Page 54 of Verdict

Silence stretched between us, tight and fragile. And yeah… still entirely fucking awkward.

She cleared her throat. “Well… I should head out. You two have fun. Text me if you need anything.” She paused. “I’ll pick her up around ten tomorrow, if that works?”

I nodded and bent to grab Ellie’s bag. “That works. See you later.”

Ava lingered for a beat, like she was waiting for something—anything—before turning on her heel and stepping back into the elevator.

When the doors slid shut, the air felt lighter. Quieter. I let out a breath I hadn’t realized I’d been holding, but the knot that had taken up permanent residence in my stomach only tightened.

This was better. It had to be. Ellie needed stability. Consistency. Something uncomplicated. I didn’t commit to women, wasn’t even sure I knew how—and Ava didn’t want anything beyond friendship, at least not with me.

This was the beginning of reinforcing boundaries. For both of us.

It would get easier with time. The ache would fade. The unease would loosen its grip.

It has to.

I looked down at Ellie, her tiny fist shoved into her mouth. Not a care in the world. Completely unaware of the turmoil in my head over her mother.

“It’s better this way,” I murmured, tapping her nose softly. “For both of us. And especially for you.”

Even as the words left my mouth, I wasn’t entirely sure I believed them.

Chapter 16

Ava

After dropping off Ellie, I immediately called Aria to see if she could drive into Austin tonight for a girls’ night. I think the desperation in my voice must have convinced her. I needed someone to talk to. I felt restless—unsettled—since leaving Ellie with Cohen. I felt like I wanted to crawl out of my skin.

I was pretty sure I’d royally fucked up my relationship with Cohen for good this time, and I was internally panicking.

How could I be so stupid? So careless? So selfish? We had a daughter, someone who relied on us, someone who would only benefit from us having a solid, steady, consistent relationship. And yet here I was. Unable to keep, for lack of a better term, my lady dick in my pants.

I dragged my hands through my hair and tugged, frustration buzzing under my skin. I’d clearly freaked Cohen out. He’d thrown his walls up faster than my brother’s fastball… not that I'd behaved much better.

An hour or so later, a soft knock sounded at my door, and I rushed to open it.

Aria.

Relief flooded through me at the sight of her, my shoulders sagging as I smiled. Outside of West, she was the only person who really saw me—who knew me to my core.

I pulled her into a tight hug, holding on longer than usual.

When she pulled back, she studied my face carefully. “Everything okay? You sounded… stressed.”

“Stressed is an understatement,” I said, forcing a laugh as I led her into the kitchen. Two large glasses of wine were already waiting on the counter. I handed her one, and she clinked it against mine before taking a sip.

“Well,” she said, settling in, “let’s sit down and you can tell me about it. We’ll figure it out.”

That was Aria. Always steady. Always certain there was a solution—even when I wasn’t.

Once we were curled up on the couch, I rehashed everything. Every sordid detail. I didn’t leave a single thing out. Aria stayed quiet the entire time, sipping her wine slowly. I did, however, notice how much faster she was drinking by the end of my depressing tale.

“So,” I said finally, staring down into my glass, “I’m pretty sure I fucked everything up.”

She exhaled. “Okay. That was… a lot. I hadn’t realized you two had hooked up since—well—since the night Ellie was conceived. I mean, you always flirt, but I didn’t think anything had actually happened outside of that.”

“Yeah. Well. Now you know,” I said flatly. “We’ve hooked up a couple of times since. And now I think I scared him. I shouldn’t have kissed him that night. He opened up to me about his past and what did I do?” I shook my head. “Climbed into his lap and took what I wanted.”