I drag my heavy eyelids open and yawn widely as I roll toward Tobias. A warm, affectionate smile turns up my lips as I take in the sight of my sleeping husband who has his muscled arms wrapped tightly around his pillow, his mouth hanging slightly open. What I wouldn't give to have them wrapped around me like that right now. I raise up and look at the clock over his shoulder and am surprised by the time. There's nearly an hour left before the alarm is set to go off. I should try to get some more sleep since we got home rather late last night, or should I say early this morning, but I'm unusually refreshed.
Instead, I stare at Tobias as I reminisce about every single second of last night. We had an eventful evening with the one of a kind specialty hybrid roses, delectable desserts, and then Four making a memorable appearance in the dorm room. I feel like I was with two different men last night with Four being rough, demanding, and dominant and Tobias being gentle, loving, and giving. After we made love one last time, we lay naked in each other's arms on the narrow bunk, talking for over an hour about everything under the sun and nothing at all before we finally dragged ourselves out of bed, got dressed, and headed home. One of the things we realized as we were lying there was it had been ages since we had taken our lovemaking out of the bedroom, and we vowed right then and there to make sure we do a better job of making us a priority. A happy Mommy and Daddy make for happy kids and a happy home.
Tobias moans and furrows his brows then smiles, and I can't help but wonder if he's dreaming of me like I dreamt of him in the night. I reach out and stroke his stubbled chin then move his hair off his forehead. He grins momentarily before his face smooths out once again then he rolls over onto his back. I slide up next to him and rest my head on his chest and gently throw my leg over his. I place my hand on his hard abs and snuggle closer to his hard body. After a couple minutes, his arm wraps around me, and I feel his lips in my hair.
"Good morning, love," he groggily says, not quite awake. I tip my head back and give him a warm smile.
"Good morning," I say. "I didn't wake you, did I?"
"As a matter of fact, you did but that's okay," he says, a slow sexy smile on his face.
"I'm sorry," I say. "Did you sleep well?"
"Like a baby," he says, "once my wife let me get to sleep, that is." He lowers his smiling lips to mine and gives me a sweet kiss.
"I had a wonderful time last night," I say. "Thank you for making our anniversary so memorable."
"I'm glad you had a good time," he says. "I'm sorry work has had me so busy lately. I know I haven't been around as much as I should be, and we haven't had enough time for just the two of us."
"We talked about that last night. You don't have to apologize for doing your job, Tobias. We both know how important you are to Dauntless," I say. "Plus, I know that you'd rather be with me and the kids, and once things slow down and your schedule opens up, you will be."
"How did I get lucky enough to have such an understanding wife?" he asks.
"You married well," I say with a chuckle.
"Yes. Yes, I did," he says as he rolls over on top of me and settles between my parted thighs. "I love you."
"I love you, too," I sigh as he lowers his mouth to my neck and grinds his thick shaft against me. His kisses send shivers up my spine, and I grasp his back and pull him closer to me. "We really don't have time for this. The kids will be up any minute." He raises up on his forearm and stares down at me.
"It's our anniversary, love," he says. "I think we can make time. Let me make love to you, Mrs. Eaton." One moment I'm contemplating his simple request, and the next, our pajamas are strewn across the mattress and floor and he's thrusting inside me at a measured, insistent pace, moving us toward a shared, passionate peak. As his body repeatedly plunges deeply into mine, our haggard breath mingles between us then his mouth captures mine with a hungry urgency. Losing his perfect control, his movements become more erratic with each irregular drive, and as he stiffens and then explodes inside my body, I find my own satisfying release, spasming and shuddering around his impressive thickness. When he's spent, he collapses on top of me, and I welcome his weight by wrapping my arms around him tightly and kissing his shoulder. "Thank you, Beatrice."
"Did you just thank me for making love to you?" I chuckle.
"As a matter of fact, I did," he says, leveraging himself up on one arm. "What are you going to do about it?"
"I think I'm going to give you hell like you always give me," I say.
"Before you give me hell, I want you to know that I think I finally know how you feel when you say thank you. I'll try not to tease ever again."
"I'd appreciate that," I say. He gently pulls out of me, leaving a subtle ache in his absence that will remind me where he's been all day then rolls off of me. I snuggle up close to him after a passionate kiss.
