Page 4 of Down the Aisle
My heart nearly burst out of my chest with a sharp inhale when I caught Asher leaning over the side of the cart. Strapped in or not, he could still slip out of the single restraint on the grocery cart with enough effort. The instant fear of him falling over and busting his head open or breaking his neck chilled every nerve I had. I wasn't even thinking as my body went on autopilot and whipped around, prepared to catch my falling child.
Thank goodness that wasn't the case.
Seeing what—well, who—Asher had in his grasp sent a different kind of chill through me.
"Oh my gosh, I'm so sorry!"
Chapter 2
Adam
"Adam, it's fine, Ican—"
Holding a hand out, I cut my sister off with a smile and a shake of my head. "Hailee, it's fine. I needed to run out to grab some stuff anyway, so it won't be any trouble. You stay home with Adelaide," I told her while gathering my keys from the door-side table.
Just as I opened the front door, I turned my head around and smiled at Hailee. "And yes, I'll get you some wine." The playful, deadpanned face she threw at me along with her middle finger got me chuckling.
The thought of walking to the store played temptingly in my mind, but a chilly coastal breeze quickly changed it. Well, it wasa hopeful thought to begin with. It was the beginning of fall on the West Coast, so things were starting to take a turn for the cold. Not that I minded; I actually liked the colder weather over here. If I didn't, then I would've packed my ass down to California or some other warm state.
Living a good life on the coast of the Pacific Northwest was always the dream. Thankfully, life was good to me; successful casinos along the coastline of Oregon, clubs and other entertainment places in major cities like Portland, and, of course, other small businesses around the rest of the state. Then, the cherry on top, was that everything was smooth enough that I could let my lieutenants run the front sides while I sat back and ran things underground.
Oregon was locked down tight under West Coast Mafia control. The rest of my life was set, and I was only thirty-six years old. Honestly, if I chose to give my position as one of the mafia heads up, I'd be set for three lifetimes with how much money I had stocked up.
Of course, I never thought this was where I'd end up in life. I graduated from business school with full intentions of being a clean businessman, but somehow, I ended up on the mafia's radar. By the time I figured out what was going on, it was too late. I was in way too deep, but it wasn't as bad as I thought.
Growing up, I always thought the mafia was violent and dirty, but that wasn't the case. Yes, there were some bloody moments, but for the most part, I was safe from it behind a desk or I had others to send out. Honestly, it wasn't how a lot of movies and history portrayed it to be.
Granted, we were in a new century, and things had changed drastically. There weren't fist fights and guns around every corner like in the movies. For the most part, we sat in meetings and were civil. It was only after peace fails would things got messy.
Not gonna lie, for someone who grew up in a rather peaceful household, I had a bit of a violent bone in me once I got a taste of bloody victory.
I wasn't a horrible person by any means. I, along with the other mafia heads, ran business as cleanly as possible. People had their choices, and I merely gave it to them. I was just there to ensure they kept to their end of the deal. If they fucked up, then that was on them; all I had to do was be their executioner if they reached such a point of their deal. No one could accuse me of being an unfair or horrible person. I, along with the other mafia heads, ran my businesses as cleanly as possible. I gave people choices, but it was on them how those decisions played out. My job was to ensure they kept up their ends of the deals, and if those deals were fucked up, I became the executioner of the consequences—which sometimes included being an executioner.
Speaking of which, a trip to the city was needed soon. Even though I could handle everything fine in the comfort of my home, I liked to get involved in the midst of it to keep my presence known to everyone and lay eyes on things personally. Well, that was something to plan later once I got home from the store.
When I got to the store, I instantly grabbed a basket and made my way down specific aisles with a purpose. I didn't have time to idle around the store today. Actually, more like I didn'twantto because I had a date to get ready for. This grocery store run was for me to grab something sweet for my date tonight and a quick restock of my drink fridge. And stuff for my sister and niece because I adored the two and didn't want my sister to have to frazzle herself with going out. Besides, it was convenient for me to grab everything to save the household unnecessary trips.
Also, it probably would have taken my sister forever if I had let her go. I mean, I've barely been in the store for ten minutes and already had my basket filled with nearly everything I camehere for. All I was missing was some treats to spoil my niece and the chocolates.
Those two items shouldn't have taken me more than a minute to grab, but I found myself lingering a bit in the aisle when I caught a glimpse of a lovely—damn, she had a kid, and she looked like the straight and narrow type. Don't get me wrong, nothing against her for having a kid, but she held herself rather neatly. Paired with the faint indent of a ring on her finger, I felt safe to assume her relationship status to be taken, or complicated, at the very least.
Still, I couldn't help but look more than I should at the petite lady. I was quick to kick some sense into myself and put my attention to the shelves filled with sweet treats, taking a gross interest in the teeth rotting delicacies. At least, that's where I occupied myself until I felt a firm tug on my sleeve, followed by a happy squeal and a giggle.
Turning my body a little to look, I couldn't help but crack a genuine smile at the sight of a baby clinging onto the sleeve of my t-shirt. Some people might get irritated in such situations, but not me. Kids will be kids was how I always saw it.
"Oh my gosh, I'm so sorry!" A frantic voice apologized.
My playful dismissal lodged in my throat when I felt a wave of warmth assault my body. Automatically, my gaze went to the source of the feeling. When I saw the cause, I wanted nothing more than to place my hand over hers to hold her hand against my upper arm.
Everything around me faded into the background the moment I got a good look at her beautiful face. I don't know what it was about her tired face that captivated me so much. Maybe it was the way her cheeks were prominent on her oval shaped face, giving her an almost model-like look. Or maybe it was those dark brown, amber eyes of hers that drew me in completely to the depths of infinity. The gem-like orbs poppedon her face, making her look like a doll almost, especially paired with her heart shaped lips.
A slight tug on my arm snapped me out of my stupor. Awkwardly, I cleared my throat and offered the woman a warm smile as I carefully freed myself from her child. "It's okay, nothing to apologize for," I assured her, chuckling a little to diffuse the awkward air around us. "Kids will be kids, especially at his age. He really doesn't know any better quite yet."
Was it weird to be making excuses for a kid who wasn't mine? Maybe, but I couldn't stop my mouth from moving. I wanted to slap myself because I needed to get a grip. I was a grown ass man and a mafia head; I couldn't be losing my cool like this to some woman in the grocery store, no matter how stunning she was.
"Still, I'm so sorry." The woman was insistent with her meek apology, making me strain to hold the smile on my face. "I'm sorry for the bother, we'll leave you. Again, sorry."
She didn't give me a chance to say or do anything further with how fast she tucked her head and sped off. Alone in the aisle, I stood there with a dumbfounded expression and an outstretched hand in the direction the woman took off in.
