Page 7

Chapter Six

F aith let the boys play a little longer. Christmas break meant they didn’t need to stick to quite the routine that they did during the school year. And bonus—Slice said he’d bring supper for them all, so she didn’t need to cook.

The boys were playing with the Legos they’d received for Christmas, LB was down for a nap, and Faith was curled up in the recliner with her e-reader. Reading had been an escape, and she loved escaping to the world of fiction. Romance was her favorite, but she adored a good thriller, too. Hope and she both loved to read and believed you could never have too many books. Thank goodness for ebooks because she could have thousands on her tablet. Her house wasn’t big enough to have them all in paperbacks, even if secretly she dreamed of a library with floor-to-ceiling bookshelves and a ladder she had to climb to get books off the top shelf.

She’d received the call after she’d returned home that LB was becoming a long-term placement while they searched for his mom. She’d been relieved because she couldn’t imagine how she was going to give him up after this short of a time.

She wasn’t completely sure why this baby was so different from the others she’d had through emergency placement. She’d said goodbye to so many since she’d become a foster parent, but something about LB was different. It could be Slice, or it could be something else. She’d been more unsettled and confused since both of them had come into her life.

She was having trouble diving into her book because she was thinking back over Slice smiling at her at the diner, then bringing her a special dessert. The boys had asked her favorite dessert, and she’d mentioned she loved pumpkin bread. Even though pumpkin bread wasn’t listed as a dessert at the diner, Slice had brought her two slices out with a small tub of honey butter. He’d offered to get some for everyone else, but the boys and Hope had wanted the brownies with a scoop of ice cream for dessert.

Hope couldn’t keep her opinion to herself about the bread once Slice left the table, leaning over to whisper, Climb him like a tree; he’s a keeper. She’d mouthed, Shut up to her sister and given her the stare—the one she used at school when she meant business. Hope had just chuckled and stuck out her tongue.

Her sister might be in her fifties, but Hope was still young at heart.

A knock at the door had her getting up and looking through the peephole. She took a deep breath to calm herself after seeing Slice through the viewer. She swallowed, then unlocked the door and slid it open.

I will not jump this man. I will not drool.

Slice’s hands were full, but he leaned over and kissed Faith’s forehead.

“Hi, babe,” he said.

Babe? What did that mean? He hadn’t called her anything but Faith so far.

Slice walked into her kitchen as if he hadn’t just changed all the rules. Faith followed him. Maybe she should just ignore it and go on.

“What’s for supper?” she asked.

“Well, I realized after you all left that I forgot to check if they didn’t like anything. So I brought homemade cheese pizza along with a supreme pizza, salad, a fruit cobbler, and then decided maybe I should grab something else. We’d just made some of the turkey enchiladas, so I grabbed a pan of those and some chips and salsa. I figured what didn’t get eaten tonight could be a lunch or supper this weekend for you.”

This man. Faith had never had one interested in helping her out with anything. The fact that he brought two meals just in case had her wondering how she was going to protect her heart from falling head over heels in love with this man.

“Okay, you’re scaring me. Do they hate both? It’s okay. I can call the diner and have something else delivered. I want you all happy.”

Faith felt horrible that he thought she wasn’t pleased. She put her hand on his arm because she wanted to make sure he got what she was saying.

“Two meals is one of the nicest things anyone has ever done for me. I’m so sorry you thought I didn’t love it. I was just stunned at how sweet it was.”

She stared into his eyes because she didn’t want him to doubt her sincerity. A faint blush filled his cheeks. Oh my gosh, was her big, tattooed biker embarrassed? How the heck was she already thinking he was hers? That could only lead to disappointment down the road. Note to self: he was not hers.

“I just want you and the boys to have what you like. Do you want me to set it out?”

“Why don’t you go see if the boys are ready? The least I can do after you brought supper is get it on the table.”

Slice’s smile gleamed, and Faith was glad she was sending him to help the boys. His gorgeous body close to hers and his smile were sending all the wrong signals to her body.

She needed to concentrate on putting the food out and then thinking through what she would do with LB during the day when school started back up.

Slice made sure Isaiah and Micah washed their hands, then he checked on LB. He was still asleep in his room. Slice left the door open and followed the boys to the table.

“Yummy, pizza!” Micah yelled.

“I love pizza. We got takeout twice,” Isaiah whispered softly.

“Well, it was a special case today, so let’s enjoy it and thank Slice.”

“Thanks, Slice. Can we play the racing game after we eat?” Micah asked.

“How about after you get in your pajamas?” Faith suggested.

Slice appreciated how Faith was letting them do something fun while setting boundaries. He hadn’t had that growing up.

Slice had brushed a kiss on Faith’s forehead, but he couldn’t tell if she liked it or not. He wished he knew what she was thinking. Cruise and Willa had dropped by the diner in the late afternoon. Slice had taken the chance to ask Willa some questions. Her answers hadn’t really pointed him to which path to take.

Slice appreciated a clear plan, and right now, flying by the seat of his pants was not relaxing him at all. He took another slice of pizza and ate, listening to the conversation.

