Chapter 3
3
Anchor - Present day
I lean back in my chair in my office at Huntsmen Arts, gently twisting Heaven's wedding ring between my fingers.
I’m in between clients right now, and as usual, my mind is on my wife. Yes, I said wife, which she still is, though she has tried to rectify that over the years.
I’m just lucky the club has several judges in their pocket, so every time she tries to file for divorce, it fails.
Ten years, fucking ten years, and she hasn’t forgiven me, and I’ve tried so fucking hard to get through to her, but with the way her mother relied on men as she grew up, Heaven dug her heels into the ground.
She won’t budge, and even worse, she’s now dating.
I place the wedding ring on my desk and rub my hand over my mouth.
I’m out of fucking ideas right now; I don’t know how to win her back. She’ll fuck me once in a while, mainly when we’ve argued, and the passion takes over, but that’s it.
I know she still loves me and wants me, but she saw me in the act; she didn’t just hear about it. It doesn’t help that Ginger is still a part of the club, still a clubwhore enjoying herself.
When everything first went down, my dad expressed she couldn’t be kicked out because no one knows about my relationship, something he ensured, and I didn’t fancy telling them she was my wife and that we have a kid, not until I won her back. Ten years later, she hasn’t given in, and to this day, she still looks at me like I ruined her world, just like she did when I went to confront her about taking off her wedding ring, thinking I’d let her leave me.
“Heaven,” I shout as I try to enter our home but come to a halt when the door doesn’t budge. “Heaven, open up!” I shout again, not giving a thought to our son like the dick I am, but I soon curse when I hear crying. It doesn’t take long for her to soothe him before I hear the deadbolt being dragged back, and the door opens.
I suck in a breath but not at how red her eyes are but the coldness and hate she’s glaring at me with.
“Heaven—” I start, but she cuts me off and says, “Every weekend, you can have Micha, but only during the day only and not at that place , either. You go against me, I’ll take you to court.”
My mouth goes dry, and fear pulls at me, seeing she’s already making plans, that she won’t hear me out.
“Divorce papers are being sent to the clubhouse as we speak, and once I find an apartment for Micha and me, we can sell this house, pay off the mortgage, and split whatever else is left of the sale,” she continues before she steps back and drops a suitcase at my feet.
“Heaven, this isn’t—” I try again, but Heaven puts her hand up and snaps, “Since you stink of sex and booze, you can see your son for ten minutes tomorrow while I shower.”
That said, she slams the door in my face, leaving me shell-shocked.
Just like that, she’s done….
Anger, panic, and pain hits, and I bang on the door again and shout, “If you think I’m losing you, then you have another think coming! I made a drunken mistake, Heaven….”
She doesn’t answer me and slowly I turn and drop on the step next to the suitcase while I feel like my whole life is falling apart.
I made a mistake….
“Knock, knock….”
I look up from the ring and smile at Steal.
“She say yes?” I ask, and he nods as he sits in front of my desk.
“She fucking did, and the week in the Hamptons was something we needed, especially with our daughter. Moira loved the whole experience,” he answers, and I grin wide, happy for my brother.
Steal fucked up majorly. He fell in love with Cassidy, someone he met in college but took for granted, then his ex fuck buddy Faith, and a brother, Brute, along with Bull and seven other brothers, planned for Bull to take over the club and tried to make out like Cass was screwing Brute only to find out the fucker assaulted her. She stabbed him, killing him in self-defense, and she left for four years, giving birth to their gorgeous daughter and raising her alone, and the fucker was lucky to have won her back; though it helps that those brothers are dead, and so is Faith.
“Thanks for taking over for me,” he says, and I snort.
"Anytime, but let’s not make it permanent, okay?”
He laughs but nods before his eyes go to the ring on my desk, and he sighs.
Before he can say anything, I say, "Right, let’s go; otherwise, we’ll be late for church.”
He nods, not saying anything, knowing I don’t want to talk about it, and we both stand and head out.
“Where are we with the garage?” Steal asks, and all the brothers look at me, making me roll my eyes.
For years I’ve wanted the club to open a garage after the one in Jersey fucked up my bike, and this isn’t a secret, but we all know they also want a garage closer to home.
Piston grins at me and notes, “We can start building on Monday.”
I sigh in relief as his blood brother, Acid, whoops. Those men have been through fucking hell and back, and they are the two strongest people I know. Their father beat both of them, while Acid was sexually assaulted between the ages of eleven and fifteen.
They’ve fought hard to get to where they are, and I’m proud of them and proud to call them brothers, especially when they’ve opened their hearts to their women and built lives with them.
“Good, it’s definitely needed,” Steal says before he looks around the table and says, “Thank you, brothers, for giving me the time I needed with my girls. Cass has said yes to marrying me, and she’s now wearing my cut.” We all bang the table and cheer. He grins. “And a massive thanks to Anchor for keeping you fuckers in line.”
