The Biker Alpha Who Became My Second Chance Mate Chapter 177

Tristan

I woke up with Athena in my arms and for a moment I just lay there, afraid to move, afraid to breathe too loudly in case this was a dream and any sudden movement would shatter it.

The morning light filtered through the curtains, casting soft shadows across her face, and I studied every detail like I was seeing her for the first time.

Her dark lashes rested against her cheeks, her lips were slightly parted, and there was a peacefulness to her expression that made my chest ache because I knew I'd almost lost this, had almost destroyed everything with my anger and fear.

She stirred slightly and I tightened my arms around her instinctively, needing to feel her warmth, needing the reassurance that she was really here, that she'd forgiven me, that we'd made it through the worst fight of our relationship.

Last night replayed in my mind like a movie I couldn't stop watching.

After my apology, after I'd poured my heart out standing in Orion's living room, after she'd eaten.

I'd spoken to her again, promised her I'd never make her cry again, she'd looked at me for what felt like an eternity before finally closing the distance between us.

She hadn't said anything at first, just wrapped her arms around me and buried her face in my chest, and I'd held her like she was the most precious thing in the world because she was, she absolutely was.

We'd stood there for I don't know how long, just holding each other, both of us crying, both of us shaking with the relief of knowing we were going to be okay.

Then she'd pulled back and looked up at me with those beautiful eyes and told me she loved me, told me she'd been scared too, told me she should never have said we were over because the thought of losing me terrified her just as much as my fear of losing her.

We'd talked for hours after that, really talked, laying everything out on the table and addressing all the fears and insecurities that had been building up between us.

I'd told her about how helpless I felt knowing she was pregnant with twins, knowing that her body was going through so much and there was nothing I could do to make it easier or safer for her.

How I couldn't help compare her to Jess and that was my problem. I'd layed myself bare to her, not hiding anything or acting like an alpha or a man.

I'd been me, that scared boy, who had lost so many people and is afraid of losing another one.

I'd admitted that when I woke up and realized she'd used her powers to heal me, all I could think about was what might have gone wrong, how much energy it must have taken, how the strain of healing me could have affected her or the babies.

She'd cried again when I explained it like that, had told me she understood but that I needed to trust her to know her own limits, to trust that she wouldn't do anything to deliberately put herself or our children at risk.

I'd promised to work on that, promised to stop trying to control everything around her in some misguided attempt to keep her safe.

She'd apologized too, had told me that saying we were over was cruel and unfair, that she'd been so hurt and angry that she'd wanted to hurt me back, wanted me to feel even a fraction of the pain I'd caused her.

I'd told her I understood, told her I'd deserved it after the way I'd acted.

We'd agreed to communicate better, to talk about our fears instead of letting them build up until they exploded, to remember that we were on the same team, that we loved each other more than anything.

And then I'd carried her upstairs to the rooms we were making use of, because there was no way I was letting her out of my sight, no way I was going to sleep without her in my arms.

We'd climbed into bed together and she'd curled into my side like she was made to fit there, and I'd held her and whispered how much I loved her until she fell asleep.

I'd stayed awake for a long time after that, just watching her sleep, feeling grateful for this second chance, vowing to myself that I'd never take her for granted again, never make her doubt how much she meant to me.

Now she was starting to wake up and I watched as her eyes fluttered open, watched as she focused on me and gave me a sleepy smile that made my heart skip a beat.

"Morning," she murmured, her voice rough with sleep.

"Morning baby," I said, leaning down to press a soft kiss to her forehead. "How'd you sleep?"

"Better than I have in days," she admitted, snuggling closer. "You make a good pillow."

I laughed softly and ran my fingers through her hair, loving the way she relaxed into my touch.

"I'm glad," I said. "Because I plan on being your pillow for the rest of our lives."

She tilted her head back to look at me and I could see emotion shining in her eyes.

"I love you," she said simply.

"I love you too," I replied, meaning it with every fiber of my being. "More than you could ever know."

We lay there for a while longer, just enjoying being close, neither of us wanting to break the peaceful bubble we'd created.

Eventually though, my stomach growled loudly and Athena laughed, the sound like music to my ears.

"I guess we should probably get up and eat something," she said.

"Probably," I agreed, though I made no move to let her go.

She swatted my chest playfully. "Come on, the babies are hungry even if you're not."

That got me moving because she was right, she needed to eat, needed to take care of herself and our children.

We got up and made our way downstairs where we found Orion and Sarah already in the kitchen.

Sarah took one look at us and smiled, nodding her head to us.

We exchanged greetings.

I followed her, pulling out her chair before taking the seat next to her, and I noticed the way Orion watched the gesture with approval.

Sarah made breakfast while we all talked, the conversation light and easy, all the tension from yesterday completely gone.

I kept my hand on Athena's thigh under the table, needing the constant physical connection, needing to reassure myself that she was really here and we were really okay.

After breakfast, we spent the day at Orion's house, all of us just relaxing and enjoying each other's company.

At one point Sarah suggested we go shopping for baby things and Athena's face lit up in a way that made my chest warm.

"Can we?" she asked, looking at me with such excitement that I would have agreed to anything.

"Of course," I said. "Whatever you want baby."

So we all piled into Orion's car and headed to one of those massive baby stores that I'd never paid attention to before but now seemed incredibly important.

Walking through those doors felt surreal, like crossing a threshold into a future I was still trying to wrap my head around.

There were cribs and strollers and tiny clothes and so many things I'd never even known babies needed, and Athena moved through it all with a confidence that amazed me.

I wasn't this available for Jess because I was so busy around that time, Sarah was the one who was present most of the time.

But I'm glad I get to share all these memories with Athena.

She knew exactly what to look for, had apparently done hours of research online about what brands were best and what items were essential versus nice to have.