"Hello, everyone," Tobias says when he reaches our table, eyeing Zeke who is sitting in his seat.
"Zeke sit by me," Tyler says to his father, making him smile.
"Well, I'll sit with Shauna then," he says.
"That would be a welcome change," she says, looking up at him over her shoulder with a smile.
"Do you need a plate, Tris?" he asks, eyeing the blanket covering Tessa who is still nursing.
"Please," I say. He returns with plates full of moist rotisserie chicken, loaded baked potatoes with extra cheese, glazed carrots, and apple salad and sits down next to Shauna. He slides my plate to me, and I thank him.
"How did everything go with the transfers?" Uriah asks, sitting down with two slices of cake and a large glass of milk.
"Fine I guess. Nothing unexpected happened. They were quiet, absorbing their new surroundings, and asked very few question," he says.
"Did you get in their faces?" Christina asks, expectation on her face.
"Didn't have to," he says. "No one kept interrupting me like someone I know." She sticks her tongue out at him and throws her dinner roll at his head, which he catches with his right hand and promptly takes a bite.
"Impressive, Four," Shauna says, bumping her shoulder into his. He tears it in two and offers her the other half, which she takes.
"Did Murphy ever stop crying?" Tobias asks.
"Look at her for yourself, Four," Uriah says with disgust, motioning toward her table, exasperated. "Girl's a mess. I'll trade her for half your initiates right here, right now." A chorus of laughter booms from our table, and even though I do feel slightly bad for what she's going through, I can't help but join in.
"I eat cake now?" Tyler expectantly asks after he cleans his plate.
"Sure," I say. He happily hops down and runs to Uriah and wiggles his way between him and his father then shares not only his cake but his milk. I'm thankful that my friends love him as much as Tobias and I do.
The conversation keeps returning to the initiates, transfers, and the Choosing Ceremony. Will gives us a blow-by-blow of what happened at the Hub from our first dependent, Annalie Zachariah, choosing Amity to Afton Bell choosing to remain in Dauntless. The biggest surprise besides the six 16-year-old factionless choosing was Murphy screaming "NO!" at the top of her lungs when Gavin Scott, Erudite's leader, announced Galen's choice was Candor. Will tells us that he expected some sort of emotion on Galen's part after leaving his girlfriend of two years but he indifferently sat amongst the sea of black and white never once looking her way.
"He's either one hell of an actor or he's definitely not the kind of person we would have wanted in Dauntless anyway," Will says after we've all finished supper and dessert. "Are you ready to go home and see Liam?" Christina and Will decided to hire a nanny to care for Liam instead of taking him to daycare. After what I witnessed today, I'm thinking they have the right idea.
"Yes!" she says.
"To be honest, I'm surprised you guys didn't go straight home the minute you could," Marlene says. "I think I would have."
"It's a fine line," Christina says and I understand what she means. "I want to be with him all the time but I also don't want to lose myself and what I like to do."
"I think from now on when we eat with you guys, we'll have Fiona bring Liam down to meet us," Will says. "I agree with everything that Christina just said. I miss him when I'm at work, too."
"Well we better get going or we'll never get home tonight," Tobias says. We all get up from the table and head out into the Pit to go our separate ways. As we walk past the transfers' table, I notice their eyes are on us but they don't say anything.
"Can I take that?" Tobias asks pointing to the diaper bag when we're standing in the middle of the Pit saying our goodbyes to Zeke and Shauna.
"Why don't you take Tessa instead?" I ask. He smiles and lifts the sleeping infant out of my arms. "Thanks. I think my arms are numb."
"Where's her stroller?" he asks.
"Oh, it's at the daycare center," I say. I was in such a rush to get her to the infirmary that I forgot it. "I just carried her out of there without thinking."
"We better get going," Shauna says. "It's been a long day for the two of us. I think I just want to go home and go to bed."
"Thanks again for helping earlier, Zeke," I say placing a soft kiss on his cheek. "That was sweet of you." He blushes, which makes Tobias chuckle but he doesn't comment. We watch as they walk away then I look down at Tyler.
"Do you still want to look for ideas for your room?" I ask. He nods his head vigorously up and down. "Alright then. Let's go."
We walk up the path that leads to the furniture store and step inside. The amount of displayed furniture is overwhelming. We ask the clerk where the children's bedroom furniture is since nothing is in the same place it was the last time we were here, and he promptly leads us to the back of the store. After explaining that we're just looking tonight, he leaves us alone. Tobias and I watch Tyler as he aimlessly wanders through the crowded showroom, which has all styles of furniture and decor, his eyes getting bigger by the minute. A really cute wooden sign that says "No Girls Allowed" catches my eye, and I go to investigate. It's so cute and gives me an idea.
