Thank you for all the reviews! I'm so glad you all are sticking with this story. Knowing what you think really helps me with the writing process! There's still lots to come before this story wraps up. Love ya'll.
"What's up with you?" Caleb asks Tris over Facetime Friday evening. He could tell his sister was hiding something but she looked like she was glowing she was so happy.
"Nothing" Tris lies. She was getting ready for bed. Tobias was having dinner with Evelyn and she couldn't wait until he was there to cuddle in her bed since it was their first official night as husband and wife.
"Twin, come on, I know you are hiding something. No secrets."
"Okay, you promise not to tell anyone? Not even Lauren? Or Marlene." Tris sighs knowing Caleb wouldn't let up until she told him.
Caleb nods and narrows his eyes.
"Well…" She quickly gets up and shuts her bedroom door " T. and I are kind of back together"
Caleb grins "I knew it!"
"No you didn't" She laughs out as she sees his eyes light up on the screen. Caleb and Tobias were tight again and she knew he was trying to keep his distance from her brother and Uriah much like she was from her friends to avoid letting their plans slip by. The conversations they had with anyone had been short and to the point about Tobias training in Chicago.
"Okay, no I didn't exactly know but I knew something was up. Tobias has been avoiding me all week. And Uriah and Christina think something is up because Tobias is coming to Chicago to train over the summer. Lauren thinks you've been acting all hush hush the last week. Everyone was going to figure it out. Mar, Chris, and Uri have been trying to figure out how to get you two in the same room together anyway. Why the big secret?"
Tris laughs and shakes her head. Everyone really had been rooting for them to work things out. She knew they would assume something was up.
"Are you alone? Where's Mar and Kai?"
"Mar went grocery shopping, Kai's asleep in his playpen…." Caleb says wondering why Tris was being so weird.
"Well, it's kind of more than we are together…"
Caleb raises an eyebrow.
"We got married this morning" Tris gives an enthusiastic smile to her brother.
"What!" Caleb almost chokes.
"Calm down, will you"
"Tris, what the fuck? Do Mom and Dad know? Does Lauren know? Oh my God, everyone is going to trip!"
"You promised you wouldn't say anything!" Tris interjects at her brother's rant.
"Tris, I won't but what the hell, I kind of don't know what to say? Are you sure? You've only been back in Charlotte what a week? Wait, wait, when did all this happen? He just dropped money on a ring for Nicole..."
"We realized this week we wanted to be together so he broke things off with her. We both felt like we wasted so much time apart. We just know how we feel. Can you please be happy for us?' Tris pleads.
"I mean I am, It's just things were so crazy when you two broke up….I thought you two might want to take it slow and work on your issues"
"Everything that needed to be said has been said, we just want to move forward. I really hope you'll realize this is what I want Caleb."
Caleb sighs. Clearly, Tris had dug her heels in and there was no arguing with her. He just wanted her to be happy and he really hoped that Tris and Tobias had grown enough to make things work.
"If this is really what you want, I'm happy for you sis. How long do I have to keep this a secret?"
"We're telling Ma, Daddy, Lauren, and Ms. Evelyn on Sunday. I'm trying to think of some way to tell everyone else, I feel like a group text might be a little crazy"
Caleb chuckles in agreement knowing their friends would be all over the place.
Tris groans as she wakes up, but she starts to smile when she snuggles into Tobias's chest. He places a kiss on her forehead.
"Good Morning Wife" he whispers. She opens her eyes looks at his handsome face. She lightly runs her fingers over his beard. He was really all hers again. She still couldn't believe it.
"Good Morning Husband" she whispers back as she cradles his face and runs her thumb over his full bottom lip. "I'm never going to get tired of hearing that" Tris grins and scoots up to place a soft kiss on his lips.
"Me either" Tobias breathes in her scent, her favorite cocoa butter lotion. He wanted to savor every morning he could like this. If he was able to secure another contract, they would be separated for half the year when she went back to Italy. He was going to soak in all the little moments over the summer.
