Page 79 of Bartholomew
I glanced down at my watch, noting that nearly twenty minutes had passed since Father had left the room. Not wanting to leave Delilah any longer than necessary, I pushed aside my desire to just hide away in the study all day.
“I need to get back out there,” I groaned, standing from my chair, and setting our glasses aside.
“As do I,” Levi agreed reluctantly.
“I don’t want Delilah being fed to the wolves out there for longer than necessary.”
“Oh, don’t worry about that,” Levi smirked. “Ruth is with her.”
“God, I love your wife. She’s literally so much better than you,” I deadpanned.
“So funny,” he retorted sarcastically. “But what do you say we plan a dinner? Now that Delilah is on board, she should meet the brothers.”
“That’s not a bad idea. I’ll call you later and discuss details,” I replied, agreeing with him.
“Let’s be real. Ruth is out there with Delilah. Those two likely already have everything planned,” he said with a knowing smirk.
I opened the door to utter chaos, women flocking through the hallway in every direction. I caught Delilah’s eyes, quirking one eyebrow up in question. She very subtly rolled her eyes.
“This is as far as the tour goes, ladies. But as you can see, Bartholomew has provided me with such a lovely home, and I am grateful to the Lord for providing me with such a wonderful and godly husband.” Her saccharine sweet smile didn’t meet her eyes,
Time to get these God-fearing sheeple right the fuck out of my home as quickly as possible.
* * *
Delilah
“Deep breaths,” Ruth whispered under her breath, in an unknowing echo of my earlier talk with Ollie. Her strong confidence as she stood beside me worked to bolster my own. This was my home. I was the hostess. I had to play the part, even though all I wanted to do was tell everyone to get the hell out of here. My fried nerves and strained anxiety had me feeling like a completely frazzled mess.
“Are you okay?” Ruth whispered again, and I realized I had not answered her.
“I feel like I’m going to be sick,” I muttered. And then I made the fatal mistake. I put my hand on my stomach as I felt my nerves roll, making my stomach feel half nauseated. In an instant, every female gaze was on me, zeroed in like a laser beam.
The women flocked to me, incessant chatter prattling from their lips. They were like pecking hens, cackling and noise making. Just peck, peck, peck.
“Delilah, how are you feeling?”
“Delilah, should you lie down?”
“Are you already having symptoms?”
“Blessed be to the Lord,” my mother’s voice rang out over the onslaught of insanity.
“Mother —” I whispered under my breath. I did not need everyone in Zion, thinking I was pregnant when I wasn’t. At least, I didn’t think I was.
“Go with it. It will get them out of here,” Ruth muttered, a picture-perfect smile plastered on her face.
“I think I may need to lie down,” I feigned, resigning myself to whatever it took to get them the hell out of here. Quickly, the women picked up the scattered utensils, cups, and plates that littered my home. My home, that had been clean not two hours ago. How had two hours already passed since they had all invaded us like a plague of gossiping locusts?
I caught Ollie’s eye from across the room. The rumor had made its way to him. I could tell by his expression.
“Later,” I mouthed to him. He nodded, but I did not miss the way his eyes roved down my body, honing in directly on my stomach.
Well, hell.
I shook off the discomfort I felt in quasi-lying to Ollie. It wasn’t really a lie, just a misunderstanding that I decided to take advantage of. But, as everyone filed their way out of our home, my mind was playing tricks on me. I pictured my calendar tracking back to my last period. I was pretty sure it was three weeks ago. Surely, I would not have symptoms already. Surely, there would be no symptoms to be had. I couldn’t be pregnant. Not so soon. Not after only a few handfuls of times… well, if I were being honest, it was a far cry from a few handfuls of times.
With a deep sigh, we filed the last of the guests out of our home, leaving us standing there in the entryway awkwardly.
