Claimed by my Brother’s Best Friends (Alyssa) novel Chapter 5

Alyssa

Leaving Zuri in the car with King wasn't my first choice, but I have a lot of shit to get and so little time. The diaper bag could only hold so much, but I stuffed what I could in it before I left. Now, I need to get the rest of her necessities that will at least last a little while. Isaac will freeze my accounts soon, and I'll be cut off from any money. I can't even check the app because I ditched my phone in the car to avoid being tracked.

I dash through the aisles, grabbing a travel crib, two boxes of diapers and wipes, a variety of pouched baby food, and a few cans of formula. My heart thunders in my chest as I make my way to the register. Thanks to Isaac, I know how to grab what I need and carry my ass.

I tap my card against the reader, praying it works. It declines.

A wave of anxiety and dread crash over me.

Fuck.

He has already frozen them. Panic sets in. What the fuck am I going to do now?

"Ma'am, do you have money to pay? If not, I can hold the items for you," the cashier says politely, her eyes showing a mixture of sympathy and impatience. There's a line starting to form behind me.

I run my fingers through my hair. "Uh, no. Just forget it, I'll find another-"

"I've got it," a deep voice rumbles from right behind me. I turn around, my heart skipping a beat. There stands King, holding Zuri in his arms. He looks almost ridiculous with her—my sixteen-pound baby in the arms of a giant, terrifying man clad in biker gear.

'W-What are you doing in here?" I whisper to him in horror.

His jaw tenses, but his eyes remain calm. "She pissed all over me, and I didn't know what to do."

I'm surprised he even took her out of the car seat, let alone brought her inside.

"Take her," he orders, passing her to me without waiting for my response.

He taps a card on the reader, and the cashier smiles, her cheeks turning a shade of pink. "Hubby to the rescue, I see," she says with a flustered laugh, her eyes flickering between King and me.

I bet she's trying to figure out how someone like him is here with someone like me.

Caught off guard by her assumption, I feel my own cheeks heat with embarrassment. "H-He's not..." I start to correct her, but King's amused smirk stops me mid-sentence. Rolling my eyes, I turn back to the cashier. "Never mind. Thank you."

With Zuri's onesie soaked and a sense of urgency pressing down on me, I tell King that I'll change her in the bathroom and meet him in the car. His response shocks the shit out of me.

"Absolutely not, Kitten. Go change her, and I'll wait out here with the cart," King insists firmly, his tone brooking no argument.

My eyes widen in disbelief. Did King die and get replaced with an actual decent human being?

I'm not used to this. Isaac never went into the store with me. I always had to juggle everything alone. That included my pregnancy, post-partum, and raising her. It seemed like his only focus was running his father's business and controlling me.

"Uh, thanks," I mutter, still processing King's unexpected kindness. "What about your shirt?" I gesture towards the noticeable wet spot concealed beneath his leather jacket.

He shakes his head. "It's fine. We're almost home, anyway."