After a successful shopping trip, Eric took Tris and Ava home to the Priors' house. He helped Tris carry her things to the door, but didn't come inside. Andrew and Natalie were away at an event, so Eric left as soon as the girls and their things were safely in the house.
Tris spent the evening playing with the baby. She gave Ava a bath at bedtime, and when the little one was peacefully sleeping in her crib, Tris started working on Ava's laundry and her own homework. When she was getting herself ready for bed, Tris' phone lit up with a text.
E: D, you never did answer my other question. Your W
T: W, what question? Your D
E: May 22?
Tris did a quick internet search, found an image of a magic 8-ball toy showing "ask again later," and took a screenshot. She sent the image to Eric.
E: Do you want me to beg?
T: No, I want you to wait. If you're still interested in May, you can ask again.
E: I already know I'll be interested.
T: Then do it for me. So I know you're asking because you want to and not because you said something in March that you wish you hadn't.
E: The only thing regrettable about you is that I can't ask sooner.
T: You're smooth, W. I'll see you tomorrow. Good night.
E: Sweet dreams, D.
.
On Sunday Tris attended church with her parents and baby Ava. After a quick lunch at home, they changed into work clothes and packed up supplies before driving to Eric's townhome.
Tris was surprised to see that Eric had already assembled the dresser and crib they bought at IKEA. The upstairs door knobs were all changed, too, and they now matched the bronze knobs he had previously installed.
"You work quick," Andrew complimented Eric.
"I went to the hardware store for the paint yesterday afternoon after dropping off the girls," Eric explained. "I figured while I was there I might as well grab the knobs. They were a quick switch."
"Painting one little room and some drawer faces won't take long," Tris said. "I thought this would be a bigger project. Furniture assembly can be time-consuming."
"I bought paint for this bathroom, too," Eric said. "If you like the color, maybe we could get that done also."
"If I like it?" Tris asked. "It's your house."
"I'm no good at decorating," Eric said. "The color is called 'palest sherbet,' or something like that. I tried to match another color from the crib bedding."
"That sounds beautiful and sunny," Natalie said. "Ava and I will be staying downstairs - away from the paint fumes. I brought dinner, so I'll get that started and in the oven while she naps."
"Is there something else I can help with?" Andrew asked. "I could do the taping in the bathroom so that's ready to paint when you're done in the nursery."
"That would be great," Eric said. "I also have new door knobs for the bathrooms, and new handles for the linen closet and bedroom closets."
"I can do that," Andrew agreed with a smile.
"I also need you to show me how to install cabinet latches," Eric said. "I bought them for the bathroom vanities and kitchen cupboards, but I'm not sure how they work, and I don't want to damage my cabinets."
"I'm very familiar," Andrew assured him. "Between our own kids and the years we fostered, I have lots of experience with cabinet locks."
"They're in a bag with the rest of the doorknobs. It's sitting on the kitchen table," Eric said.
"I need you to set up the playpen for Ava, too," Natalie reminded her husband.
Tris' parents took the baby and went back downstairs. Tris had been examining the paint for the dresser drawer faces, and she suggested that they start with that. They prepared the two bottom drawers, then Tris painted them the darkest shade of teal while Eric prepared the middle drawers.
"I did something a little silly," Eric said sheepishly.
Tris raised an eyebrow and waited for Eric to continue as she began painting the second drawer face.
"There was this display at the hardware store," he said. "They had, um, drawer pull knobs that looked like sparkly gems. They came in lots of colors, and two sizes."
"O-kay," Tris said.
"So I got teal ones for the bottom drawers, watery blue ones for the middle drawers, and clear ones for the top drawers and the closet doors. I know it's silly, but it was only like twenty dollars for all of them, and I had to buy new closet knobs anyway."
"That's going to be so cute," Tris said. "I can't wait for the drawers to dry so I can see it all together!"
"Really?" Eric asked. "You don't think it's dumb?"
"Not at all," Tris assured him. "Girls love bling."
"Thank you, Duchess."
"Get back to work, Warrior."
"Slave driver."
.
