“The brothers and I are going to stay here and take care of a few things while you’re gone.”
“All right.” She hadn’t really expected him to go anyway. He had never attended church before; she didn’t presume to think that their marriage would change that aspect of Shade’s behavior. Church was a large part of her life, not his.
She wondered what parts of his behavior their marriage would change, if any. She should have thought of that before she’d said yes and married him today. It was too late now, though. Well… really, it had been too late from the moment she had realized she had fallen in love with him, despite knowing of his past.
He hadn’t told her he loved her, but she was deathly afraid he was. She didn’t want him to love her because, until he knew her past, the woman he loved was an illusion.
It was past time for Shade to meet his real wife, Callie.
Chapter 35
There weren’t many parishioners at Christmas Eve services when the women got there. Lily sat on the pew between Penni and Beth as Pastor Dean gave an eloquent service that moved everyone in the audience. Afterward, they had their church supper where Lily had accepted the surprised congratulations of those who hadn’t attended the wedding.
They didn’t stay long; the women all wanted to spend the evening with their husbands. Lily felt like pinching herself every time she referred to Shade as such.
“I hear you managed to get Shade to put a ring on your finger. When’s the baby due?” Lily’s head turned in shock at the harsh words that spewed out of Georgia’s mouth.
“I’m not pregnant,” Lily gasped.
“Why else would he marry you? You’ve been giving it to him for months, living in sin. You should be ashamed, coming to church, being around good Christian women,” Georgia’s spite-filled voice carried throughout the entire room. Heads turned to listen unashamedly as Georgia continued on her rant.
“Shut up, Georgia. You can’t talk to her that way,” a normally timid Willa spoke up for Lily.
“I can talk to her any way I want to. She’s a slut and everyone in this church knows it. Both her and her sister. Their father would roll over in his grave to know his daughters had lived in sin before they were married. “
“Lower your voice.” Willa made another attempt to silence the woman.
“Don’t tell me to be quiet again. The only reason you’re not out there whoring with your friends is because none of those bikers would want your fat ass.”
Lily stood and took Georgia’s verbal abuse, but she wasn’t going to let her defame Willa.
“Georgia, you need to go and take your nosy friends and walk out that door right now.” When Beth and the other Last Rider women finally managed to get through the crowded room, Lily could tell they thought they were coming to her defense. She didn’t need their help, though; she could take care of herself.
“What are you going to do if I don’t?” Georgia braced her feet apart. The woman actually thought Lily would start a fight in her place of worship.
She honored her God too much to stoop to her level; however, she had turned the other cheek too many times to do it again. Tonight, Willa was the one who had been hurt because she had tried to forgive Georgia’s previous verbal attacks.
Lily took a step forward, looking directly into Georgia’s eyes. She lowered her voice as much as she could so that the fewer parishioners who heard, the better. “Georgia, you are not a nice person and I, as a good Christian, have tried to ignore your repeated slander against myself and my sister. Whereas your comments are pure lies and you have spread them throughout the entire congregation, the comments I am about to tell are the truth.
“My father was this church’s pastor for many years, and while he did not spread gossip within the church, he did, upon occasion, discuss certain parishioners with my mother.” Georgia paled.
“Yes, Georgia, I know. Beth knows as well, and neither of us has opened our mouth to tell another of your own year in a rehab center, which my father helped your parents find when they dragged you off the streets where you were selling yourself for a few pills. Do not ever think that you have the right to throw any stone at women like Beth and Willa.”
“What’s she talking about, Georgia?” one of her loudmouth friends asked.
Lily stepped out of the way so that Georgia could grab her coat and escape the questions her friends were barraging her with as she left the fellowship hall.
“Remind me to never get you mad at me,” Bliss said in awe. “You do remember that I did apologize, right?”
“Wow, I’m impressed. I see you don’t need me anymore,” Penni gloated.