Page 73 of Verdict

That hit hard.

“You’re already writing the ending to something that hasn’t even started,” she went on. “You’re deciding he won’t choose you before he even gets the chance. Before you've even given him the chance.” Her thumb brushed across my knuckles. “You’ve always been easy to love, Ava. You just learned early not to expect it back.”

My chest tightened.

“But he doesn’t want me like that,” I insisted weakly. “I know he doesn’t. He’s always just wanted to hook up. That’s how it’s been since the night we met.”

Aria let out a soft, knowing laugh. “That’s not what I saw in Walker’s apartment all those years ago. I saw a guy who couldn’t take his eyes off you. A guy who still can’t.” She tilted her head slightly. “Walker saw it too. That’s why he shut it down immediately.”

“If that were true,” I said quietly, “why wouldn’t he say anything?”

Aria didn’t hesitate. “Because your brother made it clear you were off-limits. Because he's Walker’s best friend. And once Ellie came into the picture? The stakes got even higher.” She held my gaze. “Silence isn’t always indifference. Sometimes it’s restraint. Sometimes it’s someone choosing not to risk losing what little they’re allowed to have of someone.” She sighed. “He has to protect himself too, Ava.” She held my gaze as I remained silent. “You’ve built walls so high no one can scale them. Every time someone let you down, you added another brick. And it’s not just men. It’s everyone.” She gave me a small smile. “You let me in. Your family. But that’s about it.”

My throat tightened.

“I’m just afraid,” she finished gently, “that you’re keeping out the one person who was always meant to be on the other side of that wall.” She squeezed my hand once before standing. “I’m going to jump in the shower.”

I nodded numbly as she disappeared down the hall.

I sat there for a long time, staring down at the half-eaten taco in my hand as if it might somehow make this make sense. Aria’s words kept replaying in my head, over and over again, each one landing heavier than the last.

He just… stays. He shows up.

I swallowed past the ache in my throat. He had, hadn’t he? He’d stayed through everything—the pregnancy, the chaos, the sleepless nights. The moments I didn’t have it all together.

He’d shown up. Every single time. Without being asked and without expecting anything in return.

I squeezed my eyes shut.

But that didn’t mean he wanted me. It didn’t mean I was the one he would choose. Last night proved that.

Didn’t it?

The unwelcome images from last night flashed through my mind—his hands on her, his mouth on her, the way he looked at me while he did it. Like he wanted me to see. Like he needed me to see. As if that would clear up any ridiculous notion I may have had about us.

My stomach twisted. I dropped my gaze to my hands, fingers tightening around the edge of the counter.

I’d spent years telling myself that keeping things casual, keeping people at a distance, was the smart move. The safe move. No expectations meant no disappointment, and no attachment meant no heartbreak.

But sitting here now—

I wasn’t so sure that was true anymore.

My mind drifted back to Walker’s apartment nearly a decade ago. The way Cohen had looked at me that night.

Was everything Aria said true?

After last night, I didn't know what to believe.

Cohen went home with someone else, without hesitation.

If he wanted me…

Why did he choose her?

Chapter 21

Ava