Hello, everyone! Welcome back to Chapter 2 of The Following Years in Love. I hope you are all enjoying the sequel so far. It would be greatly appreciated if you could give my sequel some love, and RATE, REVIEW, and FOLLOW. I fear that others who read The Summer I Fell in Love are not aware of this new series. That aside, I am really enjoying writing this story so far. It's amazing what a new plot line can do for writer's block!

Nick's POV:

Our dining room was dimmed on the night of my thirty-fourth birthday. The warm summer days were becoming shorter, with fall on the horizon. As I sit at the head of our dining room table, in walks Jordan and Catherine with the birthday cake that they had been working on for me that day. The two of them began to sing "Happy Birthday", and the cake was placed in front of me, for me to blow out the candles. The one thing that I wished for was for the days to go by a little slower. Catherine was starting kindergarten tomorrow, and it seems that our baby girl was growing up in the blink of an eye. However, as the years continued, the days kept getting better and better. This new year was to be one of the best, I just knew it.

The three of us sat at the dining room table, and Catherine looked up at me with a smile.

"Daddy, wait right there, and close your eyes. I have a present for you!"

I chuckled and agreed; "Alright, princess. Tell me when to open my eyes!"

I closed my eyes, and I could hear her little footsteps scamper off into the other room. A few moments later, I heard her little feet tap across the floor.

"Okay Daddy, open your eyes!"

I opened them and my heart immediately swooned. It was a little drawing of our family. Sure, it may look like scribbles to others, but to me, her illustration done in crayon is priceless. I glanced over to the bottom of the paper, and in Catherine's chicken scratch, it read "Happy Birthday Daddy, I love you. Love Catherine".

"Come here my baby girl, I love it! Thank you so much!"

Catherine ran into my arms and gave me a great big hug, and I gave her a kiss on the cheek. She was such a wonderful little girl, and I loved her with my whole heart.

"That's a very lovely picture, Kitty! I'm sure Daddy is going to hang that right in his office!" Jordan said as she winked at me.

"Of course! I think it will match the decor perfectly." I retorted.

Jordan chuckled, and Catherine got up and said to the both of us; "Lets go put it in the office now Daddy!"

Jordan looked over at the clock, and said; "Maybe tomorrow, Catherine! You have to get ready for your big day tomorrow!"

"That's right, Kitty Catherine. You'll need a good night's rest for school tomorrow!" I added.

Catherine all of a sudden got very quiet. She always reminded me of Jordan when she got upset. Catherine shut down, and nodded her head. I could see in her eyes that she was upset. She hasn't seemed very nervous for school all week, but now it was probably hitting her. It broke my heart to see my baby girl sad, but she was growing up, and this was a natural part of life.

Jordan's POV:

We had been having such a lovely evening for Nick's birthday, but it seems that it has taken a turn. Little tears started to well up in Catherine's eyes. I had a hard time keeping myself from crying, but I had to be strong for her.

I walked over to her, and stooped down to her level. Her eyes wandered down, and tears started to roll down her cheeks. I held her face in my hand, and had her look at me.

"What's wrong Catherine? What's bothering you?" I said in a comforting whisper.

More tears started to fall. I ran my hands through her long, golden brown locks. All of a sudden, she clung to me, and wrapped her arms around me. Tiny, little whimpers were coming from her. Catherine clung onto me, and wouldn't let go.

"Baby, tell me what's the matter…"

"Mummy…" she gasped; "I don't want to go to school tomorrow."

I pulled her away from me so I could look at her. "Why don't you want to go to school, darling?"

"I'm afraid." She said as she continued to cry.

"What is there to be afraid of, my love?"

"I don't want to leave you and Daddy." She said as she continued to cry.

I looked back at Nick sitting in the chair, queuing him to join in on the conversation.

"Kitty, I know you don't want to leave Mummy and me, but you'll have so much fun at school! You'll meet new friends, and you will learn new things, and then, Mommy and Daddy will be there at the end of the day to get you."

"But…." She gasped for air; "What if no one likes me…"

My heart broke in two when she said that. I couldn't imagine anyone not liking our sweet little Catherine. If anyone was rude to her, I would be the first mother down there to make sure that my baby was okay.

"Oh baby, you'll have lots of friends! You're so kind, and sweet, and smart… You don't have anything to worry about, my love."

"You're going to have so much fun tomorrow, you'll forget all about how worried you are!" Nick added.

"Trust me, baby. You're going to be just fine. And that is a promise."

Catherine nodded her head, and pulled me in for another hug. She then shuffled her way over to Nick for another. We all made our way up stairs, to get ready for the big day awaiting us.

Nick's POV:

We finally got Catherine all settled in for the night. We tucked her in, and told her how much we loved her. I read her a short story, until she fell asleep. I looked down at her sleeping form, and kissed her forehead. As I sat on the edge of her bed, I looked around the room, and found myself getting a little emotional.

Catherine was growing up. Sure, she was only in kindergarten, but those four, almost five years since she was born went by so quickly. It seems like just yesterday that she was born.

