"Killian!" I look at my son with wide eyes when I hear Elodie calling out for me.

She does not sound pleased at all.

"I told you, dad!" Ezra exclaims and I bite my lip.

"Don't tell her we let the cat out. We'll just say he escaped by himself." I whisper yell to my eighteen year old son who does not look impressed at all.

We adopted Ezra about two years after my little Ivy. He lost his parents who were originally from China at the age of two. Elodie adored the boy as soon as she saw him playing with Lego.

Anyway speaking of my little girl.

"Where's your sister?" I frown.

Ezra looks away with a guilty look and I tilt my head at his suspicious behaviour.

"Ezra, I swear to fucking God I will ground you. I don't care if you're eighteen." I grit my teeth and his eyes widen.

"Shewenttoseesomeboy." He mumbles but I understand loud and clearly.

"Does your mother know?" He nods and I slowly nod my head, giving him a pat on the shoulder. "You're still grounded." I say as I'm walking out of the dining room.

"What?!"

"Elodie!" This time I'm calling her name and searching for my wife.

"Where is Zilly?"

"Where is Ivy?"

We both question at the same time.

Elodie holds our little baby boy in her arms. Ellis looks up at me with wide eyes and then reaches out for me.

"Dada." The one year old babbles and I smile down at him with so much pride.

"Yes, my little man." I ruffle his curly hair and he giggles, kicking his little legs. I then look at my wife. "Why the hell has our daughter gone to meet a boy?" I hiss and Elodie gasps.

"What?! No way!" I roll my eyes as she tries to act oblivious.

I quickly take Ellis to his older brother. Ezra looks at me with wide eyes but I ignore him and storm back up the stairs.

I shut the door to our bedroom and then wrap my hand around her neck.

"Don't make me spank you, 'cause I fucking will, little baby. Now tell me where our little girl is." I let go of her neck and raise my eyebrows.

The door opens and in walks Enzo.

"You're having sex without me?" Enzo questions and I roll my eyes at him.

"What? No! Killian is being dramatic because Ivy has gone on a date with a boy." Elodie throws her arms up in the air and Enzo freezes. "Have you seen Zilly?" Elodie goes to change the subject and my jaw clenches.

"Fuck Zilly!"

The cat is so fucking old that it can just about walk.

Elodie's eyes begin to water. Fuck.

"No, no, no. Baby, I didn't mean that, I'm sorry." I quickly reach forward to wipe away the tears that are beginning to fall. "Please stop crying."

"She w-was so excited to meet up with this boy and h-he's so lovely to her. She didn't want to tell you because this is what she was worried would happen." She sniffles and Enzo decides to pull her into his arms and sends me a glare.

"It's okay, darling. We're not angry with you." He reassures her and I look at him with a frown.

He's just as protective over her as I am!

He looks at me over Elodie's shoulder as she buries her face in his chest. His face hardens.

So he's not happy about this!

"Where is she? I'll pick her up." Enzo questions our girl and she looks up at him with a small smile.

Poor baby. She doesn't realise what we're about to do.

"She's at that Italian restaurant that we go to every once in a while but she doesn't need to be picked up yet. She said she'd message." She informs us and a smirk etches onto my face.

•••

Enzo and I storm into the restaurant — our eyes instantly searching for Ivy.

As soon as my eyes find my fifteen year old daughter I march my way over to the two.

"Ivy." Her head shoots up and her eyes widen once she sees me.

"Dad, oh my God, this is so humiliating!" She hides her face in her hands. My eyes fall to the boy sat across from her.

"Who are you?" Enzo questions, coming up from behind me.

"Seriously! Both of you!" Ivy whispers harshly.

"I-I'm Leon, sir." The boy stutters and I roll my eyes.

"Well Leon, family emergency. Ivy, get up!"

"No."

"No?" I chuckle. "I will happily pick you up out of that chair and carry you out of here." I send her a warning look. She knows I won't backdown from this. "Or your dad and I can sit with you guys. You paying, Leon?"

