Chapter 7

CHAPTER SEVEN

HENDRIX

"Your favorite person is here."

Turning away from Ruby, I followed Duncan's gaze across the yard. Standing near the entrance, Arthur was a stunning sight to see. He was holding hands with a sweet little girl, who was too busy pointing and looking around to notice her daddy wasn't paying any attention. He was too busy staring at me. I preened at the attention, ducking past Laz to head Arthur's way.

As I got closer, I took him all in. I never realized before now how much hid in the dim lighting of the bar. I knew he was cute, with his thick glasses and tousled hair. But it was dim enough that I didn't know just how much his hair looked like copper, with hints of gold when he stood in the sunlight. He styled it neatly to the side, probably gelled to stay in place. He had freckles across his nose and on his cheeks, which tried to disappear when he blushed. I was staring, and probably embarrassing him, but I couldn't help it. His wide green eyes watched me as I stopped in front of him, my gaze trailing over him. His suit was well fitted, showing off his thin frame, light gray, with a paisley bowtie that matched the flowers pinned in his daughter's hair. They looked like a matching set, which was cute, and they both matched the color scheme of the wedding.

It took me a second to do anything but take him in, but when I finally locked eyes with him, I grinned.

"Hey."

His face was bright red now. I both hated and loved it. I didn't want to make him feel uncomfortable, but he was adorable when he blushed, that bright red color scorching all the way down his neck. It made me want to poke at him and see how many times I could make him blush in one night.

"H-Hi."

The little girl was finally looking our way, curiosity all over her face as she looked up at me. She didn't look much like her dad, her hair long and brown and her skin a little more tan than pale like his. But she had freckles on her nose like Arthur did. For a second, I was worried she'd be scared of me, but she didn't look bothered. Her big brown eyes looked between us for a few seconds before she tugged on her dad's hand.

"Daddy. Who's that?"

Arthur blinked a few times, like he was just remembering that we weren't alone. I fought back a grin, lifting my eyebrows at him. However he wanted to introduce us was fine with me. I knew all about parents introducing their kids to the people they were dating. I wasn't surprised or even offended when Arthur introduced me as his friend.

"This is Hendrix. He's a friend of mine. He plays in a band." He pointed toward where the band was setting up earlier. Most of the members had dispersed by now, getting drinks and relaxing before the ceremony. The only people who had to be up there during the ceremony were me and Laz. Zion was supposed to be there too for a little acoustics for the brides as they walked out, but he was going to be late. Again.

"Hendrix, this is my daughter, Sofía. But she likes to be called Sophie."

She offered me her hand, her handshake surprisingly firm for a little girl. "Nice to meet you. What instrument do you play?"

It felt awkward to have her craning her neck to look at me, so I squatted to be more at her eye level. "Well, I can play guitar and I do sometimes with my band. But my main role is vocals. I like to sing."

Her eyes lit up. "Me too! I wanted to join the choir, but Mommy said I had to learn violin." She scrunched up her face to express her disinterest.

I pursed my lips thoughtfully. "Well, it's always good to have an instrument as a backup. You don't want to sing in silence, right?"

She bobbed her head slowly. "I guess. But it's hard to sing when you're holding the violin with your chin."

"When you're bigger, your mom said you can play the cello. It's just too big for you now," Arthur reminded her.

"Well, there you go. You don't need to hold that with your chin," I pointed out.

She seemed satisfied with that answer, and Arthur smiled at her like she was the best thing in his world. She probably was. It was sweet to watch and when she dragged him towards the wedding arch, I couldn't help but follow behind them so I could listen to them interact.

"Daddy, can I get married here?"

"You can, but you might want to wait until you're older to decide. You might change your mind."

"You know you can get married at Disneyland, right?" I offered.

Sophie spun around, her eyes wide like her daddy's whenever he was surprised. "Wait, really?"

I nodded. "I went to a wedding there once. It was crazy. Right in front of the castle and everything."

She gaped at me, spinning to look at Arthur. "I want to get married at Disneyland!"

