The Biker Alpha Who Became My Second Chance Mate Chapter 178

Tristan

I followed her around like a puppy, pushing the cart and trying not to think too hard about how much money we were spending because none of it mattered, nothing mattered except making sure our babies had everything they could possibly need.

"What do you think about this one?" Athena asked, stopping in front of a crib that looked like every other crib to me.

I studied it carefully, trying to see whatever she was seeing. "It's nice," I offered.

She laughed. "You have no idea what you're looking at, do you?"

"Not even a little bit," I admitted with a grin. "But if you like it, I love it."

She shook her head but she was smiling, and I watched as she ran her hand over the wood, testing the sturdiness, checking all the details.

"We'll need two," she said softly. "One for each baby."

The reminder that we were having twins still hit me sometimes, still made everything feel more real and more overwhelming.

"Then we'll get two," I said immediately. "We'll get two of everything they need."

She looked up at me and I could see tears gathering in her eyes.

"Hey," I said gently, moving to pull her close. "What's wrong?"

"Nothing's wrong," she said, wiping at her eyes. "I'm just happy, and hormonal, and I love you so much."

I held her right there in the middle of the baby store, not caring that people were walking around us, not caring about anything except making sure she knew how loved she was.

"I love you too," I murmured against her hair. "And I promise I'm going to be the best father I can be to our babies."

She pulled back and looked up at me. "I know you will be," she said. "You're going to be amazing."

The confidence in her voice meant everything to me.

We spent another two hours in that store, picking out everything from bottles to blankets, and by the time we were done the cart was overflowing and my credit card had taken a serious hit, but seeing the joy on Athena's face made it all worth it.

When we got back to Orion's house, we unloaded everything and Athena insisted on organizing it all right away, arranging the tiny clothes by size and type with a focus that made me smile.

I watched her fold impossibly small onesies and thought about how in a few months those clothes would be on our actual children, how we'd be parents, how our whole lives were about to change in ways I couldn't even imagine.

The thought was terrifying and exhilarating in equal measure.

That night we all had dinner together, and I caught myself watching Athena throughout the meal, noticing the way she glowed when she talked about the babies, the way her hand unconsciously moved to rest on her barely there bump, the way she smiled when she looked at me.

I'd almost lost this.

I'd almost destroyed everything with my anger and fear and inability to express what I was really feeling.

The thought made me cold inside, made me want to pull her close and never let go.

We fell into bed together and I pulled her close, wrapping myself around her like I could protect her from the whole world.

"Never again," I said softly into the darkness.

"Never again what?" she asked sleepily.

"Never again let me go a day without telling you how much I love you," I said. "Never again let me make you doubt how important you are to me."

She was quiet for a moment and then she turned in my arms to face me.

"And never again let me threaten to end things when I'm angry," she said. "That was cruel and I'm sorry."

"You don't have to apologize," I started but she put her finger over my lips.

"Yes I do," she said firmly. "What I said was hurtful and wrong and I need you to know that I didn't mean it, that I would never actually leave you."

She moved her finger and replaced it with her lips, kissing me softly.

"I love you Tristan," she whispered against my mouth. "I love you so much and I want to marry you and spend the rest of my life with you."

I kissed her back, trying to pour everything I was feeling into that kiss, trying to show her how much she meant to me.

When we finally pulled apart we were both breathing hard.

"I want that too," I said. "More than anything."

We fell asleep wrapped around each other, and for the first time in days I slept peacefully, no nightmares, no anxiety, just the comfort of having her in my arms.

The next few days passed in a blur of happiness and preparation.

We spent our time planning the wedding, shopping for more baby things, and just enjoying being together without the weight of our fight hanging over us.

I made sure to tell her I loved her at least a dozen times a day, made sure she never had any reason to doubt how I felt about her.

And she bloomed under the attention, seemed to relax in a way she hadn't before, like she'd been waiting for me to prove that I was all in, that I wasn't going anywhere.

Three days after our fight, I woke up to find her already awake, propped up on one elbow watching me with a smile on her face.

"Morning," I mumbled, still half asleep.

"Morning," she said, and I could hear excitement in her voice. "I need you to get up and get ready."

I opened one eye to look at her. "Why? What's going on?"

"It's a surprise," she said. "But you need to shower and put on something nice."

The excitement in her voice was contagious and I found myself smiling even though I had no idea what she was planning.

"Okay," I said, sitting up. "Give me twenty minutes."

"Thirty," she corrected. "I want you to look really good."

I raised an eyebrow. "Should I be worried?"

"No," she laughed. "Just trust me."

So I showered and shaved and put on one of my nicer button-down shirts and slacks, taking extra care with my appearance because clearly this was important to her.

When I came out of the bathroom she was ready too, wearing a beautiful dress that showed off her small baby bump, her hair falling in soft waves around her shoulders, and I forgot how to breathe for a second.

"You look incredible," I said.

She blushed. "Thank you. You clean up pretty nice yourself."

"So where are we going?" I asked as we headed downstairs.

"You'll see," was all she'd say.

We said our goodbyes to Sarah and Orion, who were looking at me with a look I couldn't place.

Athena drove us to a part of town I didn't recognize, and I watched out the window trying to figure out what she had planned.

Finally she pulled up in front of a small Italian restaurant that looked intimate and romantic, the kind of place you took someone when you wanted to impress them.

"Dinner?" I asked as we got out of the car.

"Dinner," she confirmed with a mysterious smile.