A/N: I want to thank all of you for following, favoriting and reviewing this story. You guys are amazing! Thank you so much for your support and the lovely compliments and comments, both review and PM.
5
Tris' POV
Thanksgiving.
Tobias and I are on our way to my parent's house. I promised mom to help her with the meal and both dad and Tobias offered to help as best they could. I feel much better now after my accident. I had headaches the first few days, but they are gone now.
After we got home from the hospital Tobias and I sat down and discussed the loss of the baby. It was more painful than I thought. The more I thought about it the more it hurt. When we first got the news we didn't feel much, since we didn't have time to process everything, but after a couple of days of "what ifs" we realized how much it truly affected us.
The whole experience had a bright side after all. He and I both discussed our future. None of us mentioned marriage or anything, but we both see ourselves staying together for a long while and maybe even have a baby. The subject is still a delicate one, especially today. Last night I woke up from a terrible nightmare and it took Tobias nearly an hour to calm me down. I dreamed of that day when Nita pushed me only to be taken into a nursery where Tobias held a baby in a blue blanket. I thought he was rocking the baby to sleep, but the baby was dead. Dream Tobias looked up at me with hatred and accused me of killing our child. I honestly don't know what hurt me more, my dead baby or seeing the look full of hate on his face. When I told Tobias about my dream he made me look into his eyes and he repeated over and over again that he loves me no matter what and if anyone is to blame for our baby's death that's Nita. He would never do that. Logically, I agree with him, but my heart constricts painfully when I think about it.
As for Nita she got arrested and convicted to three years on probation and she has to pay me damages – the hospitalization and the recovery therapy I had to go through. Our lawyer suggested we should include the loss of our baby, but I was against it. I don't want Nita to know she caused my baby's death and I don't want to use that for some monetary gain. Tobias agreed with me immediately without saying anything else. We both want this to be behind us.
We soon arrive at my parents' house and Tobias parks the car in the driveway. We get out and he grabs the flowers for mom and the wine bottle for dad. We knock on the front door and dad opens it smiling.
"Hello, Bumblebee" he says and kisses my temple.
"Hey dad, Happy Thanksgiving" I say.
"Hey Andrew, Happy Thanksgiving" Tobias says from behind me.
"Happy Thanksgiving, kids. Good to see you, son" he says and hugs Tobias. We both get inside and Tobias hands dad the bottle.
"Where's Natalie?"
"In the kitchen" my dad says and Tobias walks into the kitchen with the huge flower bouquet. "How's your head?" dad asks me as he takes my coat.
"Better. I didn't have any headaches and two days ago I went for my final check-up and the doctor says everything is fine" I tell him. We both walk into the kitchen were mom puts her bouquet in a large crystal vase.
"Thank you for the beautiful flowers, sweetheart" mom says and comes over to hug me. "Happy Thanksgiving!"
"Happy Thanksgiving, mom. What can I do?"
We spend the next few hours cooking, occasionally helped by our men. I'm so glad dad and Tobias get along. Around two p.m. Tobias leaves with dad and goes to the airport to pick up Caleb. Uncle Joe and aunt Ellie soon arrive together with my little cousin Hector, followed by Evelyn, Clark and Rose. While Uncle Joe and Clark sit in the living room watching the football game, Hector and Rose play outside, and Evelyn and Aunt Ellie help mom and me. Around three p.m. dad and Tobias are still not back yet, but instead our friends came. Shauna and Zeke brought a chocolate cake, which she quickly brought over into the kitchen and put in the fridge for later. Marlene and Christina each baked a pie and Lynn made some punch.
"Honey, we're home" dad yells as he comes in. Mom quickly cleans her hands and runs outside to greet my brother. I do the same and rush out. Mom peppers his face with kisses and he laughs and smiles and blushes slightly. "Enough, honey, you embarrass him in front of his girlfriend" I hear my dad say.
"Girlfriend?" I ask.
"Yeah" Caleb says shyly and looks at her. She looks familiar, but I can't really place her.
"Cara?" I hear Will ask.
"Will?" she asks.
"Wait" I say. "That's your sister?" I ask.
"Yeah" he says and walks over to hug her, while I hug Caleb.
We all sit down in the living room talking and getting to know each other. I learn that my dear brother kept his beautiful girlfriend hidden because of me. Everyone was so concerned about my wellbeing and walked on egg shells around me that it really gets on my nerves now.