"When's the last time we played hooky?" he asks, playing with a strand of my hair. Hooky? He's never talked like this before. I wonder what's gotten into him.
"Never," I giggle. "And, unfortunately, today is too important of a day for either of us to miss but maybe tomorrow we can call in sick and stay in bed all day. Would you like that?" He pulls my mouth to his, and we get carried away.
"I would love that," he says.
"I just remembered something," I say. "I need to get up, baby. I have something for you." He releases me after another scorching kiss, and I slide out of bed and pad to the dresser. I bend down and rifle through the bottom drawer, which at the moment is storing a mixture of our unused winter clothing. I turn and playfully scowl at him when he gives me a cat call. "Behave."
"It's hard to concentrate with that view," he says, sexily leering at me.
"You're terrible!" I say as I climb up onto the bed and sit cross legged beside him.
"You weren't saying that a few minutes ago," he smirks. I roll my eyes and shake my head as I set a small mahogany gift box on the mattress between us, and he sits up.
"What's this?"
"You didn't think I would forget to give you something for our anniversary, did you?" I ask.
"You just gave me the best present there is … you and this sexy little body," he says with a wink and I blush. Three years later and I still blush like a schoolgirl when we talk about sex. "I don't think you can top that."
"Well if you don't want it, I can always take it back," I pretend to pout as I pick the box up. I go to get up, but he practically tackles me onto the mattress.
"Not so fast, love," he says. "I want to see what's in the box." We both sit up again, and I hold the box out to him, which is cradled in the palm of my hand. He picks the mahogany square up and flips the hinged lid to reveal a personalized black leather and stainless steel keychain that reads . . Understanding blossoms on his face after a split second of bewilderment. "The day we met," he says as he runs his thumb over the engraved numerals.
"Yeah. I wanted them to put the year also but there wasn't enough space left," I say. "Do you like it?"
"No," he says and I know disappointment shows on my face. He leans closer and kisses my pouty lips then says, "I love it."
"I love you," I say. "Happy anniversary."
"Happy anniversary. I love you, too," he says. "I thank God every single day that we found each other. I hate to think of what my life would have become without you and our kids."
"Don't torture yourself," I say. He sets the box down and wraps his hand around the back of my head and flashes of the same movement in the dorm last night run through my memory but this time he draws my mouth to his.
"Mama," Tessa singsongs through the baby monitor interrupting our kiss. "Mama!"
"I told you the kids would be up soon," I giggle against his warm lips.
"You were right," he sighs as he pulls away.
"Of course, I was," I say. "I'm always right. You should know that by now after nearly three years together." He rolls his amused eyes toward the ceiling as Tessa calls out for me again. "I better check on our girls."
"I'll start breakfast," he says. "How does blueberry pancakes and sausage sound?"
"It sounds wonderful," I say as we slide out of bed. I slip my robe on as he pulls on a pair of sleep pants. I give him a quick kiss then head into the nursery as he's putting our remaining clothes in the hamper.
"Mama!" Tessa excitedly says when she sees me walk into the room.
"Good morning, little one," I say. She's standing at the side of her crib with a wide smile on her face, hopping up and down. "Mommy's here."
"I want up," she says, holding her arms out to me.
"Did you have a good night?" I ask as I lift her into my waiting arms and pepper her face with kisses. Her bright, shining eyes give me her answer.
"Mm-hm," she murmurs as I lie her on the changing table. I take off her pajamas and put them in the hamper then remove her wet diaper.
"Do you have to go potty?" I ask.
"No," she says, shaking her head vehemently. Potty training her has not been easy like it was with her brother.
"Okay", I say, "but will you at least try to go potty for Mommy?" She sighs like I'm asking her to cure cancer then finally nods in agreement. I let her down, and she sprints into the bathroom.
In the once empty corner near the large garden tub sits a little wooden potty chair Tobias painted light gray to match its surroundings. I wanted the plain one but my girls begged for the one with the little heart cutout on the back because it was "so cute!" I guess I'm a sucker because our potty chair has a heart cutout. She sits down and immediately goes to the bathroom, which pleases me immensely. I clap for her, letting her know that she did a great job, and she joins in the celebration then I clean her up with a baby wipe. "Let's see if Teags is awake then you two can take a bath."
