Hi! I'm so sorry I didn't post yesterday, I was really ill and was in bed all day and I totally forgot about uploading! This chapter is yesterdays and I will be posting chapter 12 straight after this one so I hope you enjoy them!

Tobias

It's been two days since the night at the creek with Tris, and I've yet to accomplish any kind of courting. I never had to go out of my way to chase after a woman before. I wasn't expecting her to agree right away to the idea of a date, but hell, I didn't expect the flat-out no I'd gotten either. That was a first.

And oddly, I found I liked it.

It was a challenge.

There was a thrill there, something I haven't felt with a woman in God knows how long. It was thrilling, knowing I held so much space in her mind in her younger years. It makes me wonder if she still has those lingering thoughts. Does she still harbor any of those feelings toward me? Is any part of that crush still there?

The real kicker for me is how blind I was in my youth. How did I miss it? How did I miss her crush on me? If it's as obvious as everyone is making it out to be, how had I never noticed?

I am still trying to process, trying to think of a way to court her. I know next to nothing about her. None of the guys know anything about her either. It seems my best sources of information are her family, and I'm not sure how to broach the subject.

As if on cue, I spot her little shadow before I see her. Luna, for the third time within the last two hours, slips outside again and finds a spot for herself next to me on the board I'm sitting on. The kid is an absolute riot. She's an entity of her own. And I find I enjoy her presence more than I should.

"Hey, Tobias," she says calmly, a Red Vine hanging out of the corner of her mouth.

"Miss Luna," I reply in greeting. She adopts my exact pose. Her brows pinch together as she stares out at the guys working. Apparently, that's the severity of my face out here as I look after the guys.

A thought suddenly strikes me since I have her sitting here next to me. I shift on the board, turning toward her the slightest bit.

"Hey, you know, since I have you here, I thought I'd pick your brain."

She grunts, taking a bite of her Red Vine. "Eww. I don't want you touching my brain."

A chuckle gets caught in my chest. "No, it means I have questions for you, specifically about your mom, that I'd like you to answer."

She purses her lips and raises a single brow at me. "What's in it for me?"

I choke as I try to stifle my laughter. God, this kid is pure comedy.

"That playground you wanted? Consider it done."

Her eyes narrow as she looks up at me, as if she's gauging just how serious I am. "Cross your heart?"

"Hope to die."

Her grin is calculating. "What do you need to know about my mommy?"

"Anything and everything. But let's start with her favorite flower."

Luna pauses her chewing. Her brows furrow. "Well, my mommy doesn't get flowers. So, I don't think she has a favorite. Her favorite food is Mexican, but she told my nana once that she doesn't like to eat that too much because it makes her fart a lot."

A laugh bursts past my lips at that one. God, I can only imagine how red Tris' face would look right now if she heard her daughter.

"You're a funny kid. You know that, right?"

Luna shrugs. "It's a gift."

"Luna Bella!"

Her eyes widen at the sound of Natalie's yell. It seems she's been discovered.

"Bye, Tobias!" she hollers over her shoulder, running back inside. Once she's out of sight, I call out to Uriah and Will.

"I'm heading downtown. I'll be back."

"What the hell for?" Uriah shouts back from somewhere, having heard my conversation.

"Got some flowers to buy!"

"What the fuck, man?"

"Tobias, what brings you in here? This is the last place I would've expected to see you."

I laugh, dipping my head sheepishly. I'm so out of my element here, and it shows. "Yeah, I know. I'm here for some flowers."

"Okaaaay," Marlene, the owner of Mar's Flowers, says, crossing her arms over her chest, waiting for me to elaborate. "I'm gonna need a bit more to go on here. What are the flowers for? A special occasion?"

"Sure. Got a bouquet specifically for courting women?"

I'm only half-joking.

Her eyes widen, and her brows disappear into her hairline. It's obviously a shock that I, of all people in town, am here buying flowers for someone.

"Who are they for? If you don't mind me asking."

"They're for Andrew's daughter, actually. Beatrice Prior."

"Wow," she breathes, a wide grin stealing over her features. "I never thought I'd see the day."

"What?"

"Do you know how long this whole town has been dying for you to pull your head out of your ass and get with Tris? It's about damn time."

That gives me pause. "The whole town knew about her crush?"

"I think the whole county knew. Everyone except you, it seems. C'mon. We'll need to cook up something extra special if you plan on winning her over now. You better hope those feelings are still there, or hell, you'll need a miracle to get her to fall for you."

"Tell me about it," I mumble.

I follow Marlene into the back, where she has rows upon rows of flowers, ranging from color and size, in various buckets.

"So, what's her favorite flower? Let's start there."

I have the decency to at least look ashamed. "I don't know her favorite flower. I was just kind of hoping to surprise her."

Marlene shakes her head, mumbling under her breath something about me still being foolish even all these years later.

"All right. Here's what we're going to do," she says, turning her back on me as she moves through the aisles toward the red roses. "We'll do a bouquet of red roses with some baby's breath. You can't really go wrong there."

When I walk out of Mar's with the bouquet of a dozen red roses, I pause on the street, unsure of what to do now. This whole courting thing is new to me, and it's a lot harder than I anticipated. I start heading back toward my truck, trying to figure out how I'm going to get the flowers to Tris without looking like a complete idiot. I still haven't even talked to Andrew. Hell, I don't even know if he'll be okay with me trying to court his daughter. I'd bet my money on a hell no.

