My brows furrowed with confusion. “What?”
Theo smiled, dragging his thumb up and down the side of his coffee cup. “I just couldn’t stop thinking about you and I wanted to make sure you were alright. I had stopped by, but they told me you were no longer staying there.”
“Oh. That was…kind of you to want to check on me.”
He cocked his head to the side, studying my face. “Does that upset you? That I went to find you?”
“N-no. I’m not upset. I’m…I’m just surprised that you wanted to see me again so soon.”
He smiled and shook his head. “I don’t think I could evernotwant to spend time with you. And as much as I loved seeing you at the church service, it would have been better to spend some time alone like we are now. It was the highlight of my week when I got your message yesterday.”
“Really?” I asked.
“Why do you find that so hard to believe?”
“Well, I don’t really look like someone worthy of your attention. I’m not like the other women here…not like Martha.”
Theodore’s lips thinned to a line at the mention of Martha. “Maybe that’s why you’ve caught my attention, Olivia. You’re nothing like them. You’re smart, inquisitive, resilient and so perfectly designed that I can’t keep my eyes off you.”
I could feel my face getting red with the compliment even though it felt wrong.
“If you say so,” I said, covering my mouth as I bit back a smile.
He watched me in silence, sipping his coffee and studying me like he was cataloging every micro expression.
“You mentioned before that if I was interested, I might be able to move to Eden.” His eyes widened slightly so I continued. “I know that isn’t an immediate option, but I was hoping you would be able to tell me more about what I need to do to join the church officially.”
“You would go through our Reformed Life Studies program and once you completed the program you would be baptized and be offered a place in Eden.”
“What do I need to do to get the process started? I really…I really don’t want to continue bouncing between shelters. I want to be here, you know? It just…it feels like home with these people. I like how kind and loving everyone is. All the women support each other and it’s like everyone knows exactly what is expected of them and I just want…that.”
The smile on his face encouraged me to continue.
“I want someone to lead me closer to God. I want to find a husband to grow with. I want to fulfill my duty and raise children to know God. It sounds crazy…” I trailed off, fidgeting with my cup. “Does it make me weird to want those things when I’m so young? I just feel like everyone would judge me out there if I said any of this out loud. But I don’t want a career. I don’t want to go to college to do a man’s job. I want to be cared for like God intended.”
I looked up to meet Theo’s gaze and could see the excitement in his eyes at what I had confessed.
“You aren’t crazy, Olivia. You are fighting a battle with Satan. He wants to convince you that you should be listening to evil and sin and not the Holy Spirit who is working inside you right now to guide you towards a foundation in Christ. Satan is trying to steer you away from us, from me. But I know—Iknow—that God introduced us for this very purpose.”
He paused, seemingly debating over his next words. “I don’t mean to scare you with this, but I feel with such a strong conviction that God created you to be my wife, Olivia.”
I blinked, struggling to find the right words. “You do?”
No fucking way. No fucking way. Oh, thank you, God. Thank you, God. I needed a fucking win, and this is a fucking win.
He nodded. “Let’s go to my office.”
I nodded, and quickly stood, collecting my still full coffee cup and following him towards the main lobby entrance. We passed several groups of people who all acknowledged Theodore with a greeting before we were alone again and walking down a long hallway lined with doors. He paused before a door with his name on it and took a moment to find his keys in his pocket before ushering me inside. He led me to one of the wingback chairs in front of his desk and set his drink down.
“If you’ll excuse me for just a moment,” he said with a hand on my shoulder.
I nodded and watched him leave, closing the door behind him. I glanced around the room, noting the full bookshelves and framed portraits of him and his family.
I released a deep breath, my head still reeling from his confession. The guy had known me for a week and was already convinced I was meant to be his wife. It should’ve been sending alarm bells in my mind, but the only thing I felt was relieved.
Relieved that I was going to get out from under Carlos’s thumb for a while, relieved that I wouldn’t be responsible for another innocent life being forced into this position.
Relieved that this man appeared to be a genuinely kind man who would take care of me, that I might actually be able to build a meaningful relationship with him.