I got up, and shut off the light on Catherine's nightstand. I made my way down the hall, into Jordan and I's bedroom. Jordan looked up from the photo album she was looking at, and looked at me. Tears started to roll down her face, and a few tears made there way down mine.

"Wasn't she just born yesterday…. How can she be in school already?" Jordan said as she gazed at the pictures.

I climbed into bed, and wrapped my arm around Jordan, and looked down at the page of photographs.

"Gosh, she was such a cute baby." I said as I chuckled at a picture of Catherine when she was first born.

Jordan nodded, and smiled. "But look at her here Nick, isn't she a doll?"

I looked down at that picture and smiled. Catherine was about one, and she was just beginning to walk.

"I love this picture…." I said as I pointed to a snapshot of Catherine next to Jordan. Catherine was two there, and trying to mimic her mother golfing.

"I do too… It makes me wish that she was that little again. But I love this one too…" Jordan said as she pointed to a picture of Catherine and I. This was just last year, but Catherine looked so little. She was sitting on my lap, at my desk in the other room, pressing her little fingers on the keys of my typewriter.

Jordan closed the photo album, and looked over at me. "Oh Nick, I'm so nervous. I just want her to have a good day tomorrow…"

I pulled her into an embrace. Her head fell onto my shoulder, and our hands intertwined.

"She'll be okay, Jordan. If she's anything like her mother, she'll have no issue with getting her classmates to love her."

Jordan smirked; "I hope so. If she's anything like you, she'll be the smartest one in the room."

I kissed her temple; "She'll be just fine."

"I know Nick, it's just so hard to let go."

"Jordan, she's not leaving forever, just for a few hours!"

"Nick, I know, but she's my baby girl. I just want to keep her with me."

"I know, I know. But, this is what parenthood is like. The older they get, the more you have to let go."

"That doesn't make it any easier…"

"No darling, that it doesn't."

Jordan's POV:

The morning came, and both Nick and I got up early, just so we could help our little girl get ready for the day.

I made her breakfast, and she came bouncing down the stairs, and into the dining room.

"Good Morning Mummy! Good Morning Daddy!"

I was a little shocked at the change in her attitude from last night. I think that Nick and I are more nervous than she is.

"Did you sleep well, Catherine?"

She nodded her head as she continued eating her toast. Nick looked over at her, and then to me with a puzzled look on his face.

"Catherine, why are you eating so quickly?"

"I don't want to be late for school!"

Nick and I looked at each other and laughed. We were certainly more scared than our daughter.

Nick and I tried to eat a little something before Catherine had to be to school, but she was very persistent in getting to school early.

Catherine grabbed her lunch, and held Nick and I's hand as we walked out the door, and walked to the Elementary School on Long Island.

On the way there, she was her typical, happy self. She talked and talked, and seemed to be very excited.

We got to the school, and dropped her off at the door to her classroom. I stooped down and gave her a big hug.

"Have a wonderful day, sweetheart. Be a good girl, and Mommy and Daddy will be here later to get you."

Now, Nick got down to her level, and pulled her into another big hug.

"Be a good girl, Kitty. I love you."

She nodded in agreement, and scampered right into her class. Nick and I stayed back for a moment to see what she was doing. She joined right in with another group of girls, and seemed to have forgotten all about Nick and I.

Nick and I walked home in relative silence.

"I don't think she'll be thinking of us until it's time to go home." Nick chuckled.

I smiled in response; "Yes, I think you're right.

We continued to walk, and then I began to panic.

"Oh Nicky, she doesn't need me anymore."

Nick looked over at me with a puzzled look on his face.

"Darling, of course she needs you! She's only four!"

"Oh Nick, I know. I just wish that she could be little forever."

"I know, my love. But, it's going to be fun watching her grow up."

"Well, I suppose you're right."

Hand in hand, Nick and I made our way back to our bungalow. It was oddly quiet, and I found it difficult to occupy my time. I got myself out of the house, and played a few rounds. I was doing pretty well for not practicing as much as I used to.

Nick managed to keep writing for a majority of the day, but I feel that the both of us were counting down until it was time to get Catherine.

Finally, it was three o'clock. Nick and I looked out onto the playground to pick up Catherine. We spotted her immediately, running around, and playing with the other children. We both knew all along that she would be just fine.

She spotted Nick and I, and ran into our arms.

"Hi Mommy, Hi Daddy!"

"Hello my sweet girl! How was your day?" I said as I had her enveloped in a hug.

"It was so much fun! I made some new friends, and we played, and my teacher is very nice."

"Mommy and I are so glad you had a nice day." Said Nick with a smile.

The three of us walked hand in hand back home. We laughed, as Catherine told us stories about her day."

"I had a lot of fun, but I still missed you." Said Catherine.

"We missed you too baby, but we're so happy that you had a nice day."

"I missed you lots, princess. Don't worry about Mommy and me. Just have fun at school, you promise?" Nick said as he looked down at Catherine.

"I promise."

We all made our way back home, hand in hand. Even though time was going by quickly, the three of us still enjoyed it nonetheless.