Eric and Tris had the dresser drawers and nursery walls painted by the time Natalie had dinner ready. Eric cleaned the paintbrushes and roller cover while Tris changed the closet door knobs. Andrew had the bathroom ready for paint, and cabinet locks on the kitchen cabinets. He had also assembled a gift that the Priors brought for Eric. They were all waiting in the dining side of the eat-in kitchen when Eric came downstairs.
"Look at you!" Eric said to his daughter, who greeted him from a highchair with a smile and mouth bubbles.
Eric pursed his lips and returned the gesture, blowing a raspberry at the reclining baby and making her giggle.
"You guys brought a lot of equipment," Eric said, gesturing at the playpen and highchair set up in his living and dining areas.
"We brought the playpen from home," Natalie said, "but the highchair is a gift. Ava starts solid food soon, so this is our baby gift to you. You'll get lots of use out of it, and it's completely adjustable, so it will grow with her until she's ready to sit at the table."
"You guys are amazing," Eric said as he gave Natalie a grateful hug. "Every time I see you, you spoil us."
"Get used to it," Andrew said. "The other day I swear I heard her teaching Ava to say 'grandma.'"
"I did not!" Natalie said, swatting at her husband.
Everyone enjoyed the dinner Natalie prepared, as well as the company. When they finished eating, Tris and Eric started painting the bathroom while Natalie washed the dishes and Andrew went back to work on the latches and door knobs.
"If I wanted to paint my bedroom and bathroom, would you come help me?" Eric asked Tris.
"Next week, or after graduation?"
"You'll keep me honest, won't you, Duchess?" Eric said, laughing.
"Someone has to," she teased, bumping his hip with her own.
"Six weeks and five days," he said, bumping her hip in return.
.
On Monday morning Tris received a sweet good morning text from Eric. In the afternoon the social worker called him to schedule his home study and interview for Thursday after school. He texted Tris with the news, and she assured him that everything would be fine and Ava would be home with him soon.
.
On Tuesday Eric and Tris exchanged morning greetings again. That afternoon he messaged her to say that the crib bedding and accessories had arrived. She instructed him to wash the bedding with the gentle detergent he bought for Ava's things.
.
On Wednesday the good morning greetings included an invitation for Tris and Natalie to come over for dinner at Eric's, put the nursery together, and make sure everything was ready for the home study.
Naturally, the Prior women agreed. When Eric greeted them at the door, Tris noticed a new blue rug in the foyer. A basket for the remote controls, and several framed photos of Eric's parents, Ava with Eric, and Ava with the Priors had been added to the credenza under the television.
The kitchen and dining area were spotlessly clean, with Ava's highchair on one end of the table and three places set for dinner. Eric showed them the bottles, dishes, spoons, and bibs that he had bought, washed, and put away for his daughter. He pointed out the baby gate that created a barrier between the kitchen and the mudroom that led to the garage.
Upstairs Eric pointed out that he had removed the books from the lowest shelves in the loft area and replaced them with fabric baskets that would eventually hold toys. He reminded them of the locking door knobs on the gym and laundry room, and pointed out the cabinet locks that Andrew had installed.
Eric led the women into Ava's room. The walls were dry and all the switch plates were put back with outlet covers installed. The closet doors had their new crystal knobs, and the large upholstered rocker had been delivered. Everything was gathered in a heap in the center of the room, waiting for Tris and Eric to set it up.
Eric opened the door to the bathroom so Natalie could see the soft orange wall color, and both women could see the white bathroom accessories he had added to the space. The formerly unused bathroom now had pastel teal towels, and basics like toilet paper and a box of tissues.
Tris slid open the pocket door that separated the double vanity from the toilet and tub.
"Eric!" she squealed when she saw the shower curtain. The bare fiberglass tub surround and toilet had been the only things in the room, but now there was a teal, orange, and white chevron-patterned shower curtain with an adorable cartoon fox over the stripes. "This is the cutest thing I've ever seen! Where did you find it?"
Eric grinned proudly. "I saw it when I was buying the towels. I got that too," he said, pointing to a light teal canvas with a large daisy painted on it in shades of orange.
