The Fighting Series Boxset Read online

  The Fighting Series Boxset

  Copyright © 2018

  Nikki Ash

  All rights reserved

  This book is a work of fiction. Names, characters, places, and incidents are the product of the author’s imagination or are used fictitiously. Any resemblance to actual events, locales, or persons, living or dead, is coincidental.

  In accordance with the U.S. Copyright Act of 1976, the scanning, uploading, and electronic sharing of any part of this book without the permission of the publisher constitute unlawful piracy and theft of the author’s intellectual property. If you would like to use material from the book (other than for review purposes), prior written permission must be obtained by contacting the publisher at [email protected]. Thank you for your support of the author’s rights.

  Cover design: Teal Minx Designs

  Cover photograph: Depositphoto

  Editing: McKay Editing

  About the Author

  Nikki Ash resides in South Florida where she is an English teacher and writer by day and a writer by night. When she’s not writing, you can find her with a book in her hand. From the Boxcar Children to Wuthering Heights to latest single parent romance, she has lived and breathed every type of book.

  Reading is like breathing in, writing is like breathing out. – Pam Allyn

  While reading and writing are her passions, her two children are her entire world. You can probably find them at a Disney park before you would find them at home on the weekends!

  Contact Nikki Ash

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  Table of Contents

  Fighting for a Second Chance

  Dedication

  One

  Two

  Three

  Four

  Five

  Six

  Seven

  Eight

  Nine

  Ten

  Eleven

  Twelve

  Thirteen

  Fourteen

  Fifteen

  Sixteen

  Seventeen

  Eighteen

  Nineteen

  Twenty

  Twenty-One

  Twenty-Two

  Twenty-Three

  Twenty-Four

  Epilogue

  Fighting with Faith

  Dedication

  One

  Two

  Three

  Four

  Five

  Six

  Seven

  Eight

  Nine

  Ten

  Eleven

  Twelve

  Thirteen

  Fourteen

  Fifteen

  Sixteen

  Seventeen

  Eighteen

  Nineteen

  Twenty

  Twenty-One

  Epilogue

  Extended Epilogue

  Fighting for your Touch

  Dedication

  Prologue

  One

  Two

  Three

  Four

  Five

  Six

  Seven

  Eight

  Nine

  Ten

  Eleven

  Twelve

  Thirteen

  Fourteen

  Fifteen

  Sixteen

  Seventeen

  Eighteen

  Nineteen

  Twenty

  Twenty-One

  Twenty-Two

  Twenty-Three

  Twenty-Four

  Twenty-Five

  Twenty-Six

  Twenty-Seven

  Twenty-Eight

  Twenty-Nine

  Thirty

  Thirty-One

  Thirty-Two

  Thirty-Three

  Thirty-Four

  Thirty-Five

  Epilogue

  Fighting for your Love

  Dedication

  Prologue Ashley

  Prologue Kaden

  One

  Two

  Three

  Four

  Five

  Six

  Seven

  Eight

  Nine

  Ten

  Eleven

  Twelve

  Thirteen

  Fourteen

  Fifteen

  Sixteen

  Seventeen

  Eighteen

  Nineteen

  Twenty

  Twenty-One

  Twenty-Two

  Twenty-Three

  Twenty-Four

  Twenty-Five

  Twenty-Six

  Twenty-Seven

  Twenty-Eight

  Twenty-Nine

  Thirty

  Thirty-One

  Thirty-Two

  Thirty-Three

  Thirty-Four

  Thirty-Five

  Thirty-Six

  Epilogue

  Fighting for a Second Chance

  Dedication

  For my two beautiful miracles...

  Always follow your heart.

  One

  Liz

  Graduation day

  As I sit in the auditorium of my high school surrounded by three hundred of my fellow classmates that I have gone to school with my entire life, I look through the sea of maroon and white caps and gowns in search of her. I finally lock eyes with Kayla, the best friend a girl could ever ask for.

  How we became best friends is anybody’s guess since we are polar opposites in every way. While she has natural blonde hair that is long and pin straight, I have mousy brown wavy hair that spirals halfway down my back. She has striking blue eyes to my boring light brown. Her pale skin looks like she has never stepped foot on a beach despite living in Florida and surfing the waves her entire life. My skin is naturally a caramel brown even though I can’t stand the beach in spite of living so close to it all my life.

  Where Kayla is outgoing and always the life of the party, I am quieter and more reserved. We both cheerlead for our local high school for the last four years, but I am only a cheerleader because Kayla begged me to try out and I gave in, afraid of losing my best friend to the popular crowd. She made team captain, so it was a given I would be on the squad as well.

  I truly enjoy school, and while reading is my favorite pastime, Kayla spends her evenings partying it up and the mornings copying my notes.

  When our eyes lock, I smile at her and she smirks back at me. Words don’t have to be spoken to know what we are each thinking. After being inseparable for the last thirteen years we can practically read each other’s minds without saying a word.

