Page 286 of Second Sets Omnibus

“I’m so sorry, Mr. Knight,” she croaks, turning beet red again. “It says it’s declined.” Well. That’s a first. My heart fucking stops. Declined? How the fuck does a bank account with that much money get rejected? Fuck. Just as it’s declined, my phone pings in my pocket as I dig for my wallet again with a sense of dread pulling at my senses.

“Uh, sorry about that. Old card. Just use this one instead.” Thankfully, my financial advisor turned me on to having multiple bank accounts as a just in case, spreading my wealth among the five of them.

Penny loses the tint as my second card goes through, and she smiles, handing it back. “If you’d like to pick out a table, we can bring it right out to you,” she says, gesturing to the sea of small red and white tables lining the shop.

I nod in thanks, taking Lyric’s hand as she searches for the perfect spot to sit.

“Over here, Daddy,” she says, yanking my arm toward the corner of the shop where a little red, sparkly tabletop with two matching chairs sitting across from each other rests.

“Perfect spot, Little Blue.” I grin when she climbs into her seat, swinging her legs with a pleased grin.

“I love this place, Daddy. Can we come here again? They’ve gots my favorite ice cream. I love Unicorn Ice Cream.” She grins bigger when Penny sets our bowls in front of us with a shy grin, turning her entire face red again.

“I…um… Could I get your autograph?” she asks with a nervous breath. Her eyes dart all around as she scratches the back of her neck. “Whispered Words is my favorite band of all time. And?—”

“Sure,” I say with a tight smile, trying to remain friendly.

Nothing grinds my gears more than fans interrupting personal time. I get it. They want to meet me. Get my signature. But it’s irritating when Lyric sits across from me, watching our every move. I hate taking time away from my daughter. But I also appreciate my fans. I wouldn’t be here if they didn’t like our music so much. I wouldn’t be able to afford the fifty-dollar ice cream my daughter loves so damn much.

“Kieran, thank you so much!” she squeals, pulling a notepad and a black marker out of her pocket. “This means so much to me. You guys are so friggin good!” She’s breathless by the time all the words spew from her mouth.

“Thanks! Have you been coming to see us play at The KC Club? We’ll be there in two weeks.” As she hovers above me, I quickly sign my name, trying to get a move on so others don’t catch on that I’m handing out autographs.

River let us off the hook this weekend and next, letting us adjust from our trip back home. Next Saturday, we celebrate Lyric in the best way with tons of sparkly ice cream, her friends from school, and rollercoasters galore. Rad’s really gone off the damn deep end with these crazy plans for her. Secretly, I love his enthusiasm. He’s prepared to spend an arm and a leg just to get this crazy birthday party off the ground. He had a point, though. We’ve missed so much; it’s time to make up for our absence.

“Yes-yes!” she stammers, taking the notebook back with trembling fingers. “We saw you guys a few weeks ago. You were amazing. Any plans to go back out on tour?”

I swear to fuck. My heart stops beating, ceasing to pump blood through my body. Tour. If we go on tour, we’ll have to leave Lyric behind for months at a time. There’s no fucking way we could take her and River with us. There wouldn’t be time. It’s nothing but eating, sleeping, and playing music twenty-four-seven.

Fuck.

“I, umm. We’re on a break right now. We’re taking some time off from touring. I’m not sure when we will again. But locally, we’re playing.”

My bright smile is an illusion of the turmoil spreading through me.

How could I have been so damn stupid to think this could all work out? There’s no way in hell I can leave my daughter. Not even for music.

Music is the life force keeping me going. Or was it? Maybe Lyric is the only thing I need now to make life worthwhile. Since she entered my life like the little hurricane she is, the weight of everything has lifted off me. Internally, I’m so much happier than I was a year ago on the road in Europe, playing for sold-out shows.

“That’s cool! I’m always watching on FlashGram to see your pictures. You guys are so good. Gah! Thank you so much!” she squeals, running her words together as she backs away, grinning.

At least I could make her day with something so simple.

Lyric watches the exchange with inquisitive eyes, watching Penny’s every move as she makes her way back behind the counter.

“One day I be famous,” she says with a grin, digging into her first mouthful of ice cream.

Famous, my ass—is what I want to say. There’s no way in hell my baby girl will live this lifestyle. It’s rough being on the road for weeks at a time. It’s more than that, though. Drugs run rampant. Fans are fucking crazy. And I don’t want her exposed to the wildness of being famous. But I also want to give her a chance to spread her wings and make her dreams come true. I’ll do anything for Lyric. Even if it means mentoring her through something as crazy as rock and roll. Or acting. Or modeling. Whatever she wants. She can have.

“What would you want to do?” I ask, tentatively tasting the crazy, sparkly concoction on my spoon. “Well, I’ll be damned,” I mumble, shoving the strawberry-tasting ice cream into my mouth. “I think you’re onto something here, Little Blue. This ice cream is pretty good.”

She grins at me, giggling when she shoves another bite into her mouth. “Told ya, Daddy.”

While Lyric is distracted with her treat, I pull my phone out of my pocket. Immediately, my heart drops when a notification from my bank card displays on my screen. Fraudulent Charges Detected. Followed by an alert that my card was locked until I called in and spoke to my advisor. Fuck. What the hell? Has someone been using my account to buy things? Why haven’t I been getting any sort of alerts on my phone?

Lyric and I fall into an easy conversation as I type out a message to my financial advisor asking about my accounts. Lyric talks on and on, telling me about her all-day preschool and how she’s the youngest and smallest but claims to be the smartest. It makes me laugh when she grins, exposing her teeth full of sparkles.

“I’m the smartest in the class, Daddy. That’s why I gots to start early this year.”