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Cassie turned to see an older, bottle-blonde woman rushing toward them. “Zaccy?”
Zac didn’t move as the woman approached. Even when she threw her arms around him, he didn’t react straight away. Just like when Cassie had hugged him earlier, he hesitated before returning it. He didn’t hold on, though. After a few seconds, his arms fell away.
That’s when she noticed Cassie. “Who areyou?”
“It doesn’t matter, Mom,” Zac said before she had a chance to reply. She did her best to ignore the stab of hurt. Now was not the time to worry about her deep-seated feelings of rejection.
Zac’s mom dismissed her, turning her attention back to Zac. “Have you been in to see him?”
“Yep. And apparently, he’d much rather I hadn’t. So, we’re going to head out.”
His mother’s mouth dropped. “You’re not going to stay? He’s your father!”
A shadow descended over Zac’s face. “He’s never been a father to me. Or Tori. So, I don’t see why I should hang around. I’ve got a tour to get back to.”
His mom’s eyes narrowed. “Maybe if you hadn’t chosen the same career just to spite him, it would have made things easier.”
“You know what? You might be prepared to put up with his shit in your fucked-up, toxic relationship, but that doesn’t mean I have to.”
“You’re just like him,” his mom spat. “The only thing you care about is your damn music.” She turned to Cassie. “Enjoy him while you can, honey. I doubt I’ll be seeing you again.” She opened the door to the hospital room and slipped inside.
Zac’s anger smoothed away into a mask of indifference, but his throat worked. He turned to his sister. “Tori, can you look after Cassie? I need a minute.”
“Of course.” Tori’s voice was watery with tears.
“Zac?” Cassie didn’t want him to be alone after what she’d witnessed.
“I shouldn’t have brought you.” It was all he said before stalking down the hallway and rounding the corner.
Pain speared through her, but she pushed it away, turning wide eyes on his sister. She felt completely out of place in the middle of such tense family dynamics.
“I’m so sorry about this, Cassie.” Tori sniffed and wiped the tears from her cheeks.
“It’s not your fault. I just… I’m not sure what’s going on.”
Tori sighed. “I’m not sure how long he’s going to be. Do you want to sit down while we wait?”
Cassie nodded, and they returned to the private waiting room, which was thankfully still empty apart from Paul. The bodyguard’s gaze narrowed slightly when he saw Cassie and Tori come back out on their own.
“Should I tell him to go find Zac?” she asked Tori.
Zac’s sister shook her head. “He just needs some time on his own. He’ll be safe enough. This is a private hospital. I don’t think he’s likely to get ambushed by crazed fans.”
They sat next to each other. Cassie studied the other woman as she dabbed at her cheeks with the backs of her hands.
Eventually, Tori gusted out a breath. “He doesn’t mean it, you know.”
Cassie frowned.
“Zac. He wouldn’t have brought you if he didn’t want you here.”
Cassie’s throat tightened. “I’m not sure why he wanted me here, to be honest. I haven’t been much help, and it only upset your mom and dad.”
Tori was silent for a moment. “Has Zac told you anything about…” She gestured in the general direction of their dad’s room.
Cassie shook her head. “I don’t think he’s ever said anything about his parents.”
“We had a… rough childhood, I guess you could say.”