"I should probably get going" he sighs knowing her parents would be up soon and his own mother would be looking for him.
Tris pokes out her lip causing Tobias to chuckle.
"It's only two more days and we get to this every morning. At least until the summer is over. Unless I end up being a kept man and then I'll be coming with you to Italy"
Now Tris chuckles his line of thinking. She looked over at the clock, it was around 630, since it was Saturday her parents wouldn't be up yet.
"Well I could be okay with you being a kept man if you earn your keep," she says suggestively.
"Oh, I can earn my keep" Tobias rolls them over so he's on top.
Tris immediately wraps her legs around his waist. Tobias moves his tongue to caress her scar and then keeps moving down to her neck. Tris grinds against him. He was wearing only a pair of boxer briefs but she could feel him hard against her core. Tris runs her hands down his back feeling his muscles flex as she whimpers wanting more friction. Tobias moves back to her mouth as they both pant, worked up now as they moved against each other.
"You're a bad influence" Tobias groans quietly as Tris grins and grips his hips to hold him to her so she can grind against him harder.
"I want you, Baby, I need you, I need you inside me" Tris whispers as she bites down on his ear lobe. Tris pushes so that Tobias falls on his back and she's able to straddle him. As she rocks against him, he clutches her hips and Tris places her hands on his chest.
"God, this feels so good" Tris moans as she throws her head back. Tobias runs his hands to cup her breasts through her bra. He knows he should remember that they were in her parents' house and supposed to be waiting but he just needed a fix, he loved seeing that look of pleasure on her face.
Just as Tris reaches to remove her sports bra, they hear Natalie coming down the hall.
"Breakfast will be ready soon dear, I'm doing a drop-off at the dry cleaners today too. Do you want me to pack you some snacks for the course today?" Natalie calls.
"Shit" Tris gasps as she scrambles to climb off Tobias. Of course, her father would be playing golf today and have an early tee time. They are a tangle of limbs and Tobias ends up falling off the side of the bed with a loud thump.
Seriously? Hurry up! Tris mouths and throws her hands up in frustration the thud Tobias makes as he tries to make it around the bed.
I'm trying! he mouths back at her.
Natalie stops at Tris' door and knocks since she could hear movement realizing Tris was already awake. They had been cooking together and she wanted to know if Tris wanted to help her since she was making fried apples that morning. She liked to send Andrew off with a hearty breakfast on the days he played golf.
Tobias starts to scramble toward the bathroom but Tris pushes him behind her door.
"Just a minute Ma" Tris calls out as she searches for her nightshirt. She panics when she sees Tobias's shoes and clothes in the middle of the floor. Tris realizes that she needed to think quickly.
Natalie furrows her eyebrows as she looks at the door.
"Are you alright dear?" She asks.
Tris pops her head out the door just enough for her to see her mother standing in the hallway looking confused.
"I'm fine Ma, I was Ummm, just about to take a shower" Tris stammers.
"Okay, Since you are already up I wanted to see if you would like to help with breakfast, I'm making fired apples, you, Caleb, and Lauren used to love them"
"That sounds great, just give me 10 minutes and I'll be down" Tris gives her a smile, her heart still pounding.
"Are you sure you are okay? You look flushed. Are coming down with something?"
"I'm fine, I promise, Be down in a minute" Tris promises as she quickly closes the door and runs to her bathroom to turn on the shower water while putting her finger to her lips as Tobias stayed stiff against the wall.
Tobias relaxes when he hears Natalie's footsteps continue on down the hall. Tris covers her mouth giggling.
"I can't believe after all of the times I snuck in here when we were still in high school, this is how we almost get caught"
"I know, you were right though, That was way too close, we need to wait until we get to Chicago"
"This is a momentous occasion, you admitting that I am right. We should have gotten married sooner" Tobias chides as he slips on his joggers and shirt.
"Shut up" Tris playfully rolls her eyes and shoves him towards the window.
After a few kisses and promises to see each other that afternoon, Tris throws on a pair of shorts and a t-shirt to head downstairs.
