing's going to change that. The three of us want to tell you when we're all together; it's Crystal's idea anyway."

I wanted to know what was up right then. I wanted to be sure another earthquake wouldn't erupt at the end of the evening. I went and pulled Crystal and Claire from the crowded living room, trying to minimize the disruption so the group wouldn't think there was a crisis brewing.

I pulled them into my den. The three women sat in a row on my leather sofa, and I sat in my desk chair. I said, "OK, tell me what got said. I saw the tears and body language before we came inside that clearly told me Ellen – and I suspect Claire – were worried that when Crystal and I wed things would change for them – that I'll be unavailable to them, that I won't think about them the same way I have, and maybe that I'll stop loving them."

Crystal shook her head, "Oh, dear; you're exactly right, and that's what we talked about. I love the three of you so much, but that's not what I am intending to happen at all." She thought for a moment, "As I said in the other room, I need a deeper sense of roots and stability. It's probably an age thing, and this has to do with salving my own insecurities. I just know I'll feel better and more secure and more loved to be married."

Crystal took a deep breath; "I'm not taking Jim away from either of you. I WANT his relationship to continue with you. I find happiness and joy in the way you each interact with him. I find happiness and joy in how you interact with me. I want us to share ourselves with each other, as we have for the past few years. Maybe it's silly, and I didn't say it when we were outside, but I'd put that in writing too, and maybe we should so we make sure our expectations are clear for each other."

Crystal went on, "Dr. Cowan made me worry a lot about expectations – my own and other people's expectations that go on in a relationship." Crystal thought for a minute, "My expectation was that you'd both take care of Jim while I was away – you'd love him and keep him satisfied, and knowing Jim he would do the same for you. I don't want that to change now that I've come back."

Claire leaned over and kissed Crystal on the lips, "I am content to take life as it comes. I love all three of you, and I'm so glad you're home and that you'll be home from here on out, and that things will become what you said."

Ellen turned her sister to her and kissed her with a smile. "I'll gladly live with this. Just know that sometime; eventually, I'll probably want a baby with Jim. I already have felt married to him."

Claire said, "Me too."

I spoke up, "And, I have felt married to each of you."

I still didn't get it. There was some basic point I was missing. I finally said, "What am I missing here?"

Crystal said, "We're going to have three wedding services. You're going to marry the three of us."

"Huh?"

Crystal explained, "We have three simultaneous ceremonies. I marry Jim as far as the State of Tennessee is concerned. Ellen and Claire marry you in a way that creates the same bond of love – a bond between all of us. We'll do it publically, in front of all our friends and relatives and the media. I know from reading about polyamory over the past half-year that it's been done many times before. Some people call them 'commitment ceremonies.' We may become the most publicized ceremony of this kind, but someone's got to be first."

My mouth had dropped open. I said to Crystal, "You ... you'd do that for your sister and Claire ... for us?"

Crystal's eyes teared up again. "Ellen's my sister, and Claire may as well be. I love them so dearly, and yes, of course, I'd do that for them if you're willing to do that with the three of us."

I nodded numbly.

Claire looked quite happy. She said with a smirk, "You'd better call Edie. This is going to be front-page news once word gets out: one handsome country music star, marrying three other women.People magazine will have reporters sitting on our doorstep for months." She actually giggled, a sound I'd not heard from her since her arrival home.

I carefully watched Ellen and Claire attempting to read any dissatisfaction with the proposal, but I found none. As we walked back down the hall to the living room, Ellen grabbed ahold of my arm and slowed me down for a moment. She pulled my head down to her, kissed me with tears burgeoning in both eyes, and whispered, "Thank you; this works for me."

Claire rubbed my back as she walked by and gave me a smile. I got the same message from her.

I said to Ellen, "We don't have to work out the logistics tonight, but over the next couple of weeks let's each talk about this so we create something really beautiful and bonding between each of us. Now, how about we drift back to the party."

About ten o'clock, I saw that Crystal was exhausted. She'd mentioned she hadn't been sleeping well, plus the past four or five hours had been emotionally draining for her – an hour long conversation with me, equal time with Ellen and Claire, and an equal time explaining things to our friends, and then socializing that involved even more talk.

I had three women in the super-emperor bed with me that night, but at the insistence of two of them, I only made love to Crystal. The event was tender, compassionate, and not without many tears as we reconnected. Our lovemaking wasn't the most passionate or most loving or most anything; it just was what it was – and it was wonderful.

We fell asleep in each other's arms with pledges of love.

Nashville. By Edie Gerst.
Country and Music Stars and Friends Wed in Unusual Ceremony

The wedding of the year and maybe the century was held on Saturday at Nashville's Richland Country Club when country music and movie stars Jim Mellon and Crystal Lee married in front of a star-studded throng of over three-hundred guests, many of who are well-known singers or movie stars in their own right. In a rare personal appearance, billionaire Joseph Mansard rounded out those in attendance.

What made the ceremony highly unusual were the nature of the multiple ceremonies that took place. First, besides formally marrying Crystal Lee, Mellon 'married' two other women in the same love ceremony: the bride's sister, Ellen Lee, and rising movie star Claire Whitman. The bride's parents, Donald Lee, a retired engineer from Knoxville, and Kimberly Lee, a retired school teacher, presented each of the women to Mellon in the individualized marriage and commitment ceremonies. As part of the ceremony, the 'brides' committed to each other as well.

