Reilly's Wildcard (Blackwater)

ickness is for the birds.”

He frowned at that. “Are you sure you’re up for dinner? No one will mind if we bow out.”

Lucy slapped his thigh. “I’m fine. Quit worrying so much.” Then she grinned. “Besides I’ve been dying for some of this terrific food you keep telling me about.”

“You’re in for a treat,” his mother declared as she stood and headed for the kitchen. “I’ve planned a delicious meal.”

They all filed into the large dining room. He helped Lucy into her chair and seated himself to her left, while his mother moved to the stove to dish up pasta.

“We’re having penne pasta with browned slices of zucchini topped with fresh basil, and grilled baby back ribs.”

Reilly hummed his approval. “You’ll love Mom’s ribs. They’re treated overnight in spicy brine, roasted, then finished on the grill.”

“It all sounds lovely, but I’m not sure I’ll be able to eat it all.” She blushed and aimed her next statement toward his mom. “I hope I don’t offend you if I fill up quickly.”

Reilly slung an arm over the back of her chair and leaned in to press his lips to her silky hair. “Of course not, sweetheart. Besides, River’s here. He’ll be glad to eat whatever you can’t finish, trust me.”

River rolled his eyes. “I can’t help it if the rest of you have the metabolism of turtles.”

Lucy frowned. “I can’t imagine raising five boys. Good heavens, I’m having a hard time imagining one.”

His mother, Wanda, laughed. “Don’t fear. It’s merely first-time jitters. Every mother experiences this sort of thing.”

“I don’t know.” Lucy slumped. “I’m pretty clueless, and it’s frightening to think of having a little baby relying on me for his strength and security.”

“His?” Sarah asked from across the table. “Do you already know the sex of the baby?”

Lucy waved a hand in the air. “No, and I don’t know why I keep referring to the baby as a he.”

Reilly interjected his own two cents. “It matters little. As long as the baby and mother are both healthy.”

“Right you are, Reilly,” Sammy spoke up. “Soon we’ll have another place to set at the Jennings table.”

Everyone sent up their agreement. After his mother finished serving the meal and sat down, they spent the rest of the evening discussing baby names and child-birthing methods. Lucy couldn’t decide on a name for the baby, so they decided to table the discussion. There would be plenty of time later. It was the first time Reilly had seen Lucy so talkative about the baby. It was a good sign for the future, even though he didn’t want to imagine the pain Lucy would have to endure during labor. When that topic came up, he was the one sick to his stomach.

Chapter Seven

Lucy tossed her clothes into her overnight bag. She didn’t much care if they wrinkled. Reilly was in her living room, for crying out loud. He was touching her things. The man was too curious for his own good. What had she been thinking, bringing him back here? She should have said she’d meet him at his place, but he’d distracted her when he’d given her two orgasms that morning already.

After the dinner at his mom’s, Lucy’s defenses had been down, and he’d talked her into spending the night with him. As a result, she’d been late to work the next morning, and her boss had given her one of his annoying scowls. The instant she’d finished her shift, she’d gone to the Blackwater to discuss a schedule for her to sing there on the weekends. She was still nervous about it but excited too. Her confidence had been bolstered, she supposed, by Reilly’s praise when she’d auditioned for him.

Now it was Friday, and they’d just returned from an ultrasound appointment where she and Reilly had learned that they were going to have not one but two babies. Twins! Lucy still couldn’t wrap her mind around the idea of being a mother to two babies instead of one. She’d have to buy two cribs, two sets of diapers. There’d be two babies crying in the night, eager to be fed. Oh God, she wasn’t equipped. Reilly’s surprise at first had quickly morphed into excitement, and it helped some of Lucy’s fears to dissipate. Heck, the man was totally over-the-moon happy about the news. He kept going on about supporting her and being there for her. It warmed her heart, but it scared her too. Relying on a man wasn’t something she’d ever yearned to do.

Since Annabelle was due to show up any moment, Lucy shoved all her worries to the back of her mind. After visiting with her sister, she and Reilly had decided to head back to his place. Again, he’d talked her into spending the night, this time on the premise that they had more good news to celebrate. She was a total pushover when he gave her that ornery grin, and she damn well knew it.

On the other hand, Reilly had already proven that he was as autocratic as they came. The man needed to be shoved into the twenty-first century. His constant insistence that she should take time off from her career during her pregnancy was proof of that.

She rushed into her bathroom and grabbed all the necessities she could think of for a single night. Now all she needed was her prenatal vitamins; then she’d be able to get him out the door and away from her things.

As Lucy lugged the overnight bag into the living room, she was shocked to see Reilly sitting on her couch, legs spread out in front of him, reading one of her pregnancy books. She moved closer and read the title—Sex During and After Pregnancy. Her face burned with embarrassment. Reilly seemed to sense her arrival and looked at her over the top of the hardback.

He waved the book in the air. “Interesting.”

Lucy dropped the bag and went to take her book back, but Reilly dodged her. Anger welled to the surface. “Give it to me.”

“I think you should bring it along. We could read it together.”

“I’m pretty sure you wouldn’t find it the least bit interesting.” Why on earth had she left the damn thing on the coffee table?