Reilly's Wildcard (Blackwater)

Why would he seek her out now? Lucy had said they’d stopped talking some time ago. She didn’t want to admit it, but the phone call had rattled her. It pissed him off. Lucy was beginning to get comfortable with Reilly. The past five months hadn’t been a walk in the park, but she was coming to rely on him. To seek his opinion, to laugh and tease with him. Her wall was crumbling. Reilly sure as hell didn’t need her dad’s dysfunctional bullshit causing Lucy to go back to building the protective wall around her heart.

He went to the phone and called the only person who might shed some insight into the mind of Lucy’s dad. “Sarah, it’s Reilly. How’s my brother treating you these days?”

“He’s driving me bonkers, if you want the truth. He’s pushy and arrogant.”

Reilly laughed, mostly because he heard the teasing in Sarah’s tone. “He can be a bit overbearing, can’t he?”

Sarah snorted. “That’s the pot calling the kettle black.” She paused, then asked, “How’s Lucy? Everything okay with the babies?”

“She’s fine. Cranky but good. I want her to cut back her hours, but she refuses. The woman is very stubborn.”

“Yep, that’s Lucy. She wasn’t always so hardheaded, though. After the divorce, she changed.”

“Speaking of change, Lucy’s dad called a little bit ago.”

Sarah sucked in a breath. “Oh boy.”

“Yeah,” Reilly bit out. “Just how big a pest is he going to be?”

“I hate to say this—and Lucy’s going to kill me—but you might want to keep an eye on her. Her dad can be extremely annoying, especially if he needs money. That’s usually the reason he seeks her out.”

Reilly wanted badly to find the man and knock some sense into him. But he didn’t think that would go over well with Lucy. “Don’t worry, I have no intention of letting him hurt Lucy,” he reassured her. Then just to irritate her, he added, “And do as Brodix says. We Jennings men always know best.”

“Oh Lord, not you too,” she grumbled.

They said their good-byes and hung up. Reilly grabbed a bottle of water from the refrigerator, unscrewed the cap and took a drink. He swiped a hand over his mouth and cursed. Damn, in a matter of months, he’d gone from not having a care in the world to being in a steady relationship with the mother of his children. No doubt about it, his life was getting complicated. But where would he be if Lucy hadn’t gotten pregnant? Just imagining it made him feel hollow inside. Did that mean he was in love? The very thought of Lucy with another man made him grit his teeth. He didn’t know much about falling in love, since he’d never done it before, but he was pretty sure what he felt now for Lucy was the real deal.

She was obstinate and passionate and smart and everything that mattered to him. He’d once envisioned himself as head of his own company. Now, all he wanted was to be a good father and, hopefully someday, a good husband to Lucy. He couldn’t screw up with her. Losing her would leave him empty. He knew it in his gut.

Reilly left the apartment and turned his mind to business. Brodix was taking a few days off, and Reilly had promised to help out at the restaurant. When he walked through the back door of the Blackwater twenty-five minutes later, Eddie confronted him with yet another problem.

“I cannot work in this environment!” the huge man shouted. “I need proper ingredients, Reilly.”

Oh good, more problems. He sighed and headed to the office with Eddie in tow. “Why don’t you have proper ingredients? I placed the order myself.”

Eddie crossed his arms over his chest and frowned. “Then there’s a mix-up, because it never showed.”

“I’ll take care of it. In the meantime, use what you have.” Eddie started to protest, but Reilly stopped him with a hand in the air. “I’m well aware it won’t be your usual quality, but I know you can make it work.”

Eddie sputtered and walked away. Reilly started tallying the profits from the night before. When he screwed up the numbers and had to start over, he knew the truth. He was distracted with thoughts of Lucy. How she’d looked earlier, all sweet and flushed after he’d brought her to orgasm. God, how he wished he was back at her apartment with her in his arms. She disarmed him with her killer smile and brought him to his knees with her sexy glances. Maybe they could take a few days away. Drive up north and stay at a little bed-and-breakfast or something. Just the two of them. He wondered if it’d be safe for Lucy to travel. He made up his mind to ask her later if she could rearrange her schedule and take a few personal days. Besides, if they were away, then her dad couldn’t get to her, and Reilly would have two entire days and nights to further cement their relationship.

His day seemed brighter now that he had a plan. First, he needed to run it by her doctor. Reilly picked up his cell phone and hit speed dial six.

When the now-familiar Nurse Becky came over the line announcing, “Dr. Shaffer’s office, this is Becky speaking, how may I help you?” Reilly smiled. He’d called the doctor’s office more than a few times in the last few months with questions and concerns. They were probably getting good and tired of him.

“Hi, Becky, it’s Reilly Jennings. I had a few questions for Dr. Shaffer.”

The woman chuckled. “You always have a few questions for Dr. Shaffer.”

He cringed. “Becoming a nuisance, am I?”

“Of course not,” she replied. “It’s wonderful the way you care for Lucy. She’s lucky to have a man like you so willing to help and be involved in the whole process.”

“Thanks,” Reilly said, not entirely comfortable with the compliment.

“Dr. Shaffer’s with a patient, but I can have him call you back when he’s finished.”

“That’s fine. He can call my cell.”