FINAL CHAPTER AVA AND NICK

“Nick!” Ava cried out, disgruntled.




At her cries, Reid came to her rescue, cocking Nick at the back of the head with a cooking spoon. “Stop making fun of a pregnant woman, you asshole,”




“Ouch!” Nick robbed his poor head and glared at Reid.




“Apologize to her now,” Reid glared right back at him.




Ava then crossed her arms and waited for him to apologize.




“I'm sorry, Your Highness,” Nick drawled but his eyes were laughing so hard.




All this time, Hazel was just trying hard not to laugh out loud.



Ava pouted before facing the door and started out of the kitchen.



She already passed by the door when she heard Nick say, “You still waggle like a duck though,”




“Nick! You're a bad man!” she shot at him as she walked away.




Freya stopped what she was doing and stared at her with sympathy in her eyes, “Don’t mind Nick, Baby. You walk just right,” But Ava could see she's trying not to laugh.



Ava only huffed and started towards the exercing room Reid and Nick set up for her as advised by the doctor. While she walked, she kept wondering why the whole world was against her.




After dinner, Ava cleared her throat as if to grab everyone’e attention and so she did. All worried gazes zeroed-in on her immediately.




“Are you okay?” Reid asked.




“Do you want something?” Hazel added, looking as worried as she felt.




Ava smiled, “What more could I ever want when I have you all here with me?” her heart constricted in pain and she lowered her head to hid her blurry eyes.




“I want to go on a ride slash evening walk, guys. I hope that's okay,” she appealed when lifting her head back.




“But someone has to go with you. I hope you know that,” Freya chipped in and Reid gave her a look. That’s exactly what he wanted to say.




“Of course, I don't mind at all. Nick will come with me,” said Ava and a broad smile came out of Nick’s face.




“At your beck and call anytime, Your Highness,” he bowed respectfully.




Hazel couldn't stop her eyes from rolling, “Why must it be Nick of all people? He's going to make the ride so stressful by teasing you to no end, Ava,”




“And that's exactly why I chose him. C’mon, let’s get prepared, Nick,” Ava smiled, getting up and rounding the table to get out.




Nick also stood up and followed Ava out. And as he left, he pulled a childish move, stucking lot his tongue at Hazel with an ear-to-ear grin on his face.




Scoffing, “There’s nothing you can say to prove me wrong, Reid. That guy is still ten,” Hazel grunted, glaring at his back view disappearing to the hallway.




Reid chuckled softly, not saying anything.



*****


“Twinkle, twinkle, little stars,”

“How I wonder what you are,”

“Up above the world so high,”

“Like a diamond in the sky,”




Ava let out occasional chuckles while she listened to Nick who had been reciting some common poem popular among kids.




Nick actually loved the way she was smiling brightly and then he asked, “Are you enjoying it, Princess? Do you want me to sing more?”




Ava shook her head, still laughing, “How I would have love it if your voice was charming, Nick. Your voice is whack. It's okay to say you sing like a frog,” tears were beginning to well up in her eyes with how hard she was laughing.




Nick spared her a glance, putting on an upset look, “That’s quite offensive, Princess. I'm being a gentle man here,”




Then Ava stopped laughing and patted his arm gently, “Not all gentlemen sing for their ladies, Dear Nick. Zac, for example, he'd never taken the initiative to sing for me before,” she suddenly stopped talking, pressed her lips together and looked out the window.




Nick also felt an ache in his chest at the mention of his boss’s name but he suppressed his own pain and took a glance at Ava’s face. And as expected, he catches a glimpse of a tear rolling down her face.




Slowly, he wound down the window glass and peered outside, “Fuck you, Reid! Fuck you for being an asshole to the Princess all this time! Fuck you big time, you son of a bitch!” he shouted to the night while driving.




Chuckling, Ava stared at him and didn't even know what to think about this young man anymore. He sure have his way of letting her put away her pensive mood.




“Why is Reid suddenly in the picture? Why are you cursing at him?” she asked, her arms folded on her big belly.




Grinning, Nick looked at Ava from the road, “Now that I think about it, Princess. I feel you should despise Reid for not being a fan of yours initially,” he uttered, looking as serious as never before.




Ava shook her head, unbelievably, “And what does that has to do with anything, Nick? The past matter no more but the present. Reid had atoned for his mistakes and we're cool now. So what's wrong with that?”





“Everything is wrong, Princess,” Nick retorted, “You like Reid more than me which is not fair, Your Highness,”




Ava laughed, “Are you jealous?”




Nick pouted and focused on driving, saying nothing.




“But I like your more and that's why you're on this ride with me,” Ava nudged his arm and confessed.




“Really?” a wide grin came upon Nick’s lips as he peeked at Ava.





“Yeah. You're my new best friend, Nick,” Ava told him with a genuine smile on her lips.





“Woo-hoo!” Nick screamed into the night again, “I’m the Princess’s NEW BEST FRIEND, YOU ALL!”




Ava cracked up, throwing her head back.




“YOU ALL ARE DEAD! Ha ha!” Nick shouted again, laughing like a mad man.




Some minutes later. Nick parked the car at a roadside at Ava’s order and after they both alighted from the car, Nick went back to the car and brought out his revolver.




