Reilly's Wildcard (Blackwater)

Reilly took hold of her arm to steady her. “Morning sickness?” he asked. When she nodded, he pointed to the hall. “Bathroom is first door on the right.”

She sprinted from the room. Had he put too much stress on Lucy by bringing her to dinner at his mom’s?

“She’ll be fine, dear,” his mom said in her usual knowing way. “The nausea is normal.”

“It should be called all-day sickness, because it’s well past morning right now,” Reilly grumbled as he helped his mother sit in the recliner, then took his own seat on the love seat.

Sammy was the first to speak. “Mom filled us in, but I’d like to hear it from you.”

Reilly should’ve guessed this was coming. Sammy was his oldest brother, but he’d always been more like a father to the rest of them. Sammy wouldn’t be satisfied until he knew beyond a shadow of a doubt that Reilly wasn’t being forced into anything with Lucy. He wanted to know if Reilly cared about Lucy as much as he cared about the baby she carried.

“It’s not as complicated as it seems,” Reilly replied. “I wasn’t as careful with Lucy as I should have been, and she ended up pregnant.”

“You’re evading the one thing of most importance, my son,” his mother chastised.

“What do you mean?” he hedged, not wishing to get into his feelings with the lot of them. What was going on between him and Lucy was private, and he wanted to keep it that way.

“Do you care about Lucy?” she asked, her gaze penetrating.

He hadn’t had much time to get used to the idea, but his answer came easily all the same. “Yeah, I do.”

“And does she feel this way for you?” Sammy chimed in, a frown marring his brow.

“We haven’t gotten that far. We’re sort of taking things a day at a time here.”

“Nonsense,” his mom said. “If she didn’t care about you, she wouldn’t be here tonight.”

Reilly hoped his mom was right, but he kept his thoughts to himself. “She’s been through a lot,” he told them. “Her first husband did quite a bit of damage, and she didn’t have the happiest of childhoods.”

Sarah spoke up then, lending her own insight. “Lucy is a very loving person, but she tends to hide her sensitive nature behind a wall. David cheating on her was only the icing on the cake. I’m afraid her mother died when she was young, and her dad’s cold indifference has caused Lucy to guard her feelings.”

“It’s awful when parents don’t want their own kids,” his mother said, sadness emphasizing the wrinkles in her forehead.

“I agree,” Reilly bit out, thinking of his own biological parents. He wished he could give Lucy’s father a piece of his mind for the emotional scars he’d left on Lucy. “I think that’s why Lucy is so set on doing the right thing with this baby. She is very vulnerable in the role of mother. I think maybe she’s afraid she’ll turn out just like her dad.”

“Lucy would never treat a child the way her dad treated her,” Sarah replied, a note of anger in her voice. “Never.”

“Of course not,” he agreed, “but she won’t truly trust herself until after the baby is born.”

His mother sat up straighter and smiled. “Then, in the meantime, we will all support her and show her what a real family is like.” She looked at him with that same penetrating gaze that only a mother could pull off. “And, Reilly, you’ll have to be extra patient with her. She’ll come around. I saw how she looked at you when she thought no one was paying attention. In time, she’ll fight her demons.”

When Sammy held his beer in the air and said, “To a new generation of Jenningses!” River and Brodix followed suit.

“Here! Here!” River shouted.

“What am I missing?”

The room fell silent, and everyone turned at once. Lucy stood in the entrance to the hallway, her hair brushed and her face a little pale. The way she filled out the white gauzy shirt and matching skirt took his breath away. She looked like a pretty angel. Reilly rose from his seat and went to her. At the same time, Sarah quickly stood and crossed the room. “I can’t believe you’re pregnant,” she said as she took Lucy in her arms. “This is so exciting!”

Reilly stopped in the middle of the room and let the women hug. Lucy was more subdued than Sarah but no less happy. She glanced at him over Sarah’s shoulder, and he could see the joy reflected in her eyes. Yes, the dinner had been a good idea. It was just the thing Lucy needed.

“Let the woman have some air, Sarah,” Brodix said around a laugh.

“Sorry,” she replied, her cheeks turning crimson. “The mention of babies tends to make me go all gooey.”

The ladies parted, but Sarah grabbed Lucy’s hand and tugged her toward the couch to sit next to her and Brodix. Reilly went to her, sitting on the arm on her right, and smoothed a palm down her hair. “How’s your stomach?”

She looked up at him, a contented smile on her face. “Better, thanks.” She glanced over at Sarah and gritted out, “Morning s