"No baff," she says, vehemently shaking her little head. For as similar to Tyler as she is, they are on opposite ends of this issue. Tyler can play in the tub for hours if I let him. Tessa, on the other hand, would be quite content to live in her own filth.
"Yeah, you have to take a bath," I say and she sticks her bottom lip out, pouting. "You can pick out your own outfit." If someone would have told me three years ago that today I would be bribing a 2-year-old to take a bath, I would have called them crazy.
"Teags, too?" she whines. Ugh! She'll have her little sister in mixed-matched patterns and a sparkly neon headband knowing her, but I'll take it.
"Okay," I say.
"Otay!" she gleefully repeats then turns and runs out of the bathroom. I go to follow after her when I hear her squeal.
"Where are your clothes, young lady?" Tobias asks as he scoops her up in his arms.
"Went potty," she announces.
"You did? I'm so proud of you," he says, kissing her cheek and she beams before throwing her arms around his neck. "But why are you naked?" She shrugs her shoulders.
"Because she needs a bath," I say.
"I no wanna baff, Dadda," she pouts.
"We just talked about this, Tessa Beatrice Eaton," I say, my hands on my hips. "You agreed."
"Otay," she sighs.
"I'll start their bath," Tobias says. "You get Teags then I'll make breakfast when everyone is up and dressed."
"Okay," I say. I kiss each of them before he carries Tessa back into the bathroom, and I quietly head into the nursery. My baby girl is lying in the middle of her crib with her arm wrapped around her favorite stuffed animal, a fuzzy pink teddy bear with a black and white gingham check bow around its neck. Tobias and I gave it to her for her first birthday, and she can't sleep without it. We learned this the hard way when we didn't take it to my parent's one weekend. She was so restless the first night that Dad made a trip to Dauntless to get it for her early the next morning.
"Hi, baby girl," I say and she smiles up at me.
"Hi, Mama," she says. She scrambles to her feet, keeping a death grip on her bear, and I lift her into my arms.
"Did you have a good night?" I ask.
"Yeah," she says. She looks over my shoulder at her sister's empty crib. "Tess?"
"She's in the bathroom with Daddy," I say.
"Dadda!" she says with a loving smile.
"Do you need to go potty, Teags?" I ask.
"Yeah," she says. Progress! We hadn't even planned on trying to potty train her yet because of her age but she's always eager to emulate whatever Tessa does and using the potty is no different. After talking her into leaving the bear behind, I take her directly into the bathroom. I take her pajamas and diaper off then sit her on the potty. Sometimes she goes, sometimes she just sits and grins. This morning she goes potty and gets the same celebratory clapping Tessa earned, which makes her grin from ear-to-ear and giggle almost uncontrollably.
"Why don't you go check on Tyler, and I'll give the girls their bath," Tobias says.
"Okay," I say. "Be good for your Daddy, girls."
"Otay!" Tessa says as Teags says, "'Kay!" I kiss each of their heads and give Tobias a soft peck then head down the hallway and into Tyler's room. When I open his partially closed door, a beam of light creeps up the side of his bed, across his mattress, and shines on the back of his head. I glance at the clock and am surprised that he's not awake yet. He's usually the first one up. I ease myself down on the edge of his mattress and put my hand on his back.
"Tyler, buddy, it's time to get up," I say. He groans but doesn't move. "Tyler? Hey." He rolls over, and I'm alarmed by how pale he is. He finally drags his eyes open but the usual spark is absent. "Are you all right?" I put my hand on his forehead and find it to be warm and clammy.
"I don't feel well, Mommy," he moans.
"Do you feel sick to your stomach?" I ask.
"My tummy hurts."
"I'll get you some ginger ale," I say. "Would you like some toast or crackers?"
"Crackers," he says.
"I'm sorry you don't feel well, buddy," I say. I lower my lips to his forehead and find him to be feverish, which worries me instantly. "Do you want to stay in bed or would you rather rest on the couch?"
"I want to go with you," he whines.
"Okay," I say. "Let's get you downstairs but why don't you go potty first." I help him out of bed, and the minute we walk into his bathroom a dreadful odor swirls up and assaults my nose. "Buddy, did you get sick in the night?"
