Because I promised and ya'll have been so patient. Congratulations to the Chicago Sky on their first-ever WNBA championship! What a game!
Tobias tossed and turned that night. He was supposed to be happy he was getting married but it bugged him he didn't feel excited. He'd called Caleb to go over his finances after purchasing the ring. Since Caleb was now overseeing the accounting for most of the clients at Divergent Sports Management, Tobias had signed with him as his accountant. Jack Kang was his agent even though his contract was coming to an end and he hadn't brokered him a new deal.
Caleb had sighed even though he tried to not be too overbearing when looking at his purchases. Caleb had pointed out that even though Tobias was smart with his money, the amount he spent on Nicole over the last year had been steadily increasing every month. He definitely wasn't broke, but his last contract had only been for 2 million a year for 2 years compared to the 8 million per year for 4 years he received for his rookie contract. He was still looking great but the way Nicole liked to spend and if he wanted to purchase a new home he wanted to be smart.
Tobias was starting to see the writing on the wall that if Jack wasn't pushing for a new deal his playing career was probably over. His love for basketball was fading and he needed to figure out what he was going to do. He couldn't blow through his money if he wasn't going to be able to play ball anymore.
"Nicole, can you just back off for a minute before you decide to plan out an extravagant wedding after I just spent $15,000 on an engagement ring?" Tobias snaps as he opened the cabinet looking for something to eat.
"Why are you being like this, You expect me to plan a cheap ass wedding and get embarrassed?" Nicole huffs. She thought as soon as they were engaged she could just fast-track them getting married. She didn't know why he decided he wanted to be cheap of a sudden.
"No, I expect you to be considerate since you don't contribute to anything in the house" as he slams the door to the cabinet. He was irritated that there wasn't any food. Nicole never cooked but he had asked her repeatedly to make a list for the housekeeper when they ran low on something and she couldn't even do that.
"Oh, so I don't do anything" Nicole yells back with tears in her eyes. She added tears for dramatic effect. This is why she needed him to secure a new contract. It definitely wasn't the right time to bring up that she was pregnant if she wanted to get the expensive wedding she wanted. He couldn't seriously be pulling this now.
"That is not what I said, you don't contribute financially to anything in this house and you know it. My fucking Black Card was maxed out from all your Gucci, Prada, and whatever the fuck else you bought this month"
"So you just expect us to go to the courthouse is that it?"
Tobias groans in frustration and pinches the bridge of his nose. This sounded like one of the many arguments his parents had when he was in high school. How the fuck did he end up here?
"That's not what I said, let me set a budget before you go spending $100,000. You haven't even asked me what I wanted" Tobias says in a deadly calm voice.
"Fine, I'll just wear rag from the consignment shop and we can serve chicken fingers and french fries with a cash bar," Nicole argues and goes over to the couch. She would just do what she needed to do, he couldn't say anything after she made all the purchases already.
"You know what, I need some space. I'm going to my mom's for a few days" Tobias announces as he heads to the bedroom to pack a bag.
"Fine" Nicole rolls her eyes. She couldn't stand the woman anyway. The more time he spent there, the less time Nicole was forced to spend with her.
Evelyn is surprised when Tobias calls and tells her that he's coming to spend a few days with her. She was having an outpatient procedure in two days. Tobias was just going to pick her up that morning and sit with her that evening. The doctor said she didn't even need anyone to stay with her overnight. It wasn't a big deal but she suspected that him saying he decided he was going to stay over to have to get up early was a cover up. He looked stressed but she didn't press him that evening as they ate dinner.
That night he sat in his room looking out his window much like he did when he was younger. Things were so much easier when he would slip out his window and head to the driveway to play ball with Tris.
Two days later, Tris's time was winding down in Charlotte. She had to be in Chicago for training camp in a week. She had spent time with Lauren, Harrison and Sienna, and her parents but she couldn't get Tobias out of her mind.
She had just pulled into the driveway from running some errands when she saw Tobias pull up next door. He waves and she waves back and notices that he was walking across the grass to talk to her.
"Hey, What are you still doing in town? Don't you have training camp?" Tobias asked, even though he had tried to nonchalantly ask Caleb when he was on the phone with him earlier in the week if knew when Tris was going to Chicago.
