“You aren’t a problem,” he whispered as he leaned closer and took her hand in his. She was warm, too warm actually. He looked at her face and noticed she was actually sweating. “Are you feeling okay?”
“I’m pregnant. Of course I’m not okay.” She yanked her hand out of his.
“Stop it,” he gently demanded, frustration lacing his voice. “You will explain what is upsetting you and we will get this out in the open, once and for all.”
Lucy’s gaze shot to his. Her lower lip trembled, and he had the horrible suspicion she was about to cry. “I was a problem for my dad too,” she explained. “Annabelle and I heard it our entire lives. I refuse to be another man’s problem, Reilly. I simply won’t go through it again.”
God, she broke his heart when she talked about her childhood. “Ah, sweetheart.”
Now the tears did fall. He’d never seen a woman sob so uncontrollably, and he began to worry for her and the babies. “You’ve got it all wrong, Lucy. It’s not what you think. I swear to you.”
Her head shot up, and she glared at him. “I know what I heard. You can’t…” Her words trailed off as she clutched her stomach.
Reilly’s entire body went on high alert as Lucy’s eyes grew wide and her face turned ghostly pale. He stood and came around the table just as she doubled over. “Is it the babies?”
“I-I think my water broke,” she bit out, “and I’ve been having contractions off and on. I-I think I’m in labor.”
All while he’d been arguing with her? Jesus, he was an ass. “Why didn’t you say anything, sweetheart?”
She shook her head. “At first it felt like some minor cramps, nothing to worry about.” She paused before adding, “Apparently it wasn’t cramps.”
The fear in Lucy’s voice prompted Reilly into action. In two strides, he was across the kitchen and grabbing his cell phone and keys off the counter, where he’d tossed them earlier. When he reached her side again, Reilly leaned down and kissed Lucy on the forehead, then told her softly, “I will be by your side every step of the way, sweetheart. You’re not to worry. Do you hear me?”
“Reilly, please, I’m not even eight months along yet. I don’t want to lose the babies.” Her feathery voice quivered, and it broke his heart.
He stroked her brow and murmured, “Have faith, sweetheart. It’s going to be okay. Remember, the doctor told you that a lot of twins are born early. It’s normal.”
She nodded. “I-I love you, Reilly,” she gritted out through the pain as he helped her to her feet. “I’m sorry I was so angry.”
Her words sent enough adrenaline through his system that Reilly felt like he could leap tall buildings. “Just breathe. We’ll have plenty of time to talk about all that.”
Tears streamed down her cheeks. “What if—”
“No, don’t go there.” Her broken sobs were killing him. Nothing was going to happen to Lucy. She had to be okay. “You are the mother of my children, and we will raise these babies together.”
She started to say more, but he hushed her with a kiss to her lips and gently ushered her toward the door and out of the apartment. Once they were on their way to the hospital, Reilly glanced over and noted Lucy’s clenched teeth and her tight grip on the door handle. To see her in pain and unable to do anything about it sent a surge of helpless frustration through him. She was so fragile, her life so precious to him. It sickened him that she was going into labor thinking he didn’t love her, that he viewed her as a problem he’d been forced to deal with. But now wasn’t the time to deal with it. He’d have all the time in the world later to set her straight. And he’d damn well tell her over and over how much he loved her.
By the time they reached the hospital, he’d already called his mom and let her know Lucy was in labor. He’d asked about her going into labor early, and his mother had assured him the babies would be fine. Lots of babies were born early, she’d explained. He forced himself to think positive. The babies and Lucy would both be fine. They had to be, because the alternative was too terrifying to consider.
Lucy tried to sit up, but her back was still hurting, so she gave up and lay back down. Lordy, every muscle in her body ached, including a few she hadn’t even known existed. Clearly childbirth was no picnic, especially when delivering twins. The thought of ever going through it again made her cringe. Of course, she wouldn’t change a thing. Her babies were gorgeous identical twin boys, perfect in every way, even though they’d decided to greet the world early. They didn’t weigh as much as they should and needed to be monitored, but they were the most beautiful babies Lucy had ever seen. They had heads full of dark hair, just like Reilly. When Lucy recalled the way she’d blurted out her feelings moments before Reilly had rushed her out of the apartment, her face flamed in embarrassment.
“Reilly, we should probably, um, talk.”
He strode to the bed, grasped her hand and began to massage his thumb over the back of it. “Are you in pain? Do you want the doctor, sweetheart?”
She shook her head. “Nothing like that. But, our conversation before…all this happened… We need to finish it.”
“Are you sure you’re up to it?” She nodded, and Reilly sat next to her on the bed, then brought her hand to his lips and kissed each fingertip. “I love you with all my heart,” he said in a low, sexy tone. “I could not be happy without you in my life. I don’t view you as a problem. Nor do I feel that way about our babies. You’re a blessing to me, Lucy.”
Her heart swelled with hope for the first time since hearing that awful conversation. “I was so afraid you were only putting up with me because of the babies.”
He frowned and stroked her hair away from her face. “You should know better than that, sweetheart. Have I not shown you how much I care? Wasn’t I the one planning a romantic getaway? Wasn’t I the one vowing to your sister that I would take good care of you? Why would I do any of that if I didn’t care?”
She felt awful for suspecting he could be so cold. How could she make such a huge mistake? She nearly threw up when she thought of how close she’d come to leaving him. “I’m sorry, Reilly. So sorry I doubted you. I love you so much, and it scared me. I never wanted to be so vulnerable with a man again. David destroyed my trust.”
Reilly leaned down, placing both hands on either side of her body, caging her in. “Say that again. I sort of like hearing it.”
She laughed. “I love you, and I’m sorry for doubting you.”