Chapter 27
Anchor – Three Weeks Later
I gently chew my bottom lip as I cross my arms over my chest and lean against my bike, and watch the double doors while trying my hardest to keep my promise to Summer.
She wanted to go in alone, to prove to herself that not everyone is out to get her, that not everyone will hurt her and even though she trembled like fucking mad, that she dodged every male that walked past her, she went inside that building with her head held high half an hour ago while I stayed leant against my bike trying my fucking hardest not to go in after her which so far I think I’m doing alright.
Okay, that is a lie, I have a permanent scowl on my face scaring the guys at the college while the women eye me up like a piece of meat, but they can fuck right off.
I huff when a few women walk out the door Summer went into instead of it being my girl, and I swap my legs, leaning on my right instead of my left, impatience running through me as I eye my Harley.
I’m going to have to get the SUV out soon, or get Summer’s BMW back on the road and drive that instead.
She’s fourteen weeks pregnant, her stomach already slightly swelling, and I can’t keep risking them even if I have missed feeling her on the back of my bike and yeah, I said them, because I see that baby as mine.
While she sleeps, I watch her stomach, I gently rub it, picturing it as our baby in there, making us a family, but Summer is still adamant she’s giving it up for adoption.
It is fucking hard to think about because I’ve seen her staring at her stomach with a furrowed brow, with guilt.
It’ll only get worse the further along she gets in her pregnancy, when the baby begins sticking its foot or hand out, or when she feels it sitting on her bladder.
She’s going to fall in love with it, but her mind is set because of her trauma, which most nights fucking consumes her. I try to soothe her as much as possible, but she won’t give in, she won’t want to keep it and I can’t tell her otherwise – it has to be her choice.
I huff seeing more people come out but none my girl and my patience runs thin. Since we slept together in the shower, she’s seen her therapist every fucking day, her head a complete mess.
We’ll kiss softly, she’ll hold my hand, lean against me, fuck, she’ll even cuddle me at night, but intimately, we haven’t gone there.
I understand, even her therapist said it’ll take time for her, but she’s still adamant that I’m better off with her.
I don’t know what else I can do to prove to her that I’m not, that I need her like I need air to breathe, and that if she could get her mind around it, we could bring this baby up together.
“Hey, handsome,” a nasally voice says to my left, bringing me out of my stupid ass thoughts, and I silently groan, recognizing the voice.
Am I surprised that Theresa Wobble is still in college, even though she should have graduated last year? No, not really but am I surprised that they allowed her back in this college after her scandal? Absolutely…
I tilt my head at the girl before raising a brow with confusion.
Pretty sure her hair wasn’t black the last time I saw her eyeing me up when I picked Summer up before my fuck up.
“Can I help you?” I ask coldly, keeping one eye on the door fucking praying for Summer to get her ass out of here now.
This woman is a leech. She just won’t go the fuck away every time she sees a brother and several times since Summer and I broke up she’s tried to latch onto me at club parties.
Shame she never caught on that Summer was my only as soon as I laid eyes on her.
Theresa smirks as she cocks her hip like I’d find that attractive, which I fucking don’t, and she twirls a piece of hair in her finger and says, “Yeah, you can give me a ride back to my place so I can blow your mind…”
“Like you blew your professor, you mean?” I ask, shocking her, her smirk completely gone, and her face pales as I tilt my head and ask, “Whatever did happen to dear old professor jackass?” just as Summer comes out of the door, and my body relaxes as she descends the stairs before looking my way.
I smile at her as she takes in the scene before her lips twitch.
Should I be pissed she’s finding my situation funny? Fucking hell no, I’m relishing in it because my girl hasn’t laughed once, not properly, since we saw her in that cage.
The image of her cowering, covered in blood and bruised, hit me, and I blink to try and rid it as she dodges a few male students walking past her while Theresa mumbles, “He knocked Maggie up. He found out after he got fired, and he married her out of obligation after his wife divorced him, and now she’s living the easy life, not having to work in a big house. ”
Jealousy laces her tone, and I smirk as Summer walks right up to me. I move my position so she can stand in between my legs before she presses her face right into my neck, and I quickly wrap my arms around her as she melts into me.
Since we slept together that one time, although it didn’t end how we both would have wanted, she no longer tenses around me so I’d say that was a win.
“Hey sunshine,” I murmur, and she mumbles, “Hi,” as I kiss her head before she looks up, and I press my lips gently against hers.
“Summer?!” Theresa gasps, and my girl looks her way, and her eyes widen in shock realizing who is trying to chat me up.
“Oh, hey, Theresa…” Summer mumbles, and I gently run my fingers up and down her back to keep her centered with me, trying to ignore the bumps on her back.
“You disappeared,” Theresa states the obvious before she looks between us with confusion and asks, “You two are still together?”
“We are,” I instantly reply before Summer can deny it.
