Free Reilly's Wildcard by Anne Rainey

dinner?”
    “I’ll cook. Whatever you want, name it.”
    “Oh sure, offer a pregnant lady food,” she said, hoping to lighten the mood a little, lest she catch fire. “As if I could possibly say no.”
    Reilly chuckled. “What can I say? I’m a Jennings, and we play to win.”
    Lucy knew truer words were never spoken.
     
     
    They’d left her car at the restaurant and taken Reilly’s truck. She’d noticed he’d driven a good five miles under the speed limit and wondered if that was out of concern for the baby. Now, as they headed up the sidewalk to the front door of Reilly’s house, Lucy’s hands trembled with restless energy. It may as well have been their first time together, the way her stomach knotted. Who could blame her? She never knew what to expect with Reilly. He’d sure as hell surprised her by offering marriage. Nope, she definitely hadn’t seen that one coming.
    Once they were inside, Reilly locked the door and took her into his arms. Lucy nearly drowned in his blazing green pools as she stared up at him. God, it’d be so much easier not to melt if he was a toad. Better yet, an ogre.
    “You and the baby, you’re both important to me, sweetheart,” he murmured. “Never forget that.”
    The intimate moment had Lucy anxious to protect her fragile heart. “One day at a time, Reilly,” she warned him. “That’s all I’m capable of here. I can’t take giant leaps, not when so much is at stake.”
    Reilly stared at her for a few seconds, then released her and stalked across the room. He stared out the sliding glass doors leading onto the back deck. Lucy was desperate to know what was going on inside Reilly’s head, but since she couldn’t, she strode to the couch and dropped her purse on the coffee table. She sat and waited for him to say something, to break the sudden tension filling the room.
    When he turned around, his expression was unreadable, and Lucy hated it. “Your apartment, is it suitable for a baby?”
    Where had that come from? When Lucy considered his question, she had to admit her place wasn’t truly big enough for a child. Oh, she could get away with it for the first few months after the baby was born, but she’d need a bigger apartment sooner or later. Oh God, she was horrible at this motherhood business. She buried her head in her hands as her emotions swept over her. She wasn’t cut out to be a parent. Her own mother had died, and her father had resented having to raise two daughters alone. He’d taken every chance he could to belittle her and make her feel guilty for ever having been born. She wouldn’t do that to her child. She was already making mistakes, but her baby would know only love from her. Lucy’s eyes stung with tears. No matter how hard she tried, they fell anyway, damn it.
    Reilly came across the room so fast she wondered if he had supernatural powers or something. It would just figure if he did. He crouched in front of her and pried her hands away from her face. His forehead wrinkled, and his light green eyes warmed. Lucy dearly wanted to believe he cared. To believe she meant something to him beyond being the mother of his child.
    “I did this?” he asked as he swiped away a tear.
    Despite feeling like the world’s worst pregnant lady, Lucy smiled. “Your voice gets all rough and deep when you worry.”
    Reilly cupped her face in his strong hands. “I don’t want to cause you more stress, sweetheart,” he murmured. “We’ll leave this discussion for another day, okay?”
    Lucy fell just the slightest bit in love with the handsome man in that moment. Reilly took all the blame for her anxiety, though it wasn’t necessary.
    She placed her palm over one of his and brought it to her lap, where she began idly stroking her fingers over the back of it. “I’m just feeling a little raw right now. I hadn’t even considered the size of my apartment. I’m afraid I’m going to be a lousy mother. I mean, let’s face it, I’m so not June