Page 158 of California Wild

“Right. Okay. Sure.”

And before she could say anything else—

Kilgor called back to them. “Yo, lovebirds! Meeting time. Move your asses.”

Caiden’s lips pressed into a thin line, then—without another word—he turned and walked toward the boardroom.

Hayley sucked in a sharp breath, steadying herself, before forcing her best stage-ready smile and following after him.

* * * * *

The meeting had gone long—over two hours of decisions, negotiations, plans.

Writing, recording, touring.

What came next.

Everything was laid out, set in motion, moving full steam ahead.

And everyone was buzzing.

Kilgor was already hyping up the tour, Billy was nodding along, quietly taking it all in, and Zoe had a full spreadsheet pulled up on her phone, already sending emails.

Even Hayley had smiled, nodded, answered all the right questions.

Because this was the dream.

It was everything she had worked for, everything she had built her entire life around.

So why did it feel like she couldn’t breathe?

While the others followed the execs back inside to grab some promo merch and finalize logistics, Hayley slipped away.

Out the front doors.

Onto Sunset Boulevard.

The second she stepped outside, the heat hit her—dry, bright, relentless. The smell of asphalt and car exhaust, mixed with the occasional whiff of street food from a taco stand a block down.

The boulevard was alive, like it always was.

Billboards towering above her, neon signs flashing, the constant hum of voices, music, car horns, the occasional street musician playing for cash.

It was LA in the afternoon—chaotic, gritty, buzzing with energy.

Hayley inhaled deeply, steadying herself.

She needed a second. Just a second.

Her hand went to her stomach, a subconscious, fleeting touch.

Six weeks.

Jesse’s baby.

And no one knew.

Her head was spinning, the world moving too fast, her heart hammering in her chest, when—

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