Epilogue 2

Kian/ Mallory

Kian

21 years old

"Be good, okay, little princess?" I said, kneeling down to her level, my hands gently cupping her cheeks. I could feel the lump in my throat, but I pushed it down. "Just be yourself and talk to people, okay, bub?" I kissed her forehead softly and played with her little pigtail, my heart swelling with pride.

"Okay, daddy. I'll be good." Orla grinned up at me, giving me a quick peck on the cheek before turning to walk towards the door to her classroom.

I watched her go, my little girl, and as she stepped inside, I felt the weight of the moment hit me. This was it. Orla was starting school. It felt like just yesterday she was a newborn in my arms, and now, here she was, growing up, taking those first steps toward independence.

My heart ached a little as I turned away from the door, but I knew she was ready. Mal and I had done our best to prepare her for this moment. She was strong, kind, and smart—she'd make friends in no time. And she was mine. Our daughter.

As I walked towards the car, I couldn't help but think about how much Orla looked like Mal. They were identical, my two girls. It was hard to tell where one ended and the other began sometimes. Mal had always been the most important person in my life, and now, having Orla, I knew my heart was complete. I loved them both exactly the same.

I hopped into the car, trying to shake off the emotions threatening to overwhelm me. It was just a school day. But it felt like more.

Pulling up at the garage, I knew I had a busy day ahead of me, but Joe and Tony would probably want to know how Mal handled the first day. Trish had already warned me that there would be tears, and Aoife said some of the mams would be staring at me. They probably did. I wasn't exactly used to the attention, but I didn't mind. I was proud of my family, proud of Mal, and proud of Orla.

When I walked inside the garage, Tony looked up from the counter, giving me a knowing smile. "How's Mal? Tears yet?"

I grinned, leaning against the wall. "Not yet. She'll be alright, I think. She's just... adjusting."

Joe gave me a sidelong look. "You're not adjusting, are you? Bet you miss the little one already."

I chuckled, running a hand through my hair. "I'm just glad she's starting school. It's a big day. But yeah, I'll miss her too."

Tony laughed. "She's growing up fast, eh? You and Mal must be so proud."

I nodded. "We are. She's our little star."

I pulled out my phone and texted Mal, as I had promised, to report back on how the family was handling Orla's first day.

"How's the first day going?" I typed, before adding a quick message to the family group chat: "Orla's in class. I miss her already."

Then, I put my phone down, trying to focus on work, but my mind kept drifting back to her—my daughter, my world.

Mallory

The house felt too quiet.

I kept pacing back and forth between the kitchen and the living room, picking up bits that didn't need picking up, wiping down surfaces that were already clean, fluffing cushions that were perfectly fine. I kept glancing at the clock even though it wasn't even 11 yet.

My girl wouldn't be out until half 12. And yes, I knew it was only half a day. And yes, I knew she'd be fine. But still.

It was her first day.

And I wasn't crying, by the way. I just had something in my eye for a solid fifteen minutes after Kian left to drop her off. He'd gone off to the garage, and now I was left with nothing but my overactive mammy brain and the silence of a house without a bouncing, giggling four-year-old in it.

I was in the middle of refolding her little summer dresses on the back of the sofa for the third time when the front door opened.

"Mal?!" Serena's voice rang through the house, all full of energy like it always was.

"In here!" I called back, already smiling.

She came strutting into the sitting room like she owned the place, sunglasses on her head, giant iced coffee in hand. "You'll never guess what happened at—" She stopped, eyes scanning the room. "Wait. Where is she?"

I blinked. "Who?"

"Orla. Obviously."

I let out a tiny laugh. "She's at school, Rena."

Serena stared at me like I'd just told her I shaved my head. "What?"

I raised an eyebrow. "Her first day. Today. The big one. Remember?"

"Today?! Today today?!"

"Yes," I said slowly, trying not to laugh. "I've been going on about it for weeks, Rena."

She looked utterly betrayed, clutching her chest. "Why didn't anyone tell me?!"

"I told everyone!"

"I thought you meant like next week or something! I even brought her a Kinder egg!" She pulled it out of her bag, waving it like some sort of offering. "And I wore the special t-shirt."

I tilted my head. "What t-shirt?"

She unzipped her jacket to reveal a bright pink shirt that said "Cool Aunt Mode: Activated."

I snorted. "You're unbelievable."

She flopped down on the couch, kicking off her shoes. "I was emotionally prepared to cuddle a four-year-old and now I feel robbed."

"She finishes at 12:30," I said, sitting beside her. "You can come with me to pick her up if you want."

Her eyes lit up. "Really?"

"Yeah. But only if you promise not to cry more than me."

"No promises," she said, wiping an invisible tear already. "Our baby's growing up too fast."

I leaned my head on her shoulder, smiling. "Tell me about it."

And for the first time all morning, I felt a bit more like myself again.

"But go on then..what happened?" I ask, sitting up straight to look at her, the brunette sipping her iced latte, probably vanilla or something.

