Page 43 (1/2)

Ten h his head, each one worse than the last

His phone rang, and he scooped it up, his weak fingers clumsy on the plastic "Did you find her?"

"It’s kinda weird, but she went into a vacant suite and hasn’t co someone to check it out"

"What room number?"

Nate told hioing on"

Torr didn’t tell hio there hi off like that and scaring hi town to get a break from him All she had to do was tell hirabbed his sheathed sword, knowing he was going to need so on his face The suite was only one hall away, but as wobbly as he was, it was going to feel a hell of a lot farther

John refused to give up on Meghan He couldn’t ihter like her would also be capable of keeping her fro her own life

There was only one way to find out

Like some kind of creepy stalker, John followed her back to her hoe, he hurried to the front door, hoping her father would be the one to answer so she wouldn’t have the chance to slam it in John’s face

The man who answered the door came up only to John’s nose He was thin, but not sickly, and peered up at John with a clear, questioning gaze "Yes?"

"My nahan’s from Minnesota Mind if I come in?"

The man’s eyes lit up with interest and he smiled "Of course She doesn’t have many people stop by these days Not like she used to when she was a kid That girl had people parading through this house back then"

"Dad, I’m home," she called from somewhere off to the left

"Just in tih a doorway and stopped cold "You followed ured you wouldn’t invite me over, so I had to be rude and show up on hter "Is thisyou trouble?"

"No, Dad He just doesn’t knohen to give up"

"Can we talk?" asked John

Sadness tinged her voice "I’ve already said all there is to say"

"Please We can’t let it end like this"

"Just go, John This is already hard enough"

Her father was listening to every word, watching each of them carefully John hated that there was an audience for this, but that was her choice Not his He would have rather discussed this with her in private

He knew before he said the words that she wasn’t going to like hio until I knohether you , and you never said whether you were on birth control"

Meghan’s eyes ith shock, as if she’d just realized what he had realized on the way over here: She ht about it before, he had no idea He’d always been responsible Hell, he had a condo it

Her hand esture

That was all the answer John needed He found hinant, because at this point, he illing to resort to whatever slimy tactics he could find to keep her in his life A baby would tie her to hiive him the time he needed to convince her she could love him for real--the way he knew he loved her

The realization was a bit stunning, but it warmed him from the inside out and han’s father crossed his arms over his chest and said, "Obviously, the two of you have things to discuss I’ll be in the kitchen han "You go kicking out the father of randkid before dinner and we’ll have words"

He walked away, leaving the two of theone pale and had pressed her hand to the wall as if to steady herself "I hadn’t even consideredI’nant," he offered, bothered that she couldn’t even say the word "You look like you’re going to fall over Can we sit down?"

She nodded numbly and led him into the next roo across the room, as she’d probably intended, he sat down next to her

John wasn’t a man to mince words, so he just blurted out, "I want to try to s ith you Co hio to get away I have a real house, too--big enough for all of us"

"It’s too cold for Dad His arthritis--"

"Will be greatly iive me," shouted her father fro like he was already planning what to do with a child they didn’t know existed yet

In thathim as a father-in-law at all

"My work is here," she said

"I know lots of people up there I can help you find a good job Or I can give you one at my company"

"That’s a horrible idea and you know it"

"As bad an idea as never seeing each other?" he asked

Her face crumpled in pain, and he knew then and there that he wasn’t alone in his feelings for her She felt soreat sex, though it had definitely also been that