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Lexie:Welcome back! Cassie’s doing okay. She’s working as a guitar repair technician, and part-time in a recording studio. And she told me she’s doing some songwriting on the side.
A broad smile spread across his face.
Zac:That’s great. I’m glad she’s pursuing that.
He hesitated for a long time, then tapped out another message.
Zac:Is she happy?
He waited impatiently for her reply and was surprised when his phone rang instead.
“Hey, Lexie,” he answered.
“Hi, Zac.” Her voice was warm, but he sensed concern in her tone. “Look, I just want to say that I appreciate you wanting to make sure Cassie is okay. And I know you care about her. But if there’s anything more than casual interest on your part, you need to think really hard about what you’re doing. She’s just started to get herself together. And as much as I think you two make a great couple, her heart has been broken twice in quick succession. She doesn’t need it happening again.”
He gritted his teeth at the thought he’d broken her heart. “I wasn’t planning to get in touch with her. That’s why I’m asking you.”
“Zac…” There was a long pause, and then she sighed. “I know this goes completely against what I just said—and I meant what I said. But, Zac, Cassie was really good for you. And I think you were good for her. You two could have something special. I want that for you. I really do—we all do. But you need to be committed. You need to choose her with one hundred percent conviction.”
He shook his head, even though she couldn’t see it. “You’ve got the wrong idea.”
“Maybe I do. And if that’s the case, then I’m sorry for overstepping. But I love you, Zac. You, Tex, and Noah are like brothers to me.”
Zac startled. It was the second time today someone had called him family.
“Tex and Noah may have had their issues when it came to Eden and Summer, but they were never closed off to love the way you are. And the way Connor used to be. I worry about you. I want you to be happy. I want you to experience all the amazing things life has to offer, including love. Because take it from me, life can change in an instant. So, grab happiness when you can. You don’t want to spend your life regretting what you missed out on.”
He knew Lexie wasn’t talking out of her ass. She’d lost her first husband only a few short years after they’d been married. She knew exactly what she was talking about. And she’d still taken a chance on happiness with Connor.
“Lexie, I can’t give her what she needs. I don’t have it in me. I’ve got too much else going on to have the time to devote to her.”
“Is that what’s holding you back? Do you think she’s going to take you away from what you love?”
Something snapped inside him. “What if she does? What if I end up resenting her for it? What if I end up hurting her even more because I just don’t have it in me to love her more than the music? What if I make her feel like she isn’t enough again and again, until it breaks her heart and all that’s left between us is misery?” He was breathing heavily by the time he finished pouring out all his fears.
Lexie waited patiently for him to finish. “You know, people talk about hearts as if they’re fragile. But our hearts are the strongest things about us. They can endure unimaginable pain and still retain the capacity to heal and grow. You have room in your heart for more than just one thing, Zac. Your music, your career, those are important. But they aren’t the only things that make life worthwhile. Love can be hard. It can hurt. Sometimes it’s terrifying. But loving less just because you’re scared isnotthe answer. Whatever you might have been led to believe”—she paused, tellingly, and he wondered what she might have intuited over the years—“love by its very nature is unselfish. You have an enormous capacity for love, if only you’d let yourself. And the very fact that you are so worried about hurting Cassie should tell you that what you feel for her isn’t selfish. Which means you’re more than capable of putting her first.”
Zac closed his eyes, a deep shudder wracking his body. Had he gotten it so wrong? Had he spent all these years thinking he had to choose between the music and everything else he cared about when that wasn’t true? He rubbed his temple. “Thanks, Lexie.”
“I really am glad to have you back, Zac.”
He let out a rough chuckle. “How are you anyway? With the pregnancy.”
She laughed lightly. “I already feel like I’m the size of a house. I can’t imagine what it’s going to be like in three months.”
“I’m sure Connor’s taking good care of you.”
She hummed in agreement. “Did you ever expect him to be a doting dad-to-be?”
He barked a laugh. “No. You definitely changed him.”
“I didn’t change him. He just let himself see the possibilities.”
He groaned. “Okay, okay. I get it.”
Lexie laughed again. “Good. Really think about it, Zac. Because in the months you and Cassie were together, you already changed her life for the better. And I think she did for you too. Imagine what you could do for each other in an entire lifetime together.”
He nodded, staring sightlessly out at the view over LA and forgetting, for a second, she couldn’t see him. “Yeah, okay. Thanks, Lexie.”