"Mm-hm," he groans. "Twice." That explains the smell.
"Tyler, why didn't you come get Mommy or Daddy when you got sick?" I ask as I pick him up and carry him into the bathroom next door.
"You wasn't here," he pouts. "I looked."
"Did you go downstairs?" I ask.
"No, I didn't feel good so I went back to bed," he says. My poor boy.
"Mommy and Daddy went out last night," I say as I carry him down the stairs towards the living room. I carefully lay him on the couch and cover him with the fuzzy gray throw. "Avery was downstairs. You should have told her you were sick. She would have called us, and we would have come straight home."
"It's okay, Mommy."
"No, it's not, buddy," I say, shaking my head. "I don't ever want you to feel scared or alone. Mommy should have been here for you. I'll be right back. I'm going to get you something to help your tummy." I kiss each cheek then head into the kitchen to get him some saltines and ginger ale. I also get the bottle of children's acetaminophen from the pantry then go back to my sick son. "Here you go." I hand him the sippy cup of stomach-soothing liquid and a small bowl with crackers after I measure out the correct dosage of medicine for his height and weight and give it to him. He wrinkles his nose then takes a drink.
"There you are," Tobias says as he comes into the room with both Tessa and Teagan in his arms. I have to muffle a laugh with a cough when I take in what they're wearing. I swear I buy matching outfits but you wouldn't know it from the looks of them. Tessa has on a bright yellow tank top with a kitten wearing sunglasses on the front that says One Cool Cat, red legging with Christmas wreaths all over them, and snow boots with pink leopard print fur lining; those are going to be hot today. And my poor baby has on a lime green t-shirt, pink and purple polka dot capris, a rainbow tulle skirt, a black headband with black furry cat ears, and sparkly silver ballet slippers. They look like factionless ragamuffins. At least they're not leaving the house today. Tobias' face twists with concern when he sees Tyler lying on the couch. "What's going on here?"
"Tyler's not feeling well," I say as he sits the girls on their feet behind the toy box.
"Aah!" they say in unison.
"Ty-Ty sick?" Teagan asks.
"Yeah, your brother is sick," I say.
"Sowwy, Ty-Ty," Tessa say.
"Thanks, Tess," he says and when his littlest sister frowns at him he adds, "Thanks, Teags."
"Girls, why don't you play in the sunroom?" Tobias says. He swings each girl effortlessly up into his arms like they weigh nothing at all, making them giggle then marches off. When I turn my attention back to Tyler, his eyes are closed so I gently pull his sippy cup from his firm grip and set it and the crackers on the side table.
"My poor boy," I sigh. "I don't want to leave him today."
"How did you know I was back?" Tobias asks as he sits on the toy box in front of me. When I look up, I see worry in his eyes, too.
"I don't know," I say. "I just knew." He reaches out and takes my hands in his, squeezing them tightly.
"What's wrong, love?"
"We were out celebrating last night and our son was here sick and wondering where we were," I say. He looks at me quizzically, and I tell him everything Tyler has told me since waking. He runs his hand through his hair, frustrated.
"How could we have known? He didn't tell Avery," he says. "I'll go clean up his bathroom then get the girls some cereal. We'll have pancakes and sausage when he's feeling better. I don't want him to feel left out." I watch over Tyler as he rests, contemplating my schedule. I'm supposed to file last week's incident reports, which I normally do on Mondays, but got delayed because of my trip to Abnegation. Obviously, that can wait. I was also planning on accompanying Tobias on his pre-Choosing Ceremony rounds but he can do that alone. What I can't get out of is greeting the jumpers at the net and welcoming them to Dauntless in the cafeteria at supper.
"Mama?" Tessa says, pulling me from my reverie. I didn't realize she came back into the living room.
"What is it?"
"Is Ty-Ty otay?" she asks, concern etched on her face.
"He has a tummy ache," I say as I get up off the couch. "I think it's best to stay away from him today. I don't want your tummy hurting, too." I lift her into my arms and carry her back through the kitchen and into the sunroom. If I can keep her and Teagan away from Tyler as much as possible maybe they won't get sick too. I can only hope that's the case but I've learned that if one comes down with something then the other two aren't far behind.
