Page 15 of The Billionaire Benefactor

Roman noticed a dusting of flour on her nose and more on her black shirt. He grinned. “You’ve got, um, a little something…” He pointed to his nose and then his shirt.

“Oh?” She brushed off her nose and her shirt as her cheeks turned pink. “Thanks.”

“You can leave it,” he said. “It’s kind of cute.”

No, you did not just say that.Roman wanted to pull the words out of the air and stuff them back inside his head where they belonged. No, they didn’t even belong there. He should not be thinking about Jenny like that at all.

“I’m so sorry—I shouldn’t have—”

She turned to him with a look so intense that he stopped talking. It felt like his heart stuttered to a stop. She looked like she was about to cry. But not in a sad way—or at least, not all sad. It was hard to tell exactly, but her eyes glittered, highlighting the flecks mixed in with the blue.

“Thank you,” she whispered.

Roman finally looked away. It was like his small, accidental compliment had meant something huge to her. Maybe she was just so used to hearing all the condolences and things that something totally unexpected (and inappropriate, he reminded himself) was a good shock?

The kids and the guys rushed back in and Roman stepped away. Blake moved into the kitchen to help Jenny cut and put the pizza on cutting boards that went on the table along with paper plates. Roman wished he had thought to do it.

Once they all had plates, they sat down around the big farmhouse table. It had benches, which made it easier for the guys to fit. Lucy sat—or rather, knelt—in the full-sized chair at one end of the table, Tony at the other. Roman had scooted as close to Lucy as possible, leaving room next to him. He hid his smile when Jenny sat right next to him.

“We’ve got cheese and pepperoni. Some have a thicker crust than others, so just help yourself to what you like. I’ve got two more in the oven, so don’t hold back. I don’t want leftovers.”

Everyone grabbed for slices. Roman got a piece that had a thicker crust and took one from Lucy’s misshapen pizza, giving her a wink.

“Mommy, you forgot the blessing,” Lucy said.

Roman froze with a piece of pepperoni halfway to his mouth. Tony already had a mouthful and stopped chewing.

“Oh,” Jenny said, looking flustered. “We don’t have to—”

“But you said we have to say the blessing. Hold hands!” Lucy said, her tiny voice suddenly commanding.

“You heard her,” Roman said, putting down his pizza. He held a hand out to Lucy and her tiny hand disappeared into his palm. Next to him, Jenny had her hands in her lap. Roman nudged her gently and put his hand on the table, palm up. She hesitated for a moment, then slid her hand into his.

It had been a long time since Roman had even held hands with someone, but longer since he felt the shock of chemistry the way he did when her palm touched his. Did she feel it too? She stiffened as he closed his hand around hers. He wanted to glance at her face but felt like it would be too awkward. He just looked at the way her hand looked inside of his. Perfect.

“Matt, do you want to pray?” Jenny asked.

Matt looked between the guys. “I, um—”

“We have to sing,” Lucy said. And then before Jenny could respond, Lucy started in on a song. Jenny joined Lucy, her clear voice carrying the melody for Lucy’s adorable, if fairly off-key, singing.

“Oh, the Lord is good to me and so I thank the Lord! For giving me the things I need: the sun and the rain and the apple seed. The Lord is good to me, Amen!”

Roman couldn’t help his smile. He saw similar looks on Blake and Tony’s faces. Without looking directly at her, Roman could see Jenny smiling, her cheeks pink.

Matt seemed more confident now as he said, “Let’s pray. Lord, thank you for this day we didn’t earn or deserve. Thank you for this food and for the hands that prepared it. And thank you for bringing Blake, Tony, and Roman to our house and for their hard work. Amen.”

Roman didn’t want to let go of Jenny’s hand, but she was tugging it away. He opened his palm slowly, still slightly gripping, so that her skin slid against his as she pulled her hand back. He thought he heard a small sigh from her, but when he gave a quick glance, she was lifting a slice of pizza to her mouth, eyes facing forward.

The table was silent for a few minutes—a sign of a great meal. Being around this table felt so comfortable. Even though he had a set of parents who loved him and each other, Roman didn’t really have a typical childhood. He was often alone, with his father working and his mom busy with charitable or other committee events around Houston. They went to church together Sundays and had a few family dinners a week, but they were either out at restaurants or at the dining table with a chef serving them. He had a good life and a good family, but it wasn’t simple. It wasn’t this. Not a home-cooked meal with grace around a simple table. He never really missed that either. Not until now.

But for Jenny, this probably felt very empty with her husband gone. They seemed to be handling it well, but he knew they had to be hurting.

Roman ate three pieces of pizza before he paused to drink water. It was hands down the best pizza he’d ever had, even though he usually preferred a loaded pizza. This didn’t need toppings. The crust was perfect—a little crisp on the outside and soft on the inside. It had just enough cheese and the sauce had a tiny bit of a kick.

“This is amazing,” Blake said, his mouth still half full. “You have two more coming? Because I don’t want to eat all this, but I’m going to.”

“My mom makes the best pizza,” Matt said, beaming with pride. Roman didn’t miss how happy this made Jenny.

---