Page 15 of Anchor

“I can see that. Why do you look defeated?” he asks.

I groan. “Heaven found out about the birth control when she picked up her new prescription.”

His eyes widen, and he stutters, “And you, uh, um, you’re still alive?”

I snort. “Barely, and only because our son was waiting for me.”

“Fuck,” he grunts, and I nod as my eyes go to my son at the front of the line of boys, running around the field, going just slow enough to ensure the team follows.

“So that’s your sex life gone then,” he summarizes, knowing I won't go anywhere else, and I chuckle.

“No fucking chance,” I state. “As soon as she lets her guard down, I’m swapping her pills again, and we both know as soon as I kiss her during an argument, she’ll fall.”

“Travis—” Steal starts, but I cut him off, “No, I know I shouldn’t, I do, but I’m out of fucking ideas, and it doesn’t matter what she says, having another baby will bring us together again. She loves me, Colt, you know it, and so do I; she’s just stubborn.”

“Also doesn’t help that you admitted sex hadn’t felt as good as it did inside Ginger's ass when your wife had just given birth,” he mumbles.

I groan. “I don’t even remember saying it, and of course, my wife had to witness and hear the shit…. I didn’t mean it.”

“Brother, you tell the truth when you're drunk,” he reminds me.

I swallow hard. “I know,” I admit, “it had been months without sex because the end of her pregnancy was hard on her, and then when she was cleared, she was tired because I was a jackass and didn’t help her out as I should have, my priority being the club at the time when it shouldn’t have been. If I had fucked my wife, and though it’s no excuse, I would have said the same fucking thing.”

Steal nods and looks toward the field, watching the coach wrangle up the boys to start practice. My son, the quarterback, stands in the middle of the boys before Steal asks, “Have you been with anyone else since that night?”

I also look at my son and admit, “Only my wife. In ten years, she’s the only one I’ve been with, the only one I want. I’m trying to show her what happened wouldn’t happen again. She works, I’m home with our boy, her car breaks down, I fix it, something goes wrong in the house, I’m there, and yes, Micha is usually the one to call me from his mom’s phone to tell me these things, but I’m there….” I sigh, running my hand over my hair. “I just, fuck, I don’t know how much longer I can manage without her; I’m drowning, brother.” I look at Steal and admit, “She’s hiding something from me.”

He frowns and asks, “What do you mean?”

I look back at the field to see the boys running different plays and admit, “I heard Micha wish his mom luck today, and I ended up storming out the house after yet another argument about divorce without thinking to question her.”

“What about Micha? Did you not ask him?” he asks, and I sigh, looking toward my best friend.

“And put him in the middle?” I ask, and he drops his chin in defeat. The coach shouts another play, and we watch the boys get into formation. Micha looks our way and waves when seeing Steal, who waves back, mumbling, “I’m so the favorite uncle,” making me snort as I grab the water bottle near my feet.

“Only because no one else knows he exists; just wait until Art finds out,” I mutter, taking a big gulp.

He groans, “Is it bad I’m hoping Heaven doesn’t take you back for a little while longer? Because that fucker is going to kill us.”

I chuckle darkly. “Well, you’re getting your wish.”

“Trav,” he sighs, “you know keeping Ginger around is most likely what’s holding Heaven back?”

Yep, I’m fully aware of that, but it’s not like I can boot the bitch out, and I tell him so. I nod and reply, “But we have no reason to kick her out other than fucking a married brother years ago, a brother they have no idea is even married. When Heaven came to the club that day, the prospect on the gate, fucking Pitbull of all people, thought she was a hangaround.”

Steal sighs but doesn’t say anything, knowing I’m right. There are rules his grandfather made, including the cut-off for clubwhores when they piss a brother off. She hasn’t done that yet because Heaven isn’t known at the club.

Shaking my head, I go back to watching Micha dominate the field, wishing Heaven was here and not doing something I don’t know about.

The kid loves football, and Heaven didn’t even hesitate to sign him up when he asked. She’s done everything for our child, and fuck me, is she an amazing mother and even more so when I was a jackass husband and father….

An hour later, practice is finished, and Micha runs over with a big grin on his muddy, sweaty face.

“Hi, Uncle Colt,” he says excitedly, and I chuckle as Steal fist-bumps him.

With Micha not a part of club life, Steal is Uncle Colt to him. That is how he knows him. Even when I can finally get my wife to wear my patch and give me a second chance, he’ll always be known as Uncle Colt and, if my miracle, he becomes a brother when he’s older, Steal will still be Uncle Colt.

“You were looking good out there, kid,” Steal says, causing Micha’s grin to get larger, which I didn’t even think was possible. I grab his bag from him and stand, rubbing my hand through his sweaty, shaggy hair, making him laugh as he runs back down the steps.

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