"Dinner is ready" mom says coming into the living room. We all get up and go into the dining room. We all sit down and wait for dad to say grace.
"How about Bumblebee says grace?" he asks.
"Dad, you know I don't like that. You do it" I whine.
"Come on, sweetheart. I'm sure you'll do just fine" he assures me. I take a deep breath and think of what to say.
"Dear God" I say and look around.
"You need to close your eyes, sis" Caleb says.
"Oh, right" I say and close them. "Dear God" I start over again.
"Bee, it's a prayer, not a letter to Santa" I hear Shauna and open my eyes to glare at her.
"If you're so smart why don't you do it?" I say.
"Girls, please, no fighting at the dinner table" mom scolds.
"Sorry, mom."
"Sorry, Aunt Natalie."
"Please, honey, say your prayer" mom instructs.
"Dear God." Pause. "Long time no see, huh? It's me, Tris. I know we haven't spoken in a while. Actually, I think I was five or six last time and I asked you for a mountain bike. By the way, what's up with that? I thought you were cool."
"Beatrice" mom scolds.
"Alright. I see your fandom is well supported here. I'm still waiting for my bike" I say.
"Beatrice" mom says more forcefully.
"So, God. Thanks a lot for everyone here, the good food, the awesome weather. Would be cool of you if…" I say but mom interrupts.
"Beatrice Elisabeth Prior" I hear mom say and open my eyes.
"What?" I ask and everyone starts laughing.
"If you ask for that damn mountain bike again I'm going to ground you" she says.
"Wow, mom's mad" Caleb says.
"Be quiet, young man" mom says.
"Mom, I told you I'm no good at this. I never know what to say to God" I defend.
"Say what's in your heart, give thanks for what you have" she says more gentle now.
"Alright. Okay. Hey, God. Tris again. Thanks for all the people in my life. Mom, do I need to name all of them?" I ask and a few of the guests chuckle.
"No, God knows who you mean" she says exasperated.
"What are you five?" Lynn asks.
"What? It's not my fault we don't usually said grace. I mean, your dad is a minister, mine is an engineer" I say to her.
"Bee, we said grace" Caleb says.
"When?"
"Always. You were just too busy with anything else" he says.
"Kids, we go off topic here. Bee, please finish so that we can eat" dad says.
"Okay" I close my eyes again and say the first thing I remember from when I was little. "Good bread, good meat, good God, let's eat. Amen."
"Amen" my cousins and my brother say in unison.
"Thank you, Bumblebee. That was uhm… good" my dad says.
"I hope you never make me do that again" I say and he chuckles.
Everyone enjoys this Thanksgiving dinner, all worries and problems temporarily forgotten. Caleb tells us about his promotion and his and Cara's plans to move in together. After everyone is done eating we move back into the living room and decide to play Pictionary. We play boys v. girls and decide that whoever loses does the dishes. Caleb and I go first for our respective teams. The first word is nail polish. We use the two old blackboards we used to play with as kids to draw our pictures. I'm quicker than he is and Christina, obviously, is the first to get it. One point for the girls and nada for the boys. The next pair is mom and Uncle Joe. Mom starts by making a circle and draws little points inside it. I don't know if I want some right now or not, but that circle looks like a cookie.
"Chocolate chip cookie" I yell.
"Yes" mom says excited.
"Woohoo. Two points for the girls and nothing for the boys" Shauna cheers.
The game goes on until all of us, even Hector and Rose, get to the boards at least once. At some point Hector demands cake so mom goes into the kitchen to get it out of the fridge. She cuts it so that everyone gets a slice and the girls and I help her taking the plates into the living room. Since the girls won, the guys now have to do the dishes. All the women sit around in the living room and we talk about the upcoming Christmas season. We decide to get together one weekend and go shopping together. I want to get something for Tobias, but I really don't know what. We usually buy each other stuff all the time. I mean, if I see something that I think he might like or need I just get it, regardless if it's some holiday or anniversary or just a regular day. Sometimes I just want to get my baby nice things. This is why I have no clue what to get him.
"I already got something for Zeke" Shauna says.
"What?" Marlene asks and I'm curious to know too. She looks toward the kitchen were the men are still trying to figure out how to use the dishwasher (I'm teasing or maybe not) and when she's satisfied he can't hear her she whispers to us. "Sky diving lessons. I didn't have money for more than two times. But I still think he will like it. He always says he wants to try it out at least."
