Page 58 of Verdict

The silence that followed was deafening.

I panicked and immediately started talking to fill the space. “Duke mentioned to Walker that they were looking for a contracts attorney. Walker dropped my name. I interviewed with Lane and the legal team, and they offered me a salary I couldn’t refuse. There’s on-site daycare for Ellie, and the office—” I exhaled. “It’s just so… family-friendly. Over half the lawyers are women. Most of them are moms. It’s a dream job for me. I’ll stay out of your way, I promise, I don’t want this to be weird, I—”

“Ava.” He lifted a hand, stopping me.

“Slow down.” His voice was calm. Steady. “You don’t have to justify anything to me. You wouldn’t be in my way.”

I looked up.

“Congratulations,” he said sincerely. “That’s an amazing opportunity. The Aviators are a great organization to work for, Duke and Lane especially.” His mouth curved into a grin. “And I love that Ellie will be at the field. Means I’ll get to see her more.”

It was the first genuine smile I’d seen from him in weeks—and it felt like thirst-quenching rain after a long drought. Restorative. Satisfying. And I didn't realize until that moment how much I had missed it. Missed him. Missed us just being able to hang out and talk.

“Really?” I asked softly. “You’re okay with this?”

“Of course.” His eyes held mine. “I want whatever’s best for you and Ellie.”

The weight on my shoulders lifted all at once.

He grabbed Ellie’s bag from the counter, then hesitated. When he looked back at me, I saw uncertainty flicker across his face.

“Why don’t we order takeout tonight and celebrate?” he said carefully. “I’ll grab your favorite Chinese food and a bottle of champagne.” He cleared his throat. “You don’t really have anyone in Austin to celebrate with. And I could use more time with Ellie before my schedule gets insane.” He tacked the last part on quickly, like he needed to make it about our daughter and not me.

I hesitated. But the idea of celebrating felt too good to turn down. And he was right. I didn’t have anyone else here, no one to bask in the accomplishment with.

“Yeah,” I said finally. “That would be great.”

“Good.” He headed for the door with Ellie. “Come over around six?”

I nodded, smiling.

When the door clicked shut behind him, I sagged against the counter.

The hard part was over. His reaction had gone better than I’d ever expected. I felt like we were finally moving in the right direction of getting our friendship back to where it was.

And yet—I couldn’t shake the feeling that telling him had been the easy part.

The hard part was still coming.

Chapter 17

Ava

The night we celebrated my new job at Cohen’s place over takeout boxes and champagne had been easy. Comfortable. It felt like our friendship was finally getting back on track, like whatever tension had been hanging between us had loosened its grip. Things felt lighter. Safer.

Cohen had gotten back from a road series last night, so I hadn’t seen him in a few days. When I told him about my plans to take Ellie to Primrose Hill today—my parents wanted some time with her, and I wanted to ride—he’d immediately insisted on coming along. His next game wasn’t for a couple of days, so staying over at my parents’ house made sense. The plan was to head back to Austin early the next morning.

The second we walked through my parents’ front door, my mom swooped in and stole Ellie straight from my arms.

“There’s my girl,” she murmured, already kissing Ellie’s cheeks.

“Hey,” I said, planting my hands on my hips. “What about me?”

My dad stepped in and pulled me into a hug. “You’re still my girl,” he chuckled.

We lingered for a bit, my dad and Cohen falling easily into baseball talk—my dad had played at the University of Texas, just like Walker—while my mom promptly forgot I existed, fully absorbed in Ellie on the living room floor.

Eventually, I glanced at the time. “All right. I need to head over to Addison’s. I told her I’d be there in fifteen to ride Bentley.” I turned to Cohen. “I can show you your room really quick?”