The Coulters and Priors scheduled a meeting with Max on Friday afternoon. Andrew was home for the weekend, so he joined his wife and daughter when they took the baby and met Eric at the school. Ava was wide awake and smiley when Eric met them at the main entrance.

"There's my girl!" Eric greeted the baby proudly. Ava gave her father a toothless grin as he removed her from the carrier and carried her through the empty school.

Amar, Tori, and Lauren were in the Dauntless office when they arrived, and Eric invited them all to stay. "The Priors and I have a pretty incredible story to tell you, and some things we need to talk about," he said.

Eric encouraged Tris to start the conversation, and she told the trainers about how she found Ava and how the baby ended up living in their home. Eric picked up the story next and told his coworkers about Melinda's death, the social workers' discovery that Ava was her baby, and how that led to the discovery that Ava was Eric's daughter.

"Eric will be taking custody of his daughter as soon as next week," Natalie informed the trainers. "Tris and I will be involved in the transition and providing childcare through the end of the school year."

"No one anticipated that Eric would become so involved with our family," Andrew concluded. "We want to be upfront with you all and make sure you are informed about what's going on. We don't want there to be any allegations of impropriety, but the simple truth is that Tris has been Ava's primary caretaker, and now she and Eric are raising this baby together with Natalie's supervision."

"Awkward," Lauren said.

"Exactly," Natalie agreed.

"Eric isn't my teacher this semester," Tris pointed out. "I just have him for homeroom every fourth day. I was thinking that if you gave me a work permit, I could leave earlier to take care of Ava. That also means that Eric wouldn't be my teacher at all."

Max and the other trainers asked a few follow-up questions, then sent Tris and Ava out of the room.

"I don't want to insult anyone or imply anything inappropriate," Max said, "but I have to ask. Eric, what is the nature of your relationship with Tris?"

"Max, I can assure you that there has been nothing inappropriate between us," Eric said to his boss. "I'm twenty-one and Tris is eighteen. We were students here at the same time when I was a senior and she was a freshman. We have mutual friends. So when my student teaching ended and I ran into Tris and Andrew at graduation, she and I struck up a friendship. We exchanged a few texts, and the Priors invited me over on Christmas after Tris told them that I don't have any family.

"When you hired me full-time, I told Tris right away, and she was the first to say that to protect my career and her dad's Senate campaign, we couldn't hang out socially or text like we had been - at least not until she graduated. Except for a few texts like 'happy birthday,' and 'congratulations on your scholarship,' we weren't communicating at all. When Melinda turned up dead and I had to identify her body, I turned to the Priors for support. Andrew, Natalie, and Tris were all there for me. Natalie even encouraged me to sit and cuddle with Ava, none of us dreaming that she was my own daughter. I've been visiting Ava and learning how to take care of her this week since we found out that she's mine."

"We have no concerns about Beatrice and Eric's relationship," Andrew added. "I'm in Springfield a lot, but from what Natalie tells me, the two of them have not been out socially or spent any time alone together. Eric has only been to our home when Natalie or I were there with them. In fact, the two of them were the ones who told us that they wouldn't be hanging out any more after Eric got hired full-time."

"I'm glad to hear that," Max said with obvious relief. "This is a unique situation, and I'm willing to work with it, but I can't have a teacher accused of fraternizing with a student. There's no workaround for that."

Tris' parents and trainers discussed the situation for a few minutes. They ended up deciding that Tris' idea of a work pass that got her out of homeroom would successfully separate her from being Eric's student, and would also help him cover some of his childcare needs until summer break.

When the meeting concluded, Eric, Andrew, and Natalie gathered Tris and Ava, and the five of them went to Eric's townhome for dinner and to help him prepare for life as a father.

Eric lived in a typical Midwestern suburban townhome development. The neighborhood consisted of identical triplex structures with two-car attached garages, grey vinyl siding, and white trim and shutters. Six of these three-unit buildings were grouped together, three on each side of quiet Cherry Street, with Cherry Park just blocks away.

The Priors followed Eric to the last building in the development, where he pulled in the driveway of the first unit. He parked his truck in the garage, so the Priors parked on the driveway. Tris disconnected Ava's car seat/carrier while Andrew helped Natalie get the baby's things and the dessert she had prepared.

