The Biker Alpha Who Became My Second Chance Mate Chapter 175

Tristan

The door stayed closed.

I stood up slowly, my joints protesting after sitting still for so long, and made my way downstairs.

Orion and Sarah were in the kitchen and they both looked up when I walked in.

"Is she okay?" Sarah asked immediately.

"She won't come out," I said, hearing the panic in my own voice. "She won't talk to me and she hasn't eaten anything."

I ran my hands through my hair.

"I need your help, please, I'm begging you both to help me talk to her, I can't lose her, I can't live if she's this angry at me."

Orion looked at Sarah and something passed between them, some silent communication only long married couples could manage.

"Please," I said again. "I know I screwed up, I know I said terrible things but please help me fix this."

Orion stood without a word and walked toward the stairs.

I watched him go and felt a tiny bit of relief that maybe he could get through to her, maybe she'd listen to her brother.

When he was gone I turned to Sarah.

"I'm sorry," I said. "I'm sorry for disrespecting Athena in your home, for making her cry, for being such an ass about everything."

Sarah looked at me for a long moment and I could see disappointment written all over her face.

"I'm disappointed in you," she said finally. "I'm really disappointed Tristan."

The words stung but I deserved them.

"Have you ever seen Orion disrespect me?" she asked. "Have you ever heard him raise his voice at me or make me feel small or tell me I was stupid for trying to help him?"

I shook my head.

"No," I said quietly.

"Then why would you disrespect his sister in his presence?" she demanded. "Why would you think it was okay to treat her that way in front of all of us?"

She moved closer and I could see anger in her eyes now.

"If you and I aren't related, if I don't know you the way I do, I wouldn't even want her to have anything to do with you after the way you acted, the way you looked at her like she'd committed some terrible crime by saving your ungrateful life."

I flinched at the words but didn't argue because she was right, she was completely right.

"What did she do wrong?" She continued. "Tell me, what terrible thing did she do that deserved the way you treated her?"

"Nothing," I said. "She didn't do anything wrong."

"Exactly," Sarah said. "She risked her life and the life of her unborn children for you, she used powers she barely understands to heal you, she put everything on the line to save you."

She shook her head.

"And you woke up and disrespected her, yelled at her, made her feel like garbage for loving you enough to take that risk."

She turned and walked away, leaving me standing alone in the kitchen with her words echoing in my head.

I stood there drowning in guilt and self-hatred, replaying everything that had happened, every word I'd said, every look I'd given Athena.

Sarah was right.

They were all right.

I'd been a complete ass and I had no excuse for it, no justification that made my behavior okay.

"Tristan."

The sound of my name made my shoulders stiffen and I turned slowly, afraid of what I'd see.

Athena stood at the bottom of the stairs and I forgot how to breathe.

She looked like a goddess standing there with the light from the window behind her creating a halo effect around her hair.

The pregnancy had made her even more beautiful somehow, had given her skin a glow and softened her features in a way that made my chest ache.

She wasn't showing much yet but I could see the slight curve of her stomach, could see evidence of our children growing inside her and it made everything so much more real.

I just stared at her, drinking in every detail, memorizing the way she looked in this moment because I was terrified it might be the last time I got to see her this close.

"Are you going to say what you want to say," she asked, her voice pulling me out of my thoughts, "or do you want to keep staring at me?"

I opened my mouth but nothing came out.

My mind had gone completely blank and all I could think about was how beautiful she was, how much I loved her, how desperately I needed her to forgive me.

"I..." I started, then stopped because words felt inadequate for what I needed to express.

She raised an eyebrow and I could see impatience flickering across her face.

"I'm sorry," I finally managed to say. "I'm so sorry Athena, for everything I said last night, for the way I acted, for making you feel like you did something wrong."

I took a tentative step toward her.

"You saved my life," I continued. "You risked everything to heal me and instead of thanking you, instead of telling you how grateful I am, I yelled at you and made you cry."

Another step.

"I was scared," I said. "I was terrified that using your powers might have hurt you or the babies and that fear made me act like a complete asshole."

I was close enough now to see the tear tracks on her cheeks, to see the exhaustion in her eyes, to see how much I'd hurt her.

"But that's not an excuse," I said. "Nothing excuses the way I treated you, the things I said, the way I made you feel."

I stopped a few feet away from her, giving her space, not wanting to crowd her.

"I don't want to call off the wedding," I said, making sure she could see the truth in my eyes. "I want to marry you more than I've ever wanted anything, I want to spend the rest of my life making you happy, making up for the way I've hurt you."

She was watching me carefully and I couldn't read her expression, couldn't tell if my words were making any difference.

"I love you," I said, my voice dropping to barely more than a whisper. "I love you so much it scares me sometimes, I love you enough that the thought of losing you makes me want to tear the world apart."

I took a breath.

"And I love our babies," I continued. "I love them so much already and yes, I was scared that you might have affected them with your powers, but not because I care about them more than you."

I moved one step closer.

"I was scared because I want them to be healthy and happy and normal, because I want them to have the best possible life and I'm terrified of all the ways things could go wrong."

Another step.

"But you're right," I said. "I should have asked if you were okay first, I should have made sure you weren't hurt before I started worrying about them."

I was close enough now to reach out and touch her if I wanted to but I kept my hands at my sides.

"I'm sorry I made you feel like I only care about the babies," I said. "I'm sorry I didn't thank you for saving me, I'm sorry I was so focused on what could have gone wrong that I didn't appreciate what went right."

I looked into her eyes and felt my heart breaking.

"Please forgive me," I said. "Please give me another chance to be the man you deserve, the man who appreciates you and thank you and holds you instead of yelling at you."