Page 9 of Slice

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 somequestions. 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.

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