The Biker Alpha Who Became My Second Chance Mate Chapter 149

Athena

He took both my hands in his and I saw he was nervous, actually trembling slightly.

"This land belonged to our parents," he said. "To all of them." I looked at Orion who nodded, his expression serious.

"They bought it together before the accident," Orion said. "Had plans to build here, to create something for both our families." My throat tightened.

Memories tried to surface but I pushed them down, this wasn't the time to feel sad.

"After they died the land just sat here," Tristan said. "Neither of us could face doing anything with it, it hurt too much."

"Until now," I said quietly.

"Until now," Tristan confirmed. "I started building this house six months ago."

My eyes widened. "Six months? But we weren't even together six months ago."

"No we weren't," he agreed. "But I already started developing massive crush on you" I laughed between sobs.

"I was just too slow that I needed Serah's little push." He took my hands with his.

"I want you to know that, I'm not doing this because you're pregnant," he said firmly and I realized he'd read my mind because that exact thought had been forming.

"I'm doing this because I love you and I want to build a life with you, I've wanted that for months now, the pregnancy just made everything more urgent."

He led me through the construction, showing me room after room, the spacious living room with its stone fireplace, the huge kitchen with an island and walk in pantry that I'd always dreamed of having, the dining room that could easily fit a table for twelve or more.

Upstairs there were five bedrooms including a massive master suite with a bathroom that had both a soaking tub and a separate shower plus two sinks.

"This room," he said opening a door to a smaller bedroom with windows facing east. "I thought this could be the nursery, it's right next to the master so we'd hear the baby at night and the morning light is perfect for mornings."

I walked into the room and could immediately imagine it, a crib against that wall, a rocking chair by the window where I could feed the baby, toys scattered on the floor as our child grew.

"There's an office downstairs for you," he continued. "And one for me, a playroom for the kids, a finished basement that we can use for whatever we want, storage or a game room or whatever."

"Tristan this is too much," I said, overwhelmed by the size and scope of it all.

"It's not," he said. "It's exactly what we need, what our family needs, I want space for us to grow, for more children if we're blessed with them, for family gatherings and holidays."

He led me back outside where Orion and Sarah were waiting with the kids, Lily was running around the yard squealing with joy at all the space while Liam walked after her trying to keep up.

"There's more," Tristan said and we walked around to the back of the house.

The backyard was enormous with a patio area already laid out, space for a garden, room for kids to run and play safely, but what made me stop in my tracks was seeing another structure in the distance at the far end of the property, another house being built though smaller than the one we'd just toured.

"What's that?" I asked pointing to it.

Tristan looked at Orion and my brother stepped forward with Sarah beside him, she looked just as confused as I felt which meant she hadn't known about this either.

"That's going to be our house," Orion said.

I turned to stare at him. "Your house? You're building a house here too?"

"Our parents wanted both families here together," Orion explained, his voice thick with emotion. "They bought this land with the plan that we'd all live here, that you and I and Tristan would grow up together as family not just friends, that our children would grow up together."

"They wanted to create something lasting," Tristan added. "A place where family could always come together, where no one would be alone."

"So we decided to honor that," Orion said. "To bring their dream to life, Tristan started on his house first and mine is a few months behind but by this time next year both houses will be finished."

I looked at Sarah who had tears streaming down her face.

"I had no idea," Sarah said, her voice breaking. "Orion kept this secret from me until right now."

"I wanted it to be a surprise," Orion said putting his arm around her. "For both of you."

I looked between the two houses, at the vast amount of land, at Lily and Liam running around laughing completely oblivious to the emotional moment happening.

At my brother and his family, at Tristan standing beside me with hope and love written all over his face.

"We'll all stay together as one family," Tristan said. "The way our parents wanted, the way it should be, close enough to see each other every day but far enough apart to have our own space and privacy."

That broke me completely and I started crying, not delicate tears but full body sobs that shook me, Tristan pulled me into his arms and held me while I cried.

"Is this happy crying or upset crying?" he asked nervously.

"Happy," I managed to say through my tears. "So happy I can't even process it."

Sarah was crying too and Orion was holding her.

When I finally composed myself enough to speak I looked up at Tristan. "I can't believe you did all this, that you've been planning this for months."

"I did it for us," he said simply. "For our future."

He took my hand and led me to a spot in the yard where you could see both houses and the land stretching out around us in every direction, it was perfect, absolutely perfect.

Then he got down on one knee.

My heart stopped completely and I heard Sarah gasp behind us.

"Athena," he said pulling a small box from his pocket.

