Page 16 of Down the Aisle
I instantly regretted meeting his eyes when I saw how sharp with anger they had become.
Oh God, this is going to be worse than I thought.
All I could think about was how I would brace myself for his fury, but before I could cover myself with my hands, he stopped me by grabbing both my wrists into his large hand. His gray eyes turned into stones under running water when they softened with concern. "Did you think I was going to hit you just now?" I didn'texpect such a question to come out of his mouth, especially with how torn and angry he sounded.
Forcing my nerves down my throat, I held myself together enough to answer him. "Y-your eyes were angry at me," I replied to him meekly, while averting my gaze.
His head instantly shook in denial as his face twisted with a guilty frown. "Oh, no, Eliza, no." Cupping my face, he steadied my eyes back on his. "No, that anger wasnotfor you. No." He quickly shook his head. "Any anger you see from me will never be for you or because of you," he assured me with such sweet confidence that I felt it down to my very bones.
Exhaling shakily, my question slipped out with my breath, "Then why were you mad? If not at me?" The question festered in my mind, but I didn't want to manifest it out into the world.
Well, it was too late now.
"I will answer your question if you agree to answer mine," he bargained with a hesitant yet charming smile. "Deal?"
Something about his smile set me on edge, as it reminded me of a snake. I shouldn't agree, that's what my gut told me, but I decided to be stupid today. "Okay." My reply barely came out above a whisper.
The corners of his lips curved ever so slightly in victory, before his mouth moved. His silky-smooth voice started out calm, but it slowly dipped with a rasp as his seething rage seeped into his words. "I was angry at the thought of someone daring to raise their hand at you." The softness in his eyes had hardened so much that his gray eyes looked like sharp stones. "Angry at how someone can be so cruel to crush such a beautiful thing like you to pieces, break you down so much that your first instinct was to ball up and protect yourself at the sight of me running to you."
I didn't know how to react to that. I expected some kind of gaslighting from him, or for me to be the main reason for thefury that lit up his eyes. I mean, I was the subject, kind of, but not in a bad way as I'd thought. He was mad, notat me, butfor me.
"But why?" Once again, my thought slipped free from my mouth before I had an inkling to hold it back.
Chuckling amusingly, Adam licked his lips almost playfully and teasingly. "That wasn't the deal, but I'll bite," he mused playfully, flashing me a quick grin as he held me tightly against him. "Besides it being wrong for anyone to raise their hand to a woman, it's even more wrong, just downright sinful, for anyone to hurt you." His thumb lightly brushed along the tip of my chin and jawline. "And since you aren't going to feel angry about it yourself, then someone has to. So, it might as well be me."
A dry chuckle shook my slumped shoulders. "I don't deserve it, so save it for someone who actually matters," I remarked with a pressed smile, holding back a wince at my harsh words toward myself.
His eyes narrowed at me almost daringly with a raised brow. "You don't think you matter?" He almost sounded a little peeved at my low self-esteem.
Frowning deeply, I hung my head shamefully and shook it. "I don'tthink—IknowI don't matter." Probably not what he wanted to hear, but it was the truth.
A faint click of a tongue followed a tick in Adam's neck muscles. Then, I felt some pressure on the back of my head as my hair was grabbed into his fist. It wasn't a harsh or painful tug by any means, but I got fearful chills standing every hair on my body up when he pulled my head back. Every vertebra creaked softly in my skull as my stiff neck was forced back until I couldn't budge my head from him. All I could do to avoid his gaze was shut my eyes tightly.
Unfortunately, that only lasted a sweet second before his dominating voice shattered me. His tone was stern but stable and calm. "Eliza, open your eyes and look at me."
Relaxing my eyes, I let them open to his command, against my better judgment. I wanted to fight him off and curl up in a ball again. Yet, I found myself staring at him in confusion and awe as I anxiously waited for his calm face to contort in anger.
Why isn't he getting mad? Is he trying to lull me into a false sense of security before slapping me? Why was I so eager to obey him? Why am I not pissing myself right now?
Slowly, his eyes darkened, making me shiver and cower a little under him. I couldn't discern the mess of emotions that made his gray orbs darken so much that they almost seemed black. His deep voice was so calm and orderly that it didn't feel like I was getting chided by him. "You are anythingbutworthless. You are busting your ass day in and day out to provide a good life for your son. You work yourself to the bone to be the best mother possible and to just make it." His grip slackened until his hand cradled the back of my head tenderly. "That in itself makes you worth so much."
Letting go of my waist, he raised his other hand to cup my face, stroking my cheek with his thumb. "Besides being an amazing mother and hard worker, you are kind, caring, and selfless." He almost sounded envious of me as he spoke with a proud smile. "I don't know what happened to you, but you hold nothing against the world when you should. There isn't a speck of malice in your tired but bright eyes."
Softening his smile, he leaned in and pressed his lips against my forehead in a chaste kiss. "And I am going to spend every second of every damn day trying to show and prove to you that you are not worthless." His promising words made a wave of warmth cascade down my body.
I wanted to believe him and give him a chance—really, I did.
But it wouldn't be fair to him.
I had nothing to give.
My heart was broken beyond repair. It had been broken long ago, and there weren't any pieces left to try to put back together. It was nothing but a pile of dust. Well, there might be one sliver of a piece left, but that was reserved for Asher.
"Please," he begged, his whole face softening rather convincingly. "Just one chance."
Chapter 6
Adam