"I hungwy," she says.
"Breakfast will be in a few minutes," I say. "Why don't you play, okay?"
"Otay, Mama." I kiss her head then sit her down next to Teagan who is absorbed in her puppy dog puzzle. She picks up two of Tyler's dinosaurs and begins quietly playing. It's probably a good thing that he's asleep in the living room because if he saw her playing with his toys, he'd throw a major fit. Out of the corner of my eye, I see Tobias come down the stairs and into the kitchen.
"Do you think you can do without me until we have to be at the net?" I ask as I get four bowls out of the cupboard. "I want to stay with Tyler this morning."
"We can manage," he says. "Are you still feeling guilty about not being home last night?" He pours varying amounts of marshmallows and stars cereal into each of the bowls then adds milk.
"I'm trying not to but it's difficult, Tobias," I say. "You didn't see his face this morning. He looked for us and couldn't find us. That should never happen."
"I know it shouldn't," he says as he pulls me into his arms, "but we can't be with the kids 24/7. It's impossible."
"I know," I sigh. "I just hate it when he's sick … when any of them is sick for that matter. I'm going to check on him then I'll join you for breakfast." He kisses my forehead before releasing me then I head into the living room. My boy is right where I left him, sound asleep on the couch. He doesn't even look like he's moved. I take his temperature with the thermometer Tobias brought downstairs and see that he has a slight fever of 99.4 degrees. I pull the throw up around his chin then join the rest of my family for breakfast.
"Sit wit me, Mama," Tessa says when I walk into the kitchen. She has a spoon in each hand and milk on her chin.
"My spoon," Teagan pouts as I take my seat.
"No," Tessa emphatically says.
"Tessa," I firmly say and she frowns but gives her little sister back her spoon.
"Is breakfast good?" I ask.
"Mm-hm," Teagan says as she slurps cereal into her mouth.
"I full," Tessa says. I look in her bowl and find it nearly empty.
"You did a good job," I say.
"I want down," she says.
"I want down," Teagan whines.
"No, Teags, you need to eat," I say. "You've only had two bites."
"I full," she says.
"No, you not," Tessa says.
"Am too," she shoots back.
"Girls," Tobias sternly says, interrupting their bickering. They quiet immediately and look at him. "You can both stay at the table. Teagan, you need to eat your cereal, and Tessa, why don't you tell us why you picked out those lovely outfits." Teagan begrudgingly starts eating as Tessa babbles incoherently. I nod and grin at her while she regales us with her tale. I probably promise her every toy in the toy store because I only understand every fifth word or so.
"Mommy?" Tyler calls out.
"I'll get him," Tobias says as he starts to get up but I place my hand on his arm and shake my head.
"I'll get him," I say as I push my empty bowl away from me. I get up from the table and sit next to Tyler on the couch. "Are you feeling any better?"
"My tummy hurts but it doesn't feel sick anymore," he says.
"Do you want me to make you some toast?" I ask as I feel his head, which is hot to the touch. "You didn't eat your crackers."
"I not hungry."
"If you eat a little something you might feel better," I say. "A slice of toast or crackers?"
"Toast," he says. I go back into the kitchen and Tobias is putting the breakfast dishes in the dishwasher.
"Is he feeling better?" he asks.
"If I understood correctly, his stomach hurts but he's not queasy anymore, which is good," I say. "I convinced him to eat a piece of toast." I get a slice of buttered split top wheat bread we got at the farmers market on Sunday and pop it in the toaster. "Hopefully, it will help." He comes up behind me and wraps his arms around me.
"He'll be all right."
"Why do I worry so much when they're sick?" I ask, staring into nothingness. "It's eating me up inside right now that he doesn't feel well."
"You're a wonderful mother, that's why," he says, his mouth against my ear. "I'll get his toast. Why don't you take your shower first and then I'll take one? I have to be leaving soon."
"Okay," I say. Instead of going upstairs after he releases me, I go into the living room and tell Tyler that his daddy will bring him his toast then I head toward my bathroom. I take a quick shower then dress in normal summer Dauntless attire: a body-hugging black and dark gray spaghetti strap tank top that shows off my sculpted arms and shoulders, form-fitting black boot cut jeans that make me look like I have curves, and a pair of comfortable black ankle boots. I pull my hair up into a high ponytail then put on mascara, eyeliner, and tinted lip balm. I go into my bedroom and stand in front of the full-length mirror.
