Chapter 20

CHAPTER TWENTY

ARTHUR

Listening to Sophie and Hendrix talk about ways to make friends with the demon boy at school was heartwarming. It made me nervous when Sophie said the boy wasn't very nice, but Hendrix made a good point when he said the boy was probably scared and lashing out. And I loved that Sophie cared enough to keep trying. She promised to be safe about it and I didn't see anything wrong with her giving him a little trinket to try and break the ice.

Since most of Sophie's time was spent studying, she didn't have a ton of toys. There were more here than at her mom's house. She pondered it for a while before picking out a little stuffed animal that she liked and was happy to share. I made sure she put it in the bottom of her backpack, knowing Val would take it away if she found it. After breakfast was through and Sophie had a plan to make a new friend, she and I got dressed for the day. We were going to go to the park with Hendrix, but the weather wasn't cooperating and it started to rain right as we were headed out the door. Instead, Sophie dragged me into the living room, asking if we could practice our dance together.

"You dance?" Hendrix asked from his spot on the couch.

My face flushed, and I grimaced. "Sophie wanted to learn some popular Kpop dances, but she didn't want to do it alone. I think it's better if we wait until tomorrow and–"

"Please, daddy! I can't practice at Mom's house and I really want to show some friends at school. Please please please!"

She gave me her biggest puppy dog eyes, her hands clasped together tightly. That look could sway military generals. I wanted to give in, but it was too embarrassing with Hendrix in the room. I shot him a pleading look, hoping he'd distract her somehow, but Hendrix was on Sophie's side.

"I want to see the dance, Art. I promise, I won't laugh."

He said that, but his eyes were already dancing and he had to twist his mouth to hide his grin. The embarrassment was overwhelming, but when my eyes strayed to Sophie's backpack by the front door, a reminder that I only got to spend so much time with her, I gave in.

"Okay…"

"Yay!" She jumped and clapped her hands, bouncing around me like a puppy as I pulled up the song. I'd put on a button up to look nice for Hendrix, but I shed it to make my movement a little easier. I was wearing an undershirt, so it was fine. Hendrix raised his eyebrow at me, a smirk tugging at his lips. I did my best to ignore him, moving to stand next to Sophie. I shot her one last pleading look.

"Are you sure we can't just do something else? Anything else?"

"No! You're good at it, Daddy. Don't be shy."

Resigned to my fate, I pressed play and looked anywhere but at Hendrix as I danced with my daughter. When she first showed interest in dance, she was only five. Val adamantly refused, saying Sophie had better things to be focused on. She was already reading and doing math high above her grade level, but Val refused to listen. I'll admit, I was too much of a coward to argue with her about it. It wasn't until our divorce that I felt comfortable enough to let Sophie try dancing. She was seven and more easily embarrassed than she was at five, so I did it with her so she wouldn't be afraid. I was embarrassed too, the dances she picked weren't meant for adult males in their thirties, but I pushed past that because of the joy on Sophie's face. Now we practiced together every weekend, and I loved having that connection with her.

My face was on fire by the time we finished, and I avoided Hendrix's eyeline to hide my embarrassment. I didn't want Sophie to think I didn't love our little hobby together, but doing that kind of thing in front of the man I was dating was a little mortifying.

Hendrix clapped, and I finally peeked over at him, watching him beaming at Sophie as she hovered in front of him. She looked so proud of herself, which was exactly why I started doing this with her. I pushed past some of the embarrassment, scooping her up when she came to hug me.

"Good job, sweetheart. You've improved a lot. I think your friends will love it."

"You think so? I really want to dance with them."

I nodded solemnly. "Do what makes you happy. I'm sure your friends will have fun dancing with you."

"Can I use your computer? I want to see what it looks like with more people."

"For a little while," I agreed, setting her on her feet. She darted off to my home office, which was across the hall from my bedroom. It gave us a moment of privacy and Hendrix took advantage, wrapping himself around me from behind.

"That was the cutest thing I've ever seen. You're a good dancer, babe."

I blushed, staring at the wall in front of me to avoid his eyeline. "It's just for her. She was too embarrassed to do it alone, even though I could tell she really wanted to. I'd never do that in public. I didn't think I'd ever do it in front of anyone but Sophie."

He hummed, pressing a kiss to the side of my neck. "There's lots of things that you didn't think you'd do before you met me. I love that you trust me enough to share your firsts."

There was no judgment, no teasing. His compliments seemed genuine, and when I finally turned to face him, his smile was soft and encouraging. And a little heated. Okay, a lot heated.

"Why are you looking at me like that?"

A slow grin overtook his face, and his voice dropped to barely a whisper. "Can't help it. If you shake your ass in front of me, I'm gonna get ideas in my head. There are a few firsts you haven't done yet."

I sucked in a sharp breath, jerking my gaze to his. I was interested in trying more things with him, but I was too embarrassed to ask. I was waiting for him to take the lead. I didn't want to appear uninterested, though.

"I, uh… When–"

"Daddy! There's another dance I want to learn!"

I grimaced. Now was not the time to talk about sex. I stepped away from Hendrix right as she burst into the room, grabbing my hand to drag me to my office. Hendrix followed behind us, a low chuckle in his throat. I felt the tips of my ears burning and I was glad for the distraction when Sophie pushed me into my office chair and climbed into my lap to show me the video she found.

If I thought the dance we learned before was embarrassing, this one was even more so. It was very cutesy and even had a move where they used their hands as bunny ears and hopped around. I could see why Sophie would like it, but I wanted to cringe at the thought of doing it myself.

"I don't know, Sophie…"

She twisted around, an already heartbroken look on her face. "Why not? It looks like fun. Please?"

There were a few things that my ex wife wasn't wrong about. She always said I didn't have a backbone, especially when it came to Sophie. I hated telling her no. Luckily, Hendrix came to my rescue in the best way possible.

"Hey, can you and I learn it together? I think it looks like fun. And your dad probably has to make lunch soon, right?"

Tipping her head back, she looked curiously at Hendrix. "You know how to dance?"

He shrugged, not a hint of embarrassment on his face. "I mean, I enjoy dancing at a club, but I've never learned something like that before. It looks fun. And I know how to perform like I'm in front of an audience."

Her eyes lit up, and Sophie beamed at him. "Okay! Daddy, can you put the video on the TV so we can practice?"

Shooting Hendrix a grateful smile, I nodded. "Yeah, sweetheart. I'll do that."

As she bounced out of the room, heading downstairs, Hendrix leaned over my seat and pressed a kiss to my forehead. "I've got you, babe. After years of being up on stage, I don't get embarrassed easily."

"Thank you. I don't want her to get embarrassed either, but it's hard…"

He hummed, taking my hand and pulling me out of my seat. "I get it. And it's not like it's a hardship for me to spend time with Sophie. You made a great kid. Just promise me you'll reward me later."

He winked at me to make his request clear and I nearly tripped over my feet, arousal zipping up my spine. Whatever he wanted as a reward, I'd give him. Because when it came to him, his rewards were rewards for me too.