"Yeah, I still have a week before I need to report to camp. Zeke worked it in my contract for a short break since I'm coming from overseas that I could report late, trying to enjoy some time with Lauren and my parents before I leave."
"Congrats on the Euro League Championship, I didn't get to tell you when I saw you last week. Way to Hoop. That's two in a row "
"Thanks, You've been here a lot the last few days" Tris replies nodding toward Evelyn's house. She had noticed Tobias was sleeping in his old bedroom the last three nights and she wondered why. She smiled that he still kept up with her stats.
"Yeah, Mom had a procedure done earlier in the week. I figured I'd come to keep her company and look after her"
"My mom and Ms. Hana would have made sure she was okay so you didn't have to stay over," Tris says, looking at him trying to figure out what he was thinking. She had been to see Evelyn for lunch a few days before. She chuckled at how Evelyn had made sure to mention Tobias would be over later in the week. She and Evelyn talked every few months and she always made sure to let Tris know how she thought she was always the daughter-in-law she wanted. Tris assumed Tobias hadn't said anything to her about his engagement so she kept quiet.
"Yeah I know, I think she missed me since I've been kind of busy, so I figured it was a good time for us to spend some time together"
Tris nods. She didn't buy it, Tobias had been out since he tore his ACL. Why would he be busy? When she had lunch with Evelyn that didn't seem like the case but she didn't push him too hard. She knew how explosive things could easily turn between the two of them in the blink of an eye.
"So how's the knee, you ready to hoop again?"
"Ehhh, I feel like I might be ready to give it up" Tobias looks nervously at the ground as he folds his arms across his chest.
"What?" Tris blinks at him in disbelief. No one had ever loved basketball as much as she did other than Tobias. It didn't sit right with her for him to not play.
"Yeah, I haven't even said anything to Nicole yet. She would probably say it's the pain killers talking"
"You're really serious," Tris says again in disbelief.
"I'm starting to feel like I needed ball when I wanted to be like my pop and its just not fun anymore"
"Don't give up just yet, T. You loving ball just wasn't about your dad. I know how much you love it but no one says you have to play forever. You have the opportunity to do anything. As long as you love it, that's the only thing that matters. Remember when we were 13 and you decided you wanted to draw comic books. " Tris says, placing a soft hand on his arm. She wanted to say don't give up on me either but now wasn't the right time.
"Ha, I forgot all about that" Tobias says with a soft smile. He used to draw all the time and he had idly done it these past few months since he wasn't playing. Tris was always there with the things that he had only confided in her. No one else, not even Uriah or Zeke knew that.
"You'll figure it out, I know you will" Tris reassures him with a soft smile.
Tobias nods solemnly. It was the truth. He just wasn't feeling the game anymore. He had talked with the team sports psychologist about it but Tris was the first person he had really said it out loud to. As usually she just makes him want to share things that he couldn't tell anyone else. It unnerved him a bit still.
"It's crazy, the things we wanted in life when we were kids, how we were so sure of everything. Sometimes I don't know what I want anymore either" Tris all but whispers.
Tobias feels his heart tug, as he looks at her. He was even more confused now standing there so close with her reminding him that she was the one he always trusted with the things he wouldn't tell anyone else.
"I should get back to Mom, Maybe I'll catch later before you leave" Tobias needed to put some space between them before he did or said something stupid.
Tris just nods as he turns to walk away. She watches him head back across the lawn and wipes a tear from her eye. Her time was running out. The thought of losing him forever was starting to become a reality and it terrified her.
"How's Tobias, I saw you two talking out the window earlier," Natalie asks as she works on the apple pie that she was baking, flour covering her apron and hands.
"Engaged," Tris says bitterly not being able to hold back everything she was feeling anymore. She was so torn and she hadn't brought herself to talk to anyone else yet.
"To that floozy?" Natalie asks with shock as he looks up at Tris who was leaning against the counter.
"You met her?" Tris asks curiously.
"Evelyn had a cookout a few weeks ago, I met her then. He could do a lot better if you ask me"
"So what do I do?" Tris asks as she fidgets. It wasn't her style to ask her mother about relationship advice but she was so worked up she really needed to talk to someone.
"Find out where they are registered and send them a gift" Natalie offers as she moves the rolling pin over the dough on the counter.
