She’s liable to hurt you.”
Eddie looked at him with a grateful expression and growled, “Good luck!”
Yeah, he’d need all the luck he could get, but he didn’t much care for the way Eddie was acting toward Lucy. “Lucy Rice is a friend of mine. Show some respect.”
Eddie glared at Lucy and muttered, “I’m sorry.”
Lucy rolled her eyes. “Oh yeah, you’re all full of remorse.”
Eddie threw up his hands and started grumbling under his breath as he pushed through the double doors leading out from the kitchen.
Once his frustrated cook was out of sight, Reilly turned to Lucy and said, “Come on.” He motioned for her to follow him as he headed back to his office. When he entered the small room, he rounded the desk and sat, then indicated the chair across from him. Lucy sat with her back ramrod straight and her purse clutched in a tight fist in her lap. God, she looked good. The purple streak in her hair was gone, which was a shame, because he’d liked it. The dressed-up Lucy Rice was downright edible. But this T-shirt-and-jeans version was no less appealing. With her mass of black hair tied back in a ponytail and no makeup on, she looked all of eighteen. Holy shit.
He heard Eddie still shouting obscenities and groaned. “I may be forced to defend your honor pretty soon if he doesn’t shut up. I can just see me challenging that big bull.”
Lucy’s lips curved upward. God, she was so pretty when she smiled. It’d been way too long since he’d seen her. He wanted to see her laugh. Christ, he was hungry for her. And if he didn’t do something about it soon, he’d explode.
“So, what brings you here? Everything okay?”
She shrugged and blurted, “I’m pregnant.”
Reilly just stared at her, trying to comprehend what she’d just said. Obviously he misheard. “Say again?”
She slumped in the seat and stared down at the floor. “I’m pregnant.”
Ah, damn. “That’s what I thought you said.”
Lucy shot from the chair so fast, Reilly didn’t have time to react. She pushed her purse onto her shoulder and planted her hands against the desk so they were nose-to-nose and stated, “Congratulations, Dad.”
She turned and started for the door before Reilly came out of his puzzled stupor and taunted, “You expect me to believe I’m the father? So you lied about being on the pill?”
Lucy stopped dead. Long seconds passed before she slowly turned and ground out, “For the record, I didn’t lie. I was on the pill, but I was also taking antibiotics at the time. Apparently the meds screwed with the potency of my birth control pills. Also, I don’t much give a damn what you believe. But you are the father. Now, you can be a jerk and call me a tramp and a liar, or you can do the right thing and take responsibility.” She slung her purse over her shoulder. “Either way, it doesn’t affect me. I just thought you’d like to know.”
Then she walked through the door, and Reilly was left staring at empty space. A baby? He was going to be a father? Lucy was going to be a mother? What sort of crazy twist of fate was that? He’d even used a condom. A condom that had broken, he reminded himself. As he sat there, wondering about what this would mean, her parting words registered. It doesn’t affect her? Bullshit.
Reilly shot to his feet. The force of his anger pushed the chair backward several feet. He stalked out of the office and went straight through the kitchen, then out the front entrance. He caught up to her just as she was getting into her little black Volkswagen bug.
Grasping her slim arm in his hand, he tugged her around to face him. “You drop a bomb like that, then leave? Hell no.”
Her spine stiffened. “Get your hand off me. Now.”
Reilly quickly noted her pale face and the tremor in her lower lip. Was she about to cry? Christ, he was handling this worse than when he’d accused her of sleeping with him to get the singing gig. No, damn it, he wouldn’t screw this up too.
Eddie looked at him with a grateful expression and growled, “Good luck!”
Yeah, he’d need all the luck he could get, but he didn’t much care for the way Eddie was acting toward Lucy. “Lucy Rice is a friend of mine. Show some respect.”
Eddie glared at Lucy and muttered, “I’m sorry.”
Lucy rolled her eyes. “Oh yeah, you’re all full of remorse.”
Eddie threw up his hands and started grumbling under his breath as he pushed through the double doors leading out from the kitchen.
Once his frustrated cook was out of sight, Reilly turned to Lucy and said, “Come on.” He motioned for her to follow him as he headed back to his office. When he entered the small room, he rounded the desk and sat, then indicated the chair across from him. Lucy sat with her back ramrod straight and her purse clutched in a tight fist in her lap. God, she looked good. The purple streak in her hair was gone, which was a shame, because he’d liked it. The dressed-up Lucy Rice was downright edible. But this T-shirt-and-jeans version was no less appealing. With her mass of black hair tied back in a ponytail and no makeup on, she looked all of eighteen. Holy shit.
He heard Eddie still shouting obscenities and groaned. “I may be forced to defend your honor pretty soon if he doesn’t shut up. I can just see me challenging that big bull.”
Lucy’s lips curved upward. God, she was so pretty when she smiled. It’d been way too long since he’d seen her. He wanted to see her laugh. Christ, he was hungry for her. And if he didn’t do something about it soon, he’d explode.
“So, what brings you here? Everything okay?”
She shrugged and blurted, “I’m pregnant.”
Reilly just stared at her, trying to comprehend what she’d just said. Obviously he misheard. “Say again?”
She slumped in the seat and stared down at the floor. “I’m pregnant.”
Ah, damn. “That’s what I thought you said.”
Lucy shot from the chair so fast, Reilly didn’t have time to react. She pushed her purse onto her shoulder and planted her hands against the desk so they were nose-to-nose and stated, “Congratulations, Dad.”
She turned and started for the door before Reilly came out of his puzzled stupor and taunted, “You expect me to believe I’m the father? So you lied about being on the pill?”
Lucy stopped dead. Long seconds passed before she slowly turned and ground out, “For the record, I didn’t lie. I was on the pill, but I was also taking antibiotics at the time. Apparently the meds screwed with the potency of my birth control pills. Also, I don’t much give a damn what you believe. But you are the father. Now, you can be a jerk and call me a tramp and a liar, or you can do the right thing and take responsibility.” She slung her purse over her shoulder. “Either way, it doesn’t affect me. I just thought you’d like to know.”
Then she walked through the door, and Reilly was left staring at empty space. A baby? He was going to be a father? Lucy was going to be a mother? What sort of crazy twist of fate was that? He’d even used a condom. A condom that had broken, he reminded himself. As he sat there, wondering about what this would mean, her parting words registered. It doesn’t affect her? Bullshit.
Reilly shot to his feet. The force of his anger pushed the chair backward several feet. He stalked out of the office and went straight through the kitchen, then out the front entrance. He caught up to her just as she was getting into her little black Volkswagen bug.
Grasping her slim arm in his hand, he tugged her around to face him. “You drop a bomb like that, then leave? Hell no.”
Her spine stiffened. “Get your hand off me. Now.”
Reilly quickly noted her pale face and the tremor in her lower lip. Was she about to cry? Christ, he was handling this worse than when he’d accused her of sleeping with him to get the singing gig. No, damn it, he wouldn’t screw this up too.
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