"Eric Coulter, is that wall art?" Tris teased. "I thought you only knew how to hang giant televisions."
"It wouldn't fit," he teased back. "I had to try something new."
"It's adorable," Natalie assured him as Tris threw her arm around Eric's shoulders and squeezed.
Back in the kitchen they enjoyed a simple dinner together. Natalie offered to handle the dishes while Eric and Tris hung the valance, put knobs on the dresser and reassembled it, and moved the furniture and accessories into place.
Eric added the changing pad to the top of the dresser and plugged in the baby monitor. He set a basket of diaper changing supplies on the dresser, and a white photo frame with a picture of Tris holding Ava on the day she found the newborn and saved her life. Meanwhile, Tris put the bedskirt on the crib, then added the mattress cover and sheets on the crib mattress. She smoothed the quilt over the sheet, and put the matching throw pillow on the upholstered rocker under the window.
The two of them stepped back to take in the finished room. Tears sprang to Tris' eyes when she saw the picture of herself and Ava on the dresser.
"This is beautiful," Eric said, his voice soft with emotion.
"The walls are a bit bare," Tris said. "But I'd say we did a damn good job in just a few days. We have everything necessary, and it's adorable."
Eric pulled Tris into his chest, wrapped his muscular arms around her petite frame, and kissed the top of her head. It felt good and right having her in his arms.
"Six weeks and two days," he said.
Tris pulled away from Eric's embrace. "Go get your daughter so she can see her room. We'll do her bedtime routine here tonight, then Mom and I will take her home."
.
On Thursday Tris instigated the morning greeting texts with Eric. She assured him that everything was ready for his home inspection, and reminded him that social services wanted to reunite families.
When she came home for lunch, Tris sent Eric a picture of Ava wearing a bib that said, "I love my daddy."
Tris decided to go for a run after school. She retraced the path she had run on Christmas Eve. Nearly four months had passed since that fateful morning, and nearly every day of it had revolved around Ava.
Tris remembered how tiny Ava had been that day, and how dirty and cold. She thought about the ambulance ride, and the hours she spent in the waiting room at the hospital. She hadn't dared to hope that tiny baby would be part of her life; she had only hoped that someone would tell her the baby was going to survive.
Tris ran around the KMart building, now a construction site as it was being renovated. She stopped when she saw the trashcan along the sidewalk, and realized that she was crying.
For a few minutes Tris just stood and cried. She thought of Melinda, who fought her demons long enough to bring a tiny but healthy baby into the world, then dumped it beside a garbage can. She thought of Eric, grieving for the child he lost without knowing she was right there in his arms. She thought about Ava, and the precious life that almost wasn't.
Suddenly exhausted, Tris began to walk toward home. It was growing dark when she got there, and she went right to the shower without speaking to her mother.
"Have you spoken to Eric?" Natalie asked as they sat down to dinner.
Tris just shook her head. She hadn't looked at her phone since she shut off the music halfway through her run.
"The interview and inspection went well," Natalie told her daughter. "Sally said she'll be here to take Ava home tomorrow afternoon."
Tris nodded. She picked at her food for a few more minutes, then cleared her dishes and lifted Ava out of the baby swing.
Tris spent the rest of the evening snuggling with the baby. She bathed Ava, changed her into pajamas, and gave the baby her bedtime bottle.
Once Ava was tucked in for the night, Tris retreated to her bedroom. She climbed into her bed and tried to read some homework, but she couldn't concentrate. Her phone lit up, and Tris took it off the charger and unlocked the screen. She saw three missed calls from Eric and a number of texts.
E: Here goes nothing, right?
E: The visit went well, I passed with flying colors!
E: Call me back when you can.
E: I hope everything is okay.
E: Please call me, I'm getting worried.
Tris felt a wave of guilt wash over her and decided to text back as she didn't trust her voice.
T: Everything is fine. I'm sorry. My phone was on the charger.
Within seconds Tris' phone lit up and began playing the chorus of Imagine Dragons' Warriors, the song she chose for Eric's ringtone after the Hot for Teacher prank. She sent the call to voicemail and composed a text instead.