"Whatever" Tris rolls her eyes as she turns to go back to her room and call Lauren. She knew asking her mother was a dumb idea.
"Is that still your answer to everything?" Natalie challenges as she continues rolling the dough.
She and Tris never saw eye to eye when it came to anything. She wished she and Tris could have the same type of relationship that she and Lauren had but Tris always pushed back on her, rejected her way of thinking.
"Yeah, when you come at me with bullshit like that" Tris spits out.
She immediately kicks herself for her reaction. She had done much work on controlling her emotions of the years but they were still there and at certain times they reared their head.
"Oh, no, are they cursing their mamma's in Italy?" Natalie stops as she puts down her rolling pin looking at her daughter like she lost her mind.
Tris hangs her head mad at herself for losing her cool.
"I don't know why you even asked me, you didn't want my opinion anyway," Natalie says getting upset but going back to her dough now attacking it a bit more aggressively.
"I do, it's just why does it always have to be so prissy" Tris extends with a frustrated tone. She wished she and her mother could have a normal conversation with all the tension.
"Yes I think decorum is important and yes I'd rather bake a pie than shoot a stupid jump up shot. If that's too prissy for you, then that's just too damn bad" Natalie responds with more anger in her voice than Tris had ever heard putting emphasis on the damn. Natalie never cursed and it came out just as awkward as it felt. Tris knows she had pushed her if this was her tone.
"So that's why we can't get along because I'd rather shoot a jump shot?" Tris asks sincerely, wanting to know.
"You were the one always turning your nose up at me" Natalie retorts as she goes back to rolling out her pie crust.
"I do not" Tris scoffs at her mother's accusation.
"Oh yes, you do female superstar athlete whose mother was nothing but a housewife. You were the one who was always ashamed of me" Natalie replies as she digs harder into the dough with the rolling pin and takes all her frustration out on it.
"I remember one day you spent hours cooking up this big fancy meal for dinner and I guess you and Daddy got your wires crossed because he walks with a couple of pizzas. And you didn't say anything...you never said anything. You never stood up for yourself. If I was ashamed of anything it was because of that"
Natalie stopped rolling and looked up at her daughter hearing the disgust in her daughter's voice.
"That is ridiculous" Natalie replies quietly feeling the sting of her daughter's words.
"What's ridiculous is you never being a caterer, owning your own business instead of sitting at home cooking and cleaning and ironing your man's draws so he can feel like a man" Tris spits out and as soon as it comes out she regrets it.
Before she knows what is happening she feels a smack across her face. Her cheek burns with the impact of her mother's hand.
"Damnit Beatrice" Natalie lets out a sob as tears fall down her cheeks. All the years of telling her youngest daughter to control her temper, she let hers get the best of her.
"I'm sorry" Tris whispers as her own tears spill out and she touches her face embarrassed that she lashed out at her mother so harshly.
"Beatrice, is that really all you think of me?" Natalie chokes out as Tris wipes a tear from her eye.
"When your Daddy and I got married I had dreams, but I happened to have gotten pregnant with Lauren, and then came you and Caleb. So I had to put my dreams on hold" Natalie admits through her tears.
"You know what I remember? When you went to prom, I put my mother's pearls around your neck and told you that you were beautiful. That day I was happy that I didn't have some job to run off too but I could be here to see my baby girl and my son get dressed up and enjoy all that life had to offer them. My children had someone to cook and clean up after them, they had three meals a day, they had someone to home when they got home from school and when my daughter got ready for her spring dance I was here not rushing home for work or off to some catering job. That's what mattered to me"
"That's all you cared about! I must have played in 1,000 games and I can only remember you being at 3...Three Mommy" Tris says with a watery voice.
"You know it didn't make any difference to whether or not I was at those games. You had your coaches and your Daddy. You didn't need me" Natalie shrugs.
"It mattered Mommy," Tris says quietly, the hurt evident in her voice.
Overcome with emotion Natalie pulls Tris into her arms and hugs her tight. She had no idea that Beatrice would have wanted her support.
"I'm so sorry Baby Girl" Natalie whispers. Tris lets out another sob and she returns her mother's embrace.
They stand there both crying for a time. When Natalie pulls away she looks down at Tris and sees she now has flour all over her outfit and face.