"Conor..bought us a puppy."

I blinked at her, processing the words, before I burst out laughing. "What?"

Serena nodded, her eyes wide with excitement, like she'd just received the world's greatest gift. "Yeah! A little border collie. She's all black and white with these big puppy eyes. She's already trying to chew everything in sight. It's honestly adorable."

I shook my head, trying to suppress another laugh. "Conor? Buying a puppy? This is the same guy who refuses to feed his plants properly, and now he's a dog owner?"

Serena nodded, a mischievous glint in her eyes. "I know. It's absurd. I still don't know how he convinced my parents, but apparently, it's been his dream to have one of our own. He was all 'I want someone to love me when I get home' or whatever. Like I'm not right there? It's actually kind of sweet, in a Conor kind of way."

I laughed again, imagining Conor with a tiny, fluffy dog. "Well, at least it's not a snake, right?"

"True," she agreed with a grin. "And now we've got a little pup to spoil. Guess who's already planning to name it after me?"

"Of course, you'd want that." I nudged her shoulder with mine. "You're basically the queen of attention."

"Not wrong," Serena said, laughing along with me. "But seriously, it's a big deal. I never thought Conor would actually go through with it. But now he's got a whole new level of responsibility. I'm waiting to see how long it lasts."

I smirked, imagining Conor's face when he realized how much work it was to raise a dog. "Oh, I give it two weeks before he's calling you, asking clean up after the puppy."

Serena rolled her eyes. "You're probably right. But hey, at least it's a step in the right direction for him."

"Well, I hope he's ready for the chaos," I said, leaning back into the couch. "I can't even imagine. One puppy, and suddenly the whole house is a zoo."

"Pretty much," Serena agreed, smiling. "But it's cute. And it's definitely going to be a good distraction from, you know, everything else."

I nodded, my thoughts drifting to Orla and the quiet house again. "I think we all need distractions at this point."

"Yeah," Serena said softly, a rare seriousness in her tone. "We do."

_________

When it got to about 12:15, Rena and I walked to Orla's new school, Serena carrying the Kinder egg she bought for her, her 'cool aunt' t-shirt on full display.

I spotted Kian standing with Dean, of course, who was wearing a shirt similar to Rena's.

"Did you two plan this? Look like a pair of eejits." I asked, looking between Rena and Dean.

In all fairness, they were, that little stupid dynamic duo but Ki and I loved them both anyway.

Serena raised an eyebrow and grinned. "You're just jealous we can pull off these cool t-shirts and you and Ki can't."

"Right, because a matching shirt makes you cool," I teased, laughing as Dean tugged at his shirt, looking slightly uncomfortable.

"Hey, I think I look good," Dean said, puffing his chest out, though it just made him look even more ridiculous. "It's all about the vibe, you know."

"Yeah, the 'trying-too-hard' vibe," I shot back, laughing even more as Dean rolled his eyes.

Kian chuckled at the banter between the four of us, shaking his head. "You're all mad," he muttered, his arms crossed as he stood next to Dean, but I could see that small smile tugging at the corner of his mouth.

I couldn't help but feel a little overwhelmed by how much I loved this crazy group of people. There was Dean, always acting like a goofball. Serena, effortlessly cool with her little antics. And Kian, who just seemed to complete everything with his steady calmness, even if our friends were chaotic. And then there was Orla, my beautiful little girl who had us all wrapped around her tiny finger.

The school came into view as we walked closer, and I could see the little ones gathered in front of the entrance, looking nervous and excited all at once. My heart was already doing that fluttery thing it always did when I thought about how big Orla was getting.

When we reached the gate, Ki immediately leaned in, pressing a kiss to my temple. "You doing okay?" he asked quietly.

I nodded, squeezing his hand. "Yeah, just... hard to believe she's this big already."

"I know," he agreed, his voice soft. "She's gonna be great."

We waited for the bell to ring, and I spotted Orla standing with her teacher, her little pigtails bouncing as she looked around for us. When her eyes met mine, her face lit up, and I couldn't help the way my heart melted.

"She's perfect, isn't she?" I whispered to Kian, not able to take my eyes off her.

"Absolutely," he replied, and we both watched as she made her way over, trying her hardest not to trip over as she ran to us.  "Mammy! Daddy! I made a new friend today!" Orla said, her little voice full of joy.

I knelt down to scoop her up, giving her a tight hug. "I'm so proud of you, sweetie. I knew you'd do great."

"I got a friend and my teacher said I was the best at colouring," she added proudly, her eyes sparkling.

"Of course you did," I said, smiling through the tightness in my chest. "You're amazing, kiddo."

Serena leaned down to hand her the Kinder egg, and Orla grinned. "Thank you, Aunt Rena! I'm gonna save it for later!"

Kian ruffled her hair, looking like he could burst with pride. "Let's get you home, little one. You earned it."

And as we walked home together, I couldn't help but feel like the luckiest person alive, with my little family right there, so full of life and love.