The Summers After

twenty-four

CONRAD
6 YEARS AGO

Belly's wedding dress is in a pile on the floor of their hotel room. It's still damp from their swim in the ocean, and the buckets of rain that dumped on them all day.

Conrad's suit is thrown over a chair. Both of their shoes are in heaps next to the bed.

She's radiating warmth, her body is pressed so close to his, he can feel her chest rise and fall with her breath.

He's staring at her, making sure to memorize this moment. It's the first day he's woken up with a wife - his wife.

Holy shit. Belly and Conrad are married.

She is breathing deeply, slowly, peacefully. Conrad hopes she always looks like this. He wants to give her the most perfect life.

Conrad strokes her long hair, it's wavy and messy from all the rain and ocean water.

She stretches, and reaches for his hand. He snakes his fingers into hers.

"How do you feel about having a wife?" Belly whispers.

Conrad instantly smiles at her, "It's the best feeling I've ever had."

"Good answer,"

"It's actually not exactly having a wife, but who my wife is that makes me the happiest."

Belly grins and pulls the covers up to her face like a little kid. Conrad kisses her forehead.

"Do you know that I've waited my whole life to be a Fisher?" She mumbles into the covers.

"Isabel Fisher has a nice ring to it," He smiles at her, pulling the covers down from her face to look at her, "You're so beautiful." He says quieter.

"Conrad and Isabel Fisher," she says to him as if she's making sure it sounds okay. She grins, then knits her eyebrows together. "Maybe now that I'm married I should go by Isabel."

Conrad purses his lips, "You will always be Belly to me."

She pushes her bottom lip into a pout, "It's so childish."

Conrad presses his lips to hers, "My Belly." He says against her lips.

Belly pulls away slightly, their noses are touching, "Well when you say it like that, it sounds sexy."

Conrad goes back to kissing her. Conrad thinks that this must be the best feeling in the world, being married to your soulmate.

Belly takes a shower, and comes back out a while later. She's wearing a white linen dress with her hair pulled back into a messy bun. She takes his breath away.

Laurel planned a brunch for the family for the morning after the wedding. They will spend the day with them, then spend a few days at the beach house before their honeymoon in Hawaii.

Conrad holds her hand while they make the familiar drive through Cousins. Belly holds his hand while he drives.

"What was your favorite part of yesterday?" Belly asks.