Ship to Wreck

28

Christian woke up early with the love of his life wrapped firmly in his arms, his large hands resting securely on her bump. His heart was still heavy from the Gio incident and the fainting spell, but the scent of Athena's hair brought a small smile to his lips, which only grew bigger when Sadie began to ferociously lick his face. "All right, Sadie girl, let's take you out and let momma rest."

It felt nice to sleep with the woman he loved. It felt right. But he couldn't escape the nagging anxiety that he wouldn't get to hold her every night forever. That's all he wanted. To wake up with the beautiful woman who was sound asleep next to him. To share a bedroom. To share a life.

He threw on some joggers and a hoodie and prepared Sadie for a lap around the block. The morning air was crisp, and it was early enough that the sidewalk wasn't too busy. He'd be able to wake up a little and have some time to think without interruptions. That was a rarity for him.

Christian smiled at how well Sadie was walking now – less like a clumsy puppy – and how she instantly did her business. "Good girl, Sadie!" Christian reinforced her good behavior and gave her a tiny training treat out of his pocket. They continued their walk up to the Public Market, where a florist was selling fresh bouquets from a booth. He stopped and made a quick purchase for the woman who would probably still be sleeping, signing an autograph for the florist on request.

Flowers and breakfast would make Athena happy. And she deserved happiness. She had been through unbearable trauma . . . Something so much worse than anything he had experienced in his life. He understood why she kept hurting him. He knew it wasn't intentional. He knew she didn't mean it. That she was just slightly broken. And that she was on the mend.

She was afraid. Afraid of losing two men who had helped her put the pieces back together. She felt indebted to them both, and that made it hard for her to choose. He knew there wasn't a correct pick. That he and Gio both filled the cracks in different ways.

When Christian got back to the apartment, he put the bouquet in a vase and began to prepare Athena's favorite breakfast: protein pancakes with fresh blueberries and a side of bacon. Sadie stood by his feet the entire time, occasionally pawing at his leg to encourage Christian to share some blueberries, which he gladly did. He couldn't say no to any of his ladies.

"Christian?" He heard Athena's voice from the entrance to the kitchen. "Can I help?" she asked softly, wrapping her arms around his waist and standing on her tiptoes to peer over his broad shoulders.

Christian chuckled. "No, you can just take a seat at the table."

Athena listened to his direction and immediately noticed the mix of pink and white peonies in a vase on the table. "Oh, these are beautiful," she whispered, inhaling the scent of the flowers.

"Those are for you, love," Christian replied, already able to place a plate in front of her. "You should try to finish all of this," he said encouragingly, knowing she needed to eat more protein to help with the anemia.

Athena smiled. He cared so much about her . . . How could she have mistreated him so severely? "Chris, I'm so sorry," she repeated herself. She had told him how sorry she was as she cried into his chest before they fell asleep in each other's arms. An endless stream of sobs and sorries.

"I know, Thenes. I've already accepted it, so you don't have to be sorry any more, okay? You don't need any more stress. I love you, and we're righting the ship now." Christian bit into his own breakfast as Athena nodded her head.

"Thank you," she said quietly, as they both finished their meal while Sadie lied on the floor between them.

For the first time in a while, Athena felt completely at ease.