Page 29 of Verdict

Friends, Ava. Friends.

I needed to get my shit together.

Chapter 8

Cohen

My sister was coming to visit, and I was pumped.

Callie hadn't met Ellie yet, and I was excited for her to finally meet my daughter. My younger sister was my only family. Our father left when I was two and Callie was barely a newborn, and our mother died in a car accident when I was in college.

I hated that I didn't get to see her very often since she lived in Tennessee. Between my baseball schedule and her being a full-blown boss bitch in PR, it was hard to find the time. But Callie was flying in today and was staying through the weekend to catch one of my games.

After watching Ellie for the whole day while Ava went to Primrose Hill, and apparently passing a test I didn't know existed, she’d begun letting me keep Ellie for longer stretches when I had a day or two off. She acted like she was doing me a favor, but honestly, I was pretty sure she really enjoyed the break and being able to do some things for herself.

Farrah was always telling Walker that self-care made her a better mom or something like that. Ava had probably figured that out too.

I was running around frantically trying to clean up and make sure I had the bed made, fresh towels out, and all my sister's favorite foods when I heard the elevator chime. I headed toward the foyer, fully expecting Callie, but was instead greeted by Ava with Ellie.

Ava flashed me her gorgeous smile, blue eyes bright. Every time she looked at me that way, I swear my brain short-circuited. "Hey, I know I'm a little early dropping off Ellie, but I wanted to drop off a bottle of my dad's new vintage as a gift for your sister." Ava's father was a talented winemaker, and her parents owned a very successful winery and vineyard in Primrose Hill.

"She'll love that, thanks." I stepped up and took Ellie from her arms so she could take the bottle to my wine fridge and set down Ellie's bags. As Ava passed, I tried not to inhale her intoxicating scent…or check out her ass—I failed miserably. It wasn’t my fault she’d gained curves in all the right places since she’d had Ellie; her jeans were practically painted on. Ava had always had an incredible body, but now it was softer in all the right ways. Her ass rounder, thighs thicker, tits fuller. I bit down on my bottom lip to stifle the moan that was sure to escape.

After setting everything down, she spun to face me. "So, what do y'all have planned for today?" She leaned back against the island in my kitchen and tucked her long dark hair behind her ear.

Just as I was about to respond, the elevator chimed again, announcing the arrival of my sister. I placed a kiss on Ellie's head before handing her back to Ava. "Hold that thought, Callie’s here."

I rushed around the corner to find my little sister making her way into the foyer, "Cal!" I pulled her into a hug, squeezing her tight. I hadn't seen her in a while.

Callie laughed. "Coh, I can't breathe."

I stepped back and looked at her. "You cut your hair?" I tilted my head to the side, examining the new length. We shared the same dark brown wavy hair and hazel eyes—most people assumed we were twins. She usually kept her hair longer, but she had it cut short, sitting just above her shoulders.

She propped her hand on her hip. "What? Does it look bad or something?"

I shook my head. "No, it looks awesome, just different."

Callie narrowed her eyes, "Good answer, big bro." She patted me on the chest as she strode by me towards the kitchen. The minute she saw Ellie, she threw her hands up and squealed, already making grabby hands at Ava.

"Oh, my God! Gimme my niece!"

Ava laughed and handed Ellie over. "I’m so happy you get to finally meet your niece! I brought you one of my dad's new vintages, you're gonna love it."

Callie snuggled her face into Ellie's neck and inhaled. "Ugh, she smells so good!" She glanced at Ava. "Is it the vintage you told me about?"

Ava nodded.

"I've been dying to try it ever since we talked about it. Thanks!"

Ever since they talked about it? When the hell did that happen?

Confused, I gestured between the two of them. "You two talk?" This was new information.

Ava waved her hand dismissively. "Yeah, I got her number from Walker. I wanted to send her pictures of Ellie, and we just started talking."

Why didn't she just get her number from me?

Callie, never taking her eyes off Ellie, nodded. "Yup. We both love wine and making fun of you, so basically, a match made in heaven.”