He twisted his lips to hide his smile, giving me an exasperated look when Sophie looked away again. I grinned at him, putting on my best innocent face. Before he could ream me for giving Sophie big ideas, MoB-zilla, as we came to call Maya's mom, swooped in out of nowhere. In the few times we'd met, she was always short with me and the band, and Maya especially. But her face softened when she leaned down to talk to Sophie.

"Are you Sofía?"

Sophie looked a little uncertain, her brows furrowed. "Uh huh. Why?"

"Well, you see. I got this very pretty tiara for the flower girl. I've been looking all over for her. I want to give it to her before the ceremony. You wouldn't be my flower girl, would you?"

Sophie's eyes lit up, all hints of trepidation disappearing. "Yes! I'm the flower girl!"

I studied Maya's mom, trying to figure out who replaced the tyrant with this kind and sweet woman who spoke so softly to the little girl. She offered Sophie her hand, smiling tenderly at her.

"Well, then you'll have to come with me. We have to get you properly adorned before we begin. I have your basket of petals waiting for you, too. Do you want your daddy to come along, or can he wait here for you?"

Sophie nodded emphatically. "I don't get to see him much. I want to stay with him."

Yikes. Way to rub it in thick, kid. She wiped out anyone taking her away from her dad for even a second in one smooth move.

Maya's mom looked surprised, but there was no way she was going to argue with that. She gave in instantly, gesturing towards the bed-and-breakfast. "Okay, he can join us. We're going to Maya's room. You get to see the bride first, but that's our little secret."

Sophie zipped her lips and crossed her heart, tugging her dad along as they headed inside. As she passed, MoB-zilla made an appearance, and she hissed at me.

"The wedding will start soon. Shouldn't you be getting ready?"

I wasn't going to argue with her, so I gave her a mock salute. "Yes, ma'am. Hey, Sophie. Save me a dance, okay?"

She dropped Mob-zilla's hand long enough to give me a thumbs up before she was the one leading the two adults inside. I shook my head slowly, fighting off a laugh.

"Cute kid."

I hummed, looking over my shoulder at Aziel. The whole gang was here, most of them already in their seats. Turning, I raised my eyebrows at him.

"Haven't seen you around in a while. Where you been, man?"

"Busy. I can't stay through the whole thing."

I sighed. Something was up with him lately. He was acting weird and avoiding us. I couldn't remember the last poker game he went to, and he rarely answered his texts anymore. There was a story there, but now was not the time or the place to grill him about it. He seemed guarded, like he was waiting for me to say something, but I just pulled him in for a hug, slapping his back roughly.

"Good to see you. Don't be a stranger, alright? We miss you."

He hesitated for a second before hugging me back. It surprised me. I kind of expected something quick, but he stayed for a few extra seconds, his grip tight and uneasy. It was telling, and once this thing was through, I was going to check in on him more. Whatever he was going through, he didn't have to deal with it alone.

Clapping his back one more time, I straightened and squeezed his shoulders. "I gotta get up on stage or MoB-zilla will eat me alive. And not in the fun way. Have a drink with me later?"

"If I have time. Never thought I'd see you playing a wedding," he smirked, a hint of the guy I knew making an appearance.

I made a face. "Tell me about it. They manhandled me into it. Blame Ruby. If you're gonna hide in the back, do me a favor and take a few clips. A friend said we should be putting stuff on social media to get more fans. Apparently, word of mouth isn't what it used to be."

Something flickered across his face, but he dipped his chin, and it was gone again. "Sounds good. Break a leg."

I lifted my chin in acknowledgement and headed for the little stage they set us up on. Laz was waiting for me, and he frowned at my approach.

"Is that Aziel? Haven't seen him in a while."

I nodded. "Same, man. You ready to do this?"

"As I'll ever be. Who conned us into this again?"

I snorted. Not everyone was on board when they heard the plan, but Ruby was right. The money swayed them. At least the rent was fully covered this month.