Page 33 of Verdict

I shoved the bottle brush inside one of Ellie’s bottles and swirled it around. "Me either. I mean, she seems to be keeping my blue eyes, and we both have brown hair, so I can't really tell." I rinsed out the bottle and placed it on the drying rack. "She’ll make certain faces where all I see is Cohen—and other times, it’s all me." I shrugged. "Only time will tell, I guess."

A soft knock sounded at the front door of my apartment. Aria's head popped up. "You expecting someone?"

I shook my head, heading towards the door. I swung it open to reveal Cohen—Aviators t-shirt doing work across his thick arms and broad chest, chocolate waves perfectly tousled, hazel eyes bright. He shoved his hands into his pockets. "Hey, Trouble."

Aria called from her spot on the couch with Ellie, "Who is it?"

"Just my baby daddy," I called over my shoulder.

Cohen smirked. "Just?"

I rolled my eyes. "What's up? What brings you down to the lower floors?"

"The guys and I grabbed takeout from that new Indian place. Do you and Aria want to join?" He glanced over my shoulder, searching for Ellie. "They also may have sent me to get the baby."

I tapped my finger to my chin. "Indian food does sound better than leftovers…" I trailed off.

Aria appeared out of nowhere with Ellie in tow. "We're in."

Cohen's eyes lit up at the sight of Ellie, and I’d have been lying if I said she didn’t light up right back. "My baby girl! Come to daddy." He reached out for her.

Aria groaned, handing her over. "I barely got five minutes with her,” she whined.

Ignoring her, Cohen already started heading down the hall with Ellie—like he knew I'd follow.

And I did. But only because, Indian food.

I was at the counter, spooning a large portion of tikka masala onto my plate, when I glanced up at four large professional baseball players crowded around my daughter, cooing and talking in baby talk. Meanwhile, Cohen stood back, hands planted proudly on his hips.

I'd never seen anything like it.

Aria walked up next to me to grab another piece of naan. She bumped her shoulder against mine, "I'm jealous. Girl's got all these hot athletic men fawning all over her."

I snorted. "She's going to have a rough go at dating with all these large, protective men in her life."

Aria snorted. "You're not wrong."

When the guys finally had their baby fill, we all sat around eating dinner and talking about Cohen being a dad.

"It's still so strange to me, watching him with her," Beckham said around a mouthful of basmati rice.

Shane nodded. "Right? I never thought I'd hear the words swaddle and sleep schedule come out of this guy's mouth." He threw a thumb at Cohen.

Maddox barked a laugh. "Or him knowing five different ways to relieve a baby's gas pain."

Drake smirked. "Give the guy a break. He finally found the only girl he'll commit to."

The guys all laughed. I involuntarily winced.

I looked around to see if anyone noticed, and sure enough, Aria's eyes were locked on me. I threw her a soft smile, trying to play it cool. Without returning the smile, she turned her attention back to Drake, slipping easily into whatever quiet conversation they’d already been having.

I turned my attention back over to Cohen, his grin wide as he watched Shane hold Ellie. I'd never seen him like this, so… proud. The guy was an all-star shortstop for an elite professional baseball team. He made incredible saves to win games. He’d won the goddamn World Series, and even then, I didn't think I'd ever seen him as proud as he was when his eyes were firmly set on our daughter.

She's a lucky girl.

Cohen took Ellie from Shane, laying her against his shoulder, and softly patted her back. "Y'all are all just jealous that I've got the prettiest girl in the world in my life." He leaned his head back slightly to see Ellie's face. "Isn't that right, Ellie girl? You're the prettiest," he cooed.

Beckham put his fork down. "Speaking of pretty girls. Did you ever end up going out with that blonde chick from the bar the other night?"