Ship to Wreck

21

Gio got off the phone right as Athena got out of the bathroom, smiling softly at his beautiful girlfriend. "Mi amor," he smiled and wrapped her in a hug.

Athena smiled softly and hugged him tightly. "Hi. I was gone for two minutes, Gio. What's going on?" she sighed, enjoying being in her boyfriend's arms.

It had been almost a month since their confrontation in Arizona, and Gio was working to be more aware of his feelings and how they could trigger Athena. He was warmer towards Christian, now understanding how important the man was to her.

"Nothing, mi reina," Gio smiled, gently kissing her slight bump. "I have a present for you."

"Oh?" Athena smiled, her green eyes sparkling in delight. "For me or for the baby?" she laughed, feeling their tiny joy wiggling around within her. She couldn't wait until Gio could feel it. She couldn't wait to see the joy on his face.

"For you, of course. Get ready, love. We have to leave in an hour," Gio smiled, kissing her softly. His plump lips smiled against hers, so much joy in his eyes.

Athena grinned and nodded, deepening the kiss slightly. "I love you."

"I love you, too, my dear," Gio's voice sounded like honey against Athena's lips, smooth and sweet.

Athena thanked her lucky stars every day that she got to be in love with this man. Her heart fluttered when he was near, and she could honestly say she never felt that for another man.

***

"Giovany! I do not want to be blindfolded," Athena said sharply, no kid in her eyes. Kyle would do that. Blindfold her and just leave her in the dark and silence. It was terrifying.

"Okay, okay," Gio said softly, gently taking Athena's hand. "I am so sorry, my love. I won't blindfold you... Just close your eyes, okay? I want it to be a surprise."

Athena nodded, clutching Gio's hand and keeping her eyes closed, per his wishes.

The drive was relatively short, and Gio parked fairly quickly... It was all just confusing to her.

"Hi, appointment for Athena Williams?" Gio smiled, hand running over Athena's baby bump.

"Gio? Perfect, right back this way," the nurse smiled, presumably leading Gio back to where the surprise was.

"Gio? I don't want to ruin the surprise, but I feel like I'm gonna puke," Athena whispered, swaying into Gio's arms a bit. Even at 18 weeks, she was experiencing a significant amount of morning sickness.

Gio held her tight and led her to the bathroom, pulling her hair back. "You're okay, my love. You're okay..." he said softly, rubbing her back. He hated seeing Athena suffering, but he knew that it meant that the baby was growing well.

"Okay... I'm okay," Athena nodded, taking the bottle of water that Gio offered.

"You ready, my love? Or do you need a second?" Gio asked gently, handing her the small bottle of mouthwash she took to keeping in her purse.

"I'm ready... I just want to know the surprise," she laughed, flushing the toilet and swishing the mouthwash.

"How do I look?" she grinned, fixing her hair.

"Like the most beautiful woman in the world," Gio responded instantly, kissing her temple and helping her to the room they were in.

"Oh my god, Gio... Is this?" Athena looked over at Gio with a bright grin, her hand gently resting on her tummy.

"I know how antsy you were getting. So I pulled a couple strings and got us an appointment today... We're gonna see our baby and find out the sex," he confirmed, wrapping his strong arms around her as she launched into his arms.