"You know, it's a shame you just didn't tell Tobias to come down to breakfast with you" Natalie teases as she and Tris start to peel apples at the kitchen counter.
Tris goes stiff and sets down the knife she was holding.
"Ummmm, I umm, Ma, I'm sorry, it's just well. I was waiting until Sunday..." Tris stumbles over her words, flustered at the thought of her mother knowing what she and Tobias were up to.
"Don't worry, I won't tell your father"
Natalie doesn't say anything else she just smiles. Tris picks up her knife and smiles as she continues to peel the apples.
On Sunday, Lauren comes over with Harrison and the baby for brunch. Natalie sets two extra places just as Tris requests.
"Who else is coming? Is Caleb coming home?" Lauren asks as she fills the glasses on the table with orange juice.
"No, he had some big meeting tomorrow. He'll be there when you all come to Chicago in July." Tris answers.
"So who's coming for brunch?" Lauren presses again.
"You'll find out in a little bit," Tris says elusively and Lauren rolled her eyes. Tris was up to something, she just wasn't sure what it was. She could tell she was practically glowing and she was so happy. Something had changed in the two weeks she had been home from Italy.
When the doorbell rings Tris rushes off to get it knowing that it was Tobias and Evelyn. Natalie and Lauren smile brightly when Tobias and Evelyn make their way into the house. Evelyn and Natalie had already spoken the day before. Both of the mothers were relieved after all these years, Tris and Tobias were seeing each other again.
Andrew greets Tobias warmly, he was protective of his daughters but he had felt sorry for Tobias as he spiraled out of control after his parents' divorce. He and Natalie agreed that Tobias always seemed to navigate life better with Tris. He hoped this was a fresh start for them.
Harrison was pleased to meet Tobias, he had been a huge Hornets fan growing up. He and Tobias spend a few minutes talking about Tobias' time in the league. Tobias smiles as he watches Tris interact with her niece. Late at night when Tris was asleep in his arms, he thought about how was going to be a father soon and how much he wish Tris was the mother of his unborn child.
When everyone is settled in and enjoying the meal Natalie and Tris prepared Tris decides to break the news they had been holding in for the past two days.
"So we wanted to tell all of you together" Tris smiles as she reaches for Tobias' hand.
"Tris and I have decided to get back together" Tobias finishes for her.
"Well I am glad you two are going to try and work things out" Andrew comments as he looks at his youngest daughter and how big she smiled.
"It hasn't been hard to figure out that something was going on with you two" Evelyn teases as she sips her mimosa as Lauren and Natalie chuckle.
"Well, there's more. You see Tris and I decided, well we thought it would be best if" Tobias starts as Lauren raises an eyebrow at her sister. It wasn't like Tris to keep secrets from her but she notices Tobias take a deep breath.
"Tobias and I got married on Friday" Tris finally blurts out quickly as Tobias stumbles over his words.
Andrew literally chokes on his orange juice, there's a loud clank as Lauren drops her fork on her plate. Natalie and Evelyn both gasp while Harrison doesn't know what to do as he looks at everyone else at the table.
"Are you two sure you didn't jump into this too fast?" Natalie asks hesitantly as she looked at her husband who was still speechless.
"We have a lot of challenges to face but we decided we wanted to face them together, fully and we aren't looking back" Tobias sits up straighter. "Tris and I realized we spent so much time running from how we felt about each other we didn't want to waste any more time when we knew what we wanted"
"I don't want to be that person but Tobias, weren't you engaged to someone else literally just last week?" Lauren asks as she looks at Harrison who was awkwardly drinking from his glass and his eyes darting around the table.
"You asked her to marry you...Really Tobias" Evelyn shakes her head. She knew Nicole had her hooks in Tobias, but she never thought he would have gone that far with her.
"It's complicated but It was a mistake and should have never happened. Tris stepped in a made me realize that she's who I want to be with"
"I...I well I guess if this is what you two want, We don't really have a say in it" Evelyn blows out. There was no point in arguing with them. It wasn't like she didn't think Tris and Tobias belonged together, them jumping right into getting married was a shock.
