Cohen
Walker was a dick.
It wasn’t lost on me that he always found ways to pay me back for sleeping with his sister. Getting me on a horse was most definitely one of those ways.
It wasn’t that I was scared of horses—I just… respected them. And their space.
Walker took my left knee in his hand and hoisted me up onto his horse, Tex.
I ended up slamming my chest against the saddle, barely getting my right leg swung over the giant-ass horse.
The dipshit was laughing behind me. I glanced over my shoulder and glared at him.
"You're finding this entirely too funny, asshole. "
He patted his horse's neck and shrugged as I got settled into the saddle. "I just like seeing you not be good at something."
"Don't get used to it, dick."
"Will you two shut up already? Walk, we need to actually show Cohen what to do, not just mock him, you jackass," Ava snapped.
I flashed her an appreciative grin.
Walker rolled his eyes. "Fine. All right, here take the reins like this.
" He showed me how to position the reins in my hand.
"And hold onto the saddle horn for support if you need it.
" He stepped back and looked up at me. "Don’t worry about Tex. I put you on him because he’ll put up with your bullshit. "
Ava groaned. "What Walk means to say is Tex understands voice command and doesn't need you to apply pressure for him to go forward or pull on the reins to stop.
All you need to do is sit still. When you want him to walk, say walk.
When you want him to slow down, say whoa, and when you want him to stop, say halt. "
"Walk. Whoa. Halt. Got it." I nodded.
We made our way toward the trail on Walker’s property that wound through the hills and overlooked a river. Tex followed alongside Ava on Ranger, and after about ten minutes into the ride, I finally started to relax.
Okay, maybe just slightly.
The rhythmic sound of hooves against the earth, swishing tails, and birdsong settled me more than I expected. It felt a lot like the first time I’d held Ellie—unnerving at first, then strangely grounding.
Except for the moments Tex perked his head or took a misstep. Then I found myself gripping the reins a little tighter than necessary.
Ava, on the other hand, was a natural on horseback.
I'd never seen her ride or jump, but even just watching her walk, you could see her subtle confidence—perfect balance, completely at ease.
She was breathtaking. Her long dark waves were pulled up into a ponytail, little pieces breaking free in the breeze.
Her face was sun-kissed, leaving the faintest of freckles dusting her nose.
Her navy-blue eyes were shining. I wished I could take a picture of her the way she was right now. Beautiful and carefree.
"Ok. Favorite color?" Sensing my nervousness, Ava started a game of twenty-one questions to distract me.
"Blue," I answered easily.
"Favorite food?"
"Burger."
"Food you hate the most?"
"Easy. Shrimp."
Ava gasped. "Shrimp? Seriously? Shrimp is the best!"
"Nope. The whole black stringy thing that is literally their shit. Not doing it." I shook my head.
She laughed, "They clean that out!"
I shook my head again, shifting uncomfortably in the saddle. My inner thighs were starting to burn, my ass hurt, and my junk didn't feel right. "I don't know how you willingly jump over things with these animals."
She grinned, a small laugh breaking free. "It's a lot of fun."
I scoffed. "Sounds more like terrifying."
Somehow, in the midst of twenty-one questions, we'd reached the clearing, also known as 'Walker's Spot.
' He wasn't wrong; it was definitely the best view of his property.
Hills rolled on for miles into the distance, painted with colorful wildflowers and large oaks.
A river flowed quietly through the landscape, the sun casting a glitter of diamonds off the surface.
I took a deep breath and took it all in.
Snapping me out of my daze, Ava spoke. "Beautiful, isn't it?" she asked quietly.
With my gaze settled firmly on hers, I nodded. "Incredibly."
Ava turned her head quickly, looking back out at the view—breaking the spell. We sat in silence for a few minutes, letting the horses lower their heads to graze.
"Thanks for doing this…" she trailed off. "And thank you for sticking around and doing this whole parenting thing with me. Ellie and I are really lucky to have you."
I swallowed past the lump that formed in my throat. "You don't have to thank me, Ava. Ellie is as much my responsibility as she is yours." Leaning forward, I propped my forearms on top of the saddle horn. "If anything, she's lucky she has you as her mom."
Ava's eyes shone with what looked like unshed tears, her lips tipping up in a slight smile.
But as quickly as the emotion appeared, it was gone.
"Who would have thought we would make such good parents?
" she chuckled softly. "Especially together?
" she joked. I had quickly learned that Ava's MO was to revert to humor when she was uncomfortable or trying to mask emotion.
It wasn't my place to push her, so I simply nodded and forced out a laugh. "Your guess is as good as mine."
I carried a sleeping Ellie across Ava's apartment and settled her into her crib. I brushed my fingers gently through her dark hair, her eyelashes fluttering softly. I could watch her sleep all day. When I turned to leave the room, Ava was leaning against the doorframe, arms crossed, watching.
"I think today was a lot for her; she’s out cold." I made my way past Ava and into her living room. Once she quietly closed the door, she followed behind.
"Definitely. But it was fun, I'm glad we decided to spend some time in Primrose Hill." She began playing with the end of her long ponytail. "And I love that I got to see you on a horse," she teased.
I scoffed. "Yeah, well, don't get used to it. My junk still hurts." I shifted myself in my jeans for dramatic effect, pulling a laugh from Ava. I loved making her laugh. Loved knowing the brightness in her eyes was because of me.
I lingered for a moment, and I wasn't sure what for.