He was tucking it into his Jean when Ava said, “That’s not necessary, Nick. We're only going for a stroll,”




“Yes, Princess, but I have got to do this. Remember my life is on the line if something bad happens to you,” Nick responded.





Ava didn't press any further and started walking away and Nick quickly followed.





“The stars are shiny tonight, aren't they?” Ava looked up at the sky, her eyes beaming.






Nick only nodded, “Is there something you want to do, Your Highness?” he probed.





Ava looked around and she saw a cafe across the road. “I would like some black coffee, Nick,”




Nick nodded sharply and skipped into the coffee shop and came back not too long after with two disposable coffee cups with lids.




“There, let's sit down while you enjoy your coffee,” Nick said while he led Ava to a park bench across the street.



A comfortable silence descended upon them as soon as they sat down. No one tried to break it. Instead, they enjoyed it.



“Do you know how I met Zac?” Ava raised a question, taking a large sip of her coffee.



Nick didn't reply as he only looked down at his coffee cup. He really wished Ava wouldn't be thrown into despair once she started talking about Zac.



“He’d come into the cafe I work then. Before he came in that day, a female customer had slapped me just because I slipped water on Zac’s image,”



Nick’s eyes widened in shock, “What? Was she crazy?”


Ava smiled and nodded. “She was crazy, crazily obsessed with Zac,”


“Zac came in with his assistant and as soon as the crazy girl sighted him, she sprinted to him at the door and wanted to hug him but guess what?” Ava turned to Nick and waited for his reaction.


“The boss pushed her away aggressively?” Nick speculated.


Tears blurred her eyes while an amused laugh slipped up her throat, “You know him way too well, don't you?”


Nick only smiled and a silence descended upon them again.


“Have you thought a name for the baby yet?” Nick asked, breaking the silence.


“Huh?” Ava was caught off guard. “Oh,” she drawled, and then started rubbing her belly against the yellow sundress she was wearing.


“I haven't thought of a name yet. Have you?”


Nick readjusted on his seat and started grinning from ear to ear, “If the baby is a girl, she would be Nico,”


“And if the other sex?” Ava raised her brows.


“Then he would be Nick,” Nick noted, raising his head proudly.


“And what if they are twins? Let me guess_”


“Then they would be Nick and Nico,” Nick completed for her and Ava scoffed. “I meant if they are two girls,”


Nick pursed his lips, shaking, “I’ve not thought of that yet,”


He had barely finished his words when a shiver suddenly ran through his spine.


He swiftly looked around their environment but there was nothing out of the ordinary.


He became highly strung up. He didn't like this feeling. He didn't like it at all and without wasting time, he pulled out his phone and started typing on it.


“Who are you texting? Is there a problem?” Ava asked after she noticed how apprehensive Nick had become.


“Reid,” Nick replied simply and pocketed his phone back. He gave Ava a warm smile. “I won't let anything bad to happen to you, I promise,”


Ava became tense and couldn't keep calm any longer, “What’s happening, Nick? Tell me,”


Just then, the sound of a gunshot rang out in the air, causing Ava to yell, terrified.


The fearful people around the place started running for their lives too.


Nick had produced his gun and aimed at the direction the sound came from. But, there was no one there.


“Quickly, let's get you to the car,” Nick hauled a frightened Ava to her feet and made her walk fast to their car.


But when they got to where the car was parking, a guy dressed as a Ninja got out of nowhere and aimed his gun at Ava. Nick shot him dead immediately and his lifeless body fell to the floor.


Ava had started whimpering, recalling the horrible event that happened the night Zac disappeared.


“Come on, everything will be okay, Princess. I’m here,” Nick assured Ava while he led her to the nearside.


But then everything happened so fast. One moment, Nick was telling Ava everything would be okay and she shouldn’t worry and the next moment, Nick was lying on the floor in front of Ava.


He'd come to her front to take the bullet.


“NICK!” Ava shouted at the top of her voice, squatting in front of Nick while blood oozed from his chest profusely.


“Hey, quit that and come with me now,”


Ava looked up and saw the Ninja who had just shot Nick and she became infuriated. Impulsively, she grabbed Nick’s gun from his grasp and before the Ninja knew what was going on, Ava had shot his head and body repeatedly. “To hell with you, bastard!”


“Nick,” she let go of the gun and hurriedly held his head up on her thighs beneath her protruded belly, “No, you can't do this to me, Nick. Open your eyes and look at me,” she demanded, hitting Nick’s face continually in an attempt to wake him.


“Nick, no! You can't do this to me,” she wept, pressing her head against his and kept shaking him to open his eyes.


Reid arrived at the scene and immediately burst into tears after seeing Nick on the floor in his pool of blood.


Damn!


“Reid, please wake Nick for me. He can't leave me all alone,” Ava sobbed harder, her whole body shivering uncontrollably.


And all of a sudden, Ava yelped in pain, holding her back.


“What’s wrong, Ava?” Reid scampered to her side and another cry of anguish left Ava’s lips.


“My back! My legs,” Ava cried.


Reid carried her in his arms instantly, “Let’s get you to the hospital,”


“Oh, my God, my back! Nick!” Ava’s cries intensified.


Reid got behind the wheel and phoned his men to come over and take care of Nick’s body.


He felt so deteriorated but Ava is in pain right now.