"I can't believe you didn't even tell any of us" Lauren states the emotion evident in her voice. Tris winces at the twinge of hurt she could hear.
"We would have at least like to have been there" Natalie frowns.
"We know, and we're sorry. We did have pictures made, but this was something we wanted to do by ourselves" Tobias adds.
"I guess we should tell the other thing," Tris says to Tobias wanting to drop all the bombs at once. Tobias nods and takes a deep breath.
"Even though I broke off my engagement to Nicole, which was only a few days I just want to put out there…. Nicole and I are expecting a baby"
"What!?" Andrew barks out as he grips the end of the table glaring at Tobias now.
This time Harrison chokes on his drink.
"Tobias…" Evelyn sighs placing a hand on her face.
"Oh, My" Natalie says as she places her elbow on the table and squeezes her temples with her fingers.
Lauren narrows her eyes across the table at Tris who bites her lip.
"Surprise," Tris says awkwardly with feigned enthusiasm as awkward silence lingers.
"I know you two are grown but Tris, I can't say I'm happy with your decision considering all this," Andrew says finally finding his voice again.
"I can understand that Daddy but this is our life and we've decided this what we want" Tris defends as Tobias laces his fingers with hers under the table.
As everyone calms down enough to finish eating, the rest of the meal is spent with Tobias and Tris explaining about his moving to Chicago with Tris for the remainder of his off-season. After everyone finishes eating, Andrew asks Tobias to step outside on the patio for a talk. Harrison goes to change Sienna and put her down for a nap so Lauren can talk to Tris while Natalie and Evelyn clean up the kitchen.
"Are you still mad at me?" Tris asks as she sits on her bed.
"I'm not mad it's just, I'm shocked" Lauren admits.
"Didn't you want us to get back together?"
"Well yes, but marriage is a big step, it's work and a lot harder than you think, You and Tobias bouncing from one relationship to another and then getting married inside of a week, and he has a baby on the way. it's messy and…"
"So you are just going to wait for us to fail, great thanks, Lauren. This is exactly why we didn't tell anyone" Tris feels the anger well up inside her. She wasn't in the mood for this.
"I'm sorry, Tris, I'm not trying to chastise you"
"Could have fooled me"
"I just don't want you to get hurt again, you scared the shit out of me when Tobias broke up with you in college. He had a lot of growing up to do Tris. Are you sure he's changed? "
Tris softens. She knew her family only wanted the best for her.
"I get that, but Tobias and I are supposed to be together, I can't keep pretending that I'm okay without him. He went through a lot back then Lauren, more than we can even understand. And yes he has changed, Can you just trust me that I know what I'm doing?"
Lauren sits on the bed next to her sister.
"Are you really happy Tris?"
"More than I've ever been" Tris answers honestly.
Lauren takes a deep breath.
"Then I'm happy for you. But promise me, if you even think for one second Tobias is going flake on you, you tell me, Caleb, or Mommy and Daddy"
"I promise, but just put a little faith in us"
Lauren pulls Tris into a tight hug, both of them shedding a few tears.
"I can't believe my baby sister is married" She laughs out as she wipes her eyes. "Where's your ring?"
"I don't have one yet, we did this instead" Tris shows her the tattoo on her ring finger"
"I am still a little upset that I didn't get to be your matron of honor"
"You had a huge wedding, I did not need all that. Honestly, we just wanted it to be about us, not all the other stuff that everyone else wanted"
Lauren nods. She had gone a little crazy with the wedding. It was a large undertaking with 250 guests. She and Natalie had been frazzled with all the planning. She hadn't really considered that Tris didn't want all of that.
"When are you going to tell Caleb?"
Tris grimaces and Lauren gasps when she sees the look on her face.
"In my defense, he only knows because he could tell I wasn't telling him something"
"You two and the freaky twin thing" Lauren chuckles as she shakes her head.
