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A rush of regret tumbled through him, and he averted his gaze. He kept his eyes off her while they finished the song.
Afterward, they hung out with the kids. They listened to their stories. Some of them were damn heartbreaking. That was always the hardest part of these visits. As rewarding as they were, it was difficult for him and his friends to walk out of here and go back to their insanely privileged lives. These kids faced weeks, sometimes months of tests and treatments. If anything in this world should keep you humble, this was fucking it.
Zac made his way around the room to speak to as many of the kids as possible. Cassie was standing by the hospital bed, talking to the girl he’d smiled at before. He stopped a few feet away and listened to their conversation, curiosity getting the better of him.
“It’s… nice, I suppose.” Cassie sounded uncomfortable, and he wondered what the question had been.
“Are you going to marry him?” the little girl asked wistfully.
“Noooo! Um, I mean, getting married is a very important decision. One you should spend a long time thinking about. Zac and I haven’t been together very long, so…”
He suppressed a laugh at her awkwardness.
“Well, if you don’t marry him, when I grow up, can I?”
Zac rubbed his hand over his mouth to hide his grin.
“I think when you grow up, you should take your time and make sure you find someone who loves you more than anything or anybody in the world. If you love them the same way, you can marry them. Only if you want to, though. You don’t have to get married at all if you don’t want.”
“I want to!” She was indignant.
Cassie reached out and smoothed her hand down the girl’s arm. “Then you should get married. You should do anything you want, sweetie. Just make sure you have adventures too. Make sure you find something you love to do and do it. Don’t let anything hold you back. And when you find someone who wants to have adventures with you, who loves that you have something you’re passionate about, who sees you for the amazing person you are and celebrates that, you marry that person and share your adventures with them. Okay?”
A strange pain twisted behind Zac’s rib cage. Was that how it was supposed to work?
“Okay,” the little girl said. “I think that person’s going to be Zac. I hope you won’t be sad about it.” She was so earnest that he laughed. Cassie swung around with wide eyes, an embarrassed smile pinching her lips. The little girl gave an excited gasp.
“Zac!” she exclaimed. He stepped closer to them and tempted fate by pressing his arm against Cassie’s. He held his breath as he waited to see if she’d move away.
She didn’t.
“Hey there,” he greeted the girl. “What’s your name, sweetheart?”
“Annika.” She’d turned shy on him now, her name coming out as more of a whisper.
“Hi, Annika. I’m Zac. It’s nice to meet you.”
“Nice to meet you.” It was still a whisper.
He and Cassie shared an amused glance.
“So, I hear you and I are going to get married,” he said.
She nodded, brightening.
“Do you know who I am?” She was young enough that he didn’t know if she actually knew the band or was just there as part of the hospital’s music therapy program.
“Cassie said your name was Zac. And I think you have nice eyes and a nice voice.”
Apparently, that was all the child needed to know before deciding on marriage.
“Well, thank you, Annika. You have lovely eyes too. And I bet you have a lovely voice.”
She preened, as only a young girl can. He had a sudden memory of his little sister doing the same thing when they were younger.
When she wasn’t crying in his arms.
“You know,” he said. “By the time you’re old enough to get married, I’m going to be way, way old. Like, an old man old. I’m not so sure you’re going to want to marry me when I’m all old and wrinkly. What do you think?”