"That sounds great" Christina says and the others agree.
"How about you get Four some sky diving lessons too?" Shauna asks. Not gonna happen. Tobias might be tough but he is afraid of heights and sky diving – out of the question.
"No, that's your present for Zeke. I wanna get him something more personal" I say and she just shrugs. I glance toward Evelyn and she smiles and nods slightly. She and I are probably the only ones who know of his fears.
"What are the ladies whispering about?" Tobias asks as he sits down on the arm rest of the chair I'm sitting in. He bends down and kisses my forehead.
"Nothing important, just chit-chatting about Christmas dinner" I say.
"You guys just provided us with a delicious Thanksgiving dinner and you already plan the next big holiday meal?" he asks with a chuckle.
"Well, we need to keep our men fed" mom says smiling.
Soon after Tobias and I say goodbye and head back home. We keep quiet until Tobias suddenly starts laughing. I look over at him and try to figure out what he could possibly find so funny.
"What?" I ask.
"You suck at saying grace" he says and laughs.
"If you thought I sucked why didn't you say grace then?" I ask pouting.
"Oh, come on, babe. Don't pout. Besides, why would I stop you from trying? It was hilarious."
"Oh, shut up, Eaton" I say and look out the window.
"I'm sorry. I didn't mean to upset you" he says bashful.
"It's okay. I'm not upset. I just hate that. I don't know how to pray. My mom always tried to teach me, but I never really paid attention" I say and still look out of the window.
"I guess I'll have to teach our kids how to pray" he says quietly with a chuckle.
"What?" I ask turning to look at him.
"You heard that?" he asks a little surprised.
"Yeah. You think of us having kids?" I ask.
"Well, yeah. Someday. If you like" he says and glances my way from time to time. I look ahead to watch the road and think for a moment of what he said.
"Yeah, I'd like that" I finally say.
"Good" he says and keeps driving. I look outside and don't recognize where we are.
"Tobias, this isn't the way home" I say.
"Very observant, Ms. Prior."
"Care to tell me where we're going?" I ask with a chuckle.
"Nope, it's a surprise" he says smirking.
"Come on. Tell me" I plead.
"No. We're almost there anyway" he says.
"Really? You take me to the middle of freaking nowhere?" I ask with a raised eyebrow.
"It's not… okay it is. But I chose it one purpose" he says with a chuckle.
"Oh my God. You are an ax murderer and you take me into the woods to chop me up" I say in a dramatic voice.
"What? No!" he says laughing.
"You are a warlock and you take me into the woods to sacrifice me to some god" I suggest.
"No. What the hell, Tris? Where did you get this stuff?" he asks laughing.
"Movies" I say and sit back in my seat.
"I thought since we have an extended weekend we could just go some place, just the two of us" he says.
"Aw, that's so sweet. But I don't have anything packed."
"I packed for you" he says.
"Really? Everything I might need?" I ask skeptically.
"Yup. I packed your toiletries, tooth brush, hair comb, clothes, underwear. I even bought tampons, although it's still early for your period" he says.
"How'd you know that?" I ask surprised.
"I pay attention."
"Really?"
"Yeah. Five to seven days before your period you have mood swings, nothing big and you have some strange cravings for salt and sweet at the same time. You cry during movies…" he continues and I stop him.
"So what if I cry? I cry all the time during movies" I say.
"Yeah, but not when it's funny. And also your boobs are a bit bigger before your period and more importantly if I touch them you look at me like you could kill me" he says and glances my way.
"That's because the suckers hurt" I say and grab them in my palms kneading them.
"Oh, God. That's so hot, baby" he says.
"We there yet?" I ask and keep on playing with my boobs through my sweater.
"Almost."
I let go of myself and let him drive without teasing him any further. It's really nice what he did. A weekend away, just the two of us sounds very nice. And after all that crap with Nita I really need it. We soon park in front of a beautiful cabin and I immediately get out to get a closer look.
"Tobias, this looks beautiful."
"Wait to see it during the day. When I first saw it I knew I would bring someone special here someday. And wait to see the inside" he says while getting our bags. "And there's a hot tub" he adds and I look at him in wonder.
"Really?"