Andrew puts his hands in the pockets of the slacks he was wearing as Tobias shifts nervously in front of him. He was still processing the fact that Tris and Tobias up and got married when she had only been home from Italy for a week.
"Tobias, I'm not here to tell you what you can and can't do with my daughter, you two are both adults. I honestly always thought you two would find your way back to each other. But Tobias, I can't lie and say that I'm not concerned based on the fact that you were engaged to someone else last week and have a child on the way with this woman"
"I understand, Sir, but I love Tris, I know I don't have the best track record and I hope you believe me when I say I've tried to work out all my issues. I know I hurt Tris in college but I promise you on my life that will never happen again. I should have never let things go as far as they did with Nicole. It took Tris to help me see what I really needed and it was her, it's always been her."
Andrew nods his head. He could see from afar how Marcus Eaton's infidelity and lies had created chaos with Tobias. He knew from his wife how much Evelyn had struggled to reach him and help him work through the pain of his father's deception. He couldn't imagine how it has twisted Tobias in his head but he saw it play out in his behavior. He realizes that what Tobias needs isn't a scolding, it's guidance and support. Genuine guidance that's not deceptive like Marcus.
"Tobias, while I would have loved for you and Tris to take things slow, you two seem very clear in what you want based on your actions. I'm going to trust your judgment. We are family now, and I hope you'll see us that way"
Tobias lifts his head, he had been expecting that Andrew would be livid with him for not asking for Tris' hand especially considering their past history. He was kind of shocked the man in front of him hadn't threatened him within an inch of his life by now.
"Thank you, Sir, I'm not going to let you down, I promise"
"Do you remember what I told you that first night you showed up here to take Tris on your first date?"
"Yes Sir, you said she was my responsibility and you expected me to treat her with respect"
"The same applies here Tobias. Tris is an independent and grown woman but marriage is a partnership, you have to respect her and compromise on your issues. You can't run away when things get tough"
"I understand. Pushing Tris and my friends away was one of the biggest mistakes I ever made. I won't ever disrespect her like I did in college ever again."
"How are you feeling about becoming a father?"
Tobias sighs and gathers his thoughts before speaking.
"Honestly, I'm terrified. I got played, she was with me only because I was an NBA player, and in trying to not deal with my feelings for Tris, I fell straight into her trap. I wouldn't listen when anyone pointed it out. I thought we were being safe but that was another lie"
Andrew nods his head as he sees the frustration on Tobias's face.
"I just don't want to be my father," Tobias says quietly the emotion evident in his voice.
"Son, you are nothing like Marcus, yes you went through a rough patch but I can see you making amends for where you went wrong. I know this wasn't what you wanted but you are going to make mistakes, you won't always know the answer but just love your child and be there for them. Use the mistakes your father made to guide you to be the type of father you want to be. You have an entire village to support you. You can call me anytime you need advice"
Tobias feels hope for the first time since Nicole showed him the sonogram photo. He owned that he had pushed all his friends away. It felt good to feel like he had people in his corner again.
"Thank you, Mr. Prior, I can't tell you how much that means to me"
Andrew smiles and pats him on the shoulder. Tobias was going to be okay and he knew that Tris was too. He still thought they were being a bit naive about how they were going to manage to high profile careers with demanding schedules with Tris being in Europe half the year and the addition of Tobias becoming a father by another woman but he was encouraged that they wanted to tackle all the challenges ahead of them together.
"Beatrice, stop being noisy and come in here" Natalie scolds.
"I can't help it, do you think he's okay?" Tris whines as she peered out the kitchen window on her tiptoes to see if she could see her father and Tobias talking in the backyard.
"This is Daddy we're talking about, Tobias is fine," Lauren says with an eye roll as she breezes by.
"Tobias probably needs someone to rough him up a bit" Eveyln adds in with a chuckle.
