She laughed. “You would have to meet him to understand. What about you? Do you have family waiting for you back on Drasta?”
“My mother is still there. She is all I have left.”
“I’m sorry. When did your father die?”
“I don’t know if the bastard is dead or not. He left us when I was barely ten to join a marauding bunch of renegades, stealing and killing. He brought dishonor to our family name. If it weren’t for my grandfather, I probably would not have gotten into warrior training.”
“I’m sorry.”
“I used to wonder if I could have done anything different. Maybe if I was smarter and stronger, he would have stayed.”
“He made selfish decisions that you are not at fault for. He missed out on getting to see you grow up and become the amazing man you are. It’s his loss.”
The look he gave her was grateful, and something that reminded her of how her parents looked at one another. “What’s in the other platter?”
“I forgot about that.” She reached inside the basket and pulled out the third large, covered platter. She took the cover off and nearly burst into tears.
“It’s a birthday cake!”
“Yes. It is your birthday, isn’t it? Twenty-two years of age?”
She nodded but held the platter close to her chest. “It is. You remembered?”
“I remember everything you tell me.”
“I haven’t celebrated a before since before the nukes hit.”
“What does a cake taste like?” he asked.
“You’ve never had cake?”
He shook his head.
“Well, that is going to change today.”
Faith grabbed the smaller flat plates and was grateful a knife and two forks were also inside the basket. She cut two pieces for them and handed him one.
“This is yellow cake with chocolate frosting.”
She took a bite and closed her eyes. “Oh my God! That is so good.”
Logan took a bite of his. He made a weird expression.
“You don’t like chocolate?”
“I think… it is good. Very good.”
Faith smiled, then started eating all of her cake as if afraid it was dissolved into nothingness unless she took care of it immediately. After eating and putting their dishes back into the basket, Faith moved to sit closer to Logan, leaning against him.
“Thank you for this lovely picnic.”
“Mary arranged everything.”
“But you asked her to.”
“I did. I wanted to do something special for you.”
He was chipping away all the walls she had tried to put up between them to distance herself from feeling anything for him. It was already too late for that. She leaned against him and enjoyed the moment.