"I know we haven't been together that long and I know we've been through absolute hell to get here but I also know that you're it for me, you're the one I want to spend my life with, the one I want to raise children with, the one I want to grow old with."

He opened the box to reveal a beautiful ring, simple but elegant with a single diamond that caught the sunlight perfectly.

"I want to build this life with you," he continued, his voice shaking with emotion.

"I want to raise our children in that house, I want to watch them play with Lily and Liam in this yard, I want Sunday dinners with Orion and Sarah, I want all of it, I want everything with you."

Tears were streaming down my face again and I couldn't speak, couldn't breathe.

"I want to make you my wife before our baby comes," he said. "I want to do this the right way, I want us to be a family in every sense of the word, I want our child to be born into a home where their parents are committed to each other completely. Mate or no mate."

He looked up at me with so much love in his eyes that it hurt.

"So Athena will you marry me? Will you be my wife and build this life with me? Would you be my Luna?"

"Yes," I finally managed to choke out. "Yes yes yes, a thousand times yes."

He stood up and slid the ring onto my finger, it fit perfectly like it had been made specifically for me.

Then he pulled me into his arms and kissed me deeply while I heard Sarah and Orion cheering behind us and Lily asking excitedly what was happening.

"Aunt Athena is going to marry Uncle Tristan," Orion told her.

"Like a princess?" Lily asked.

"Exactly like a princess," Sarah said.

When Tristan finally pulled back from the kiss he rested his forehead against mine. "You have no idea how long I've been waiting to do that."

"Six months apparently," I said with a watery laugh.

"Longer," he admitted. "I think I've been in love with you for years, I just didn't let myself acknowledge it until recently."

Sarah came over and hugged me carefully, mindful of my still healing injuries. "I'm so happy for you," she said. "You deserve this, all of this."

Orion hugged me next, his embrace tight and emotional. "Welcome to the family officially little sister," he said. "Not that you weren't already family but now it'll be legal for life."

I laughed and wanted to tell him he shouldn't be welcoming me but Tristan but I understood what he meant.

I'd lost my ways, but I'd found myself back to my family, to my pack and to the people I love the most in this world.

And I wasn't going anywhere. For life.

"Our kids are going to grow up together," I said looking between Orion and Tristan. "Just like our parents wanted."

"Just like they wanted," Orion confirmed.

We spent the next few hours walking around the property, Tristan and Orion pointing out where they planned to put different things.

A playground for the kids halfway between the two houses so both families could use it, a vegetable garden that Sarah and I could tend together, maybe some fruit trees along the edge of the property.

They talked about building a proper path between the two houses so we could easily walk back and forth without having to get in cars, maybe string lights along it so it would be lit at night.

"When will everything be ready?" I asked.

"Our house should be done in about three months," Tristan said. "We're on an accelerated schedule now, Orion's will take longer, maybe five or six months total."

"So we'll move in before the baby comes," I said placing my hand on my stomach.

"That's the plan," he confirmed. "I want our child to be born into this house, to start their life here on this land that meant so much to our parents."

I looked around at everything, at the house being built that would become our home, at the land stretching out in every direction, at my brother's house in the distance where he and his family would live close by.

This was more than I'd ever dreamed of, more than I'd ever thought possible, our parents had planned this before they died and now their children were making it reality.

"They'd be so proud," I said to Orion and Tristan. "All of them, they'd be so proud of what you're doing here."

"I hope so," Orion said quietly. "I like to think they're watching and smiling."

"They are," I said with certainty. "They have to be."

We stayed until the sun started to set, letting the kids run around and tire themselves out, talking about furniture and decorating, planning where things would go, imagining our future lives in this place.

As we finally loaded back into the truck to head to Orion's house, I kept looking at the ring on my finger, still hardly able to believe any of this was real.

"You okay?" Tristan asked noticing me staring at it.

"I'm more than okay," I said. "I'm happier than I've ever been in my entire life, terrified out of my mind but incredibly happy."

"Scared of what?" he asked.

"That it's too good to be true," I admitted. "That something will come along and destroy all of this."

"Nothing's going to destroy this," he said firmly taking my hand. "We've been through the worst already, we've survived attacks and loss and pain, this is our time now, our time to be happy and build the life we want."

"I want to believe that," I said.

"Then believe it," he said. "Believe in us, in this, in our future and in this family we're creating."

I looked at him at the certainty in his eyes, at the love written all over his face, and I made a conscious choice to believe, to trust that we deserved this happiness, that our baby would grow up safe and loved, that our family would thrive on the land our parents had chosen for us.

"Okay," I said. "I believe."