Chapter 2

CHAPTER TWO

ARTHUR

Swallowing hard, I tried to sink a little farther into the shadows. This was the third Children of Myth show I'd come to see and I was worried I was starting to look like a stalker. I couldn't help myself. Listening to them got me out of my head for a while. The lead singer especially had that kind of soulful, alluring voice that kept me coming back time and time again. I felt like I was way too old to follow a band around the city, but here I was. Again.

While I hadn't intended on eavesdropping, the bar was small enough that I could overhear them talking to each other. I secretly agreed with Hendrix. His band didn't scream wedding to me. Then again, my own wedding had a string quartet and every cheesy love song my ex-wife could think of. It wasn't exactly the wedding I wanted, but everyone said the wedding was more about the bride, so I let Val make all the decisions.

Like she was summoned by my thoughts, my phone buzzed with that special tempo I set to let me know my ex was calling me. I fumbled with my phone, almost running out the door so she wouldn't hear the noise of the club in the background. I wasn't fast enough and missed the call by the time I got outside, but I was quick to call her back. Her tone still held a level of annoyance to it when she answered.

"Why didn't you answer the first time?"

"Sorry…" I knew better by now than to throw out excuses. She'd yell at me either way. "What did you need?"

"You are picking up Sofía tomorrow, right?"

I frowned. "Yes. I have her every weekend. Why?"

She clicked her tongue, but I couldn't figure out if she was irritated with me or something else. I usually assumed it was me. It had been since the day we got married.

"She's been asking. She doesn't believe me when I say you will. And she won't go to bed until she is sure."

My heart ached a little at the thought. The divorce was a little over a year ago, and Sophie was still struggling to cope. If I could've, I would've convinced Val to stick it out until Sophie was in college, but Val got tired of me and wouldn't even discuss other options. She wanted a divorce, and I didn't fight her on it.

"Can I talk to her?"

Val didn't like to let me talk to Sophie when it was her night, but if she was fed up enough to call me, I figured she'd take the offer. It was beyond late and Sophie had school in the morning. Val wasn't happy about it, I could hear her muttering under her breath, but she handed Sophie the phone anyway.

"Sophie?"

"Daddy? When are you coming to get me?"

"After school, baby. Why are you still up?"

My little girl was my life. I'd go through the whole awful marriage again and the years of verbal abuse just to have that little girl. She was so smart and thoughtful and she was my light in the darkness when things were at their worst.

"I couldn't sleep." Her voice dropped to a whisper. "I like your house better."

A part of me wanted to be smug about that, but I also wanted my daughter to have a good relationship with her mother. I put my own feelings aside, keeping my voice gentle for Sophie.

"There's something to love at both houses, sweet pea. Your mom's house has that beautiful garden and all those books. You're allowed to love both, Sophie. We just want you to be happy."

I could hear the frown in her voice and I could practically see the look on her face. When Sophie didn't agree with me, she looked so much like her mother. Her brows drew together tightly, her lips pressed into a thin line. But unlike Val, Sophie was a lot more diplomatic when she disagreed with me.

"But your house has my purple room and all my stuffies. It's fun there."

"And you'll be there tomorrow. But you've got school in the morning and you can't learn well if you're tired. So go to bed and get a good sleep. I promise, I'll pick you up right on time tomorrow."

"Okay, daddy. Good night."

"Sleep well, honey. Good night."

She handed the phone back to her mother, who hissed at her to stay in her bed before she spoke to me again.

"You can't keep doing this."

"Doing what?"

"You let her get away with anything when she's with you. You're doing it on purpose, so she'll hate me. I won't let you turn her against me."

My chest tightened painfully. If I didn't go along with what Val wanted, I was worried she'd try to take Sophie from me. We had a custody agreement, but she also had her cousin as her lawyer and they'd bury me if I caused any trouble. They already took away more time than I wanted, forcing me to only see Sophie on the weekends.

"I'm trying, Val. I reminded her about her favorite things at your house. Maybe if you let her paint her room or–"

Val scoffed. "That is not important. She needs to focus on school. Her grades are dropping. Stop distracting her with childish things."

I rolled my eyes, only because I knew she couldn't see me. Sophie's grades had nothing to do with her focus. I spoke to the school counselor, and she said every kid whose parents divorced went through something similar. Sophie needed more time and reassurance. She didn't need Val hovering over her about her grades.

"We'll work on her homework together. I promise."

She made that irritated noise again and hung up without another word. I was expecting it, so it didn't shock me like it used to. Tucking my phone back in my pocket, I leaned against the side of the club with a sigh.

I never expected my life to turn out like this. I did everything I was supposed to do. I studied hard in school, married my college sweetheart, got a stable, well earning job in accounting, and a big house. I thought my life was set. And once Sophie was born, I actually felt happy. But ten years later, everything fell apart. I came home from work one day to divorce papers on the table, and Val and Sophie's bags were already packed. I'd been in a free fall ever since.

The door to the club swung open, and I nearly swallowed my tongue when a certain someone stepped outside. He had his arm around the drummer, Ruby, and a lazy smile on his face.

"Are your friends going to give you hell for missing poker night?" Ruby asked, looking at her phone. Probably ordering a ride.

"Felix will," Hendrix drawled. "Maybe. I don't know who showed up tonight. If there were enough people, he probably won't say anything."

My pulse spiked, my eyes locked on the couple. I loved the band itself, but a small part of me knew I showed up for him. Hendrix Lovegood was everything I wasn't. A free spirit musician who lived life the way he wanted to live it. I never thought I'd have a crush on a man, but the feelings I harbored for the demon were borderline obsessive.

"Have I thanked you recently for moving in with me?"

Ruby shook her head, wry amusement overtaking her face. "Every day. Seriously, Hen, how do you get drunk off a couple of beers? I thought demons were tougher than this."

Hendrix scrunched his nose adorably. "I'm a lightweight, you know that. It's my dad's greatest shame." He flashed her a grin, leaning heavily against her. "You know you love me anyway."

My spirit sank a little. I never had any intention of actually talking to him, much less admitting I was interested. My family would lose their minds if they knew I was interested in men. That didn't mean I couldn't dream. Not knowing his relationship status made me feel less guilty about thinking about him like that. But I didn't think I could ignore the fact that he had a girlfriend.

"Did Maya tell you this might be a recurring thing? Are your friends going to be pissed?"

I didn't get to hear his reply because the rideshare stopped by the curb and Ruby shoved him into the back before he could answer. She put his guitar in back with him and shut the door, poking her head in through the passenger window.

"He's probably going to fall asleep before he gets there. If you buzz apartment B, the guys will come grab him. I'll send a big tip once I hear he's home safe."

The driver nodded, completely unfazed. She patted the top of the car, sending them on their way, before spinning around and heading back inside. I frowned, following the car with my eyes as it drove off. It seemed really unsafe to put a drunk person in the care of someone you don't know. I almost wanted to follow them to make sure he got home safe. But that felt even more creepy than following a band around.

Resigned, I headed to my car. I needed to get some sleep, so I had plenty of energy to play with Sophie. Spending the entire week with her mom, who wasn't a big fan of letting her play, she usually showed up bursting with energy. We spent most of the weekend playing together and running around so she could burn off as much energy as possible before going back to her mom's Monday afternoon.

Sliding behind the wheel, I considered my next move. Val wanted Sophie to work on her grades. If Sophie came back having learned nothing, Val would start pushing to take more time away from me. I had to make a plan for Sophie to work on her grades while still letting her be a little kid. Maybe I could figure out a way to make her math homework fun. I was an accountant, after all. You didn't get a career like mine without enjoying math, at least on some level.