We went back out.
Everyone stared.
I kept my hand on Hadley’s lower back. “We’re keeping it.”
Chaos.
Sydney stood up. “You’re joking.”
Ron groaned. “Cal....”
“No discussion,” I said. “It’s done.”
Sydney laughed. Hysterical. “You’re going to ruin everything. For what? Some girl you met one night? Some kid you don’t even know how to love?”
Holland finally spoke. “Syd. Sit down.”
She didn’t. “No. This is insane. He’s going to be a father? Him? He can’t even commit to a tour schedule without getting wasted.”
Kei rubbed his jaw. “She’s right. This is a disaster.”
Jake just shook his head. “Your call, man. But the label’s gonna flip.”
Ron pinched the bridge of his nose. “We’ll need new PR. Prenup. Press release. Therapy. Christ. We’re going to need everything.”
Hadley stayed quiet. Let me do the talking.
We wrapped up eventually. Ron barking orders. Sydney storming out. Kei and Holland following. Jake last, clapping my shoulder once. Hard.
Then it was evening.
Suite quiet. Eli asleep in the second bedroom. Hadley in the shower. I stood alone in the living room, staring out at the city. Poured myself a glass of red from the minibar. Swirled it. Didn’t drink.
We were leaving Vegas this weekend. Back to LA. Meaning Hadley and Eli were coming too. No choice. Paparazzi still camped outside her old apartment. No going back there.
I was going to be a father.
The word tasted foreign. Wrong. Like it belonged to someone else.
I thought about the kiss earlier. How her lips had trembled. How she’d let me touch her stomach like it meant something.
It did mean something. I just didn’t know what.
The door opened behind me.
Sydney.
She stepped in quiet. Closed it soft.
I sighed. Set the glass down.
She crossed the room. Wrapped her arms around me from behind. Chin on my shoulder.
“Hey,” she whispered.
“Hey.”
I turned. Hugged her back. Tight. She smelled like citrus and hairspray. Familiar. Safe.