The three brides, Crystal Lee, Ellen Lee, and Claire Whitman wore identical Vera Wang wedding dresses designed especially for the occasion. Each dress was a strapless 'dream of white' ball gown with an elongated dropped waist that flared to an integral floor length skirt made of taffeta with a spiral lace pattern beneath an overlay of fine white netting. Each bride wore a matching white net veil, pulled back to highlight their tresses. The trio of brides looked spectacular, particularly since they each had gorgeous long hair to highlight their dresses: blond, brunette, and red.

The trio of brides each received identical matching Love Rings from Mellon, each ring comprised of a 10.05-carat cushion cut diamond surrounded by two 1.63-carat trapezoid cut side diamonds in a decorative platinum setting.

In a second, highly unusual and companion ceremony, Mellon also pledged his love and devotion to seven other women also listed as 'brides' in the program, and who also returned the pledge to Mellon during the ceremony: Anna Rollins, the groom's sister; Lauren Washburn, sister-in-law to Mellon by way of his late wife; Kimberly Lee, mother of the brides Crystal Lee and Ellen Lee; Nadia Iilyn, managing director of Western Recordings; Summer Ellis, mother of two of Mellon's children; Edie Gerst, mother of one of Mellon's children; and Kimberly Hume, CEO of TSI, a major solar technology company based in North Carolina. Each of the women presented themselves to Mellon, who in turn presented himself to the women with cross-commitments of life-long love. Crystal Lee, Ellen Lee, and Claire Whitman also took part in the ceremony that was as much between the women as with Mellon. Love rings were presented by Mellon to each of these women during the ceremony as a symbol of the love between all of them. Four of the 'brides' in this second part of the ceremony are also married to others.

Mellon received a single simple blue diamond wedding band from his ten 'brides,' the ring presented to the groom on behalf of the women by Crystal Lee. The ring consisted of 2.64 carats of channel-set square-cut blue diamonds within rings of sparkling round cut white diamonds, in a luxurious woven rhodium and platinum setting. The names of each bride are inscribed on the inner latticework of the eternity ring.

For the first part of the ceremony, twelve bridesmaids were stunningly attired in complementary off-white dresses also designed by Vera Wang. Among the bridesmaids were PJ Randall, the popular songwriter for some of the newest Lee-Mellon songs; Beth Mansard, media industry CEO; Nadia Iilyn, managing director of Western Recordings; Margaret St. James of Royal Investigations, Ltd. in London; Kimbery Hume, CEO of TSI; Cindy Wonder, lead singer for The Hobo Palace band; Lauren Washburn, a relative of the groom from Vermont; Anna Rollins, the groom's sister; Jill Danes, the movie star; Tina Devoe, a senior executive at Sony Entertainment; Summer Ellis, mother of two of Mellon's children; and Edie Gerst, a reporter for the Dayton Daily News, BBC, and the New York Times, and mother of one of Mellon's children.

Twelve groomsmen balanced out the other side of the altar in the non-denominational service that started at four in the afternoon. The groomsmen included: Terry Ross, agent for Lee and Mellon; Daniel Crossman, publicist for Lee and Mellon; Sean Livingston, director of administration for Western Recordings; William Cavanaugh, leader of the Country Rebels band that usually plays with Mellon and Lee; George Ellis, a friend from Greenville, Ohio; Joseph Mansard, media mogul and billionaire; Jake Randall, popular songwriter for many Lee-Mellon songs; Craig Olson, a friend from Idaho and former Green Beret with Mellon; James Hume, retired solar technology executive and friend of the groom from Florida; Robert Knight, a friend of the groom from Pennsylvania; Peter Krakowski, hotelier and friend of the groom from Michigan; and Jed Jessup, university professor and friend of the groom from Iowa.

Mellon, Lee, and Whitman recently completed a movie for Sony Entertainment entitledTriangle scheduled to be released the weekend before Thanksgiving. The movie is expected to eclipse 'Gone With the Wind' as a cinema phenomenon. Mellon and Lee also have a new album by the same title scheduled for release about the same time, along with a separate album of Christmas Hits. Mellon and Lee are also scheduled to start a North American tour commencing in February of next year.

Mellon and the three brides plan to honeymoon at an undisclosed location rumored to include a week or two aboard a ship called the Beth-Claire in the Caribbean. The boat is owned by billionaire Joseph Mansard. The four expect to return to work by the first of next month.

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One Year Later

Nashville. By Edie Gerst

Mellon and Lee Announce Family Addition

Country music stars Jim Mellon and Crystal Lee announced yesterday the birth of their first child together – Karen Kimberly Laurana Mellon. Mother and baby are doing fine and returned home after a brief stay in hospital. Baby Mellon weighed in at seven pounds, ten ounces, and twenty inches. [insert photo of Mellon, Lee, and baby]

Jim Mellon and Crystal Lee said the baby's name honors Mellon's first wife, Karen Mellon, who died at a young age of an autoimmune disease about seven years ago, Crystal's mother and the baby's grandmother – Kimberly Lee, Kim Hume – a close friend and mentor to Mellon, and Mellon's sister Anna and former sister-in-law Lauren, all of whom remain close friends of the family and took part in the major commitment ceremony at last year's 'Wedding of the Century.'