The Phoenix Returns

Epilogue - Scarlett

(Scarlett's POV)

"Babe!" Kyson called me as I could hear him coming down the hall to our bedroom. "Baby, are you ready? Everyone is here and waiting for you downstairs."

Checking myself out in the mirror, I admired the woman staring back at me.

She had a shimmer in her eyes.

She looked pleasantly happy.

She was no longer dreaming for answers to her past, and no longer felt abused and manipulated. She had her youth, her sons, and her guy.

She had the life that she always wished for.

With him.

Kyson came to stand behind me, wrapping his arms around me, and caressing my eight-month baby bump.

"I'm ready." I told him, flattening out my creamy-pink, form-fitting, spaghetti-strap dress. It stopped just above my knee as I paired it with a creamy-white cardigan sweater.

Even though I'm in sunny California, I have been slightly anemic with this pregnancy; I'm cold most of the time and my iron is a bit on the low side.

"Are you sure?" He asked me, kissing the back of my neck. "How are your feet?"

We both looked down at my pedicured swollen feet, and we both silently came to the same conclusion.

"Well, at least they look cute." I giggled, turning around in his arms.

Kyson chuckled along with me. "Yes, hopefully, that distracts everyone from the extra padding you got around your toes."

I pinched his side, startling him. "Don't make me put you in a submission again. I can still do it pregnant."

He rolled his eyes, pulling out of our hug to grab my hand. "Let's go."

We headed downstairs to welcome everyone.

It was finally my baby shower.

And it was beautiful.

I wasn't allowed to set up or see anything that had to deal with today. Kenn and Paisley outdid themselves.

Pink, rose gold, and creamy-white balloons were everywhere inside the house, coating the floor. Huge balloon arches and bouquets of white and pink roses were everywhere, and a photo area with a balloon arch with a backdrop that read Oh Baby.

There were pink, white, and gold dimly lit lanterns and big tissue flowers hanging from the ceiling spaced out around the party area. They used the kitchen and den for the party area inside and added the backyard for the games and fun stuff for the kids.

They had the food setup in the house, which I loved because it kept the flies and bees at bay. There were so many trays of food and treats, but the fruit section was the best part, that, and the salad bar.

I mean— raspberries, blueberries, strawberries, mango, pineapple, watermelon, cantaloupe, and honeydew.

I've been obsessed with fruit this pregnancy, all kinds. When I was pregnant with the boys, I mostly craved junk food; chips, cookies, cake, and soda. I gave into a lot of temptations during that pregnancy, guiltily.

My baby girl is trying to keep me healthy, so giving in to these cravings is easy and consequence-free.

My cake was beautiful and tall.

It was a four-tier cake, every layer was a different color to match the theme while the top tier was an ombré of those three colors. Then the third tier had my daughter's name on it in gold.222