The Biker Alpha Who Became My Second Chance Mate Chapter 180

Athena's POV

We drove back to Orion's place in a bubble of pure happiness, Tristan holding my hand the entire way, occasionally lifting it to his lips to kiss my knuckles like he couldn't quite believe this was real.

"I still can't believe you did that," he kept saying, shaking his head in wonder. "I can't believe you actually pulled this off."

Each time he said it, I'd just smile and squeeze his hand, feeling my own heart swell with joy at seeing him so happy, so overwhelmed, so completely in love.

"I told you I was all in," I reminded him softly.

"I know, but this..." He lifted our joined hands again, kissing my ring finger where my engagement ring sat. "This is everything, Athena. Everything."

The drive felt too short and too long at the same time. I wanted to get back and share our news properly with Orion and Sarah, but I also wanted to stay in this private bubble with Tristan, just the two of us and this monumental thing we'd done.

My phone had been buzzing periodically throughout dinner with texts from Sarah asking how it went, if I'd given it to him yet, what his reaction was. I'd ignored them all, wanting to stay present in the moment with Tristan, but now I pulled out my phone and quickly typed a response.

He signed it. We're on our way back.

Her response was immediate: a string of heart emojis and crying faces that made me laugh.

Can't wait to see you both! Orion's been pacing for the last hour.

That made my heart warm. My brother had been such a huge part of making this happen, keeping my secret, helping me figure out the logistics, being there for me when I'd been nervous about whether this was the right move.

I thought he would disagree when I shared my idea to him, but to my surprise, he smiled and said he would support whatever decision I made.

Words can't describe how much love I'd felt when I heard his words.

When we finally pulled up to his house, I could see him waiting on the porch like he'd been watching for our headlights.

He had the biggest grin on his face, and I knew immediately that he'd been just as anxious about how tonight would go as I had been.

The moment we got out of the car, Tristan practically ran to him, his emotions clearly overwhelming him.

"Thank you," Tristan said, his voice thick as he pulled Orion into a tight hug. "Thank you for helping her pull this off. Thank you for keeping the secret, for helping with the license, for everything. For all your support and love and trust."

Orion hugged him back just as tightly, and I could see his own eyes looking a bit misty in the porch light. "It's nothing, man. Congratulations. You deserve this, both of you deserve this."

"It's not nothing," Tristan insisted, pulling back to look at him but keeping his hands on Orion's shoulders. "You helped make the most important moment of my life happen. I'll never forget that, never."

I felt my own eyes filling with tears watching them. The bond between was so strong, but nearly cracked few days ago.

Seeing them like this, seeing how much they still mean to each other, made my heart feel full to bursting.

"You're my brother," Tristan continued, his voice breaking slightly. "Not by blood, but by choice. And you came through for me in the biggest way possible. You've always been there, even during my toughest days. I appreciate man."

Orion pulled him into another hug, and I heard him say quietly, "Always, brother. Always."

Sarah came bursting out of the house then, not even bothering with the porch steps, just running straight across the lawn to us. She was already crying happy tears, not even trying to hide them.

"Let me see it," she demanded, reaching for me even as tears streamed down her face. "Let me see the certificate. Tell me he signed it. Tell me everything."

I pulled it carefully from my purse, and she took it with reverent hands, opening it like it was the most precious thing in the world.

"Oh my God," she whispered, her fingers tracing over both our signatures. "It's real. You're really married. Well, almost married. Tomorrow you'll be really really married."

"Tomorrow," I confirmed, smiling at her excitement.

She looked up at me, tears still flowing freely, and pulled me into a fierce hug. "I'm so happy for you," she said into my hair. "So incredibly happy. You two are perfect together, and watching you plan this, seeing how much you love him... it was an honor to be part of it."

"Thank you for helping," I said, hugging her back just as tightly. "For keeping it secret, for being there when I was freaking out about whether I was doing the right thing, for everything."

"Are you kidding?" She pulled back, wiping at her eyes even though new tears were already replacing the ones she'd cleared away. "It was the most romantic thing I've ever been part of. And his reaction..." She looked over at Tristan, who was still talking with Orion. "You should have texted me his reaction. I've been dying to know."

"He cried," I said softly. "Happy tears. And he couldn't stop shaking when he signed it."

Sarah pressed a hand to her heart. "I'm going to cry again."

"You're already crying," I pointed out with a laugh.

"I'm going to cry more," she corrected.

She turned to Tristan then, and he immediately opened his arms to hug her. She went to him, and I watched as she told him how happy she was for us, how perfect we were together, how she knew this was exactly right.

"Thank you," Tristan told her. "For helping Athena with all of this, for being such a good friend to her. For being a not a family but a friend and mother." Both of them laughed.

"I didn't have a choice," they laughed again. "But if I was asked to make a choice, I'll choose this a million times." I used my hands to clean the tears that had escaped from my eyes.

The front door opened again, and I looked up to see Derek stepping out onto the porch. My eyes widened in surprise, I hadn't known he was here, hadn't expected to see him tonight.

"Derek!" I said, surprised but pleased. "What are you doing here?"

He walked down the steps with a slight smile on his face. "Orion called me after you two left for the restaurant. Said I needed to be here when you got back." He glanced at Orion. "Told me I was part of this, so I should be here for the celebration."

My heart clenched at that. Orion was right, Derek had been part of this. He'd helped me too, made phone calls, used his connections to help expedite the license paperwork. He'd been just as invested in making this surprise perfect as Orion had been.

"I'm glad you're here," I said, going over to hug him. "Thank you for everything you did to help make this happen."