12 Epilogue

Rita's p.o.v

It's Ivy's 15th birthday today. I really don't know where all that time's gone.

After Michael graduated college he started working straight away, he was lucky enough to get an internship in his final year which led to a job. He does have to go away for a few days each year for work, I'm fine with it, I can deal with him going away but Ivy still struggles with it, she still gets upset when he leaves, you'd think she'd be used to it by now but apparently not.

When Ivy was 3 me and Michael had a baby boy called Matthew, he wasn't planned either but Michael took care of him while I was at college and when he had to work they would both go to the colleges day care. Ivy looks a lot like me and Matthew looks a lot like Michael but they both have his attitude.

"Mum would you concentrate" Ivy snapped. I was helping her do her hair for her party but apparently I'm not doing it the way she likes it.

"Ivy can you stop with the attitude, it's not too late to cancel your party you know"

"Mum would you stop with that threat, I'm not 12 anymore" she snapped, rolling her eyes.

"Ivy don't talk back to your mum" Michael said, standing at the door.

"Sorry daddy"

I looked at Michael and rolled my eyes. She never listens to me! But if Michael tells her to do something she'll do it straight away. She's daddy's little girl and it's really annoying.

Ivy's invited all of her friends to her party and then she's going into town with them and is going to spend the night at one of there houses. And Matthew is going to spend the night at one of his friends houses, mainly because Ivy doesn't want him in the house when she has her party and he was moaning that it was unfair for her to be able to spend the night at a friends house and for him to not be able to. Even if it is her birthday. It doesn't mean that me and Michael get a rare night where it's just the two of us.

~~~

"I have no idea what's gotten into that girl! All of a sudden she went from this sweat little girl to a demon over night" I sighed, flopping down onto our bed. Everyone had finally gone home and Ivy and Matthew were out for the night.

"Unfortunately babe she's growing up. She can't stay our little girl forever" Michael said, playing with my wedding ring. Michael and I got married around 10 years ago. He proposed when Ivy was about 2 and we wanted to wait until Ivy was a little older but then I got pregnant with Matthew so we had to wait a little while longer.

I don't know how Michael can tell me that she can't stay our little girl forever, he's the one that say's she will always be a kid to him and even when she's an adult he's not going to see her as one. She got a boyfriend not too long ago and Michael went nuts, I do understand why though, he's 18 and we don't see what an 18 year old wants with a 15 year old. We're both scared that she's going to end up making the same mistake I did. She likes to think that she's a lot older than she actually is, if we go out shopping for clothes she likes to try and get clothes that would be more for someone around 18, not 15.

Matthew on the other hand is a good kid, he doesn't try and act like he's older than he really is. He's just a normal 12 year old boy, he likes going out and playing with his friends, which I don't mind because he always tells me where he is. When Ivy was 12 I let her go to her friends house, but when I called her friends mum to ask what time she would be coming home I was told that she wasn't there. I later found out that she'd been hanging out with a group of boys who were a year or two older. I don't see her need to lie to me about everything or try and act more grown up than she is. I've told her that she wants to stay a kid as long as she can because being an adult isn't fun but she doesn't want to listen to me.

I just pray she doesn't make the same mistake I did!