"I'm sorry too," Tris says as she wipes her face and laughs. It had never occurred to her that her mother took pride in taking care of her family or that she had ever had dreams that she put on hold for her and her siblings.
"I will be at every game you want me to be at sweetheart" Natalie promises taking Tris's hand. "You may not realize it but I'm so very proud of you"
"I'd like that. I really would" Tris says honestly.
Lauren brings Sienna over for a visit the day after Natalie and Tris had their blow-up. She and her mother had another conversation after their blowup the day before both committing to putting some effort into their relationship. Natalie offered to show Tris a few things in the kitchen and Tris enjoyed helping her mother make breakfast and was planning to help with dinner too. She had been so focused on what to do about Tobias, she never realized that she need to heal her relationship with her mother. With things looking doubtful about Tobias and her reconciling, repairing her relationship with her mother was a gift.
Tris loves her niece, at 9 months old now she is already showing her personality. Lauren tells her how Sienna and Kai were fascinated with each other when Caleb and Marlene came to visit the month before. Sienna was beautiful taking after Lauren and Andrew. Tris teases her sister that maybe the next baby would look a little like Harrison.
"Why are you so quiet?" Lauren asks as they sit out on the patio and Tris plays with Sienna kissing her hands and toes causing her to giggle. Natalie brings out some lemonade for everyone and takes a seat across from the lounger where Tris was sitting holding her niece.
Tris sighs and looks at her sister who raises her eyebrows at her waiting for an answer.
"Tobias is getting married," Tris says softly, looking back at Sienna.
"I'm sorry Sis, maybe now you can move on for real" Lauren says after a moment. She and Caleb had been worried about Tris. Everyone really wanted her and Tobias to work things out since he seemed to be coming around and he, Caleb, and Uriah had rekindled their relationship.
Tris nods without saying anything. When Sienna starts to whine, Lauren takes her inside to change her diaper. Tris hears her phone ping with a message. She reaches over to pick it up.
Nita: "Update?"
Tris groans as she sees the message. She had gotten a similar text from Christina and Lynn that week too. She was frustrated that she didn't have an update. When she and Nita had agreed that they would still be friends, Tris wasn't sure that Nita had really meant it but this made her feel as if their friendship was still solid.
Tris: "I'm screwed, he's getting married"
Nita: "What? When? To Who?"
Tris: Some Instagram Hoe…. I don't know what to do…
Nita: Do what you do best, create an opportunity
Natalie can see Tris is miserable and decides to take a moment to encourage her youngest daughter. They had both agreed to work on their relationship, spend more time with each other. Natalie knew Tris was upset over Tobias. She, Evelyn, and Hana had several lengthy conversations about how Tris and Tobias were made for each other but no one was sure if the damage done by Tobias when he left school could be mended.
"You know Tris when I said Tobias could do a lot better, I was talking about you" she offers.
Tris looked up at her but didn't say anything.
"One of the things I always admired about you was the fight in you. Even when everything was stacked against you, you kept fighting. Don't stop fighting, sweetheart"
Tris nods as she takes in Nita's words and now her mother's. She had to think and think quickly but on the court, that's what she did. She played hard and created a way to make a shot. She just needed to create an opportunity to make him see they belonged together.
Tris tossed and turned in bed, she was starting to panic, how could she get Tobias to see that they belonged together? She had hoped this past week back in Charlotte would have given her an opportunity to get him to see how much she still loved him. Tobias was stubborn, just like she was. It took her a long time to even admit to herself that she still loved him, but it was after a great deal of pushing from everyone around her. She knows he still loved her, she could feel it. The look in his eyes when he had to tell her he was engaged, he knew it hurt her and she could see the regret. When they spoke the day before she could feel it but he was trying to hold back from her. She just had to figure out how to push him to act on his feelings.
Did she want him to grovel and woo her to get her back? For a while she did, but seeing him that week just made her realize she didn't care about the past, she just wanted him. And she needed him to realize that too. Knowing that he was about to get married literally made her sick on her stomach. Over and over in her mind, she kept going over the night he broke up with her in college. She shouldn't have accepted it, pushed him instead of just accepting it. She kept thinking about Nita's words: do what you do best, create an opportunity.
