The Summers After

three

BELLY

Laurel and Belly sit out on the back deck, watching Conrad swim with the boys. Henry is perched on a little floaty next to Conrad, while Conrad throws Matt high into the air and he falls back into the water with a splash.

"So mom, are you dating anyone?" Belly asks gently.

Laurel rolls her eyes, "No, I'm not dating anyone. I spend my time with you or Steven, that's it."

Belly glances at her mom who has aged so beautifully. She only hopes she'll age that way. Belly wonders what Susannah would look like now, would her hair still glow in the sun? Would she still light up every time Belly walked through the door? What would she have thought of her grandkids? Probably the same as Laurel, they make the world spin.

"Maybe you should change that,"

"I like spending my time with you guys."

Belly glances at Conrad, the man who makes her heart swell. Shouldn't everyone have that? "And we love having you all the time, but don't you ever get lonely?"

Laurel sighs, "I do. But I don't know if it's a loneliness a man could fix, Belly."

"You miss Susannah," Belly completes her train of thought. They all miss her, every day is like a giant ache. They've just learned to live with it.

"Every day. She was my soulmate. That's probably why neither one of us could make our marriages work," she says with a dry chuckle.

"I know mom, but you deserve to have someone in your life that makes you happy. Even if they don't make you as happy as Susannah did."

Laurel looks over at her, "When did you become so wise?"

"I honestly don't know," Belly laughs. Belly holds up her wine glass to her Mom, "To Susannah."

"Susannah," her mom says softly with a clink of her wine glass.

"Mommy!" Matt yells from the pool.

"What baby?"

"Come swim with us!" He shouts.

"Yeah! Come swim with us," Conrad winks at her.

Laurel chuckles, "Go ahead, I'm going to go lay down before dinner."

Belly sits down on the edge of the pool, Conrad throws Matt in her direction, which makes a huge splash near her. Matt resurfaces laughing hysterically.

"Again Daddy!" Matt yells.

Conrad laughs with him, "Dad's arms are getting tired." Conrad walks over to her, Henry in tow. He sets his hands on her thighs, "What were you and your mom talking about?"

"Susannah," Belly leans back on her hands.

"She would have loved this. You and me, bringing our kids here, playing in the pool we grew up in."

Belly smiles. She thought those summers were the best of her life, Conrad teaching her how to dance, Steven and Jeremiah giving her presents on her birthday, late nights swimming in the pool, July 4th parties. They were amazing, but these summers, these are the best of her life.