"Tyler, buddy, can I talk to you?" He comes running over to me, and I point out the sign. "That says 'No Girls Allowed.'" His lips unfurl into a wide smile. "Do you like that?" He nods vigorously up and down. "I know Mommy and Daddy told you that you can decorate your room however you want but I have an idea that I know you'll love, and I want it to be a surprise. Are you okay with that?" He stares up at me for a moment, a blank look on his face, and I hold my breath waiting for his answer.
Just as I'm about to tell him never mind, he smiles at me again and says, "Otay! Supwise!" I kneel down and give him a big hug and kiss his cheek.
Tobias, Tyler, and I browse the showroom picking out furniture for the rest of the apartment. We hadn't planned on buying anything but they offer to store it in their backroom until the apartment is cleaned, painted, and ready to go, which allows us to pick out everything we want. We even get ahead of ourselves and pick out a bedroom set for Tessa's room even though she won't use it for a couple years. Tobias and I splurge on a new bedroom set, which is more to scale for the new room. We both fall in love with it the moment we see it. I feel guilty at first for even looking until the salesman says they will take our existing bedroom set and resell it in their markdown section. I watch several workers putting sold tags on everything we got in preparation to store them as Tobias pays for the items. He inquires a few times about what we'll need for Tyler's room but all we buy is the wooden sign for his wall. I'll tell him all about it when we get home.
"We better be getting home," I say. "I know someone who needs to go to bed soon." Tyler gives me a "who me" look, and I can't help but chuckle. Tobias gently lies Tessa in my arms and picks Tyler up, and we head toward home. When we reach the Pire, Tessa's wide awake, and Tyler's eyes are drooping.
"I'll take him upstairs and get him ready for bed," Tobias says.
"I'm right behind you," I say. As he's helping Tyler get into his PJs, I change Tessa's diaper and put her in a pink and white striped onesie she can wear to bed. I stop by Tyler's room and help Tobias tuck him in then we go downstairs to talk.
"There's a few things I want to talk about. A couple of them I probably should have told you earlier and for that I'm sorry," I say, placing Tessa in her swing, which I moved over in front of the couch.
"What is it?" he asks cautiously.
"Firstly, I took Tessa to the infirmary, and Zander said her ears should look better than they do so he gave her a stronger antibiotic," I say as I sit down beside him. "He said to bring her back in two days if she still won't take a bottle. Also I don't think the daycare center will take her tomorrow unless she's in better spirits. Our baby girl was quite a handful today." I study his face for a minute but it doesn't betray how he's feeling. "Are you upset with me?" He shakes his head at me so I continue.
"Secondly, I need to talk to you about it Tyler." I tell him what I witnessed in the playroom at the daycare center, and this time he does look upset with me. He gets up off the couch and paces before me, running a hand through his hair.
"You should have told me about this as soon as you reached the net," he says.
"You're absolutely right, Tobias. I should have. I'm sorry."
"Do you have any idea why that boy said what he did?" he angrily asks.
"No," I say. "The theory is maybe he has a younger sibling, and he feels pushed aside because of his or her birth. I don't know."
"This really pisses me off," he fumes and I'm not entirely sure if it's me or the situation that has him this upset. I get up and stop his pacing by wrapping my arms around his waist, and he wraps his arms around me and sighs. "No wonder he's been acting up lately. I wish he would have come to us."
"I do, too," I say, resting my head on his chest, loving the feel of his arms around me. "I told him how much we both love him. I know he knows this but I think he just needed reassuring from time to time. I'm sorry I didn't tell you earlier."
"Hey, you already apologized," he says, lifting my chin and staring deeply into my eyes. "I understand that we were busy today. I love you."
"I love you, too." I want to talk to him about Olivia but maybe I'm just being paranoid.
"Is there something else you want to talk about?" he asks. I should have known he'd see my hesitation. He knows me so well.
"I don't like the way Olivia has been looking at you," I say. He seems taken aback by my statement.
"Who's Olivia?"
"A transfer."
"Which one?" he asks, looking like he's running through each girl in his mind. My brows raise in disbelief but his look is candid.
"The tall, pretty, red-haired girl from Candor," I say.
"The one who was wearing too much makeup?" he asks. He chuckles once but the look on my face stops him. "First of all, love, you are the only woman who has ever turned my head. You know that. How was she looking at me?" I'm quiet for at least two minutes before I answer him.
"She was undressing you with her eyes on the way to the Pit and later in the cafeteria, she was looking at you hungrily, like you were the main course," I say. The image of a butter knife sticking out of Edward's eye pops into my mind, and it suddenly seems like an intriguing idea. Tris! Quit it!
"You're worried that I'll look at another girl?" he asks.
"No, not at all," I say. "I know how much you love me. I trust you wholeheartedly. Her? No, I don't trust her one bit."
"Did you see how Grant, Jesse, Alec, Brody, and Kevin looked at you?" he asks. It's my turn to be dumbfounded. What's he talking about? "They kept checking you out. It infuriated me but I trust you."
