Page 51 of Anchor

Cassidy’s tears fall as Viking growls and growls, “The problem is that you look like you’ve gone ten rounds with a fucking boulder, and Steal is going to kick my ass!”

“Steal is not your problem right now,” Perrie states as she walks into the room, her bump stretching her tank top, Acid right behind her.

His eyes harden when he sees the state of me while Perrie, fuck, even I flinch back at the pixie-sized ball of anger.

Viking takes a step back, holding his hands up in innocence, making Cass bite her bottom lip to stop the laughter from escaping.

“Fuck, brother, Heaven is going to be pissed if she sees you like this.” Acid sighs.

I shake my head but instantly regret it as I wince at the pain in my neck. Cass quickly grabs hold of me, seeing my reaction, and frowns as she presses against the tender muscle for a few seconds, then mumbles, “Just bruised,” then looks at me and growls, “this can’t keep happening!”

“And it won’t if my wife wakes up,” I mutter.

“Now, Perrie, you're pregnant,” Viking says, “it’s not a fair fight; I can’t hit back.”

I smirk for the first time in weeks at seeing a grown-ass man scared of little Perrie.

“I’d have to knock you out if you hit my woman, brother,” Acid adds while Perrie gets in Viking's face.

“I told you not to let him fight anymore,” she snarls as she pokes the man’s bare chest. “I told you to tie him up until we got here, not let him get his ass kicked!”

“Actually, I won the fight,” I butt in, not helping.

Perrie glares my way, and I sigh. She wants a fight, but she’s not getting it from me; I haven’t got the fucking energy to get into it with her, especially when she is the last person to give me a fucking lecture when this was her outlet after her dad died.

Shaking my head, I ignore the pains shooting through my body and stand slowly, causing Cass to back away. I place my hand on my ribs, trying to breathe as I grab my shirt and cut.

“Your ribs are bruised, Anchor, so I’m telling you, as a doctor, no fighting,” Cass says firmly.

I snort and remind her, “You are notmydoctor, and we all know Viking can’t say no to me fighting tomorrow night with the revenue I’m bringing in.”

I look at Cass and see her glaring my way, along with her sister, while Viking and Acid both wince.

One angry Halliwell sister is bad enough, but two? Most men run for the hills, and I won’t lie, I’m ready to bolt as well.

“I’ll just lock you in Heaven’s room, then,” Cass promises, but I don’t take the bait.

Instead, I gently kiss her forehead and whisper, “Speaking of Heaven,” then walk around her.

I salute to Viking and Acid, then kiss Perrie's cheek, but before she pulls back, she grabs my hand, and we lock eyes, her green ones full of worry.

“Please, Anchor, don’t keep doing this,” she begs.

I soften toward her. This woman is so fucking strong. Here, in this room, two jealous, evil pieces of shit raped her, taking her virginity, without using protection. She ended up pregnant and had an abortion, but I need her to see I’mnotstrong, not without Heaven. I never have been.

“You, of all people, know this feeling, Pez,” I whisper, and her eyes tear up. I gently cup her cheek and say, “My whole heart is in a coma. Without her, I’m nothing. She centers me—even when she was adamant about divorcing me, she was still my universe. I fucked up and lost her for ten years, had to take the slivers of her she’d leave behind for me. When I finally get her back, fate fucks up my world.” Perrie’s tears fall, and I gently wipe them with my thumb, and finish, “I’m sorry, Perrie, but until Heaven wakes up, I won’t be able to stop, because the pain without her will consume me, and then where will Micha be?”

Her body trembles, and I kiss her forehead before walking out of the room, ready to see my wife.

“Good evening, An…” a nurse starts as I get to the ICU but freezes when she sees the state of me.

I ignore her wide brown eyes and ask, “Any change?”

She clears her throat and shakes her head, muttering, "Not when she last had her vitals forty minutes ago.”

I nod and walk down the hallway toward my wife’s room. I know I look like shit, I know I look like I’ve been run over by a truck, trust me, I feel like I have, but nothing is stopping me from going into my wife’s room. Every night I’m here with her, my body pressed against hers until four in the morning when I’ll go home and get Micha ready for school.

Dad normally takes him while I shower and then continue packing up the house. With the help of the prospects, we’ve been unpacking everything at my house on the compound before I go to work for the rest of the day, where my son meets me with my mom or Heaven’s.

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