Page 31 of Until Joy

“You've got this!” Kayan called out.

And then, before I could second-guess myself, I jumped.

The water was perfect—cool but not cold, exactly the right temperature for a hot Tennessee afternoon. When I surfaced, everyone was cheering like I'd just won an Olympic medal.

“See?” July said, swimming over to me. “Was that so hard?”

“Actually,” I said, surprised to find myself grinning, “that was kind of amazing.”

“Yay! We can play Marco Polo now!” Hope yelled.

“Mom, we need another noodle,” either James or Dean called out. With their hair wet, I couldn’t tell one from the other.

“Coming right up.” Asher held out a noodle. “Here you go, James.”

“Thanks, Grandpa.”

“Who should be ‘it’?” Hope asked.

“Daddy!” the two boys yelled as one.

“Okay, Wes, you’ve been nominated, and no cheating. I’ll be watching you,” July warned her husband.

“I want in on this,” Jax said as he slipped into the pool.

“Yay! You’re on my team,” Hope shouted.

“Sure am, honey-bunch.”

“Okay, start!” July yelled.

“Marco!” Wes hollered.

A chorus of Polos answered.

Wes dove around the pool, lunging after different people, barely getting them, but causing the children much laughter.

“Daddy, you’re not very good at this game,” one of his sons shouted out.

“I am too,” Wes whined. “It’s just that you’re better at it.”

“Marco!”

“Polo,” we all shouted.

Suddenly, Wes was right beside me. I lunged sideways, but he caught me.

“I won!” Wes cried out. “I captured a princess.”

Hope and the boys giggled. “That’s not how it works, Uncle Wes. She’s ‘it’, now,” Hope explained. “Aunt Joy has to close her eyes and find someone.”

“Oh, that’s how it works, huh?” Wes laughed.

“Make her close her eyes, Uncle Wes,” Hope cried out.

“Yeah, Daddy.”

“They’re closed, I promise.” I closed my eyes and counted to ten, then I shouted out, “Marco!”