The boy literally looks like a deer caught in headlights.

"I can't believe you two!" Ivy stands up from her seat and sends the boy an apologetic smile.

I scoff.

"I'm sorry, Leon. I'll text you later okay?"

"No worries, beautiful." He smiles and I look at the two with a frown.

"Home." I grab her hand and drag her out of the restaurant and towards the car.

Once we're in the car she lets loose.

"You two are so suffocating! It's annoying!" She exclaims and I look at her through the mirror.

"Don't speak to us like that, Ivy. I get you're upset but we don't even know who this boy is!" Enzo turns to face her as we start the drive home.

"You're just like your mother. You never listen." I huff and I hear her begin to sniffle. "Please don't cry, Ive." I sigh, beginning to feel bad.

She ignores me and we drive in silence the rest of the way home.

I knock on my daughter's door. It slowly opens and she looks up at me with bloodshot eyes.

"I got you some chocolate." I smile gently and she opens the door further, letting me in. I walk in and take a seat on her bed. "I'm sorry if we've upset you." I whisper and she shrugs her shoulder, taking the chocolate from my hands.

"I really like him and now because of you two, he probably won't want to see me again." She whispers in disappointment and my heart sinks.

"I'm really sorry, princess. You're so beautiful, how could he not speak to you." I open my arms up for her and she sits next to me and wraps her arms around me. "We're just protective of you, sweetheart."

"I know but please don't do it again. Mum really likes him and she said she'd help me get ready if we go on another date." I look down at her with furrowed eyebrows.

"You're going on another —"

"Get out, please."

I stand up and hold my hands up in defence.

"Okay, okay. I'm going! Love you." I smile.

"Love you too." She pushes me out and slams the door.

I then come face to face with a panicking Killian.

"What's happened? Where's Elodie?" Now I begin to panic.

"We've lost the cat." He blurts out.

"You've lost Zilly?! You've lost the fucking cat!" I hiss and he runs his hand stressfully through his hair.

"Look, we let the cat out for a bit of fresh air and then it just disappeared."

"It's an indoor cat, Killian and what do you mean we?" I question him.

"Ezra."

That boy can be trouble, just like Killian.

"You better get out there and find that fucking cat." I point and go to find my beautiful girl.

I walk into our bedroom and see her laying on the bed, fast asleep.

I sit down and begin to stroke her back.

"Baby."

She stirs awake, slowly opening her eyes. I smile gently at her as she climbs on to my lap.

"Hi." She kisses my cheek and my heart bursts.

I love her so fucking much.

Every day my love for her gets stronger and stronger.

"You okay, my love?" She nods her head.

The door slowly opens and Killian walks in.

"Zilly's dead." Elodie shoots up and frowns. "I'm sorry, I didn't mean for it to happen! He kept scratching the door and I thought that he wanted to go outside, so I opened the door and he just disappeared. He's one hundred percent dead and I'm really, really sorry. I'll sleep on the sofa." He rambles and I hold my breath as I wait for Elodie's response.

Meow.

All our heads turn to see Zilly under the covers of the duvet.

"Oh my fucking God!" Killian rushes over to the ginger cat and picks it up, hugging it.

It scratches his arm, making him drop it back on the bed. Zilly walks back over to sit on Elodie's lap.

"Piece of shit."

"Killian!" Elodie exclaims, placing the cat back on the floor. "So silly." She sighs, resting her back against my chest.

"At least I was honest." Killian mumbles and takes a seat on the other side of her.

She grabs my hand and then grabs Killian's with her other hand.

"Thank you for being honest. But don't do it again." She tells him and he nods. "I love you both."

"And we love you." We all smile at one another.

"Ivy's snuck out again!" We hear Ezra shout from the other side of the door.

Our smile falls.

If Elodie doesn't send us into an early grave from stress, Ivy definitely will.

☺️🧡