  In about four more hours we will be on our way to Miami Beach to party it up for the next seven days, courtesy of my parents as a graduation gift. Now, I am far from a partier but even I am excited to spend a week in South Beach. I might be a bookworm, but I am still a teenager.

  The principal begins calling us up by last name and I am one of the first people to step across the stage, as my last name is Browning. As I walk across the stage, I can hear Kayla hollering my name at the top of her lungs. “Go Liz!” I can also hear my parents and brother cheering me on.

  I smile wide and stop at the end of the stage so the photographer can snap my picture. I am extremely excited to finally be done with high school, and ready to begin my journey as a college student in a few short weeks at the University of Las Vegas. Kayla and I will be going to the same college and living together just off of campus. I was accepted to ULV on a full academic scholarship to major in business and accounting. Yep, not only am I a book nerd but I also love math and I am really good with numbers. I have no idea what
I want to do with the numbers yet, but I know I want to spend my days with them and my nights with a good book.

  Kayla’s parents are just so happy she is actually going to college, they are insisting on paying her tuition as well as our rent while we are there. She has no idea what she plans to study but I don’t think they care as long as she goes. Since my parents are so thankful to Kayla’s for paying the rent since my scholarship didn’t cover room and board, they are paying for Kayla and me to go away for a week before we head to college.

  I am excited to do some shopping and lounge by the pool with my latest romance novel on my iPad. Kayla has bookmarked and sent me every hot spot imaginable that she insists we must check out. That girl would seriously have us partying twenty-four hours a day if that were possible. I am hoping she will get completely partied out and pass out, allowing me to sneak out and do some serious reading by the pool. With the stress of finals behind me, I have too many books calling my name.

  The principal announces Kayla’s name and just about the entire auditorium of students, cheer. I wasn’t kidding when I said she is the life of the party. I don’t think there is a single person here that isn’t friends with her. She walks across the stage and when she gets to the end where the photographer is waiting, she raises her fist and yells, “Yeah baby!”

  Everybody can’t help but laugh at her enthusiasm. When Kayla smiles and laughs, you can’t help but join in.

  What feels like several hours later everybody’s names have been called and the principal announces, “Congratulations class of 2009!”

  Throwing our caps high into the air we all hoot and holler at our freedom. We are officially high school graduates! I find Kayla and we make our way to our parents who are waiting just outside the auditorium. After taking several pictures by ourselves, with each other, with our parents, and with our brothers, who are good friends and will be sophomores next year, we make our way to the exit to go out to dinner to celebrate.

  “I can’t believe my baby is all grown up! It feels like yesterday you girls were coming home from kindergarten and begging to go on your first play date.” My mom can’t stop crying while we enjoy our Crème brûlée at our favorite Parisian restaurant downtown.

  “Oh mom, stop,” I mumble back. I swear she has cried more this week than I have ever seen her cry my entire life.

  “But it’s true! You are going to be so far away in Nevada. Promise me you will come home and visit often. I am so afraid you will get over there and never come back.”

  I love my mom to death, but I think moving away will help me spread my wings. We are extremely close but because of that, I always live in fear of not wanting to do anything to disappoint her, not that she would judge me in any way if I screwed up. My mom isn’t like that; she has always been more of a friend than a mother. She had me at eighteen years old after my dad and she had been dating for four years. They met their freshman year in high school and it was instant love. I have personally never been in love but I find it hard to believe one can fall in love with somebody they just met; however, I would never tell her that.

  As soon as she found out she was pregnant with me, she decided to stay home and be a full-time mom instead of going to college. My dad worked nights delivering pizzas, and went to college so he could get his degree in business. Immediately after graduating, he started his own business and still to this day runs a successful window cleaning company here in South Florida. We aren’t rich by any means, but we have always had everything we could ever want or need.

  After the business took off, my parents bought their first house in Jupiter, Florida right across from the beach, and that is where I met Kayla on our first day of kindergarten. Kayla, on the other hand, comes from an extremely wealthy family but they are also the least loving family you will ever meet. Kayla and her brother aren’t really close. He is always getting into trouble, and Kayla’s parents are rarely ever home.

  Kayla and her brother have both practically grown up at my house and she is always saying she wishes her mom were more like mine. It seems like while Kayla’s mom chose the career, my mom chose the family. I just don’t understand why people feel like they have to choose one or the other.

  I know my mom loves being home with my brother and me, but I also know she wishes she would have attended college before having us. She was so focused on raising us and helping my dad run his business, she never went to school. She always tells me to make sure I follow my dreams and passions. I think it is because she never got to follow her own.

  Which leads me back to not wanting to disappoint my mom. I have been so focused on school these last four years to make sure I follow my dreams and passions, I haven’t even so much as dated. I am looking forward to finally going out on some dates once we are up at ULV.

