The Phoenix

Epilogue - Kyson

****** THREE AND A HALF YEARS LATER ******

"One more shot?!" I looked around at my table of friends, eager to keep the drinks coming. I haven't drunk much in the last few years, but tonight was a night for celebration.

I had just won my third middleweight championship. I'm on top of the time world at this point, I never thought that I would make it this far.

All my friends gathered around the table just as the waiter brought over the next round of shots to our table. Tequila only when it's a celebration.

"To turning 21!" Lyle shouted, holding his shot glass up in the air.

His 21st birthday was last week...

Lyle; my brother and best friend. He decided that he was going to join me on the road and in LA after he graduated high school. He made this promise to me before I left three years ago and he kept it. After the summer of his last year of school, he joined me and I couldn't have been happier.

He is still in a relationship with Paisley, it's just long distance most of the time. He visits her frequently, but he is mostly with me. He takes college courses online to satisfy his parents who are always down his neck about school.

I hired him on as sort of my assistant/assistant coach/my right-hand man. Besides my mom and coach, he makes the most out of my crew; my mom takes the cake on that.

My mom and I's relationship has never been better. It's like she is an entirely new person. We trust and care about each other now and I appreciate the bond that we share. It only took us a little growing up and a divorce to happen, but we are here.

I laughed. "Hey, bastard! What about me?" Everyone knew that I was only joking which is why they laughed.

"Oh yeah..." He trailed off, playfully rolling his eyes. "This jackass too!" He threw his arm around my shoulders. "My best friend is UFC's middleweight champion for the third year in a row! I'm proud of you, man. You did it!"

I beamed as my friends clapped and cheered for me.

Well, a few were my friends, and others were just acquaintances that I picked up along the way. The ones that only hang around for free alcohol and paid meals. I'm well aware of the people that surround me on a day-to-day basis, but sometimes they are all I have.

"We did it, brother!" I chuckled, throwing my arm around his shoulders in return. "Cheers, everybody!" Throwing back our shots, Lyle excused himself to the bar for a couple of beers. I sat my shot glass on the table as two arms worm their way around my waist. Turning around, I was pleasantly surprised to come face to face with my beautiful girlfriend. "Sophia! What are you doing here?"

I was getting pretty drunk.

"I wanted to come to surprise you." Sophia smiled up at me. "I see you've already started drinking."

I nodded. "Hell yeah."

She giggled with a shake of her head. "Silly goose."

Glancing at her lips, she could tell that I wanted to kiss her. "I'm your silly goose." Leaning down, I captured her lips with mine, they tasted so good; like strawberries. I wanted to deepen the kiss, but she pulled away when my table of friends began cheering us on. "Fuck you all." I pulled back, laughing.

"Hey, Soph!" Lyle smiled at her, walking up with the beers in his hands. He handed one to me and took a sip from the other one.

Sophia rolled her brown eyes before turning around to greet my best friend. "Lyle, hey."

Lyle and Sophia don't like each other. And when I say they don't like each other, they hate each other.

Sophia was around before Lyle joined us after high school. I made it clear to her that he is my best friend and brother, he means a lot to me and I want them to get along. I sang the same song to Lyle, of course, Lyle came in peace, but Sophia came out with guns blazing.

She didn't like that I'm are in my twenties, but still, hang out with an 18-year-old.

I hope she never finds out about Scarlett.

She was 17 when I was 22. Now that I'm not in that relationship, I should have known better than to get mixed up with her. I made a mistake having sex with her, even after everything she went through with Ivan. It was all bad judgment on my part, she was too young for me.

"Be nice." I whispered in her ear.

She can be a real bitch sometimes.

Just then my phone vibrated in my back pocket, it was Keema. I motioned to Lyle and Sophia that I need to take this.

They nodded.

I headed outside because it was too loud in the bar with the music and all. I talked to Keema on a regular base, she was probably just calling to congratulate me like she always does after a championship.

Keema, my dad, Lanie, and Davina all call together.

"Hello?" I answered, giddy with a smile.

"Car, you have to come home." Keema sobbed into the phone.

My smile dropped.

My heart dropped.

The lump in my throat began to form. I didn't even know what the emergency was for, but because she was upset, I was getting upset. I was nervous because something was wrong. I don't take bad news very well, not since Kinsley. My hands got hot and sweaty, my chest tightened up and my head began to itch.

"Kee, slow down." I panicked, running a hand through my hair. I cut it low so I had nothing to grab. "What happened?"

"Your dad, he's in the hospital." Keema sobbed again, I could hardly understand her. "The doctors say it doesn't look good. He needs a kidney transplant."

Fuck.

I felt tears come to my eyes. I am not good with hospitals or people being sick and dying. It killed me to walk into that hospital for Scarlett, I wanted to claw out my eyes. But I loved her and I love my dad. I'll do anything for them.

"How bad is it?" I breathed, not sure I want the answer.

Keema sobbed again. "It's really bad."

I took a shaky deep breath. "Okay, I'll be on the first flight back home."

**************

Stick around for Scarlett's POV Epilogue.

Xoxo 😘