She may be leaning against me, holding my hand, and cuddling me, but she still believes I deserve someone else and again, I’ll say it until I’m blue in the face, she needs to realize no one is better than her.
“I was taken,” Summer admits out of the blue, and I tense as Thersea sucks in a breath as Summer informs her, “I was knocked out, taken, raped, beaten and locked up in a cage for nineteen months…”
I look at Theresa to see her looking at my girl like she doesn’t believe her, but Summer ignores her and puts her face back in my neck, and I gently move one hand from her back and around as I gently rub her stomach, making her tremble, but I don’t stop.
She thinks I’m disgusted by the bump, by the baby, but I’m not.
I look back at Theresa to see that her eyes are on my hand, and I ask, “Don’t you have class?”
Her jaw works, clearly pissed she isn’t getting the attention she wants from me, and she scoffs, “You can do a lot better than a used-up tramp who lies.”
Summer stills and I growl, “Last I checked, you were the used-up tramp that liked to tongue her professor's ass, fuck off before I shoot you!”
Her eyes widen, and she quickly rushes away, and I shake my head.
“You didn’t need to do that,” Summer mutters, and I snort, “Since when do I allow people to say shit about my girl, sunshine?”
She lifts her head back slightly and rests her chin against my chest as we lock eyes and she admits, “Never.”
“Then why would I start now when she’s a jealous bitch who can’t stand the fact that not even her ex-lover wants anything to do with her?” I ask, and Summer frowns and questions, “Ex-lover?”
I smirk and repeat what Theresa said, “Professor Jackass’ wife left him after that whole shit happened in the classroom, and he knocked up Maggie and married her out of obligation. Theresa is pissed because her friend got the stay-at-home life in a big house while she’s stuck repeating college.”
“Huh,” Summer mutters, “somehow I’m not surprised,” and I chuckle as I kiss the tip of her nose.
“How was your meeting?” I ask, and she sighs.
“Hard,” my brave girl admits, “but Ms. Silver understood when I explained what had happened to me, showing her my scars. She said she’ll make sure all my professors are female, and that I should only have to complete three months before going onto my masters.
She also agreed to have Willie in class with me, if you and the club are still alright with him being with me every day? ”
She looks at me hesitantly, and I grin and admit, “The fucker volunteered, even admitted that he’ll want to continue to be your guard even after he patches in. Pretty sure his road name is going to be Guardian.”
“And when is that?” Summer asks with curiosity, and I reply, “In two months at the next patch in, for showing the initiative to protect you. I started off the vote.”
Summer nods as her eyes race between mine, but the light dims as we hear, “Oh my god, he is so fucking delicious… do you think I can tempt him away from that girl?”
Summer tenses, and she goes to move, but I tighten my grip on her.
“Don’t do that,” I demand softly, only looking at Summer, “Don’t get in your head.”
“You’d be better off with one of them,” she whispers, putting herself down and before she can say anything else that will most likely piss me off, I stop her in her tracks as I press my lips against hers, holding her tightly to me.
She kisses me back, and testing the waters, I lick her bottom lip, wanting access, and my brave, brave fucking girl opens for me and meets my tongue halfway, and fucking fireworks shoot through my eyes as I deepen the kiss.
Fuck.
Feeling my dick begin to harden and not wanting to scare her, I slow the kiss to a few gentle pecks before I rub my nose against hers, and I smile.
“I fucking love you, Summer Peters,” I mumble against her lips, and her body melts into mine as her eyes shine. I state, “There is no one else I could ever want.”
I hear, “Damn, that was so sweet. Catty, you don’t have a fat chance in hell getting his attention.”
I smirk because the girl is right as I keep my eyes on Summer while bringing one hand behind me, grabbing the leather on the seat before I get it between us, causing Summer to pull back slightly, and her eyes widen seeing the property cut.
“The Saturday after you were taken I had this big grand plan,” I admit as I gently bring the cut around her and rest it over her shoulders causing the women to groan and keep walking and I say, “My mama and step-mama were working together to create a party so I could ask you to be my old lady, to be mine forever,” I put my hand in my pocket and grab the pink oval ring I’ve had for nearly two years and bring it between her making Summer gasp.
“I was going to ask you to marry me, sunshine,” I whisper, “No, actually, fuck that, I was just going to put the ring on your finger and not give you the option to say no…”
“Eric,” she chokes as she gently takes the ring, reading the inscription, ‘always my sunshine’.
“I love you, sunshine, so fucking much, and I want forever with you…” I state and our eyes lock, hers teary, “I don’t expect you to make a decision right now, and yeah, I’m letting you decide because you’ve already had so many choices taken away from you, but I’m not giving you long, Summer, and I swear if you say no, I’ll fight until you change your mind. ”
Her tears fall as she asks, “And how long have I got?”
I smirk and admit, “Until after church, so roughly two hours.” And her mouth parts in shock.
Did I mention I won’t allow her to say no?