Eric opened the front door to his home and welcomed his guests. The house was warm, and Tris could smell the chili simmering in Eric's slow cooker. The foyer had bare beige walls, neutral linoleum, and a stairway on the left side that led up to the second level. There was a closet down the hall, and Eric hung up his guests' coats as they walked through to the living room.

Tris snorted when she saw the living room. It had the same basic beige walls as the foyer, and the same basic beige carpet as the stairs. A brown leather sofa faced the room's only wall hanging, a huge flat-screen television.

"This is a beautiful credenza," Natalie commented, running her hand over the polished wood surface of the antique sideboard Tris hadn't even noticed beneath the monstrous television.

"It was my mother's," Eric replied. "She inherited it from her parents. I've had it in storage since my parents passed. It's been nice to get things out and put them into use now that I have my own place."

The entire lower level of Eric's home had the same look as the living room. The fixtures were builder-grade basic, and the furnishings were a strange mix of frat house masculine and family heirlooms.

"It's a work in progress," Eric said dismissively of his home. "I've only lived here for two months. Before that I had an apartment near campus with two other guys. I pretty much just had my clothes, some towels, and a bed when I got here. I started pulling my parents' things out of storage and buying what I needed most. I ate off my mom's good china for three weeks before I got sick of hand-washing the dishes and bought a basic set."

"Well," Natalie commented, "you certainly had some lovely pieces to start with. And the house is very clean."

"Thank you," Eric said as he led them up the stairs.

Tris smiled at the baby gate that Eric had already installed at the top of the stairs. To the right of the stairway was a small reading nook/vestibule type space, empty other than the antique bookshelves that took up every wall not already occupied by doorways.

Eric pointed at the open door nearest them, then moved clockwise around the space as he pointed out each one. "Ava's room, linen closet, home gym, laundry room, and my room," he said.

He showed them the master bedroom first. It was fairly large, with a walk-in closet and an en suite bathroom. A king-sized bed, neatly made with a navy blue comforter and crisp white pillowcases, dominated the room. Tris guessed that the matched set of dressers and nightstands were more family heirlooms. Another large flat-screen was mounted on the wall opposite the bed, and a framed portrait of teenage Eric and his parents hung on a side wall. The picture of Eric making Ava laugh, which Tris had given him, was taped to its frame.

They peeked in at the laundry room and the bedroom Eric had set up as a home gym. Tris noticed that those two rooms had new dark-colored door knobs that didn't match the brass in the rest of the house.

"I put locking knobs on those rooms," Eric explained. "I also have knob cover things that are hard for toddlers to open, but I haven't installed them yet."

"You won't need them for a while," Natalie said, smiling indulgently.

Tris smirked to herself. She found Eric's clueless eagerness endearing. It was obvious that he was concerned about caring for his daughter and keeping her safe.

"You should change out all the knobs up here," Andrew advised the younger man. "You'll want them to match when it's time to sell some day, and you might not be able to find the same ones by then."

Eric nodded thoughtfully as if making a mental note.

"Can we see Ava's room?" Tris asked as she glanced down at the infant she was wearing in a sling.

"There's not much to see yet," Eric said as he pushed the last door. "I was kind of hoping you and Natalie would be willing to help with that. Ava should have a cute little room, but I have no idea where to start."

"Really?!" Tris said excitedly. "Can we paint?"

Natalie laughed. "I'm happy to help, but I think you and Tris can handle it. She has a good eye, and she knows what you'll need as far as furniture and supplies."

Tris stood in the middle of the empty bedroom and turned in a slow circle. The carpet and walls were the same plain beige as the rest of the house. Oak bi-fold closet doors on the same side as the entrance matched the baseboards and trim. The far wall had a window with new-looking soft white blinds. The other exterior wall was blank, and Tris thought it was the right place to put a crib. Directly across from that was another oak door that connected Ava's room to the home gym via a Jack-and-Jill bathroom.

Eric watched Tris nervously. He knew that he was in over his head, and that he would need to rely heavily on his former student and her family as he transitioned into life as a single parent.

"Do you think this will work?" Eric asked. The Priors heard the anxiety in his voice and knew that he was asking about more than the baby's bedroom.

"You're family now," Andrew said, thumping Eric on the back. "You and Ava are stuck with us unless you kick us out of your life. You won't be alone."