I see the time reflecting back at me from the nightstand and realize I was standing in front of the mirror three years ago at this exact time as my mother cut my hair. I could barely look at myself then, the thought selfish, and here I stand admiring the body I worked hard to get. It took me months and a lot of sweat-drenched hours at the punching bags in the training room after Peanut was born to get it, and I'm very proud of it. It doesn't hurt that Tobias made me feel sexy and beautiful every step of the way. I couldn't be more different from that girl if I tried.
"You look great," Tobias says as he rests his hands on my hips and kisses my bare shoulder.
"Thank you," I say. "How is he?"
"Unfortunately, the toast came right back up," he says. "He's sleeping again."
"Thank God," I sigh. "I better get downstairs before the girls redecorate the living room with toilet paper again." We've learned that Tessa plus Teagan plus silence usually equals a huge mess. They don't sit and play quietly like Tyler. They like getting into everything. I give him a quick kiss then go downstairs. I hear giggling coming from behind the island, and I find the girls sitting on the floor surrounded by hundreds of miniature marshmallows. I clear my throat, and they go silent and look up at me with wide, innocent eyes. "What are you doing?"
"Playin'," Tessa says.
"Mm-hm," Teagan nods, agreeing with her sister.
"It looks like you're making another mess."
"No," Teagan says as she picks up a marshmallow and puts it in her mouth.
"Pick up the marshmallows and put them in the trash," I say, "then I think you both need a timeout."
"No," they whine together.
"I sowwy," Tessa says.
"Me, too," Teagan adds.
"I think you're only sorry you got caught. Come on. Clean up your mess." They slowly pick up each marshmallow and throw them in the garbage can I'm holding out in front of me, huge frowns on their faces. When they finish I take their hands and lead them to the table. I sit them at opposite ends and turn the chairs so they can't talk to each other, and they instantly start crying, crushing my heart but I don't let it show. "You two need to stop getting into things. That's not being very good girls, is it? You sit here and think about what you did." I sigh and check on Tyler who is still sleeping soundly even through the crying in the kitchen.
"Dadda!" I hear Teagan wail.
"What did you two do this time?" he asks with a sigh. They both start talking but I can't make anything out because of the crying. I get up off the couch and join Tobias. He looks at me and says, "Marshmallows?"
"Yep. They were eating them off the floor," I say. He gives me a knowing look, and I nod. "Girls, come here." They get off their chairs and stand before us. We sit on the stairs so we are more on their level.
"Do you know why you were punished?" Tobias asks. Teagan shakes her head, and Tessa stares at the floor. "Tessa?"
"We made mess," she pouts.
"That's right," I say. "It's not nice to make a mess on purpose. We've told you this before but you keep doing it. Why?"
"We jus' payin'," Teagan says.
"Are you supposed to be playing in the kitchen?" Tobias asks. They both shake their heads. "Then why were you?"
"I don't know," Tessa says as Teagan shrugs. I don't know how two perfect angels on their own turn into little devils when they're together.
"Are you sorry?" I ask.
"I sowwy, Mama," Tessa says as Teagan says, "Sowwy."
"Okay," I say holding my arms out and they rush into them. I hug them both tightly and kiss each of their heads then they hug their father. "Go play in the sunroom and be good."
"Yes, Mama," they say then run into the sunroom. I put my head in my hands and rub my face.
"We can't leave them alone for two minutes," he says.
"Do you ever get the idea that Teagan just follows Tessa's lead?" I ask as we watch them play with Tyler's dinosaurs.
"Yeah," he says. "What I don't get is how they can play alone so well but get them together and it's like a bomb goes off." I can't help but chuckle.
"I was just thinking the exact same thing," I say. "They'll grow out of it, right?"
"I sure as hell hope so," he says, looking at his watch. "I'm sorry but I've got to go, love."
"I know and it's okay," I say. "I'll leave for the net when Will texts me."
"Call if you need anything," he says. He gives me a tender kiss then says, "I love you, Tris."
"I love you, too, Tobias," I say. "I'll see you later."