Maybe he should try to figure out a way to take Faith on a date. Surely, with all the people at Bluff Creek, he could get someone to watch the kids. With all the kids being long-term placements, he’d have to ask if there were certain requirements for babysitting, though he was positive Regina had mentioned something about her and Baron being on some list.

“Slice, would you like more pizza?” Faith asked.

Slice looked up at her. The boys were done with their pizza and were finishing off the fruit he’d brought. Slice had spent most of supper in his own head instead of talking to Faith. She probably thought he was ignoring her, which was the last thing he wanted. He guessed he needed to say something so she’d know he was here for her too, not just for LB.

“No, thank you. I appreciate you letting me come over with food for you and…”

A loud cry from LB’s room had Faith standing up and saying, “Hold that thought,” before she headed to his room.

Slice took a deep breath in and breathed out slowly. He could do this. Faith walked back in with LB and handed him off to Slice while she washed her hands and prepped his bottle. They’d gotten into a routine in such a short time.

Slice stared into LB’s eyes and wondered how he had lucked out to find LB and be able to spend time with Faith. The boys came running back out of their rooms in their pajamas with wet hair. Sliding to a stop in front of Slice, they both leaned over and kissed LB’s forehead, then stared at Slice with smiles on their faces.

Faith chuckled and lifted LB out of his arms.

“I’m guessing there are two boys who are hoping you’ll play the racing game with them while I feed LB.”

“I’d be happy to play the game with you guys.”

Slice got up, then dropped another kiss on Faith’s forehead. If he couldn’t tell her what he wanted to with the boys back in the room, then he’d at least try to show her.

“Let’s do this. Are we playing on a team together?”

Both boys yelled yes and ran to the game system. Slice sat down on the floor beside them and helped them get the game set up.

“Okay, guys, let’s race.” Slice waited to let both boys get a head start since they’d only started playing the game at Christmas. To him, it wasn’t as important to win as it was to make sure both boys had a good time.

He really hoped he could spend some time with Faith after they went to bed.

Faith gazed at Slice as he placed LB in his bed. She’d gotten the older boys down and read them a chapter before turning off the light. Slice had volunteered to get LB in pajamas and give him his last bottle for the night.

She couldn’t keep her eyes off Slice despite telling herself numerous times to keep her distance. Keeping her distance was something Faith had started doing right before she moved here.

Although she’d adored her friends at the school where she taught, it seemed like they were all married and getting pregnant. When Faith had received her devastating news, the woman she’d thought of as her best friend hadn’t even let Faith tell her everything. Christy had been only willing to talk about how excited she was that she and her husband were expecting.

Faith had been thrilled for her friend, but she’d realized the friendship had been all one-sided when she’d done a little test. Instead of always initiating their get-togethers, she’d left it up to her friend. The supposed friend hadn’t even made an effort to walk down Faith’s hallway to say hi.

There was no reason for Faith to stay, so she’d looked for openings for teachers, and Bluff Creek had openings. She’d made the move over the summer and had been at Bluff Creek for two years. Hope had moved with her grandson Benji to be close to Faith and to get away from her son. She’d pretty much kept to herself. She’d met some of the bail bonds owners and the MC members at the diner, but she didn’t know anyone well.

Staring at Slice as he walked toward her smiling, she wondered if it was maybe time to start stepping out of her comfort zone a little.

“LB’s asleep. Are both the boys down?” Slice asked.

Faith nodded, walking down the hall to the family room. Did she ask him to stay again, or would he get the wrong idea? She’d like to spend some more time with him, but she needed to know where his head was at before she did any climbing like her sister had suggested. And it was late. She’d let the boys play the video game a lot later than she would have if it were a school night.

“They are, a lot later than normal,” she said.

“It was a full day. I appreciate you letting me bring you dinner,” Slice said.

Slice’s hand wrapping around hers had her turning toward him. He was staring at her, not saying a word. His hand lifted and cupped her face. The heat of his chest as he stepped closer had her holding her breath.

His lips touched hers. Faith quit thinking. His touch, the faint taste of mint and something that was unique to Slice, had her quivering against him. Her hand grabbed onto his cut to steady herself.

Never had a kiss overwhelmed her like this. She wanted it to go on forever. His lips didn’t just kiss her; it was as if he couldn’t get enough of her.

His hand sliding around her back, pulling her closer, had her trembling with need. Slice pulled his lips away a little too soon, then kissed her nose.

“Faith, you go to my head faster than whiskey. I had a wonderful night,” he said, then dropped a quick kiss on her lips, and before she could tug him back, he’d opened the door and walked out.

Faith stared at the door, wondering what the heck just happened. He gave her the hottest kiss she’d ever experienced and had her ready to completely forget taking it slow. Then he told her he had a wonderful night and walked out?

She stared at the door a little longer. She did not understand men at all and definitely not Slice. She was going to shut off the lights and go read about one of her book boyfriends because at least she knew what the heck they were thinking.

Maybe if she had enough nerve, she might discuss this with Hope tomorrow.