Page 26 of Rockstar Daddy's Second Chance

“I need to get this,” I say with a sigh as I get up from the table and walk into the living room. Before answering, I take a deep breath, bracing myself for the inevitable.

“Cass!” Derrick’s voice is tense, immediately getting straight to the point. “Have you seen the headlines? ‘Cass Wild with Mystery Woman and Child’ is splashed across half a dozen sites. Paparazzi shots are all over social media. People are speculating, Cass—wondering who Kendrick and Cassidy are. You know what this means, right?”

Clenching my jaw, I glance out the window toward the quiet stretch of beach. “I’m not concerned, Derrick. Let them wonder.”

“You should be concerned,” Derrick presses, his voice rising. “The speculation is one thing, but they’re digging, Cass. And it’s only a matter of time before someone puts it all together. If theyrealize who Cassidy is, it will blow up, and it will not be good for you—this will get messy.”

“Messy for who?” I ask, a calm but firm edge to my voice. “You? My fans? Look, I’m not about to keep Cassidy and Kendrick hidden just to protect my image. That’s not who I am, Derrick.”

Derrick lets out an exasperated sigh. “Cass, you’re on top right now. This lifestyle… it thrives on public perception. People buy into the mystery of who you are. That changes when they see you with a family, a child—especially one they didn’t know about.”

In a steady and resolute voice, I grit out, “Then they can adjust to the reality. I’m not going to mold my life to fit an image that isn’t me. And that includes you, Derrick. You’re my manager. You handle the career side of things, but you don’t get to dictate my personal life.”

A tense silence falls between us, and I hear Derrick take an angry breath. “Alright,” he finally says with supposed acceptance, but his voice is laced with irritation, “But just… remember I told you so. It’s going to get a lot uglier than you’re picturing, and once it’s out there, you can’t take it back–”

“Good. It’s about time the world knows what really matters to me.” I purposely punch my phone, ending the call, and shove it into my pocket.

I glance up to see Emily standing there, and she gives me a considering look. “Sounds like my big brother is taking back control of his life.”

“Taking back control? I doubt if I ever had it to begin with,” I say in a dry voice. “At least, not since I signed that first contract.”

“Then better late than never.” Emily shrugs as she approaches and gives me a sisterly hug. As she steps back, she raises her brow, “Want to know what I think?”

I reply with a small laugh, “I have a feeling you’re going to tell me regardless.”

My answer makes her smile. “True.” She gives me a knowing look that is tinged with pride. “I think you’ve found what has been missing in your life.”

Before I have a chance to respond, Cassidy bursts into the room. “Dad! We’re all over the internet. My friends just told me.” She holds up her phone to show me the pictures that flash across the screen.

I glance up to see Kendrick, her brow furrowed as she tries to gauge my reaction. I give a careless shrug. “I guess the cat’s out of the bag.” My eyes stay on Kendrick. “Are you okay with this?”

She bites her lip before responding with a soft nod. “Yes, as much as I want to protect Cassidy from the publicity, I knew it was just a matter of time.” Her eyes search mine. “I’m fine with it as long as you are.”

I grin as I reach out and squeeze her hand, feeling a shiver of awareness run through her. “No more hiding,” I say, my voicesteady but charged. I turn to each of them, letting the weight of my words sink in. “No matter what’s ahead, we face it together.”

Thirteen

Kendrick

I wake before dawn, my stomach churning with nervous energy. Today, Cass’s parents are arriving. Stretching, I pad quietly to the sliding glass doors and watch the waves crash against the shore, hoping the sight will calm me. It doesn’t. Instead, the magnitude of the day ahead settles heavily on my chest. Feeling restless, I decide to shower and get a head start on the day.

I grab clothes and my lavender shampoo from my room and tiptoe down the stairs to avoid waking anyone. Once in the downstairs bathroom, I close the door softly, relishing the silence. Steam fills the small space as I turn on the water, the soft hiss a comforting background to my swirling thoughts. Stepping into the shower, I let the hot water cascade over me, easing some of the tension in my shoulders.

Turning off the water, I reach out and grab the towel. Quickly drying off, I wrap the towel around my long hair like a turban and step naked onto the bath rug.

For a few precious moments, it’s just me and the stillness of the morning, but my peace is short-lived.

Suddenly the bathroom knob turns, and the door is pushed open. Startled, my eyes fly to the doorway, and I see an equally stunned Cass. He seems frozen in shock as his eyes sweep the length of my damp, nude body.

My breath catches, and I finally react, my hands automatically covering what they can from his gaze, which has since darkened. His eyes lift and lock onto mine.

“I didn’t know you were in here,” he says, his voice rough and low.

Pulling the towel from my hair, I clutch it to my chest, my embarrassment clashing with an inexplicable thrill at his presence. “I was trying not to wake anyone,” I manage, my voice shaky. Then, grasping for some semblance of dignity, I add, “It’s nothing you haven’t seen before.”

A flicker of something dark and intense crosses his face before he steps back, his voice tight. “Right. Sorry.” He shuts the door behind him, leaving me trembling, my skin burning from more than just the hot water.

It takes a while for my trembling to stop enough for me to leave the bathroom and head upstairs.

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