Natalie wrapped Eric in a motherly hug, agreeing with her husband's words. "Andrew and I have an event tomorrow," she told Eric. "Tris will have Ava, but maybe the three of you should go to IKEA and look for a crib, dresser, and chair for the nursery."

"Then on Sunday afternoon we can come over to help you paint the walls and assemble the furniture," Andrew added.

Eric glanced nervously at Tris, who was still standing in the middle of the room, quiet. Maybe this is too much, he thought. Here I am co-opting her parents with my drama when they should be focused on Tris. She finally gets her parents to herself, and Ava and I are taking a lot of their time and attention.

"How do you feel about teal?" Tris suddenly asked.

"Huh?" Eric replied.

"Paint comes in colors other than beige," she teased the new father. "I was thinking we could paint the walls a soft teal. It's feminine without being all Barbie - gumball pink. White crib and dresser? Bedding and accents in teal, pink, white, and maybe grey? A changing pad will make the dresser multi-functional, and when she gets older you can just remove it and hang a mirror on the wall."

"Ooh!" Natalie exclaimed as she caught her daughter's vision. "Remember that dresser we saw with the hombre drawer faces?"

"Oh, I loved that!" Tris exclaimed. "Do you think the wall paint and acrylic craft paint would do it?"

"They make paint for furniture and cabinets," Natalie said. "That would be easier to do, and it would last better. You just need a little quart of three shades from the same swatch as the wall color."

.

The rest of the evening at Eric's house was relaxed and comfortable. The chili and cornbread he prepared were delicious, as was the apple crisp that Natalie brought. Eric spent some time holding his daughter, and Tris walked him through Ava's bedtime routine again before they put the baby in her carrier and took her back to the Priors' home.

Once the infant was down for the night, Tris started searching online for nursery ideas. She found an ad for something called "tactical baby gear." The ad featured a tattooed man with a baby carrier and diaper bag that looked like military surplus. Tris took a screenshot of the ad and texted it to Eric.

T: Looks like a Dauntless line of baby supplies.

E: That's awesome. But in Dauntless it would be black.

T: True enough

E: Besides, Ava is a girl.

T: So you'll be wearing a frilly pink carrier and carrying a diaper bag that looks like a big purse?

E: Funny.

Tris found a crib bedding set with an adorable teal, pink, green, and orange paisley and floral print on a white background. The trim was a solid teal fabric and a pink polka dot fabric. The colors were soft, but more vibrant than pastel. Tris took another screenshot and sent it to Eric.

T: Do you like this?

E: Do you?

T: So that's a no?

E: I like it.

T: Don't doubt yourself, Warrior. Your opinion matters. It's your house.

E: I like it. Where can I buy it?

Tris sent Eric the link. A few minutes later, he texted again.

E: You're spoon feeding me and I'm still lost. There are like a dozen things on there. What do I get?

Tris looked at the order page and laughed.

T: You're right, there's a lot of stuff on that page. I was only looking at overall pictures. Give me a minute.

Tris looked at all the options on the website. The crib quilt and skirt were a definite yes. The hamper looked flimsy. The window valance would be cute above the soft white blinds that were already installed.

T: Quilt, crib skirt, 2 valance panels, and a throw pillow. You can add the bumper pad if you like it, but it's not necessary.

T: We'll get solid-colored sheets cheaper somewhere else, and a plastic hamper from Walmart would be sturdier.

E: I don't know what I would do without you.

T: You would be fine. Her room would stay beige, but she would be safe and loved, and that's what matters.

E: I just want her to have everything.

T: Welcome to parenthood.

.

On Saturday morning Eric arrived at the Priors' home while Natalie and Andrew were lingering over their morning coffee. He chatted with the couple for a few minutes until Tris walked in with Ava.

"Daddy's here!" Tris told the baby, who squealed and waved her hands. She turned her so Eric could see his daughter's outfit. Ava was dressed in a long-sleeved white onesie that said "Daddy's Princess" in burgundy script. It matched her burgundy, pink, and green abstract floral pants. A headband in the same floral print with a burgundy fabric flower adorned the baby's head.

"Good morning, Baby Girl!" Eric said in a husky voice as he reached for his daughter.

"She's happy this morning," Tris commented. "I told her we were going shopping."

"Uh oh," Eric said in a teasing voice. "Are you a shopper already? Gonna make Daddy hang out at the mall and buy you things?"

