Page 5 of Slice

She had started the process to be a foster parent eight years ago when she turned thirty-four, after she received her diagnosis.

She didn’t have a significant other and decided she would check into having a baby on her own. She’d been in a car accident in her teens. They’d had to repair multiple areas in her abdomen. Her doctor had said pregnancy would be unlikely, but that they’d need to check after she was healed. She’d had irregular periods since then but hadn’t checked until she was at the point of wanting children.

When she’d been informed that pregnancy was an impossibility for her, she’d been so angry and devastated. All her dreams had seemed to be crushed.

In all her dreams of the future, she’d imagined a big family. Sure, she’d hoped for a man, but she hadn’t had luck with that. But to receive an unequivocal no, not even a maybe, had caused her to go into a deep depression. She’d gone to work but done the minimum. Hope had taken to calling her every day to gauge how she was doing. When she hadn’t been able to pull herself out of it, Hope had given her an ultimatum—either talk to a professional or Hope was going to move in with her.

Faith had not wanted Hope to have to move, so she’d reluctantly gone to a professional. It had been a turning point for her. Besides talking about her depression, the doctor had worked with Faith to find a prescription that helped her. Overtime, she’d understood there wasn’t anything she could change and finally accepted she needed to figure out another way to have the family she wanted. She’d researched foster care and adoption. She’d decided she’d fill her life with children who needed her.

Two years ago, she and her doctor had weaned her off the prescription medication with the admonition that if Faith felt herself falling back into that state, they would revisit adding the medication back in.

Listening to the giggles of the boys reminded her she was right where she was supposed to be. She still yearned to be pregnant with her own baby, but she was at peace with her life now. She might not have a man who cherished her and loved her the way she’d always dreamed, but she had her family. Seeing the happiness on Micah and Isaiah’s faces reminded her why she’d chosen to foster.

Chapter Three

Slice wiped a tear from his eye as he rode his motorcycle toward the diner. Bear had texted that he hated to bother him, but their main cook had fallen and broken his leg. The two backups were spending a couple days after Christmas with family out of town. Normally, he’d be the first to volunteer. He’d enjoyed working at the diner with Bear as part of the Bluff Creek Brotherhood MC just as much as he enjoyed helping out at the range or the garage.

But after Christmas Eve, his heart was torn. He hadn’t known when he made the delivery to Apartment B that his whole life would change. Finding an abandoned newborn baby boy had been a shock, but what had made him wonder if he was crazy was the way his heart latched onto LB.

Don’t misunderstand him; he adored kids. It was why he always volunteered to babysit if any of the Bluff Creek families needed him. He’d hated the foster homes he had been in, but he’d learned about taking care of younger kids.

Besides, kids were simple and didn’t see the huge guy with tattoos as scary. They usually asked him if he’d gotten in trouble for coloring on himself. The children at Bluff Creek knew they were safe and could take chances. What Baron, Rascal, and Locks had built had been improved on after War became President and found his badass woman.

From the time Slice walked onto the compound, he’d known it was different. It was a family, some by blood, but most by the love that surrounded them and that they had for each other.

Now he was waxing poetic, but he felt at home. And LB had grabbed hold of him. Slice couldn’t figure out how he was supposed to let someone else take care of LB. Slice wanted to be the one keeping LB safe and making sure he had everything he needed.

When Faith had offered to stay to help with the baby, he’d said yes. He couldn’t imagine leaving LB or Faith. He’d spent Christmas with Faith, Micah, Isaiah, and LB. He’d only left to quickly attend Roam and Sprite’s wedding and help complete his cleanup duty from the wedding and reception.

He’d ridden back over, bringing a couple things for the baby as an excuse to come over. To spend time with LB, but also because there was something about Faith that called to him, too. He’d never felt like this before, almost as if he was more himself when he was with her. He didn’t understand it, but it was killing him this morning.

Faith had smiled and welcomed him in. He’d been attracted to her when he first met her while delivering her car that the MC had worked on a couple weeks ago—but he hadn’t worked up the nerve to ask her out.

Despite being big, tattooed, and former military, he was still shy about asking women out. With his looks and body, he’d never needed to ask anyone out. They always came on to him. But Faith was different. She didn’t seem to know how sweet orluscious she was. She wasn’t tiny by any means. He’d describe her as a big, beautiful woman. He didn’t know women’s sizes well, but he knew she was on the bigger side, which was perfect. He didn’t want to feel like he had to hold back because she was like a twig and would break.

Faith would definitely not break. At first, he’d been attracted to her looks, but the longer he spent with her, the more he realized he was falling for her. She was quick to laugh and was a nurturing mother figure to the boys, with a smile that lit up a room. He could tell one of her love languages was gifts of service, and she did this by cooking and baking for people.

When she’d found out he was called Slice because of his love of all things bread, she’d made homemade rolls for their next meal. Of course, he’d offered to help her cook, but she’d turned him down. So he’d told her he’d clean up, and he’d gotten her a cup of hot tea to relax after their meal, and then he’d helped the boys get ready for bed.

In such a short time, they’d all stolen his heart, and he wasn’t sure what to do or how to move them on. How did he tell her that he wanted more? Did she even want that? He’d watched some of the men fall in love while at Bluff Creek, but they didn’t issue a guidebook on how to woo the woman you couldn’t live without.

He wasn’t even sure if this was love. What exactly did love feel like? He felt completely different toward LB, Faith, Micah, and Isaiah than he did to his brothers. He loved his best friend, Cruise, but that felt different than Faith.

Everything was up in the air too with LB. The sheriff was looking for the woman who had birthed LB, and Faith only had LB for seventy-two hours under emergency foster care guidelines. Unless his mom was found or the situation resolved, LB would be given a permanent foster care placement. Slice hadn’t even discussed with Faith if she would be asking to have him placed with her permanently after the initial placement wasup. He wasn’t sure how he’d deal with LB being tossed into another foster home. Those little eyes looking up at him had Slice imagining being his dad. Heck, if he could move in with Faith today, he would.

He was working at the diner from six a.m. to noon. He’d been positive Faith was as disappointed as he was when he informed her he had to leave. He’d promised to bring them lunch from the diner, and he’d asked Faith if she thought the boys would enjoy visiting the menagerie of animals at Bluff Creek.

She smiled when she’d agreed to lunch and said they could discuss the animals when they saw how warm it was by then.

Slice hunched a little in his light sweatshirt with his cut on top. He had his gloves, but he was wishing he had a stocking cap. Since he’d worn a Santa cap for Christmas Eve, he hadn’t thought to ask Bear and Winnie to get him a warm hat.

He wasn’t sure, besides work today, what he should do next. Was Faith interested in him too? Or was she just being nice because she cared about everyone? With her personality, he didn’t think she would have told him he couldn’t be there. She would have wanted him to have a good Christmas, too.

He pulled his bike in and backed into one of the motorcycle parking spots. Then he strode into the diner, ready to do whatever needed to be done.

Chapter Four

Faith opened the door to her sister Hope and Hope’s grandson Benji. Benji immediately ran over to Micah and Isaiah to play. LB was asleep in the bassinet in the room.

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