My heart pounded in my chest while I took two steps at a time, trying to get to the apartment as fast as I could. There was no fucking way I was letting her run from me. I made a mistake and I would do whatever I had to do to make it up to her.
“Meagan said she was coming home to Tex—”
Throwing the door open, I called out Meagan’s name as I ended the call with Noah. “Meg?”
I ran to the bedroom only to find it empty. Standing there for a few seconds, I quickly searched the rest of the apartment before stopping in the living room.
This time I called Noah’s number to avoid another randomly strung set of curse words thrown my way.
“Did you really think I wouldn’t answer?”
With a frustrated sigh, I tried to stay calm. “Grace, where is Meagan? She’s gone. I mean, she left our place and she didn’t take her car.”
“Um . . . she said she was going to a hotel. Are you going after her?”
“What the fuck kind of question is that? Of course I am. I love her more than I love the fucking air I breathe, but I can’t go after her if I don’t know where in the hell she is.”
“Okay well, just a word of advice, maybe kick that down a few notches and make it a bit more romantic. I mean, after all, she just told you she was carrying your child and you walked out on her.”
My stomach dropped as excitement built in my body. Meagan is carrying my child.
A baby.
Holy hell.
The smile that spread across my face had to have been the biggest damn smile ever before Grace’s words hit me again.
“That was the first and last time I’ll ever walk away from her. I swear to God,” I said as I quickly headed back to my truck.
There was silence on the phone as I heard Grace clear her throat. “Don’t tell me that . . . tell her.”
My jaw trembled at the idea of hurting Meagan. “The last thing I’d ever do is hurt her, Grace.”
“I know,” she whispered. “Just get your ass over to the Strater Hotel and make it up to her, Bennett. She called right before you did to say she was checking in.”
I tried to smile, but all I could think of was getting to Meagan.
“Thanks, Grace. I owe you big time.”
“Hell yes you do, stripper boy.”
With a groan of frustration, I tossed my phone onto the passenger seat and drove as fast as I could to the Strater Hotel.
I pulled in so fast, the valet guy jumped out of my way. Pushing open my door, he came walking over. “Jesus, dude. You can’t come pulling in like that, you . . .”
I flashed my badge and said, “Sorry, police business.”
“Oh, right. Do you want us to park it?”
Glancing over my shoulder, I nodded and said, “Yes.”
“Sir! What name should we put it under?”
“Bennett, Grayson Bennett.”
My eyes scanned the lobby as I frantically looked for Meagan. Walking up to the registration counter, I flashed a smile to the redhead looking directly at me.
“May I help you, sir?”
“Yes,” I said as I showed her my badge. “Do you have a Meagan Atwood who recently checked in?”
She nodded and said, “Yes, she is heading up to her room now.”
“Would you mind giving me her room number?”
The girl frowned and looked to her left to what I was guessing was the manager. “Ahh . . . can you hold on for one second?”
With a grin, I motioned for her to do what she had to do. Walking over to the older gentleman, she said something that made him return with her.
“Excuse me, sir, do you mind if I ask if you are on the reservation with Ms. Atwood?”
Sliding my badge across the desk, my face turned serious. “Detective Bennett, and Ms. Atwood is being sought out for questioning. I got a tip she had checked in here. I’d like to make sure she doesn’t try to slip out another door.”
“Oh, I see.” The manager turned to the redhead. “Go ahead and let him know her room number.”
A part of me was pissed they were giving me the number just because I flashed a fucking badge. How did they know it was even real?
“We only had premium rooms left and she looked so sad; I felt bad for her. I only charged her for a regular room. She didn’t even have luggage with her.”
“No, she wouldn’t have.”
“Sixth floor, room six ten.”
With a quick nod, I turned and made my way to the elevator.
It was luck I was riding up with a hotel employee. With another showing of my badge, I had him knocking on Meagan’s door.
“Room service.”
The door opened as Meagan said, “I didn’t order room . . . service.”
I stepped around the corner and patted the guy on the back and handed him a twenty. “Thanks, dude.”
The poor son-of-a-bitch looked confused as hell as Meagan started to cry. I walked right into her room and shut the door behind me.
As I turned back to Meagan, I couldn’t help but notice how her eyes seemed to light up as she searched my face. “As God as my witness, I swear to you I will never walk away from you again, Meg.”