A Long Road Ahead

Epilogue

I smile at the little girl with big brown eyes.

Her hair is dark and curly, she is so perfect. Her smile is the most amazing thing I have ever seen and I love her more everyday.

"Hi!" Massi says, walking into the room, scooping Kassiana off of the ground.

She giggles as he talks to her.

"How are you?" My husband asks me, kissing me quickly before returning his attention to our youngest daughter.

"I'm good, just a little sad." I tell him as he guides Kassi as she is learning to walk.

"Me too Chlo." He expresses as our five and six year old both run into the room to see their father.

So far we have three kids, Carmen who is six, Jordan who is five, and Kassiana who is nearly one.

Massi and I married when we were both 20, and then we waited until after we graduated college to start our family.

Today marks the first day of school. Jordan is going into kindergarten and Carmen is going to be in first grade.

It's so sad watching your children get old.

Luckily I am still a bit young and still plan on having at least one more child soon.

Massi and I get Jordan and Carmen ready, dressing Jordan in a basic outfit of jeans and a shirt and putting Carmen in an adorable little outfit of basic shorts and a top. My daughter is a bit too active for dresses, she loves to run around.

I am able to put Kassi in a cute summer dress though.

I am just dressed like a mom, denim shorts and a tank top with thin straps and sneakers. All to go with a messy bun.

I pull Carmen's hair into a basic ponytail to the best of my abilities, it's been years and I'm still struggling with her hair, but I'm learning.

We put the three of them in the car so we can take Jordan and Carmen to school.

Luckily we know that Carmen does well at school all day, but Jordan has never been at school for this long.

I'm more worried about myself crying though.

We start by walking Carmen to her class.

The school is flooded with parents and children all saying goodbye.

"Hi, I'm Mrs. Galvin, what's your name?" The tall lady with gray hair asks my daughter.

"I'm Carmen!" She exclaims.

Massi is carrying Kassiana, so when Carmen ran ahead, it was my turn to catch up to her while he walked over with Jordan.

"Oh my gosh, Massi Carter, that is not you." She says to him.

"It is, how have you been?" He asks her.

"I've been great. Is this your daughter?" She says, referring to Carmen.

"She is," he confirms.

"No, there is no way, you are not this old. I'm not this old." She says.

I can only assume that he had her at some point during his schooling.

"Trust me, I can't believe it either." He tells her.

"And who is this?" She asks, referring to Jordan, who is a little shy and hides behind his father.

"This is Jordan." Massi introduces him to her.

"Hello, it's so nice to meet you." She says bending down to him.

She just smiles at him before looking at Kassiana.

"And you are beyond adorable." She tells her.

She just smiles and laughs before mumbling a few random words.

"Sorry, I'm Gina." She says holding her hand out for me.

"Chloe." I tell her, shaking it.

"This is your wife?" She asks Massi.

"It is." He confirms to her.

"Well, it was so nice to meet you and it was great seeing you." She says as she has other parents to meet and we have another child to take to class.

Carmen sees a friend and just gives us each a quick hug before running into the room.

The four of us go down the hall, taking Jordan to his classroom.

Because it is a new experience, everyone goes inside the room for kindergarteners, rather than leaving them at the door.

Somehow my Kindergarten teacher ended up moving to this school over the years and I was sure to make sure Jordan got her after I found out she moved here and Carmen had a different teacher.

"Chloe Courtney Collins!" She says when she sees me, hugging me tightly.

"It's so great to see you." I tell her. "And it's Carter now." I joke, correcting her.

"I saw that last name on the list, where is your child?" She asks, looking for him.

I was quick to go over to right when I saw her, so I left the rest of my family behind, again.

"This is Jordan." I introduce as they all make their way over.

Kassiana reaches for me, so I take her from Massi and hold her.

"He is adorable." She gushes. "I remember when it was you sitting in these seats. Now you are married and oh my gosh, I can't believe it. You've grown up so quickly." She tells me.

I haven't seen her since high school graduation, so it has been about 12 years.

After talking to Jordan for a bit, we manage to get him to let us leave, he really does not want us to leave, but we need to.

I try not to cry as I carry Kassiana to the car.

"They are so old." I say when I get in the passenger seat, starting to cry.

"It's okay, Chloe." Massi tells me, giving me a hug.

"I know, they are just growing up so fast." I whine.

"Kassi isn't even a year old yet, and we are still young, we still have time for more." He tells me.

We plan on trying for another kid soon, we just need to plan things a bit more.

My parents have never talked to me since that day. They have no idea I am married, or that they have grandchildren.

Massi's parents are ecstatic to be grandparents. His mom cried when we announced we were expecting Carmen.

Malia ended up getting married and just had a child a few months ago, and she plans on it being her only one.

I always have a fear that I will be a bad mom, I never had a mom who cared, so I'm always afraid I'm doing something wrong.

But I love my children more than anything.

I cannot be happier with how everything turned out, I have an amazing husband and so far we have three amazing children that I could not be more proud to call mine.

Here it is!!

My trip to Paris was insane but so amazing!!