19. Cohen
Cohen
The crowd was electric. Alive in a way that made the stadium hum beneath my cleats.
The lights burned down onto the field as we battled through the final game of the Wild Card Series.
We were in the top of the fifth and up by only one run.
Atlanta wasn't handing us a ticket to the ALDS without a fight.
I bent at the waist, in position. Ready.
The batter took his sweet-ass time stepping into the box, adjusting gloves, tapping cleats.
I took that opportunity to glance over at the crowd.
My eyes locked onto Ava, like a missile finding its target. Without trying, I always seemed to find her in a crowd.
Still wearing her brother's goddamn jersey.
She was turned toward Aria, laughing at something she’d said. Ellie rested against her chest, little pink headphones covering her ears. That ache I’ve seemed to grow accustomed to settled in my chest like it owned the damn place.
My gaze drifted to the mound. Hudson wasn’t looking in for the sign. Nope. He was looking exactly where I’d just been.
At Ava.
This guy.
My grip tightened around the leather of my glove as I shifted in position.
He didn’t even try to hide it. Just standing there, staring up into the crowd like he had any right to be looking at her. Like he knew her.
My jaw flexed.
She was single. She could talk to whoever she wanted. Laugh with whoever she wanted. Go out with whoever she wanted.
So why the hell did it feel like he was stepping into something that wasn’t his?
I glanced back over at Ava before I could stop it. She was still talking with Aria, completely unaware of the way he was looking at her.
Of the way I was.
Something possessive pulled tight under my skin.
I didn’t like it. Didn’t like him looking at her like that and I really didn’t like that she might like it. “Hey, Fuller,” I barked, loud enough for him to hear. “Why don’t you focus on getting us out of this fucking inning instead of on the crowd?”
Beckham smirked from third.
The corner of Hudson’s mouth kicked up. “How about you worry about yourself, Jordan? Make sure you’re where I need you to be.”
Motherfucker.
Beckham snorted. My head snapped toward him in warning. He tried but failed to school his features, his grin only getting wider.
The next pitch left Hudson’s hand and the batter sent a laser straight into the gap between second and third.
On instinct I shifted right, snatching the ball clean out of the air before it had a chance to drop for the final out of the inning.
I jogged past Hudson, "You're welcome." I tossed him the ball with a wink and headed into the dugout.
I batted second in the lineup. While I waited on deck, working through practice swings, I heard my name being called from the stands. It was coming from the direction of Ava and Aria's section. But it wasn't their voices. I turned to look up into the stands.
Shit.
A few rows over standing on her feet was Kate.
One of the girls I used to spend time with…
before I’d deleted them all from my phone.
She tucked a strand of long blonde hair behind her ear and turned to talk to the girl next to her.
She was angled just enough to remind me exactly why I’d saved her in my phone as Kate (Nice Ass).
She turned her attention back toward me and waved. She then blew me a kiss.
I didn’t mean to, but my eyes shifted left.
Ava had seen it. Her expression didn’t change much—but I saw it.
The shift. The tightening of her shoulders.
But why would it matter to her anyway? She was into Hudson.
I saw how she’d looked at him the other day, how her hand lingered a little too long on his arm.
I turned away from the stands, rolling my shoulders loose.
Beckham stepped into the on-deck circle as I headed to the plate.
“I didn’t realize Zara knew Kate,” he said casually.
“Kind of works out though, right? You’ll have a girl tonight when we go out.
” Zara was one of the girls Beckham often spent time with when we were in Austin.
Ignoring him, I made my way to the plate.
I was over it. Over my mind being a constant mess. These days, baseball was the only place it went quiet.
I stepped into the box.
Ready.
I stared down the pitcher. The crowd disappeared. The noise faded. Everything fell away leaving nothing but me and the man in front of me.
I was in complete control.
The fastball came in hot; I gripped my bat, pulled back and swung hard. The crack of my bat against the ball was clean. Violent. The ball launched towards centerfield. It wasn't landing. Nope. It soared past the outfield and straight into the stands.
Home run.
The second my foot hit home plate, the noise came rushing back in like a wave crashing over me. The crowd erupted, loud, deafening, electric. My teammates were shouting, hands slapping my helmet as I made my way into the dugout.
I barely heard any of it. My chest was still heaving, adrenaline pumping hard through my veins, but my eyes were already drifting back toward the stands.
Toward her.
Ava was on her feet, bouncing slightly with Ellie still tucked against her chest, a wide smile lighting up her face.
For a split second, everything else faded.
No Hudson.
No game.
No noise.
Just her, our daughter, and that look on her face like she was proud of me.
Beckham grabbed me first, yanking me into a quick chest bump. “That’s what I’m talking about, Jordan!”
And just like that—
It was gone. That brief, quiet calm she gave me.
Now replaced by the same restless tension that had been riding me all damn night.
The Aviators were going to the ALDS. Again. My home run in the bottom of the fifth, coupled with Shane being an absolute beast as our closer, secured the win.
And no. I was not giving Hudson any credit.
