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Pride swelled in my chest, and I beamed at her. “I like to think so. She got the best of me and her mother.”

As painful as our relationship was to think about, I didn’t think badly of Val. She gave me Sophie and I couldn’t be upset about that. I just wished she would meet me halfway on co-parenting. I sent her a picture of Sophie in her wedding attire as a sign of goodwill after snapping a few pictures of the brides dancing together. She didn’t reply, but I wasn’t reallyexpecting her to. I went to the stage instead, getting a front row performance with Sophie center stage, tapping a tambourine with a huge smile on her face.

The band finished up, and they switched over to a music playlist for the rest of the night, allowing Hendrix and the rest of the band to finally relax. Isla and Maya set aside meals for them, so Hendrix dragged me with him into the kitchen when they were through. He plucked Sophie off her feet, setting her on the counter, and raised a bottle of water.

“To our new rising star!”

I knew I’d face arguments from Val when we got back. Especially when Sophie’s grades didn’t instantly improve the following week. But it was so worth it to bring her here today. I couldn’t remember the last time she smiled so brightly. And it was all thanks to Hendrix.

CHAPTER NINE

HENDRIX

Little Sophie was quickly becomingmy favorite person on the planet. She was energetic and bright, lighting up the room wherever she was. There wasn’t a shy bone in her body, and when she danced, she danced just for her. No embarrassment, no awkwardness. She spun and jumped and laughed and was unapologetically herself. I could see how proud Arthur was of her. As long as she was smiling, so was he. He swept her off her feet a few times, holding her in his arms as they spun about or letting her stand on his feet. He didn’t care about the price of his fancy shoes or the scuffs she left on them. He only cared about her.

I never saw myself as the parenting type, but watching Arthur with Sophie made me a little jealous. And I wasn’t the only one. At least I had the excuse of being single. From the look Zach was giving Mal, kids were definitely in their future. Brandon and Callum too, if their soft smiles were anything to go by. I couldn’t imagine Tyler and Felix with kids, but they’d bethose hilarious uncles who taught the kids to cause trouble and started a cousin prank war.

When Zach snagged Sophie for a dance, I stole Arthur’s attention, spinning him into my arms. He looked surprised and a little uncertain, but I didn't give him a chance to freak out. He told me he’d never had a relationship with a guy before. There were bound to be times when he was a little unsure of himself. As long as I wasn’t making him uncomfortable, I was happy to show him new things. I settled one hand on his waist, the other holding his gently. We swayed to the music, and besides the blush on his cheeks, Arthur didn’t look upset about the position.

“So you’ve got Sophie on weekends, right?”

He nodded, his brow furrowed a little. “Yes, why?”

“Just planning our next date. We only do one to two gigs a week, depending on what’s available. My schedule is free most days.”

I wasn’t exactly rolling in dough, but I knew how to have a decent date on a budget. Hopefully, Arthur wasn’t the type of dude who needed fine dining and roses.

“Ah. Um, weeknights are fine except Fridays. I pick up Sophie after school and I have her until I drop her off at school Monday morning.”

Frowning, I glanced at where Sophie was standing on Zach’s feet, smiling brightly. “That doesn’t seem like enough time. Is your schedule too busy for her to stay during the week?”

A layer of sadness washed over Arthur’s face, and he sighed heavily. “No. If I had my way, I’d have her every day of the week. I asked my ex wife if we could do every other week so I could see Sophie more, but she refused.”

“And she just gets to dictate that?” I knew divorces were messy, but at least in the Other Realm, one parent couldn’t stop another parent from seeing their kid unless it was dangerous to do so. Arthur wasn’t dangerous by a long shot.

“Her lawyer was better than mine. He’s also her cousin and he can’t stand me. None of her family can. I got lucky with the time I got at all. I think Val gave me weekends because she has plans and doesn’t want to bring Sophie along. She sees me as a glorified babysitter on weekends.”

The pain in his voice was hard to hear. I wanted to wrap him up in my wings and protect him from the world. Or at least from his bitch of an ex-wife.

I couldn’t do that, though. He was a grown man, older than me actually, and I never wanted to make him look weak in front of his daughter. He was her hero, that was easy to see, and I wanted her to always see him like that.

The song ended, and I reluctantly drew away from him. Playing innocent when I wanted to kiss him so badly it hurt was difficult. I held myself back by the skin of my teeth, waiting impatiently for the party to be over.

It was late by the time people started filtering out. Maya and Isla threw a decent party, and no one wanted to leave before they had to. Sophie was listing on her feet, the night finally catching up to her, and she came without argument when Arthur scooped her into his arms. I followed him out to the parking lot, hovering as he tucked Sophie into the back and buckled her seatbelt for her. He closed the door quietly, frowning at the road people were leaving on.

“What’s wrong?”

“It was a little terrifying just driving up here. I planned on leaving earlier so we wouldn’t have to drive that winding road in the dark. I’m just nervous, that’s all. I don’t enjoy driving at night with Sophie in the car.”

I pursed my lips thoughtfully. “Want me to drive? I can see really well in the dark.”

He looked surprised. “Really? I didn’t know that. Um, yes, please. If you wouldn’t mind. It’s a lot safer for Sophie.”

I bobbed my head in agreement. “No problem. Let me just grab my guitar. I came up with the band and Duncan’s the sober driver. They won’t miss me.”

Eager to spend more time with Arthur, I hightailed it back into the venue, grabbing my guitar and letting the guys know not to wait for me. They waved me off, already packing up for the night. I’d owe them for not helping with breakdown, but Arthur was totally worth it.

He took my guitar from me when I got back, gently placing it in the back seat. I had to readjust the seat to make room for me, and sitting comfortably in a tiny car with wings was nearly impossible, but I made it work. I pulled out of the space, heading for the town exit.