Ship to Wreck

26

He will be okay, guys. It is a very sad coincidence that this chapter takes place during a Miami series.

***

Athena wanted to kiss him. She always wanted to kiss him. But she was afraid now. Afraid she'd hurt him. Afraid she'd make things worse. She couldn't keep ruining him. He was too good.

"I'm okay, Thenes," Christian said softly, cupping her face and running a thumb gently across her cheek.

Athena nodded, as Christian planted a sweet kiss on her forehead. "Let's go check on the baby?" she asked as if it was a suggestion. As if it were something he might not consider doing.

"Let's go check on our baby," Christian corrected her with a smile. The little girl had to be his. There was no other option in his mind.

Athena gave him a cautious half smile, grasping his hand as they walked to his car.

When they arrived in the waiting room of Dr. Harper's office, Gio was already situated in a chair, reading something on his phone. "Hey," he greeted, getting to his feet to embrace Athena and gently caress her bump.

Christian swallowed hard when Athena smiled at Gio, and when she hugged him back with so much warmth. Athena had told Christian she only wanted to be with him, but the hug informed Christian otherwise. He needed to be careful. He knew that.

Athena sat awkwardly between the two men. Christian stayed silent, but Gio wasn't as reluctant to speak. "How's Aleja?" he asked tenderly, making eye contact with Athena. Christian practically scowled at the question. Why did Gio get to name his baby?

"She's great, Gio. She's moving around constantly; you can even feel it now." She smiled at Gio before biting her lip. She couldn't help but think about how Gio was probably the father. They had a lot of sex, and they weren't exactly careful about it.

She was careful with Christian, and it was only one time.

"Oh, here, feel!" she took Gio's hand and placed it on her bump, as the baby kicked against her.

"There she is," Gio whispered, trying not to tear up at the idea of having a beautiful daughter with the woman he loved so much, but who couldn't be with him right now. Too conflicted. Too torn between two men. He could wait. He'd have to wait for her. He understood how difficult everything was, and that she had feelings for both of them. That both of them were good for her for different reasons. That she had been through too much to make a sound decision, and that she needed time.

He had a few years on her and Christian, and sometimes it showed, especially when it came to patience.

Christian was relieved when the nurse called Athena's name. The closeness between her and Gio was making his stomach churn, and he wasn't sure how much longer he could keep his scowl internal. Gio thought he was the father as much as Christian believed he was Aleja's dad. It was a hard pill to swallow.

Gio and Christian waited in the exam room while Athena stepped on the scale, swallowed a liquid required for a glucose screening test, and gave a urine sample. She wasn't surprised to return to a room where both men were on their phones – not saying a word to one another.

"Hi," she broke the silence. "The doctor will be in shortly," she muttered, sitting on the edge of the exam table, having changed into a gown while in the bathroom. Christian immediately stood up and settled in beside her, taking her hand. Gio resisted the urge to chuckle and roll his eyes. It wouldn't be fair to Athena to make things worse, but he found Christian's struggle for dominance over him a bit silly.

"Ms. Williams, Mr. Gonzalez, and Mr. Yelich, how are we this morning?" Dr. Harper greeted them all with a genuine smile.

"First things first, your weight gain is a bit short of ideal at 27 weeks. 15 pounds is a bit short of normal. Are you eating enough? Are you keeping your stress levels low?" the doctor asked her softly.