Between the media and the chaos, I wasn't able to see Ava and Ellie after the game. I hoped to see them tomorrow, but for tonight, I was going out and celebrating with the guys.
I made my way toward the back of the club Beckham had chosen and spotted the roped-off section where most of the guys were already seated. Shane was standing, and once he shifted to the left, a familiar blonde came into view.
Kate.
She looked exactly the same. Perfect hair, perfect body, that same easy confidence that used to make things simple.
No expectations. No complications. No thinking.
Just… fun. That was the point, right? That was who I was. The Aviators' resident playboy. The guy who didn’t get attached. Didn’t overthink. Didn’t care. I’d had a whole roster of women who fit neatly into that life, and for a long time, it worked.
It was easy. I had control.
My jaw tightened, because standing there, looking at her now—
I felt absolutely nothing.
She spotted me instantly and practically jumped to her feet to greet me. "Cohen!" She wrapped her arms around my neck. "You were incredible tonight." She pushed onto her tiptoes and placed a kiss on my cheek. I resisted the urge to immediately wipe it off.
I looked down at her with a forced smile. "Thanks," I replied flatly. Just as my hands were about to wrap around her wrists to peel her off me, I saw them.
Hudson—with Ava and Aria.
They made their way over to the group, Hudson’s hand resting low on Ava’s back. My blood ran hot, pounding in my ears. My vision tunneled, the edges blurring with anger.
What the fuck is she doing here?
This wasn’t supposed to matter.
And that was the problem.
I quickly schooled my face, and instead of untangling myself from Kate, I settled my hands low on her hips. I glanced down at the eager blonde, "Glad you could come to the game tonight." My signature grin was firmly set back into place.
Hudson led Ava in our direction. I could see the hesitance on her face. Her gaze dropped to where my hands rested, her soft smile fell. Her mouth set into a thin line.
Hudson held out his fist for me to bump. "Great game tonight, Jordan." He moved on to congratulate the other guys on our win, but I held Ava's gaze.
“What are you doing here?” I said, already too sharp. “Where’s Ellie?” The question landed harder than I meant it to.
Ava reared back as if I had slapped her. Brows pulled together, her face hardened. "What the fuck is that supposed to mean?"
I dropped my hands from Kate so I could fully face Ava. Kate shot Ava a sweet smile before leaving us to join Zara and Beckham over in the corner.
"It means, where is our daughter tonight?" I planted my hands on my hips impatiently. I knew I was being a dick. But I couldn't seem to stop myself.
Ava shook her head in disbelief. "Nice to see you too, asshole.
Great game by the way." She spun around to take off toward where Aria was chatting with Drake and Hudson, but suddenly stopped short and whipped back around.
"Walker and Farrah offered to keep her for the night at his place since they were in town for the game. Is that okay with you? Any other questions?”
I deserved that.
When I didn't answer, she stomped off.
So like the pathetic bastard I was, I stood rooted in place watching her move closer to Hudson. She trailed her hand up his arm, he looked down at her with a grin before wrapping his arm around her.
And I wanted to punch that smile off his fucking face.
I felt a hand softly touch my arm. I turned to see Kate. "Hey, everything okay?" Her blue eyes searched mine.
They're not as pretty as Ava's.
I glanced back at Ava one more time before nodding. "Yup. Fantastic." I wrapped my arm around her and led her back toward the group.
Drinks were flowing, everyone was having a good time, and I was trying to focus on whatever Beckham was saying, but our new pitcher couldn't seem to keep his goddamn hands to himself.
I had an arm draped over the couch behind Kate, who was tucked into my side.
Her hand was beginning to get a mind of its own as it settled on my inner thigh.
Her hand slid higher, slow and deliberate.
I felt nothing.
But that didn't mean I was going to stop her. I leaned back further into the couch, letting her settle more comfortably against me. I played with the ends of her hair, letting the strands slide between my fingers.
My eyes tracked across the room and found Ava instantly.
She was mid-conversation with Aria, but her attention kept slipping. Her gaze flicking back toward me—quick, sharp glances she probably thought I didn’t notice.
I noticed. I noticed everything when it came to her.
My fingers drifted from Kate's hair to the nape of her neck, pushing her hair over her shoulder before trailing lightly along her collarbone.
Petty?
Yeah.
Did I care?
Not even a little.
If Ava was going to stand there and let some other guy put his hands on her, then she could watch this.
I kept catching her sneaking looks in my direction. And every time she did, I laid it on a little thicker. I leaned close to Kate’s ear. I tucked a piece of her hair behind it. I let my hands linger. Every move intentional. Every touch calculated.
And after a few more rounds of drinks, Kate was feeling bold. She came back from the bathroom and decided to lower herself down onto my lap, straddling me. My hands instinctively found her hips, and when I looked behind her, Ava's eyes were locked on me.
I held her gaze. Doesn’t feel so good, does it?
I threw her a wink, sending her storming off into the crowd toward the bar.
Did I want Kate?
No.
Was I being a jealous asshole?
Probably.
So naturally, I wanted Ava watching.