  “I cannot wait to leave tonight to Miami,” Kayla whispers in my ear. “It is going to be so lit down there. So many clubs and parties going on! You better be ready to get your groove on girly.” I laugh as she shakes her ass in her seat. Kayla is forever looking forward to the next party.

  “Yeah, yeah,” is all I can come up with as a response. I have no idea how I am going to make it seven days with Kayla in Miami partying it up. At least here in Jupiter she has to keep it tame since the town is small and boring to say the least.

  We decide to drive Kayla’s Volvo SUV down to Miami. It is a graduation gift from her parents and is really comfy. We get to the Miami Beach Resort, valet park the car, and check-in to our room. Looking around, Kayla and I grin at each other thinking the same thing. My parents did well. The resort is literally right on the beach. I inhale deeply and I can smell the ocean breeze coming off of the waves. I may not like the sand between my toes or between other places, but I still appreciate the beautiful scenery. We walk to the back of the resort and see a beautiful pool surrounded by lounge chairs. Right behind the pool is a cute tiki-bar that separates the resort from the beach.

  Once we get to the room, I slide the key card in and open the door. Immediately we start squealing while throwing ourselves on to the white plush mattresses of our queen beds. Looking around, I notice that our room is overlooking the ocean. The balcony hangs directly over the sand and since we are ten floors up I can see everything down below. The sun is starting to set and it’s a gorgeous pinkish-orange. There hasn’t been much rain the last few days and I hope it stays that way, but you just never know in Florida.

  “Oh. My. God!” Kayla is still bouncing on her bed as I walk back in from the terrace and lay down next to her on her bed.

  “Liz, your parents booked us an amazing room! I cannot believe we get to spend seven days here, on the beach, at the pool, and it is literally right near every freaking club we are going to be checking out! Thank goodness, I got us those fake id’s that say we are twenty-one. We are going to seriously have the best time before we have to go back to boring books and classes.” Yeah, cause when has Kayla ever let books and classes bring her down? Never. There is no stopping this girl and I am sure once we are in Las Vegas she will be right back to being the life of the school. Although, if we get arrested for the fake ids she had made, we may never make it to school.

  “Ugh, Kayla. Do you really think it’s wise to go to clubs that we shouldn’t be in, right before our parents let us fly across the U.S. to go to college? What if the bouncer realizes the ids are fake and we get arrested? We will be so screwed. My mom will be so disappointed.”

  “Liz! STOP! It is all good. They totally look like the real deal. Trust me, the guy I got them from assured me nobody would be able to tell the difference. Stop stressing over nothing. We are going to have an amazing time this week then you can go back to your book loving self next week once we are at ULV. I can’t believe you decided to start classes this summer. There is no way I am stepping foot in a classroom until August.”

  Yes, I am starting school this summer. I don’t know what the big deal is. I can take three classes and get a head start. It’s the smart thing to do. I didn’
t bust my ass the last four years in high school to screw up now.

  “Ok, ok. So, Miss Miami, where to first?”

  Giving me a look that says she is up to no good she says, “First we get changed. Then we part-ay!”

  Two

  Liz

  As we walk up to one of the hottest clubs in Miami, according to Kayla, we immediately see the line going down the street and around the corner. There is no way we are going to get in there. Not even as hot as Kayla says we look. I look down at my dress remembering earlier today when she surprised me with this outfit.

  As we opened up our suitcases, I realized Kayla had been shopping without me. I should have expected this, as none of my clothes are up to club standards as she puts it. Of course, she had us both completely taken care of and wasn’t taking no for an answer. When she pulled out the dress, I thought for sure it couldn’t be for me because that dress didn’t have enough material to be something I would wear. I was wrong. Between the dress, heels, makeup, and hair, I prayed we would both pass for twenty-one.

  Once we make it to the end of the line, I look down at myself wondering what the heck I was thinking letting Kayla play dress up with me. Remember when I said Kayla and I are complete opposites? Well that extends to our body types as well. Kayla is wearing a silver sequin dress that is way too low up top and way too short below but of course she looks hot. She is skinny but toned in all the right places thanks to her many years of surfing, and she has perfect size breasts that are spilling out of the top of her dress, which is completely formfitting and shows off her amazingly long legs that go on for days. She has topped off her outfit with matching silver fuck-me heels that have got to be at least five inches tall. I have no idea how she is even walking in them.

  I, on the other hand, am curvy all over with large breasts, and while I am not fat, I am definitely on the thick side with an ass and waist. Kayla surprised me with a simple spaghetti strap black dress telling me every woman needs a LBD (little black dress) for her first time in the club; it is apparently a right-of-passage. Thankfully, she provided me with a pair of cute heels that aren’t nearly the height of hers. My feet will definitely be thanking her later. Still looking down at myself I must be frowning because Kayla immediately snaps me out of my own head.