I grin as the brothers chuckle and I state, “It wasn’t easy, that’s for sure.”
They laugh harder, and Steal shuffles the paperwork and says, “Right, with money increasing and the businesses doing good, if that is everything…." He looks at me to confirm, and I nod. He bangs the gavel to end church, and the brothers all file out.
I wait until the room is empty before standing and walking out, taking my phone from Webster. I check it but don’t see a missed call from my girl, making my stomach drop, and yes, she’s still my girl; I won’t give up. I put my phone away, wishing she’d give me an inch.
Ten years ago, I was an idiot and lost the best thing that ever happened to me. Like Steal, I took my girl for granted. I decided to ignore the fact she’d just had my fucking child, and I forgot it was our first anniversary, and took my anger out for her not supporting me—when in reality she did every fucking day, and got drunk before fucking Ginger.
Heaven loves me, but she also hates me, not that I can blame her.
“Son?” my dad calls out as I walk near the bar, and I turn his way to see him sitting with Mom, her blonde hair in a neat bun, looking angry as usual, and my sister Callie is at the back of the room, busy on her phone, looking more like her birth mother by the day.
I walk over to him and raise a brow, and he clears his throat and asks quietly, “Are you, uh, picking Micha up and taking him for dinner, or staying at the house?” causing my mother to stiffen.
She used to love Heaven until I cheated, and instead of blaming me or hitting me, she turned on Heaven.
In her eyes, she forgave my dad twice and raised his affair baby, so Heaven walking away doesn’t make sense to her. Mom’s eyes are clouded because everyone should be forgiving like her.
“I’ve got to take him to training then we’ll be going back to the house. Heaven has a date,” I admit just as quietly.
No one in the club knows of their existence—it’s for safety than anything now because Heaven refuses my help. Convincing her not to sell the house was hard work in itself, but as far as I’m aware, she’s still working nights at the senior home despite my putting money in her account every month.
She’s spent ten years raising our son, not returning to school. She hasn’t even lived, and I know that’s my fault for the one mistake I made and wish to take back.
Callie’s head shoots up in shock, her brown eyes wide at my admission while Mom’s nostrils flare.
“She’s dating while married to you?” she asks snidely, and I snort at her criticism.
“I cheated on her, Mom, on our wedding anniversary while she cared for our newborn,” I remind her.
She scoffs. “And? That was ten years ago. It’s time she got over it! You are still married, and she needs to honor that.”
I grit my teeth, and Callie glares at our mother as she snaps, “As Dad honored yours?” Dad flinches. Callie sneers, “And keep your voice down, Mom.”
Mom glares back at her but turns my way as I lean forward, getting their attention, not needing the club to realize the tension. I remind my mother, “We’re only still married because I refuse a divorce; I want her back because I love her and while, yes, I made a mistake, a big fucking mistake that has ruined my life, she didn’t just hear about it like you did, Mom, she witnessed it and heard the words I don’t even remember saying, words she likes to bring up during every argument.” My eyes race between hers, and knowing I need to shut her trap up, I remind her, “Not every woman is as easy forgiving as you were. She grew up with her mom having a revolving door of men, and moved more times than a child should, all because her mom relied on a man. Heaven doesn’t want that to be her life, and has put our son first for years, including working at a job that is not her passion. So keep your voice down, because, for their safety, no one knows of their existence, and you know this.”
That said, I push off the table, Mom’s eyes wide, and I look at my dad and state, “I’m taking Micha to football practice, then I’ll return to the house at six. If you want to come ‘round when we get back, you can help Micha, and I ruin her date.”
He nods, and Callie chimes in, “I’m coming, too; there is no way I’m letting her move on from you; you two are perfect for each other.”
I nod at her and walk to the door.
“Yo, Anchor, you staying for a beer?” Art shouts, but I lift my hand and continue walking. He’s one of my best friends but believes Heaven and I split, just like everyone else, and fuck do I feel guilty not keeping him in the loop, but I know I can’t focus on that right now. I have plans to figure out, ways to convince my woman to give our marriage another shot. I know she still loves me; if she didn’t, then she wouldn’t still sleep with me every time we argue, giving me the perfect opportunity to mess with her birth control, which, yes, I’m fully aware she’s going to kill me for.
Maybe I should look into couples therapy….
Just as my hand touches the door, a smaller one grips my bicep, and I turn to see Ginger biting her lip, and I growl, shoving her hard, causing her to fall on her ass and the brothers to laugh at her.
I point at her. “Next time you touch me, I’ll kick you outta the fucking clubhouse, got it?”
Her eyes widen while the brothers stay quiet, not refuting. They all glare at Ginger, and I lock eyes with Steal, who nods, confirming the brothers will have my back when the time comes to get rid of the bitch.
Giving him a salute, I turn and open the door, walking out of the clubhouse, needing to see my girl, hoping to convince her to stop dating.
Yeah, maybe therapy is the route to go….