T: I'm glad everything went well today. This is the best possible outcome for Ava and you will be an amazing dad - you already are. I'm just feeling overwhelmed and selfish. I can't believe this is Ava's last night with us.
E: She'll be back on Monday to spend the day with you and Natalie.
T: I know. And getting to stay in her life is more than I could have hoped for. I always knew this day was coming. But it's going to be different without her smile and her evening bath and everything. I don't know what I will do with myself.
E: You can be 18 again - get your social life back.
T: I don't want a social life. I want my baby.
It took Tris a few minutes to hit send on her last reply. She knew that she was being selfish. She knew she should be happy for Eric and Ava. They belonged together. This was right. But it still hurt.
The fact that Eric had become the person she talked to about her feelings made this especially hard. Tris had tried to keep it to herself. But while Eric was celebrating his daughter's homecoming, Tris was mourning the change in her own life.
Feeling guilty, Tris texted Eric again.
T: I'm sorry. I should be celebrating with you and I'm bringing you down.
E: And I should be comforting you, but I'm causing your pain.
E: Please answer the phone.
A moment later, Tris' now silent phone lit with an incoming call from Eric, which she accepted.
"Duchess," Eric said softly when he heard her sniffle. "I'm so sorry you're upset. I should have been more sensitive."
"I'm... being... ridiculous," Tris choked out. "I went for a run earlier… I ended up back… back where I found Ava. It just… it hit me suddenly. How much really hap… happened that day. How much she… she changed my life, and… and how much she means… to me!"
Eric began to speak soothingly, hoping his words would get through to the young woman he cared about. "I know you say that you were just in the right place at the right time that morning, but I also know that you don't believe in coincidence. God could have sent anyone to find Ava, but He sent you. You saved my daughter's life, Tris. You gave me back what I thought was lost forever. You took to her like she was your own child and you gave yourself wholeheartedly to her. She has felt your love since day one. You gave her the perfect little name, and she gave you her first smile. You generously kept a detailed baby journal so Ava's forever family could share in the first months of her life. You maintained her privacy even when your friends didn't understand, and pestered you about your attachment to 'some foster kid.' You took on the sleepless nights and the dirty diapers, and you did it all with superhuman patience and love. You and Ava have such a deep connection. You've promised to stay in her life, and I'm going to hold you to it. She needs you. I need you. You're a member of our family, Duchess."
Eric paused for a moment, but heard nothing but Tris' slow, steady breathing on the other end. "Duchess?" he asked quietly. "Are you there?"
A sleepy murmur was the only reply from Tris, followed by more deep, even breathing. Eric chuckled. I got one crying girl to sleep, he thought. I hope I'm that successful with Ava.
"Good night, Sweetheart," Eric said as he hung up the phone.
.
Tris was reluctant to go to class on Monday morning and leave Ava. "You'll see her after school," Natalie assured her daughter. "Sally isn't picking her up until four o'clock."
Tris went to the community college, but she was distracted all morning. When she went home for lunch, Natalie had already packed up most of Ava's things, and they were sitting in the foyer, waiting for the social worker.
Tris picked at her lunch, then cuddled with Ava until it was time to go to the high school.
In civics class, Christina passed Tris a note. "U OK?" it read. Tris shook her head no, and pulled out her phone when the teacher's back was turned.
T: Baby goes home today.
C: Home, home? Like back to the deadbeats who got her taken away?
T: It's not like that at all. This is a good thing.
C: That's not what your face says.
T: I'm going to miss her.
C: Want to go shopping tomorrow?
T: Sure.
T: Maybe next weekend you can sleep over, and I can finally tell you the whole story.
.
When Tris got home, Ava was fully packed and dressed in her "Daddy's Princess" outfit. She squealed and flailed when she saw Tris, and Tris smiled and entertained the baby while Natalie put things away and gathered baby items that were scattered throughout the house.
The social worker arrived right on time, and Tris and Natalie stood on the front step together as they watched her drive away with Ava.