(7.5 years later)

The kicking from four pairs of feet and the memories of everything that has happened did not help my sleep last night. Thankfully, Adrian didn't wake me up throughout the night, so that's always a good thing. And even though the kicking in my stomach has been bothering me at points, I know it's going to be worth it when I hold my two daughters in my arms for the first time in two and a half months.

"Oh boy," I say, as I steady myself when I get out of the bed. Ash comes running to my side, and his arm slides behind my back as he helps me get out of the bed. My feet hit the floor, as I feel his arm remove itself from my back, and his hand slowly lifts itself from my baby bump.

"I changed Adrian's diaper already. He just needs to be fed."

I smile, and say, "Thanks, Ash. I'll go feed him now." I first go to the bathroom to brush my teeth, and when I do that, I pass by the blown up wedding photo of Ash holding me, as we were smiling as we had become a couple. I feel like I still live in that moment, 2 and a half years later. It was the day of pure bliss for me. Even though the memories of my previous marriage still continue to haunt me, it's not as bad as before. And at least now I'm married to someone who loves me and cares for me.

After brushing my teeth, I go to Adrian's room to see how bubbly he is today. I find him in his crib, dreamily eyeing the ceiling, flailing his little arms as his bright eyes look around the room, looking for his parents. "Awww, I'm here, I'm here. Your mama is right here," I coo, as I pick him up in my arms.

I then bounce him up back and forth a little bit, just so I can see his cute little smile, and surely enough, it comes up. I smile, and then carry him out to the kitchen so that he can have some breakfast because we're all hungry at this moment.

******

After feeding Adrian, Ash puts some breakfast down in front of us. I'm in no mood to cook today, so I'm grateful that he's here to help out with Adrian because doing this alone is hard for sure. I look at Adrian play with his toys a little bit, and then back at Ash, who gently sips his coffee.

"Ash, are you sure you're going to be okay? I can take Adrian to the book signing if you want."

Ash gives me a smile, puts a hand on my wrist, and says, "I will be fine, Nicole. Don't worry. I'll take care of him. You go do the book signing. I know how much you've been looking forward to this."

I give him a slightly sheepish smile, and then take my plate and dishes to the kitchen to place them in the sink. I fill them up with water, and then as I'm scrubbing them, I feel two strong hands place themselves on my shoulders.

At first, I jump a little bit, but then when I feel that it's just Ash, I relax a little bit. It's been over 8 years since I left, yet that still makes me jump a little bit. I'm still not completely grown out of the memories and the marks that Colin made.

I turn around, and then Ash cups my face with his hands. I give him another sheepish smile, as he just looks deep in my eyes. "We will be fine, don't worry. I know how long you've been waiting to meet your fans. This is your day. Go enjoy it. You are a best selling author after all. Take full advantage of it."

This time, I give him a genuine smile, and then go in to hug him. "I love you, Ash," I tell him.

I feel him kiss me on my cheek, and he says, "I love you too."

Right when I say that, I hear two pairs of feet come into the door. "We love Adrian and you guys," one of them say.

I turn around, and surely enough, Em and Isa are standing right there, with smiles on their faces. I give them a grateful smile, and turn towards Ash, who has that exact same smile on his face.

I walk over to them, and they spread their arms out in a huge hug. I hug them back, and then I again feel the kicking of my girls inside my stomach.

I let out a slight exhale and then they let me go. "Wow, looks like my daughters already love their aunts, huh?" I ask, as I place my hand on my stomach.

Em and Isa smile, and look down at my stomach. "We can't blame them. We're pretty awesome," Isa says, to which we all laugh at.

********

"Auntie Nicole!" little Hayley calls as Dom opens the door to let me inside. I walk inside, and then Hayley and Jared come running up to me. Hayley throws her arms around me, and Jared does so too.

Lara comes running in, just to make sure they aren't strangling my babies and I to death. "Alright, guys, let go of her. You don't want your cousins to not breathe, huh?"

Hayley and Jared let go, and I get up to come to eye level with Lara. "Auntie, did you bring presents?" Hayley asks excitedly, to which Lara's jaw drops open.

"Hayley, that's not nice at all! You don't say that!" Hayley looks at me, with a slightly guilty look on her face, and then I just chuckle, because she's just way too cute.

"No, I didn't bring any today. Next time, okay?" Hayley then nods excitedly, and then she runs off, probably to go bug Dom. I walk up to Lara, who still pretty much looks the same, even after having two kids. The only difference is the few gray hairs that are shining through her dark mane.

"You have your book signing today?" she asks, as Dom walks through the door.

I nod, and then Dom comes and snakes an arm around Lara. "I do. I still can't believe that you were able to help me to get published and to be a best selling author. I don't know how to thank you, Lara."

She smiles, and then says, "You don't have to. Seeing you successful is all I need to know that my work wasn't in vain."

I smile, and then Dom says, "If Dad was here, he would've came to that book signing and cheered you on from a mile away."

My face then drops, as I remember my dad. I was so glad that he was there to see me get married to Ash, to hold my first son, and to see my book become a best seller, but it makes me sad that he won't get to see my fanbase and get to meet his two granddaughters. "I just wish he was here to meet Kate and Esme. He would've loved them."

Dom gives a sheepish smile, and then Lara just tries to change the subject. "I still love the names though. Katrina Lillian and Esmeralda Evelyn. Beautiful. How did Ash react when you told him you were using his mom's name as Esme's middle?"

