October 9, 2017 to January 18, 2018 [recurring]

Nicole Avant is the sister of Forrester Creations' lead model, Maya Avant, who left their home in Evanston, Illinois to make a name for herself in Los Angeles. When Maya spent time in prison for an unspecified crime connected to her then-boyfriend, Jesse Graves, Nicole hacked into Maya's bank account to add funds. Frustrated that their parents refused to speak of Maya, Nicole followed her to L.A. when she came of age and studied computer sciences at the University of California, Los Angeles. Nicole reconnected with Maya and seemed to disapprove of Maya's elevation in financial status owing to Maya's affair with Forrester CEO Rick Forrester, only to blackmail Maya with a supposed secret and wangle a modeling gig out of her once Maya found out Nicole had dropped out of UCLA and lied about it.

Nicole finally admitted she had found Maya's birth certificate, which stated Maya was really Nicole's brother, Myron; Nicole learned that Maya was transgender, which is why their parents denied her. Nicole demanded a car for her silence, then softened and advised Maya to be honest with Rick about her transition. Nicole changed her mind when Wyatt Spencer romanced her on a private jet but slipped to Wyatt about Maya's gender identity; Nicole was aghast when Wyatt's father, publishing magnate Bill Spencer, splashed Maya's story across his media platforms. Nicole turned her back on Wyatt and helped reunite Rick and Maya, who had broken up over the scandal.

Nicole stood her ground when her parents, Julius and Vivienne Avant, arrived from Illinois demanding that Nicole come home with them, also defending Maya to the intolerant Julius. Nicole wondered if Julius' sudden change of heart had to do with Rick's money; after Maya overheard Julius calling her wedding a "freak show," Nicole encouraged her sister to go through with the ceremony.

Nicole was accepted for an internship program at Forrester, where she met Zende Forrester Dominguez and Thomas Forrester, who kissed her. Nicole thrilled when a jealous Zende finally asked her out, but as Nicole and Zende began exploring a relationship, Nicole was asked to carry Maya and Rick's baby as their surrogate. Though Julius and Vivienne moved to town and tried to talk Nicole out of it, she underwent the fertilization, after which Zende froze up during their first lovemaking attempt, unnerved that Nicole was pregnant by another man.

Nicole's happiness over a visit from her childhood friend Sasha Thompson was short-lived when she saw the chemistry between Sasha and Zende. Nicole talked Rick out of hiring Sasha as a model because she would be working with budding photographer Zende, then felt guilty and saw that Sasha got the gig. However, Nicole was heartbroken that Zende broke up with her because he couldn't handle his girlfriend carrying his uncle's baby; she tried to keep a brave face when Zende moved on with Sasha. Nicole finally ordered Sasha to leave town, only to learn Sasha was her half-sister, born from a long-ago affair Julius had with Sasha's mother. Nicole forced Julius to confess to Vivienne, which caused a rift in her parents' marriage.

Nicole presented Rick and Maya with a baby girl, touched when she was told Zende had snuck into the hospital to witness the birth. Nicole happily took Zende back, but was less enthusiastic when Zende revealed Sasha was pregnant. A disbelieving Nicole teamed up with Maya to get Sasha to take a pregnancy test; after Sasha revealed she'd faked a positive result, Nicole rejected her half-sister until Julius called a family meeting to implore his loved ones to forgive each other for their transgressions. Later, Nicole voiced her opposition to Sasha modeling lingerie, causing Zende to back out of being Sasha's photographer. Nicole and Zende moved past it, and she finally lost her virginity to him.

Nicole happily attended baby Lizzie's christening, which included Sasha. But when Nicole and Zende argued because she had agreed to carry a baby for Rick and Maya a second time, Nicole learned Zende was on the Forrester jet and came to tell him she had changed her mind, only to find him in bed with Sasha. Nicole again turned her back on her half-sister and refused Zende's repeated marriage proposals, proclaiming she didn't want a marriage like Vivienne's and telling Sasha she could have Zende. Eventually, Nicole was overwhelmed by Zende's extravagant horse-and-carriage proposal and said yes, marrying Zende in a lavish ceremony at the Forrester mansion.

Later, Nicole and Zende tried to comfort Wyatt, who was drinking because his brother, Liam Spencer, was marrying his ex-wife, Steffy Forrester. Also, Nicole sided with Zende when he expressed mistrust of new intern Coco Spectra given her great-aunt, Sally Spectra, had been known for stealing designs from Forrester Creations for her own design house, Spectra Fashions, but soon found herself becoming friends with Coco despite Zende's warnings.

Nicole was eager to start a family with Zende, especially when they got a chance to sit with baby Lizzy while Rick and Maya were out of town. But Nicole refused to believe it when a doctor told her that the uterine scarring she sustained while giving birth to Lizzy may have rendered her unable to have another child. Nicole confided in her parents and got a second opinion, trying to emulate Zende's hope that they could still conceive yet wondering if she had given Maya the only baby she would ever have. But when a clerical error rendered Lizzy's adoption papers invalid, Nicole hesitated signing a new set and considered keeping Lizzy, particularly with Julius insisting that she do. Despite pressure from all sides, Nicole paid heed to Zende's assurances and once again finalized Lizzy's adoption.

Nicole modeled alongside Maya, Rick, and Carter for a Forrester calendar teasing an upcoming swimsuit fashion show in Monte Carlo, which turned into a fashion duel with Spectra, where Nicole also worked the runway. Nicole begged off celebrating at a club in favor of staying at the hotel with Lizzy, which upset Zende. Nicole was thrown when Lizzy called her "mama", and more so when it was suddenly suggested that Nicole and Zende work at the Forrester International office in Paris. Initially hesitant, Nicole agreed with Zende that it was a great opportunity and moved overseas with her husband. Nicole visited at Thanksgiving and spent the holiday with her parents and sister at the Forrester's Thanksgiving feast.