Page 31 of Verdict

He shook his head. "Nah, she went home after the game. Said she had a headache."

His longtime girlfriend, Elle, never seemed to come around, which I found odd—but I left it alone. Drake would talk about it if he wanted to.

Beckham plopped down next to me, nearly spilling my beer. "Found some girls. They're coming over here." He clinked his beer bottle against mine.

I internally groaned. I wasn't in the mood tonight. "You almost spilled my beer, you big oaf," I grumped.

Beckham chuckled, "You need to get laid, Jordan. You've been awfully grumpy lately."

Shane Witek, one of our closers, nodded in agreement. "I have noticed a little edge to him lately."

Maddox Price, our centerfielder, decided to chime in as well. "Yeah—now that you mention it, when was the last time Jordan took a girl home?"

"I'd say he's lost his touch," needled Beckham.

"Definitely off his game," Maddox added.

"What happened to the old Jordan?" Shane teased.

Drake flashed me a sympathetic smile before a group of girls made their way into our section. I ran a hand through my hair, trying to figure a way out of this.

The girls were pretty enough, as they usually were.

I didn’t know if being a dad to a little girl had changed my perspective on sleeping around or what, but my interest in leaving tonight with one of those girls was at an all-time low.

The pretty blonde of the group zeroed in on me. She settled on the couch, slipping in between Beckham and me. Beckham had his attention on her friend, who was currently in his lap.

The blonde flashed me a smile. "Hey. I'm Evelyn."

I smiled back. "Hey. Cohen." I glanced at Drake, trying to send an SOS message with my eyes.

He didn't notice.

My friends, being the dicks they were, decided to interfere.

"Our buddy, Cohen here, hasn't been out on a date in a long time and is a bit rusty," Beckham threw out while Shane and Maddox snickered.

Over it, I decided to send my friends a fuck you.

"Hmm I wouldn't say I'm rusty. I just recently had a daughter, so I've been busy. Single dad and all."

Evelyn's brows pulled up, and she let out a sigh. "Aww, that’s so amazing. Can I see a picture?"

All the guys rolled their eyes. They knew how much I loved showing pictures of Ellie.

"Sure." I began scrolling through my phone to find a picture that wasn't with Ava. I turned my phone towards Evelyn.

Her eyes lit up. “She is adorable!” The other three girls abandoned my friends to crowd around my phone—completely enamored by pictures of Ellie. I leaned back against the couch. My friends were visibly annoyed. The girls were no longer paying them any attention, so naturally I flashed them a smug, satisfied smile.

Maybe I could do this. Ask a girl out. Evelyn seemed nice enough.

What’s wrong with me? I used to do this shit all the damn time.

Evelyn handed me back my phone, and I stuffed it into my pocket before draping my arm across the back of the couch. "So, I have the day off tomorrow. Would you want to grab some dinner with me tomorrow night?"

I didn’t even think about Ava as I said it. Which felt like proof… or maybe I was just delusional.

She grinned. "I'd love that."