Songs for this chapter- You and Me: Lifehouse, What A Wonderful World: Louis Armstrong
Epilogue:
•Eighteen years later•
"Care wake up!" I pull open the curtains of my messy teenager's room and light illuminates the clothes scattered on the floor. It's currently nine in the morning, and Caroline has a very busy day ahead of her.
"No, shut the sun off." She groans, flipping over to put her head in her pillow. I walk over to her bed and rip off her warm comforter, exposing her pajamas to the colder air.
"Stop being such a mum!" Caroline complains as she sits up and lets out an annoyed huff.
"Me, a mother? Who would have thought." I sarcastically comment and a small smile breaks through her grumpy facade.
"Okay, I'm up. You win. Can I go eat now?" She asks as she stands and pulls her long golden hair into a pony tail. I was right about her hair remaining blonde all through her life, she is a mirror image of Brooklyn as a young adult.
"No, your father is making pancakes. You pack the rest of your clothes while I go downstairs and make sure he doesn't burn the kitchen down." I say and she slumps down onto her stool in front of her vanity to apply her daily makeup. Caroline is very much into fashion, just like her aunt was.
"I can't believe my baby is headed off to Uni." I pout, walking over to her to kiss her head. Since she is now all done with Secondary, Caroline is jetting off to University tonight. Her school is a fashion institute in New York City, where I went to school all those years ago for dance.
"I smell smoke." She says to get me to leave her alone and go downstairs to Niall. I run my fingers through her ponytail as I walk out the door, leaving her alone to get ready.
When I make it downstairs, I'm greeted by the wonderful noise of children screaming. I roll my eyes and walk into the kitchen where Niall is standing with a spatula in his hand and an amused expression on his face.
"Good morning, sunshine." He jokes sarcastically due to the chaos hovering around us. Hunter is currently chasing Amelia around the living room and I flinch as a picture frame knocks off a table and bangs onto my hardwood floor.
"You idiot! Mia broke something!" Hunter screams and continues to chase his younger sibling.
"Mum, he's gonna kill me!" The twelve year old screams as she sees her brother raise a pillow above his head. Amelia Margaret Horan was born on the fourteenth of May and she is roughly seven years younger than Caroline. Her hair is long, brown, and wavy just as mine is. However, she has those same deep blue eyes that her sister does to match their daddy.
"No he isn't." I shout back and then glance at Niall, "Do I have to be the bad guy again?" I whine and he nods with a lighthearted smile. Niall hates giving any form of punishment or scolding. I think it's because he actually enjoys their youthful antics as he's still a child at heart.
"I don't mind the noise, at least we know they're alive." He shrugs and I narrow my eyes at him.
"Stop teasing your sister!" I scream into the living room and Hunter stops running.
"Fine!" He says mischievously as he picks up the vintage camera I bought Mia for Christmas and licks the lens.
"Ew! Was that necessary?" Mia squeals in horror. She rubs her precious camera with her sleeve in disgust and I smile at my artistic daughter. She's always watching some animal outside the window, drawing a picture of a tree, or finding the perfect angle to take a picture of the sunset. I admire her astute eye for beauty, it can be hard to find these days.