She was so pleased when she and Natalie pieced together that Tris and Tobias were back together again. She had always been the one to get him back on the straight and narrow. She had been shocked about them secretly getting married but she wasn't worried at all not that the initial shock had worn off a bit. Tris had been the only one she wanted as a daughter-in-law. This is what she wanted for her son all along, she just hoped they were prepared for the ups and downs that marriage would bring. She tried not to show her disappointment when Tobias revealed that Nicole was pregnant but it was happening and he was going to be a father and she was going to be a grandmother.
"Well speaking of that, what happened to the date that Hana set you up on after our last girls' night?" Natalie prods refilling the glass in front of Evelyn with more prosecco and orange juice.
"Girls night?" Tris asks with a high-pitched squeak.
"You do know we mothers have lives of our own now that all our children are grown and living their own lives" Natalie defends.
"And we look forward to our weekly girl's night don't we?" Evelyn adds as she holds her up glass. She and Natalie clink glasses with a laugh.
Tris laughs and holds up her hands in surrender as Evelyn launches into a story about her date. In reality, she was glad her mother was doing more than cooking and cleaning all day. She deserved to have some fun.
"We should take a girls' trip, leave all the men at home" Lauren decides as she sits down at the kitchen island next to Evelyn.
"You all could come to Italy during my next season, we could hop over to Greece or France for a few days if I have a few days between games. I missed everyone this year with Sienna being born." Tris suggested.
"Oh, I love this idea. I haven't been to Europe in years." Evelyn coos.
"Yes and I'm sure Hana will love it too" Natalie adds.
The ladies continue to chatter on about when would be a good time to visit Tris in Rome. Tris breathes a sigh of relief when Tobias and Andrew come back into the house smiling. He gives her a kiss on the forehead before he and Andrew join Harrison in the den to watch some of the NBA playoff games currently on.
Natalie, Lauren, and Evelyn make Tris give them all the details of the secret nuptials. All the women sigh when Tris tells them of the special lunch on the rooftop for them after the photo shoot.
"So since we didn't get to attend the wedding can we at least plan a reception or something?" Lauren whines as Tris sits at the kitchen counter.
"Oh my God" Tris groans as she laughs and puts her head down on the counter.
"Come on sweetheart, Tobias is my only child, I want to help you pick a dress and complain about my family only getting three tables at the reception when Natalie has 8 tables of her second cousins" Evelyn teases.
Natalie throws her head back and laughs. Evelyn and Hana had been there for all of Natalie's frustrations with Harrison's mother during Lauren's wedding. Evelyn and Natalie had confided secretly in each other how much they would have loved a chance to help with Tris and Tobias's wedding.
Tris sees the look of pure joy on their faces as her resolve falters and she gives all the way in.
"Maybe we can think about it as sort of a vow renewal for our anniversary, I have no idea what either of our seasons are going to shape up like, I don't want to have to stress about this. This is one reason I didn't want a wedding in the first place" Tris warns.
"Oh don't you worry sweetheart, no stress, we promise" Natalie promises. "We just want to celebrate you"
"I can't tell you how much I appreciate you letting me stay here until I get everything together," Nicole tells Tina as she closes the suitcase on the bed of Tina's guestroom.
"You can stay here as long as you need, I can't believe he put you out while you're pregnant. Why haven't you blasted him on social media yet?"
"Oh don't worry, I am, I'm just going to twist the knife when I do it" Nicole grins. Tina didn't need to know that Tobias and his lawyer were working out a housing stipend for her and agreeing to pay all her medical bills for prenatal care were taken care of as soon as a paternity test done the following week. She wasn't stupid, she knew Tobias would want a DNA test. She made sure this was his baby.
"What are you going to do, I can't believe you are this fucked up, Maybe if you would have been there for him he wouldn't have gone back to his ex..."
"I'm a brand Tina, I want to be somebody, and being the wife of some washed-up NBA player living in some podunk town isn't going to make that happen for me. I'm glad I didn't have to go through with the whole marriage thing. Having this kid is going to put me right where I need to be and as soon as I can I'll be in Atlanta or Miami on the scene, letting him foot the bill again."
Tina shakes her head. This was a messy game Nicole was playing and she was sure the question wasn't if it was going to backfire on her but when.