"Yeah. I thought you might like that" he says grinning. He locks the car and we walk up to the front door. He fishes out the key and opens the door, allowing me to enter first. It's pitch black inside and I look for a light switch on the left side of the wall, but can't find any. Tobias turns it on instead and I see the switch right next to the door on the right wall. I look around the room in awe. It's not too big, but cozy. The fireplace is still cold but Tobias already moved over there to warm this place up.
"Do you even know how to do that?" I ask him.
"Of course, I know. I went camping with dad and he taught me" he says focused on his task.
"Where's the tub?" I ask.
"Upstairs, but I suggest we use it tomorrow, after this place is really warm. I don't want you to get sick" he says and finally managed to light a fire.
"Aw, you are so protective" I say and walk over to kiss him softly on the cheek. I walk upstairs to inspect the rest of the cabin. Right at the end of the stairs is the hot tub and to my right is a door. I open it and find the bathroom. It's not big, but it has everything we might need. I decide to unpack our bags to keep myself warm and occupied until it's time for bed.
"Need any help?" Tobias asks as I pick up the bags.
"Yes, please. What the hell did you put in here?" I ask lifting up one of the big groceries bags.
"Food, drinks and other snacks" he says. "Let me stock the fridge and you put the clothes away. There's a drawer next to the bed."
I do as he says and when I'm finished with our clothes, and by the way, that little sneaky bastard put some very sexy lingerie in my bag, I go upstairs to put our toiletries away. I finish in the bathroom and make my way back downstairs. Immediately I'm hit by a combination of scents – vanilla, cinnamon and strawberry. Tobias turned off the lights and the only light source is the fireplace and a few scented candles. I make sure not to trip and fall and make my way to him. He sits down on a comfy pillow in front of the fire place, a bottle of champagne in an ice bucket and two elegant glasses next to it. I smile and sit on the pillow opposite of Tobias.
"What's this all for?" I ask.
"Can't I spoil my girl?" he asks smirking.
"You can, but I'd still like to know" I say.
"Aren't you a curious little Bee" he says using my family's nickname for me.
"You should know the answer to that one" I tease.
"I do. But I have a question for you" he says a little serious and nervous I might add.
"Sure. Hit me" I say playful.
"Tris, you know I'm not really good with words, but I love you. More than anything. Before I met you I didn't believe in love, let alone love at first sight. You are more than just my girlfriend. You are my best friend, who knows all my secrets, all my fears and all my desires. You are my partner, because I want to know your opinion. I never feel like I have to do something for you or with you, but I want to. When I look at you I see my whole life ahead. I see a nice house, with a large backyard. I see a dog and a cat and maybe a hamster" he says chuckling. "I see children running around, playing and having fun. I see movie nights with our kids. I see us dancing at our 50th anniversary. I see us grow old." At this point my eyes are so watery, that I barely see him. "Tris" he says and shifts from a sitting position to kneeling on one leg. "You are the love of my life, you are the sunshine that shines into the darkest corner of my existence, you are everything to me. I love you with all my heart. Will you do me the honor of becoming my wife?" he asks and streams of tears run down my face. I am so choked up that I can't form any words and just nod. He smiles his brilliant smile and crashes his lips over mine. We kiss passionately and with abandon until we can't breathe anymore and let go just slightly. Tobias rests his forehead on mine and we both smile.
"Yes, Tobias, a million times yes" I say panting.
"Here" he says and slips the ring on my finger. I was so focused on him that I haven't even noticed the small black velvet box in his hands when he proposed.
"Tobias, it's beautiful. I love it" I say and kiss his lips again. I hold my hand in front of me to examine the ring more carefully. It's white gold with a single diamond and a Celtic design. It's gorgeous. Tobias really knows me and what I like.
"I'm glad you like it. The moment I saw it I knew that was the one. Just as I knew when I saw you" he says and I look from my ring to him.
"Come on. You can't possibly tell me you knew when you met me that you would want to marry me" I say with a raised eyebrow.
"Okay, maybe not right away, but I knew I wanted to get to know you better and kiss you senseless" he says and licks his lips.
"Well, since we're so honest, when I first saw you I wanted to grab your hand, drag you up to my room, rip your clothes off and ride you like no tomorrow" I say and he laughs.
"Like no tomorrow?" he teases.
"Like no tomorrow" I confirm.
"You're so full of … ideas" he says.
"Yeah. Be careful, it's contagious" I say and he kisses me again.
