Page 194 of California Wild

Hayley let out a harsh breath. “He fucking quit, Zoe.”

“At the writing session this morning?”

Hayley froze. “No.”

Zoe’s brows pulled together. “Okay?”

Hayley exhaled sharply. “I wasn’t feeling well. I didn’t go. I honestly slept in. I’m exhausted. Caiden randomly showed up at my apartment, saying all kinds of crazy shit. He was so damn angry with me.”

Zoe’s gaze sharpened. “Why?”

Hayley looked away.

“Hayley,” Zoe said, her voice like a blade. “Why is Caiden so angry with you? What are you not telling me?”

She sucked in a deep breath. Just say it.

“Because… because I’m back with my ex, who Caiden doesn’t like. Because Caiden thinks it’s a toxic relationship, but he’s wrong.”

Zoe exhaled sharply, shutting her laptop. “Because he’s in love with you.”

It wasn’t a question.

Hayley nodded, jaw tight. “Yeah—wait, do you mean Caiden or my ex?”

“Caiden.”

For a moment, neither of them spoke. The hum of the office space around them felt deafening.

“Well, he shouldn’t be,” Hayley said flatly. “He needs to move on.”

Zoe’s gaze flickered over her face, assessing. “Because?”

“Because I’m pregnant.”

Zoe went very still.

“Shit,” she muttered after a moment, leaning back in her chair. “That’s a problem.”

“No kidding.”

“Fix it, Hayley,” Zoe said. “You aren’t that far along.”

Billy and Kilgor appeared in the doorway, both looking equal parts concerned and resigned. Hayley could already hear the conversation forming.

“What are we going to do without him?”

“The label isn’t going to like this.”

“We’re fucked.”

And the worst part? They weren’t wrong.

Zoe folded her arms. “We were literally in LA yesterday, Hayley. Maybe that would have been a good time to tell me all of this—you know, in the hours we spent in my car? We made commitments. We signed contracts. The label is alreadyspending on the next album, planning tours. We need him, Hayley. You need him.”

The words made her stomach churn. She shifted in her seat, swallowing down the lump in her throat. “I know.”

“And he didn’t just walk out on us,” Zoe added, eyes narrowing. “He walked out on you. Because you didn’t tell him.”

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