I Built This Home For Me, For You

Chapter 35

They waited until the summer when the flowerbeds outside Sinu's house were blooming with hyacinths and poesies, daisies and daffodils, when bees lazily drifted from flower to flower and the trees rustled in a warm breeze. The air was filled with the briny smell of the sea, and the water sparkled a blue, the waves a gentle, steady rhythm as the water rushed in and was dragged back out again. A few weeks before, they'd celebrated Daisy's eighteenth birthday, soon followed by her high school graduation, where she'd been Valedictorian - mustering up her courage to stamp down her anxiety as she stood up on stage in her cap and gown - and everyone had cried, while Camila snapped dozens of photos, which quickly found their way into their photo albums. When school was out for the summer, they'd taken a couple of weeks off from work and gone to Sinu's house, relaxing on the back porch as they read, swimming in the water during the day - all of them, except Lauren, soaking up the sunlight as their skin tanned - and crowding around a bonfire made of driftwood in the evening's, sitting on old deck chairs or on the dry sand, roasting marshmallows and throwing sticks for an overzealous Dalmatian. It was their last summer before Daisy went away to college, and Lauren was determined to make the most of it, sometimes catching herself staring at her girls and the rest of her family, a small smile on her face and a small aching feeling in her chest when she realized how much she'd miss them all being together.

Halfway through their trip though, they'd all gone down to the beach one day, Camila and Lauren in white dresses of lace and satin, picked out from a vintage store in town, barefoot with their hair falling around their shoulders, and a few flowers hastily picked from the garden clutched in their hands. Standing on the fringes of the beach, the water rippling in just inches from where they stood, hand in hand as they smiled at each other. Sofi performed the ceremony, standing before them while everyone else crowded around, watching with smiles on their own faces. It was a quick ceremony, with them reciting the vows as Sofi spoke them, sealing it with a gentle kiss and the exchanging of eternity rings, sitting just below their wedding bands, the diamonds sparkling in the sunlight. Their family all clapped, and Camila stole another quick kiss from Lauren, both of them laughing and giddy, as if they were marrying for the first time, and they both beamed for the camera as Lily snapped photos of them. Walking back up the beach, the sand shifting beneath their bare feet, they walked back up to the white house, the back steps creaking as they walked up. There was pink Moscato wine inside, and a table filled with all sorts of food, and they all sat down, toasting the couple as they ate lunch together.

The rest of the afternoon was spent on the beach, the warm breeze and laughter in their ears as they kicked a ball around with Lily, who was better at soccer than all of them, waded through the shallow waters when the heat became almost unbearable, and then Lauren retired to the back steps, watching as Carter squealed as Artemis jumped through the waves, a stick clamped between her teeth as she splashed her, and a small smile played on her lips as she watched Camila wrestle it off her, her lace dress just skimming the top of the water, the white fabric in stark contrast to her tanned skin, while her hair shone golden in the sunlight. Sinu and Clara were sitting in the corner of the porch, quietly talking over glasses of wine, while Maggie was trying to show Lily how to properly tackle someone, much to Lauren's exasperation. Sofi was evenly cutting up their dessert inside the kitchen, which left Daisy, who was brushing sand off herself as she walked up the beach, dark sunglasses covering her eyes and her dark curls tousled by the wind. She took a seat on the step next to Lauren, running a hand through her hair, before resting her elbows on her knees, leaning forward slightly.

Lauren reached out and pressed her hand against Daisy's shoulder, and her daughter turned to look at her, her eyes unreadable behind her glasses, but her eyebrows rising slightly in question. A sudden twinge in her heart made Lauren give her a sad smile, as she realized that Daisy would be leaving soon. Her daughter seemed more excited with every passing day, the idea of college growing on her with every moment, but Lauren was filled with a sense of nervous sadness, knowing that it was stupid to feel so upset at her daughter going off to get a degree, but knowing that the house would feel so empty without her. For eighteen years the house had been filled with her laughter, her shouting, the sound of her playing the piano - first clumsily, but then at a skill level that made them all proud - and Lauren would miss her every moment that she was gone. Looking at her daughter, she gave her a small smile.