I guess once I get back to their house to finish work, I can ring the doorbell and give the flowers to her. If Andrew happens to answer the door, I'll finally talk with him. About my plans. About dating his daughter.

I'm just about to round the front of my truck when I hear it. The laugh is soft and lilting. It's the kind of laugh that you feel settle in your chest. The kind of laugh you can picture listening to for the rest of your life. It's one of those laughs that is like fucking music to your ears. It's the exact reason I turn around, trying to find the source. I'm not even all that surprised when I spot Tris. Her arms are full of grocery bags as she shifts them from arm to arm as she talks with Mr. Jackson, owner of Jackson's Hardware Store that's right next to the Grocery Store.

What are the fucking odds?

My grip tightens around the bouquet of red roses as I take her in. She's dressed in another of those loose dresses she had on last night. She's a tiny little thing. She can't be over five-two. Her hair is in a loose braid that hangs over her shoulder. Stray hairs frame her gorgeous face, and I have a hard time looking away. She must feel the weight of my gaze. After she says goodbye to Mr. Jackson, she turns around with her brows pulled down in confusion. When our gazes collide, I see the shock register. Her mouth opens and then closes, like that of a gaping fish.

I watch as her gaze drops down to the bouquet in my hands and then back up. A myriad of emotions crosses her face. I swear one of them is even jealousy that I spot.

Closing the distance, I stop just a few feet in front of her, and unable to help myself, I grin. I can feel the gazes of everyone in town. Or maybe it just feels that way now that I know everyone in town knew about her crush on me. I had no idea so many people were rooting for me—rooting for us.

"Tris," I say by way of greeting. I watch it happen, the way the soft pink tint of embarrassment starts at her chest, slowly creeping up, coloring her neck, until it travels up to her cheeks, flushing her entire face pink. "You look beautiful."

A crease forms between her brows, and she looks down at herself, then shakes her head as though what I'm saying can't be true. "No. What? No, I don't."

I chuckle, quite enjoying the way I frazzle her. "You have a hard time accepting compliments, don't you?"

Her mouth pinches. "That's not true."

I quirk a brow that clearly says I don't believe her. I decide to change the subject. "Out doing some shopping?"

She clears her throat, and when she opens her mouth to speak, a croak leaves instead. She starts coughing and banging on her chest as she tries to pull herself together. "Yeah. My dad had nothing in the house to eat. And as much as we'd like to eat out every night, we can't."

"Let me guess, all he had in the fridge was some Spam, sandwich meat, and pickles?"

Surprise alights her eyes. "Close. It was jelly, not pickles."

I smirk, shaking my head. It definitely sounds like Andrew. I usually made a point to drop by with some groceries. He'd get mad, but thanked me anyway. I've been out of town, closing up a contract for the past two weeks, so I didn't have a chance to stop by before his family showed up.

"That's probably my fault. I usually take him some groceries when I have time. Work has been a little hectic, and time got away from me."

Her brows dip, causing the cutest little crease to form between them. She looks down at her feet, then back up at me through her lashes. "You do all that for him?"

"Yeah. I mean, it's not really a big deal."

"That is a big deal, Tobias. So, thank you. That can't be easy. Especially when you have your own life and your own family to worry about."

I shrug, suddenly uncomfortable with the praise. "He's like family."

With her head cocked to the side the slightest bit, Tris regards me with quiet curiosity. Her gaze darts down to the bouquet in my hands, and something passes over her features briefly before I can figure out what it is. She steels herself, adopting a passive expression and a smile that doesn't quite reach her eyes.

"Those are nice," she mentions, nodding toward the bouquet.

"You like them?"

"Yeah. I mean, sure. They're pretty."

"I actually planned on giving them to you at your house, but here. They're for you."

If it's at all possible for her eyes to get any bigger than they already are, they do. Surprise is written all over her face as she looks from me to the bouquet.

"Wait. What? Those are for me?"

I smirk. "I told you I was going to court you. Figured flowers were the best way to start."

Something warm enters her eyes. It softens her whole face and gentles her entire demeanor. She sighs, but I can see her fighting her smile. I can tell it's just itching to spread across her face.

"I told you I can't date. We shouldn't date."

I shrug, thrusting the bouquet toward her. She takes it with caution, staring down at the flowers with wide, disbelieving eyes.

"I guess I'll have to stop by every day with flowers until you give me a yes, won't I?"

Her laughter finally breaks free, and it's so beautiful. It transforms her entire face and takes my fucking breath away.

"You can't be serious? That's...that's insane."

Shaking my head, I step into her, causing her breath to hitch. "Not insane. That's courting, babe. And I'm just getting started."

Unable to help myself, I reach out, tucking the thick strand of hair hanging in her face behind her ear, settling it just above the braid. I haven't touched her yet, but I can feel the tremor that rolls through her body. She quickly darts her gaze around us, taking in the few people watching what will happen next. Her flush brightens the color of her cheeks, and she traps her bottom lip between her teeth.

I fight my grin. "Need a ride back home? That's where I'm headed anyway."

She pauses, looking unsure for a beat, but then shakes her head. She tips her chin toward the parking lot.

"I have my dad's car. But thanks."

"See you later, Tris."

I start walking back toward my truck, but I pause, turning back at the sound of her voice.

"Thank you, Tobias. For the flowers." The grin that's on her face is one I want to keep there forever. One I want to bottle up and remember. Because I put it there. And I've never seen a more beautiful sight.

As I drive off, I spot her getting into her father's car, but not before cradling that bouquet to her chest and sniffing the flowers.

I smile the entire way back to her house.