Page 36 of Verdict

That landed harder.

“He’s being who he’s always been,” Weston went on. “You’re the one attaching meaning to it.” He paused, running a hand across his beard. “And if you want to be with him, that doesn’t make you weak. It makes you human. But don’t turn his patterns into proof of your value.”

I sighed. "I know. I mean, I need to remember that."

Weston gave my hand a light squeeze. "Your worth has nothing to do with people's choices, Ava. The right guy will choose you first, every single damn time."

I glanced up at him and forced a smile. I knew he was right, but it still didn't make me feel any better.

A soft cry sounded on the monitor, breaking up the heavy conversation.

I pushed off the couch. "Well, are you ready to meet your niece?"

Chapter 10

Ava

Cohen had been on the road for the last week, and I didn’t want to admit how much I’d missed him. Today, Ellie had her check-up at the pediatrician, and Cohen had a day off, so he wanted to join us. I loved Dr. Sarah Townsend, one of Addison's clients at her barn, so, annoyingly, Ellie’s pediatrician was all the way in Primrose Hill. Harper, my sister's best friend, was also now the nurse practitioner for Dr. Townsend, so that was just an added bonus.

We walked into the office and were immediately greeted by Harper. She rounded the desk and came barreling through the door, "Ava!" She pulled me into a tight hug, glancing over at Cohen, who was holding Ellie against his chest. "And you must be Cohen. I'm Harper." She extended her hand toward him, and I immediately clocked the giant rock on her left hand.

Cohen smiled warmly and shook her hand. "Hey, nice to meet you. I've heard a lot about you."

"Hopefully all bad," She winked before flipping her long blonde braid over her shoulder. "So, Dr. Townsend is actually out of town this week, so I'll be seeing sweet Ellie today. You can go ahead and follow me back." She gestured towards the door.

I grabbed Harper's hand, stopping her. "Whoa, whoa, whoa. Hold up. What’s this satellite on your finger, Harp?"

She grinned as I inspected the rock. "Archer and I are engaged! He proposed this past weekend." She let out a disbelieving laugh. “Who would’ve thought a little one-night stand would turn into an engagement to the man of my dreams? Not me, that’s for damn sure.”

Archer was Dean’s younger brother. Harper met him when Addison and Dean were… figuring things out. A one-night hookup turned into a couple of years—and now they lived together.

Harper was the exception, not the rule. Things like that rarely ever turned into forever.

Certainly not for me.

I forced a smile and pulled her in for another hug. "That's amazing! Congratulations! I'm so happy for you two. I'm going to call Addison and lay into her for not telling me," I teased.

Harper grinned. "To be fair, today is only Monday, he just asked me yesterday."

We followed Harper back into room four. "Let's get her down to just her diaper and then set her here on the scale." Cohen did as instructed.

Harper took her weight, measured her length, and the circumference of her head. Ellie wiggled around, cooing at the attention. When Harper was finished with her assessment, she brought her focus back to Cohen and me, propping her hands on her hips. "She looks great. She’s measuring right where she should be on her growth chart. Do either of you have any questions or concerns for me today?" She glanced down at her chart.

I was about to shake my head no, but Cohen immediately spoke up. "Yeah, so Ava is going back to work at the end of next month, and we were going to transition her to formula. What’s the best way to do that so it doesn't upset her stomach and so she adjusts to the taste?"

I blinked, dumbfounded.

Harper smiled. "Good question. Start by adding one ounce to the breastmilk she's having, and after monitoring her for about three days, just keep gradually increasing it. It should be about a two-to-three-week transition process. Some babies take to it immediately without issue, so just see how she does."

Cohen nodded. "Okay, that seems easy enough. Also, I read we should start seeing her lift her head on her own. I don't feel like she’s quite there yet. Should we be concerned?"

Again. I was silent.

Harper smiled. “Sounds like you’ve done your homework.”

“I like to be prepared,” Cohen said easily.

I resisted the urge to roll my eyes. Or melt. I had a lot of conflicting emotions happening at once.