Chapter 41

George arrived to their house at six sharp as he'd been instructed. He got out of the back of his SUV and assisted a woman from the back after him who looked to be close to his age. Clearly his wife as she tucked her hand into his offered elbow to be led up the steps of their mansion, where Josiah and Rossalyn were waiting for them. They all greeted each other at the door before Josiah stepped aside and welcomed them inside.

Josiah and Rossalyn led them into the dining room where dinner was just being served for them. Josiah made sure that George was sat next to him with Rossalyn on his other side and Cylvia, George's wife, sat next to her. They made small talk over dinner and dessert before they all decided to retire to the garden to chat in a more peaceful environment. Josiah and Rossalyn took a seat on one of the swings while George and Cylvia took the swing that faced them on the gazebo.

"So, Josiah, you said you had some news for me when you messaged this morning. Seeing as we hadn't been parted for more than a few hours, what could you have to tell me that you forgot the night before?" George asked him curiously.

"It wasn't that he forgot, George, he didn't have the information last night." Rossalyn said, a little testily. She didn't like the implication his words gave that Josiah had intentionally hid something from him.

"I apologize, Rossalyn. I wasn't implying disrespect." George said.

"We wanted to bring you here tonight in light of the bargain that we recently struck regarding our children." Josiah said then glanced at Rossalyn for a moment before continuing. "Rossalyn got together with her girlfriends while we were out and took a test that result affects our deal."

"Oh really?" George asked, his tone changing from slightly annoyed to excited.

"We wanted to let you know that I am pregnant. I'm only a few weeks and we still have to get confirmation from a doctor." Rossalyn said.

"Oh! That is wonderful!" Cylvia exclaimed, her face lighting up in excitement.

"Excellent! That is wonderful news!" George said as he stood from the swing and helped Cylvia from the swing as well.

Josiah took the cue from George and stood and assisted Rossalyn to her feet as well. George gave Rossalyn a tight hug that lasted almost a minute before releasing her only for Cylvia to replace him. Rossalyn endured their hugs, resisting the urge to pull away the instant that she was touched by them.

"We should throw a party to solidify the union of our family!" Cylvia suggested excitedly as she pulled back from Rossalyn and gave Josiah a hug that was shorter in duration, though just as enthusiastic.

"Well...we...." Rossalyn started by George interrupted her and spoke over her.

"Yes! That sounds like a wonderful idea! Say we have the party in a month so that we can get more of our family here. We won't have you travel in your condition darling!" George assured her taking her hand and patting it reassuringly.

Josiah and Rossalyn looked at each other with identical looks of resignation. There would be no avoiding it without insulting them. "We can have a party, though, I don't want a huge affair. I'm not showing any symptoms yet, but by then I will be. We can keep it to just immediately friends and family." Rossalyn said firmly.

"That is completely understandable. We should be able to keep it down to say.....fifty people?" Cylvia said the number as a question looking up to her husband.

"Yes, that should be fair estimate. We'll cover everything, have no worries. We'll plan everything for you guys. You just relax and focus on growing that baby." George instructed her. "I would like to leave a couple of my men here with you as extra protection."

'Well that didn't take long.' Rossalyn thought to herself giving a long look at Josiah who looked down at her and gave a small nod to her. The nod said there would be no way to refuse and she flashed to their conversation that morning of him warning her of that exact eventuality.

"I can assure you, she will be protected, but if you would like to keep men here to be here for her, that is more than understandable. But they are not to interfere with my men or their orders reguarding her protection and they will not refuse to allow her freedom." Josiah told him, wanting to lay boundaries from the beginning.

"I assure you that they will obey your orders and only be here as added protection for Rossalyn while she is pregnant and after that they will be here solely to protect the baby." George said.

"So you're giving us men to stay here.....permanently?" Rossalyn asked shocked.

"Well, yes they will be his or her bodyguard. As I'm sure you've figured out men like your husband and I have many enemies and they may not be happy to find out that we're joining our family. So my wife and I will provide men who has the sole responsibility of making sure the baby is happy, healthy, and safe. These men will follow your orders and respect you as the parents. They're only here to protect our investment." George assured her.

"That is pretty standard in our arrangements, Ross. When we get confirmation that his daughter is pregnant we will be sending a couple men to protect her and the baby as well." Josiah said, clearly unbothered by George's plans of putting men in their home to follow her and their child around for the next eighteen years.

"I see. I clearly have a lot to learn. I wasn't expecting that, that is all." Rossalyn said.

The four of them spent the next hour making plans for their collective future, including the allotment of territory that George would be allowed to expand in. That would give George the benefit of having a base in the area to be close for important stages of the pregnancy and life thereafter. Rossalyn sat back and let George and Josiah talk business while Cylvia chatted brainlesly about pregnancy with her that required little attention on Rossalyn's part.

Rossalyn didn't know much, but she knew that she wasn't going to enjoy the fact that there would be men that she didn't know or trust following her around or that there were strangers that had a claim on her unborn child. She barely felt like she had right to her child but already there was peope that were making plans for their future. She took a deep breath and prayed for patience.