Did I want her to ask me to stay?
She didn't seem in a rush to lead me out the door either. The quiet stretched between us. The air felt charged.
Ava clapped her hands together, as if to cut the tension. "Well, I should get to bed. I'm pretty exhausted, and Ellie's been waking up a little earlier lately."
I thumbed over my shoulder toward the door.
“Yeah. I’ve got to get to the field early in the morning.
” I turned to leave, then stopped short, pivoting back.
“Hey, would you want to bring Ellie to the game tomorrow night? I’ve got seats behind the dugout.
I even got her those little headphones for the noise. ”
“Yeah, that’d be really fun. I haven’t been to a game since y’all won the World Series. Thanks.” She flashed me a soft, appreciative smile.
The World Series.
I shoved the memory down before it could take shape—that night…with her.
“You can bring Aria too if you want. There are four seats,” I continued, pushing past it.
“Even better. I’ll text her and see if she’s free.”
Silence settled between us again—thick, lingering. We just stood there, looking at each other, neither of us moving.
“Okay, well, goodnight.” Ava turned quickly, heading down the hallway toward her bedroom.
“Right. Goodnight. See you tomorrow night.”
After the day we’d had, walking out of Ava’s apartment—walking away from her and Ellie—felt wrong in a way I couldn’t quite name. Not dramatic. Not painful. Just… off.
Okay. Maybe a little painful.
Like taking one deliberate step back when everything in you wanted to step forward.
I’d never been the guy who ran. I showed up. I stayed. I always stayed. I just didn't attach myself to anything I couldn't survive losing. I knew how to do hard things. I’d done them my whole life. Showing up was easy. Staying present was easy.
Letting something matter? That was where people got wrecked.
If something was yours, truly yours, it could be taken from you. And I’d learned young that the things you loved most didn’t seem to stick around.
Ellie was different. She was blood. She wasn’t something I could walk away from. There was no version of my life where I didn’t show up for her.
But Ava—
Ava was a choice.
And choosing her felt like stepping onto thin ice and pretending it wouldn’t crack.
I stepped off the elevator into my place, the silence pressing in.
It had never felt quieter, colder… emptier.
I glanced at Ellie's toys on the ground, scattered across the floor, abandoned.
I picked up a pillow that had fallen off the couch.
I could smell the faint aroma of lilac and peach—Ava.
I felt an ache settle deep in my chest, craving the sound of Ellie's giggles and the sight of Ava holding her.
Here, in this apartment. With me.
I picked up a few toys and headed toward Ellie's room to put them away. I lowered myself into the glider I used to rock her to sleep, and sighed, dropping my head into my hands. "What the fuck is happening to me?" I groaned.
The fresh smell of cut grass. Dirt perfectly raked between the bases. Bright lights. The satisfying crack of a bat. Today was game day.
This stadium was my house. This was where I had control.
But for whatever reason, I felt… off. I was never nervous before a game. I was usually focused, locked in—ready to fucking go.
But not tonight.
And I suspected it had everything to do with Ava and Ellie coming to the game tonight.
I was warming up, tossing the ball with Beckham before moving on to batting practice. My arm felt good, but oddly enough, my inner thighs were screaming—and I knew it had everything to do with being on a goddamn horse yesterday.
Beckham noticed my wince when I pushed down into my lunge. "What's with the face?"
"Walker got me on a fucking horse yesterday." I continued to push down, fighting past the pain.
Beckham dropped his head back and cackled. "I would have paid good money to see that."
I narrowed my eyes. "Yeah, well, sorry, I don't plan on making it a habit." Beckham's gaze shifted to something behind me, and a slow smile spread across his face. He gestured toward the dugout, "Your fan club's here."
I spun around so fast I almost pulled my hamstring.
Worth it.
Because standing in the seats behind the dugout was my baby girl wearing a tiny little Aviators' onesie with my name and the number six on the back with little pink headphones on.
I sprinted across the field to get to them.
Ava's lips pulled up in a soft smile, and fuck, she nearly took my breath away.
She wore a tight navy-blue tank top tucked into jeans, with Walker's jersey draped across her shoulders, her dark hair in a loose braid.
An unexpected sharp pang of jealousy hit at the fact that the jersey wasn’t mine.
Then Ava was walking down the stairs, Ellie in her arms, moving toward the rail—and everything else fell away. She lifted Ellie toward me once she reached the field. I settled her against my chest and grinned at Ava. “I didn’t know you were coming for batting practice.”
Ava shoved her hands into the back pockets of her jeans, rocking on her heels. "Yeah, I figured it'd be nice for you to see Ellie before the game started."
I pressed a kiss to Ellie's head and glanced up at Ava. "Thank you."
She nodded with a smile.
I took Ellie over to see the guys and the coaches—everyone gushed over her. She took it all in like a champ. Tiny hands grabbing at jerseys, completely unfazed by all the attention, like she belonged here, as if this was already her world.
Reluctantly, I knew I needed to get back to focusing on the game, so I handed her back off to Ava, who headed back to her seat, where Aria was waiting.
Our field manager, Coach Parks, clapped me on the shoulder and squeezed, "Nice seeing this side of you, Jordan." He winked and walked off toward Drake.
Our pitching coach, Coach Turner, stepped up next to me. "Being a dad is great, isn't it? Especially to a little girl." Coach Turner had two young daughters himself.
I nodded, glancing back over toward Ava, bouncing Ellie gently in the stands.
"It's the best."