She then sits up remembering the time Tobias told her the only reason she won was because he wanted her to. She had to make him see that he wanted her to stop him from getting married. She gets up and throws on a pair of basketballs shorts and a sleeveless hoodie and climbs out her window and walks over to his window. She takes a deep breath and pulls all of her courage before knocking on the window.
A few minutes later sleepy Tobias narrows his eyes at her as he opens the window.
"Tris it's the middle of the night" he replies, rubbing his eye with his fist.
"Can we talk? Please?" she asks fidgeting with her fingers.
Even though it was April there was a slight chill in the air, Tris could feel the chill but her heart was pounding as she watched him climb out of the window.
"I don't know how to say this or but I'm just going to put it out there. I loved you since I was 11 years old and the shit won't go away"
Tobias stands there stunned for a moment at her admission. His irritation was rising because he was so confused and he didn't know what to do.
"I'm getting married, Tris, You moved on, I moved on, what makes you think you can just show up and spring this on me in the middle of the night? " Tobias was infuriated with her. Why now did she make this big declaration and think that he would just give in?
"Then why are you so upset?" It was just like him, not to let her get her way even if he was wrong and he knew it.
Yeah, he was the one who pushed her away but what was he supposed to do? He was trying to sort out his feelings for her in therapy. He'd been hurt when he found out she and Zeke got together but it made him even more confused about what to do. It was so complicated and he felt overwhelmed. He had a million questions running through his mind. Did he really still love her? Or was he caught up in nostalgia? Here she was standing in front of him declaring that she loved him. Was that what he wanted? Could he do this with her again? What if they couldn't make it work? She was the one who held all the power to shatter him into a thousand pieces. Just being near her had him reeling and wanting to pull her to him and kiss her.
"I'm not upset, Well yeah I am, I don't know. Why now?" Tobias says feeling all over the place.
"Because I'm tired of denying how I feel about you, and I know you aren't serious about getting married" It was kind of a low blow, but it was how she felt and he needed to hear it.
"You don't get to be the one to tell me I'm not serious about being married!" God, she pushed his buttons. This was just like her, things had to be her way and how she wanted them to go.
"Well, you need to hear it!" Tris all but yells back, getting nervous about her plan now but she could feel the back and forth. He was on the fence, she knew him too well. All his words were just him not wanting to give into her. She just had to keep pushing to break him.
"No, you still think the sun rises and sets on your ass but it doesn't" Tobias spits back with the frustration evident in his voice. He wasn't going to admit he wasn't happy with Nicole right now and give her the satisfaction of being right.
"I know that I wasn't there for you in college….but I can't not fight for you again...I should have then and I'm not going to make that mistake again."
Tobias can hear the desperation in her voice and it threatened to undo him. He shook it off, not wanting to break. This wasn't a random hook-up like in Atlanta, she wanted all of him and it terrified him.
"Tris, I was messed up then, there wasn't anyone who could have been there for me, I own that. I'm sorry about how I ended things between us, you didn't deserve that." Tobias admits as he blows out a breath.
Maybe they both needed closure to really move on but he looks at Tris and she was standing there looking more determined than he had ever seen her.
"I'll play you, one on one," Tris says boldly.
She wasn't going to let him push her away that easily again. She knew he would lash out when he was scared and she wasn't going to let his low blows get to her tonight. She could be just as stubborn as he could and she wasn't going down without a fight.
"For what?" Tobias scoffs. He could see in her eyes that she wasn't going to back down.
"Your heart," Tris says quietly.
"What is that supposed to prove, some reverse psychology bullshit?" Tobias reasons.
His heart was beating wildly and his hands were starting to sweat thinking about them. Did he want this?
"You once told me that you let me beat you, if I beat you that means deep down you don't want to get married"
"And if I win?" Tobias challenges.
Tris steps up close to him, letting him know that she wasn't intimidated by the hard exterior he put up. It was just like when they were kids, she was going to call his bluff, she was going to push him.
"Then I'll buy you a wedding present"
"If that's what it takes then okay," Tobias said with an eye roll. He wasn't going to let her bully him into calling off his wedding Yes, he had doubts about Nicole but was that because Tris was here?
"Go get dressed, I'll be back in 10 minutes," Tris says a little too cockily for Tobias and he rolls his eyes again as he watches her climb back through her window.