Page 106 of California Wild

Jesse stood at the stove, spatula in hand, golden curls still damp from the shower, sweatpants slung low on his hips, bare chest all broad and sculpted and impossible—like some cruel joke the universe was playing on her.

Hayley sat at his small, two-chair kitchen table, sipping tea, pretending she wasn’t staring, pretending she wasn’t still drunk on the feeling of his hands on her body, his mouth tracing every inch of her just hours ago.

Pretending like she wasn’t already addicted all over again.

She tilted her head, watching the ripple of muscle across his back as he flipped the eggs. “Since when do you eat breakfast?”

Jesse shot her a look over his shoulder, smirking. “Since I realized my pregnant girlfriend needs to be fed three meals a day.”

Her stomach flipped—girlfriend. He said it so casually, like it was obvious, like they hadn’t just crashed back into each other’s orbit less than twenty-four hours ago. Like he hadn’t just spent six weeks in the dark.

“Gotta dazzle you with my skills,” he added, transferring eggs onto two plates.

She rolled her eyes, cheeks warming. “Conceited.”

“Confident,” he corrected, handing her a plate. Eggs, toast, way too much hot sauce—exactly how she liked it.

She picked up a fork, watching him as he stirred his coffee, his big, calloused hands cradling the mug, fingers absently tapping against the ceramic.

“Were you sick on tour?” he asked, watching her like he already knew the answer.

“Not too bad. It’s still early. The nausea really kicked in this past week. Apparently, it’s the worst around eight to twelve weeks.”

“And you’re eight weeks now?”

“Yeah, they measure it based on my last period, but we probably conceived… six weeks ago.”

Something dark flickered in his amber eyes. Something possessive. His grip on the coffee mug tightened just slightly. “Have you told anyone?”

“No.”

Jesse exhaled, setting the coffee down. “I don’t like the idea of you, pregnant, running around at gigs, bars, clubs at night.”

Hayley snorted. “What, you think our fans will go for matinee shows? Dead Run Riot… unplugged at brunch?”

His laugh was low, rough, but the tension in his shoulders didn’t fade.

“When are you off on tour again?” he asked, casual, like he wasn’t already bracing for the answer. “I just got you back.”

Hayley swallowed, setting her fork down. “Well, everything has changed now. We’ve got a lot of offers and decisions to make.” A beat. “Meetings on Monday. Australia was huge for us. The label wants a full album, a bigger tour. They want to rent us an isolated location for creativity and recording, then send us on an international tour with some of the biggest bands.”

Jesse nodded, but she caught it—the way his jaw flexed, the way his fingers twitched like he was physically stopping himself from reacting.

“That’s good,” he said, and she knew he meant it. He was proud of her. He wanted this for her.

But still—

There was something unsettled in his tone.

“Sometimes I can’t believe I have a literal rockstar girlfriend,” he said, shaking his head.

“So, girlfriend?” she teased, raising a brow. “Are we exclusive now?”

He gave her the look. The one that melted her from the inside out. “Come on, babe. You are pregnant. Plus, if another guy ever touches you, I’ll kill him. How could we not be exclusive?”

Hayley’s breath hitched, her chest tightening.

“Did you want me to ask you properly?” he teased, a slow, knowing grin curling his lips. “Do I need to get down on one knee?”

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