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The next day while Aj was out helping Gracie shop for her birthday party, Nick came over with Xander and Savannah.

As soon as Morgan opened the door Savannah grabbed her around the legs and cried, “Auntie Morgan!” Both she and her father looked like they had been crying.
“Come on Sweetie, let’s go sit down.” She backed up so Nick, who was carrying Xander in his car seat, could come in.

They went to the living room before Morgan asked, “What’s going on?”

She sat down and Savannah climbed into what was left of her lap before answering, “My m….” and dissolved into tears and snuggled in closer to Morgan, who had wrapped her arms around the little girl.

All at once Morgan understood. Today was they day that Nick and Ashleigh went to court, “Oh Nicky.” she said before embracing him as well.

Once she had her arm around him he began to cry, and upon hearing and seeing her daddy cry, Savannah cried even louder. And seeing the two of them cry made an already emotional Morgan cry. Meanwhile little Xander sat in his car seat happily playing with his stuffed duck whom was named daddy because that was his first word.

Devaigh, James, and Nevaeh were all with Denise and Morgan was glad about it because they didn’t need to see Nick like this.

Savannah fell asleep crying a few minutes later and Morgan told Nick, “Take her up to Vaigh’s room then come to the kitchen.”

Morgan ran to the bathroom before taking Xander into the kitchen and making hot chocolate even though it was the middle of June.

Nick must have stopped in the bathroom as well because he looked somewhat calm.

“Sit.” she said, handing him his hot chocolate as she lifted seven and a half month old Xander out of his car seat to feed him.

He took a drink and said, “You know what? You’re right about this stuff. It really does help, a little bit anyway.”

“Yeah. It usually does. I’ve used it many times.”

They sat in silence until Nick asked, “Why me?”

Today was the day his divorce was final and the first official day that Ashleigh no longer had “any legal responsibilities” for their two children.

“I don’t know hon, I don’t know.”

“Do you wanna know what she told Savannah? I was so mad I wanted to hit her.” His eyes began to water as he recalled what Ash had done when Morgan nodded her head. “We were finished with the judge and left the courtroom. I was right behind her. Xander and Savvy were outside the courtroom with Aaron and when Savvy saw Ashleigh she ran up to her saying, ‘Mommy, Mommy, I missed you.’ And Ash looked down at her like she was a bug that needed to be squashed. She then told Savvy ‘I’m not your mommy. I never will be again. I DON’T LOVE YOU ANYMORE.’”

Morgan spit out her mouthful of hot chocolate and said, “That bitch! She didn’t!”

“ ‘Fraid so. Savannah cried so much.” Morgan thought, ‘Poor little Savannah. How horrible.”

“She’s in for it the next time I see her.”

“Don’t. She’s not worth it.”

“I’m glad you finally realized that. Do you want to know what my father told me when I told him what Derick did?”

“Sure why not?”

“ ‘He’s not worth it.’ And neither is Ashleigh. If she was too stupid to realize what she had with you, you don’t need her. If she couldn’t stay faithful to you, then to hell with her. Go find someone who loves you and your beautiful children. It happens. It did for me.”

“But even though I don’t need her, Savannah and Xander do.”

“But she did give them up. Yes they need a mother but not one as bad as she was. But think about how she’s going to feel in say twenty years when she picks up a magazine, opens a newspaper, or turns on the television and sees Savannah’s wedding announcement. Or Xander’s when he gets married. Wait until she sees the birth announcements for your grandchildren. She’s gonna start hating herself for what she did to them. She’ll hate herself for missing every special thing about those two. But most of all, she’ll hate herself for making herself miss watching them grow up.”

“True. But it still hurts.”

“Yeah I know it does. It’s supposed to. But you’re going to come out of it stronger than you were before and you’ll find someone better.”

“I know. Everyone keeps telling me that.”

They were interrupted by shouts of, “Uncle Nick, Uncle Nick!”

“Aje and Gracie are back.” Morgan said quietly.

Gracie came running into the kitchen where Nick and Morgan, who was now burping Xander, were sitting.

“Hey Carter what’s new?” Alex asked.

Silently Nick held his left hand, on which he had worn his wedding ring until this morning.

“Oh. I’m sorry. How’re you doing?”

“I’m fine, just a little frazzled. When we go there Savannah cried herself to sleep over what Ashleigh told her this morning.”

“What was that?”

“Daddy, I wanna talk to Uncle Nick!” Gracie complained.

“Gracie Denise.”

“Sorry. I’ll wait.”

“Actually Gracie, would you go to Devaigh’s room and check on Savannah please?”

“Sure Uncle Nick.”

Turning his attention back to Alex he said, “Ash told Savvy, ‘I’m not your mommy. I never will be again. I DON’T LOVE YOU ANYMORE.’”

“Seriously?”

“Yeah. Sav and Xan were outside the courtroom with Aaron this morning and Savvy hasn’t seen her mother in six months and was excited to see her, so she ran over to her and said. ‘mommy, mommy I missed you,’ and she was told that her mother doesn’t love her anymore.”

“Damn.”

Gracie came back and reported that Savannah was fine and still asleep. She then proceeded to show Morgan and Nick everything they had bought for her party. She also told them about the fans that they had met. Gracie loved meeting her daddy’s fans.

Nick and his children stayed for lunch and Nick, Aj, and Gracie were grossed out by what Morgan ate, but Savannah joined her, and Xander didn’t care either way.

“Uncle Nick?” Gracie asked quietly.

“Yeah hon?”

“Would you sing at my party, please?”

“I will if it’s okay with your father.”

Gracie looked over at her father and turned on her ‘puppy dog face’ and said, “Please daddy, I’ll love you forever,” and batted her eyelashes at him.

“It’s fine. Nick can sing for you.”

“YES!!” Gracie shouted.