"We should toast" he says and opens the bottle with a loud pop. I hold up the two glasses and he pours the exquisite beverage into them. He puts the bottle back into the ice bucket to keep it cool and I hand him one of the glasses. "To my beautiful fiancée" he says.
"To my gorgeous fiancé" I reply.
"To a life full of love and happiness" he adds.
"To us" I say and we both take sip of the cool champagne.
We sit down more comfortable, Tobias leaning against the armchair and me leaning against his chest, a fluffy white blanket over us to keep us warm, although the fireplace really warmed up the cabin. And not to mention all the heated kisses we shared so far plus the alcohol.
"How did you even find this place?" I ask after a while.
"It's my dad's. He comes here fishing sometimes. And some of those times I joined him" he says.
"So, that's how you know your way around here" I say looking up at him.
"Yeah."
"Did you tell anyone? I mean about this?" I ask and hold my left hand up to show off my beautiful engagement ring. He takes my hand in his and kisses my finger with the ring on it.
"Zeke knew. He went ring shopping with me. My dad also knew, since I told him I wanted to propose to you here. And your dad found out today, actually" he says.
"Dad? Really?"
"Yeah. I had to ask for your hand in marriage. We wanted to tell your mom, but since it was supposed to be a surprise we kept it to ourselves."
"Is this why all three of them kept grinning and winking at you the whole day?" I ask, realizing just how suspicious all four men acted today.
"Kind off. I wanted to tell them to stop it so many times, but I wanted to avoid making a scene" he says with a chuckle.
"Should we call them and tell them our news or do you think the guys told everyone after we left?" I ask and look at him curiously.
"I doubt they said anything. For all they know I chickened out" he says and we both laugh.
"You? Never" I say.
"But sure, we could call them" he says. I want to get up to get my phone but Tobias holds me in place. "Where do you think you are going?"
"To get my phone."
"No need for that. I've got mine here." He dials a number and puts the phone on speaker.
"Who did you call?" I ask.
"Our parents. I called both numbers. We can call our friends later or tomorrow, but I want our families to know first."
"That's fine with me" I say. We wait for someone to pick up and the first person is Clark.
"Hello, Tobias" we hear Clark.
"Hi, dad. Is mom there?" Tobias asks.
"I can call her. Hang on" we hear Clark walk and then Evelyn can be heard.
"Hey, sweetie. What's up?"
"Hi, mom. Rose already asleep?"
"Yeah. Took me forever to get that little devil to bed" Evelyn says chuckling.
"Alright" Tobias says.
"Hello" we hear my dad.
"Hi, Andrew. Listen, I have my parents in a conference call with us. Could you get Natalie and Caleb. Tris and I have something to tell you" Tobias says grinning at me. We wait for mom and Caleb to come to the phone and I hear my brother grunting why they woke him up.
"We are all here" my dad says.
"Okay. Mom, dad?" Tobias asks.
"We're here as well" Evelyn says.
"Ready?" he asks looking at me. I nod.
"We're getting married" we shout into the phone at the same time. We hear mom and Evelyn erupt in cheers and everyone starts congratulating us. We promise to call tomorrow and we say goodbye after a final round of congratulations from everyone.
"Wow, we are so in sync, babe" I say and we high five.
"Yeah. We didn't even have to practice that before" he says laughing. "Should we call our friends too?"
"No. Let's do it tomorrow. It's late" I say and check his wrist watch. It's nearly midnight. "I guess now I have something else to be thankful for."
"I sure am thankful for you, for you accepting my marriage proposal, for our families, our friends and all the years we have ahead of us" he says. I lean in and we kiss softly.
"We should go to bed. I'm exhausted" I say. He picks me up and carries me to the bed nearby. We change into our PJ's and even though I want to make love to my fiancé, we are both too tired. We snuggle for a while not saying anything and soon sleep takes over us.
A/N: Yeay, they are engaged. I've posted a few pictures for this chapter on Pinterest. check them out. I'm currently writing chapter 6, so I haven't anything ready, really. If any of you have suggestions what might happen next - obviously wedding - but maybe some other stuff. i'd liek to give this story a couple more chapters before wrapping things up.
Questions that need answers:
1. What do you think of Tris' prayer?
2. What should Tris get Tobias for Christmas?
3. Same thing goes for Tobias and Tris' gift.
4. What do you think of the proposal?
5. Where, other than a church, should they get married?
Can't wait to hear from you guys.
Love you all,
Cloakseeker.