Reilly's Wildcard (Blackwater)

The first thing she needed to do was tell him. This was one meeting she wanted to avoid like the plague. Damn.

“My first and only one-night stand and I end up pregnant?” She glanced over and saw the empty bottle of antibiotics sitting on the counter. She picked it up, and a sick feeling took hold in the pit of her stomach. She’d had to take them for a tooth infection. Right about the same time she’d met Reilly. Antibiotics could sometimes interfere with birth control pills, right? Lucy remembered the dentist saying something about that at the time. She hadn’t paid much attention because she hadn’t been dating anyone then. “Crap,” she grumbled.

She wanted to shout to the heavens at the unfairness of it. Fat lot of good that would do. “A baby. Whoa. I can’t be a mother! I can barely take care of myself. What do I know about babies?”

As if it was a sign from heaven, the phone rang, giving her a temporary reprieve. She ran out of the bathroom and bounded across her bed to answer it on the third ring. “Hello?”

“Lucy? Is that you? You sound out of breath.”

Her sister’s soft voice came over the line. “Annabelle, it’s so good to hear from you.”

“Same here. I miss you, sis. How’s things?”

She thought of the two pregnancy tests but couldn’t quite bring herself to mention them. “Good. Um, things are good. You? The army treating you well?”

“Yep, everything’s good. I just, well, I had some news I wanted to share.”

Lucy knew that uneasy tone all too well. Annabelle got that particular uncertainty in her voice only when she had something big to tell her. She’d been the same way when she’d announced she was going to enlist. “Spill it, kid.”

“I’m, uh, engaged. I’m getting married.”

“Married?” Her little sister was getting married? Was it even possible? An image of Annabelle in pigtails running through the house screaming about a big, hairy monster under her bed sprang to Lucy’s mind. God, she suddenly felt really old.

“Yeah, married.” Silence came over the line, and then, “Did we get cut off?”

“Oh yeah. I’m here.” Then she realized she had to say something. “Damn, girl, you don’t mess around, do you? Congratulations!”

Annabelle laughed, and Lucy heard a man’s voice in the background. “Justin says hello.” She laughed at something else, then said, “He says he can’t wait to meet you.”

“Justin? I take it he’s military too?”

“Yep. We went through boot camp at the same time. We’ve known each other for a while now. I think you’re going to like him, Lucy.”

“My baby sister is getting married. God, I can’t believe it.” Tears stung her eyes. “Are you happy? He damn well better make you happy.”

She heard Annabelle sigh. “I’m happier than I’ve ever been. It’s too much sometimes. I have to pinch myself to make sure it’s not all a dream.”

“It’s real, Anna, and nobody deserves it more than you.”

“Thanks,” she replied. “I love you so much.”

“Don’t get all sappy on me. Christ, you know I hate that messy emotional stuff.”

Annabelle laughed. “I know, but I just felt like saying it.”

“I love you too,” Lucy said, her voice breaking a little. “When will I see you? Do you have any leave time coming up?”

“I need to go, sis, but I have two days of leave coming up. I’m coming home, but then Justin wants me to meet his folks. I’m afraid I’m only going to be home for a day, because we’ll be heading up to his parents’ house in Michigan.”

“I totally understand. I’ll take whatever time I can get with you.”

After they settled on the details, they said their good-byes, and Lucy was left staring at the two pregnancy tests that confirmed her doom. Okay, not doom exactly, but what was she supposed to do now? Telling Reilly she was pregnant was bound to be a big bowl of cherries, considering she’d done her level best to steer clear of the man ever since their one night together.

After her narrow escape from his house, he’d come knocking. And calling. Several times. As hard as it’d been, she’d stubbornly ignored him at every turn. Eventually, he’d given up. Her stomach knotted as she thought of how badly she’d wanted him not to give up.

Now Lucy was going to have to search him out and explain he was about to be the father of her child. Most likely he wouldn’t want anything to do with the baby. Just like the mother.

Crushing down on the sadness that threatened to destroy her, Lucy slipped the little pregnancy sticks in the drawer below the sink and went back to getting ready for work. She loved her job as a copy editor, but there were days, like today, when she’d really rather stay home and stew. She didn’t feel like dealing with the stack of work waiting for her at the office. She didn’t feel like smiling and making small talk. She just wanted to wallow in self-pity. Probably a good thing she didn’t have that option.