Ava blew bubbles with her mouth, and Natalie chuckled. "That's her thing lately, the mouth bubbles."

"Let me get a picture while she's clean and happy," Tris said, pulling out her phone.

Once Ava was bundled up and her diaper bag was packed, Tris helped Eric get the car seat secured in the back seat of his truck. As they started on the forty-five minute drive to IKEA, Eric reached across the console to squeeze Tris' hand.

"I love Ava's outfit," he said.

"I actually ordered it while we were waiting for your test results," Tris said. "Once we knew Melinda was her mom, I could see you in Ava's face. I knew."

"Me too," Eric admitted. "I kept telling myself not to get my hopes up, but I knew."

"Wait until you see what I got her for hockey season!" Tris exclaimed, making Eric laugh at her eagerness. "It's a black long-sleeved onesie that says 'You call him coach; I call him Daddy,' and a tutu in all the faction colors."

Eric sighed. "I have a feeling hockey season is going to be tough to juggle."

"You'll figure it out," Tris assured him. "Most dads work."

"Yes," Eric replied, "but most of them aren't orphaned twenty-one year old single parents."

"You know, I'm starting to get a little insulted," Tris said. "I'm right here. I've been here since day one. I'll be here after graduation and when school starts next year. I expect to be at that baby's first birthday party, and her twenty-first! I'm not going to get bored with her and run off like some kid with a toy. In my heart, that baby is mine, and I'm going to be here as long as you'll put up with me. You only have to do this alone if you choose to!"

Eric reached for Tris' hand again, but she pulled it away to swipe at the angry tears leaking out of her eyes.

"Duchess," Eric said gently, offering his hand palm up. "Your life is just beginning. I don't want to hold you back or take advantage of you."

Tris dropped her hand in Eric's. "Warrior, did you just call me 'Duchess'?"

"You don't like it?" Eric asked nervously. "I thought it sounded kind of regal and boss babe. Is Queen Bea better? It goes with your name."

Tris laughed. "You've been thinking about this."

"I know I shouldn't say this, but I think about you a lot," Eric confessed quietly.

"I think about you, too," Tris replied, blushing as she wove her fingers with Eric's.

"We can't do this," Eric said sadly, lifting their joined hands to kiss Tris' before pulling away.

Tris nodded in agreement as she folded her hands in her lap. "Less than two months until graduation," she said.

"Seven weeks," Eric replied.

"And you'll be busy getting Ava settled," Tris offered.

"And you have finals and a graduation open house to prepare for," Eric said.

"May twenty-first will be here before we know it," Tris said, referencing her graduation date.

"Duchess, will you have dinner with me on May twenty-second?" Eric asked.

Tris laughed. "Not after graduation on the twenty-first?"

"I figured you would be with your family," Eric said, "and the senior class all-nighter is that night."

"You confuse me, Eric," Tris said. "One minute you're telling me that you don't want to presume I'll be there, and the next minute you're giving me nicknames and planning to take me out the first day it's allowed."

"I told you that I've been thinking about you," he explained. "I was afraid to presume that I had a chance, and worried about holding you back. But then you gave me that passionate speech, and called me 'Warrior,' so I just went for it."

They drove quietly for a while, both lost in their own thoughts as their brains battled with their hearts and hormones.

As he pulled the truck into the IKEA parking lot, Eric spoke quietly. "You haven't answered my questions."

"Questions?" Tris asked.

"Questions," Eric repeated as he pulled into a parking spot and shut off the truck. "Are you okay with 'Duchess' or 'Queen Bea'?"

"They're both better than 'Jailbait,'" Tris replied with a smile. "I like 'Duchess,' but let's just save it for when we're alone, at least for now."

"Deal," Eric said.

They climbed out of the truck, and Tris helped Eric into a solid green baby-wearing sling. She placed Ava securely in the sling against her father's chest. Putting one hand on the baby's back and one on Eric's shoulder, she smiled up at the large man.

"You're a natural, Warrior, and this is good bonding time with your daughter."

"Thank you, Duchess," Eric replied, patting the hand Tris rested on the baby's back.

.

AN: So apparently I forgot about the Pinterest board for this story. I'll get that updated. The floorplan of Eric's townhouse is on there, and the nursery bedding. This is a good chapter to check that out. Just search for AnnLiberty (one word) on Pinterest.

Thank you for reading, and I'm loving all the reviews!