I smile, remembering how touched he was at the thought. "Both thrilled and touched. I think he's way more excited to meet them. Oh, speaking of kids, are Jess and Derek coming? You told me something about a play date."

"Well, speak of the devil, huh?" I hear Elena's familiar voice tell me. I turnaround, and surely enough, she's standing there, actually looking half decent for once. Her hair is pulled back into a slightly messy bun, and with that, I see her two little kids run into the room. 

Jessica and Derek run into the room, with so much energy that it makes me a little nervous, to be honest. ¨Auntie Nicole!" Jess squeals, as I kneel down to give her a hug. 

"Hi, Jess!" I coo, as she runs into my arms and hugs me tightly. Roy walks into the room next, and the next thing you know Jess lets me go and puts a hand on my stomach. 

¨Are the babies kicking in there? When are Katie and Esme going to come out?" I chuckle, as Elena smiles at me. 

"I don't know, hun. Babies come out on their own time." 

Jess then goes to hang out with Hayley, as Derek goes to pick on Jared a little bit. I smile, then get up from kneeling down, and then go to greet Roy and Elena. 

"How's life, guys?" I ask, as Elena adjusts the strap on her purse. 

"Nothing much, honestly. I've just been sending them to school as Roy and I have been working a lot. Education, am I right?" 

I smile, and then place my hand on my stomach as I can feel one of my girls kicking in there. "Katrina and Esme are going to be soccer players, huh?" 

I chuckle, and just think about the day they actually decide to play soccer on the field instead of in my stomach in this moment. "I'm just waiting for the day they're not playing soccer in my stomach." 

Roy and Elena laugh, as Hayley and Jess pull at each other's hair a little bit. Elena's eyes widen, as we both go to break them up a little bit. "This is such deja vu." I think to myself, as I reminisce about the times Elena would pull Dom's hair just to annoy him. 

*********

"Mama," Adrian coos, as I walk inside the house. My hand feels like it's been lifting heavy for the past three hours, but Ii know that the end result is all worth it. The love I get from my fans, as well as the support is more than enough and it overshadows my hurting hands more than anything. 

"Hey, baby. I gotcha." I say, as I lift Adrian up in my arms. I bounce him up and down in my arms, as he grabs one one of my blonde locks to pull on it a little bit. He gurgles a little bit, as I smile. 

"Where's Dad? I have a lot to tell him." Without another second being spared, Ash walks into the room, as I walk towards the kitchen to get something. 

"Hey, babe. How was the signing?" he asks me, as he snakes an arm around me. 

I smile, rest my head against his shoulder, and say, "It was good, actually. I loved meeting everyone. I took lots of pictures, even though I look like a whale right now. But it was fun to meet everyone and hear their opinions on my book." 

Ash smiles, as he goes to the kitchen to get another glass of water. "I was thinking of making dinner tonight. Are you in the mood for carbs?"

I lick my lips a little bit, as I think about how good carbs sound after a long night. "Now I am. What do you have on the menu, Chef Asher?"

Ash chuckles a little bit, and then says, "Fettuccine Alfredo. I'm in the mood for a garlicky sauce and something that will probably give us a food coma."

I smile, and then right at that moment. Adrian starts to cry a little bit. I look at him, with a concerned look, and say, "No, no! Baby, what's wrong?"

He just cries a little bit more, and then I look back at Ash. "Did you change his diaper?" 

"Yeah, an hour ago!" 

"Feed him?" 

"Of course I did." Ash then takes him, and starts to gently sing to him in an attempt to calm him down. It works, and in the meantime, I look over to the copy of my book sitting on the dining cable, and I just admire it. 

I still can't believe that a simple piece of literature was enough to get me fame. Semi fame, at least. 

I open the cover, and I start to read the first couple of words that were able to make me such a loved figure. "From a young age, I had always been given the nickname of Phoenix..."

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Awww, what a memorable ending. That's just way too cute for me. I just love that Nicole's married to Ash and has two little girls on the way. I love how everyone's at least kind of happy. Did you expect this kind of ending? Let me know in the comments. 

And that is it! After almost 9 months of posting on here, I've finally completed Phoenix. Honestly, it's so surreal knowing how many reads I've gotten on this book. Right now it stands at 2.66k reads and I'm grateful for every single one of them. I'm grateful for all the love and support you guys have given me. I don't think I would've been able to complete this book without it. 

Also, if you guys want me to write any bonus scenes (Nicole's wedding, when she found out she was pregnant, etc.) then please let me know, and I will ABSOLUTELY do it! :) 

But don't worry. This isn't my last work. I'm currently posting a mystery novel that you can check out, and guess what? I have a new slow burn romantic prequel coming soon! Yeah, it's 20 chapters, and I'm planning on releasing the cast and author's note a few weeks from now. (probably on the week of April 8th). Keep your eyes peeled for that!

But, that's not going to be for a little while. To finish this off, I just want to thank you guys. Thank you for sticking around with me for so long, waiting eagerly for updates, cheering with Nicole, crying for her, squealing, whatever the case may be. I couldn't ask for better people to support me and be the best audience to this book, but to also be considered my friends. You guys are all amazing. 

And for now, that is all that I have. I hope you guys enjoyed not only this chapter, but the book overall. 

Please vote/comment/share/follow/message if you like my work. I'll see you all very soon with my new book and with new chapters of my mystery book. Have a great time while I'm editing it and posting.

Love you guys, forever,

Shree