"If they were looking at me it's because they were worried I'd bring down the platform," I say as I run my hands over my bump. He sighs and rolls his eyes.
"You. Are. Not. Fat." He sounds upset with me. "You are beautiful in every way, and you're sexy as hell. When will you believe me? I wouldn't lie to you." He kisses the right side of my neck making me giggle.
"You're right. I'm sorry," I say. "You know, I shouldn't have even brought up how Olivia looked at you. I guess I'm feeling insecure at the moment."
"I miss your confidence," he quietly says. "I saw it today when we were with the transfers but I want to see it when it's just the two of us. You have nothing to feel doubtful for when it comes to how much I love you. And you don't have to be jealous. She should be jealous." He runs the back of his fingers down my cheek and I melt.
"You always know the right thing to say to make me feel better," I say. He gives me a soft kiss then lets me go.
"So what's this surprise you have planned for Tyler?" he asks. I tell him my idea and am pleased when he loves it as much as I do.
"During a free minute tomorrow I'm going to call Gunner and see if he knows someone who can design the room exactly the way I want it to look," I say. "I'm also going to commission him to do some murals in the nursery and the playroom."
"I don't know if I've told you this before but my kids have the best mother in the world," he says lowering his mouth to mine. When his lips meet mine, desire sweeps through my body like a raging forest fire. He lets me go too soon and I sigh. "I want you, too, love, but not in front of Tessa."
"Later?" I ask, my voice full of desperation and hope.
"Later," he says caressing my cheek, his word a promise. "I'm going to check on Tyler and go over tomorrow's schedule."
"I'll pack the diaper bag then feed our daughter," I say looking at Tessa who is chewing on the little pink elephant with its pink and white flower ears and belly that Tobias got her when she was born. She loves it. "I'll be up as soon as I can."
"I'm looking forward to it," he says as he kisses my temple. I close my eyes and savor the feel of his soft lips and warm breath on me. He lets me go and heads upstairs. After I pack all the necessary items in the diaper bag for tomorrow I turn my attention to Tessa. I give her another dose of medicine, and she smacks her lips again.
"You really like that, huh? It must not be grape. So are you hungry, baby girl?" All signs point to yes and just as I'm getting ready to put her to my breast, I decide to try a bottle instead. I realize I'm the only one who's been able to feed her the past few days so maybe she'll take one from me. Won't hurt to try. "Will you take a bottle for Mommy?" She smiles around her fingers, which makes me smile. I sure hope that's a yes. I sit in the club chair with her tucked into my arm just so and put the bottle to her mouth but she won't open. I gently run the nipple along her bottom lip, and she finally opens for me but turns her head when I put the bottle in her mouth. "Why don't you want this all of a sudden?" We both start getting frustrated, me because she won't do what I really need her to do and her because I'm not giving her what she wants. It's a battle of wills at the moment. "Tessa Beatrice, Mommy really needs you to take the bottle." I decide to try one last time before I give up and nurse her. I squeeze the flexible bottle and drip a little milk on her lips, and she opens her mouth. I put the nipple in her mouth and after just a little coaxing, she starts suckling, taking a bottle for the first time in over 48 hours. "Good girl. I guess I just needed to show you that there is milk in the bottle."
After she's had the entire bottle and burped twice, I take her upstairs. I change her wet diaper, kiss her forehead, and lie her in her crib. I watch as her little eyes flutter, and she falls into what will, hopefully, be a peaceful sleep. I stop by Tyler's room and give him a kiss before I search out Tobias. I'm in need of a little adult time. Just thinking about what I want to do to him sets my heart to racing and my blood to boiling.
When I enter the bedroom, he's sitting on his side of the bed looking at some paperwork, wearing nothing but a tiny pair of tight, dark gray boxer briefs. My mouth instantly goes dry at the sight in front of me. I watch from the doorway for a time plotting what I want to do next. I quietly close and lock the door and quickly strip out of my clothes but he still hasn't noticed my presence. I softly pad to the end of the bed and get up on the mattress. This finally captures his attention. His eyes widen, startled by my sudden appearance, and his pupils dilate nearly coal black when he takes in my naked body. I finish crawling up the bed and without saying a word take the papers out of his hand and put it on his nightstand. I kiss him hard on the mouth then take my time kissing, licking, and gently biting my way from his neck down his chest and steel-hard abs to his cotton-covered manhood. I tease him with my tongue through the fabric of his boxer briefs and feel powerful when he lengthens and hardens against my mouth.
"Baby, you're so hard for me," I say as I rub my hand over his bulge, staring suggestively up into his lust clouded eyes, and he gasps at my forwardness. I'm in the moment, and I want to be confident and sexy for my man. "You're going to feel so good in my mouth." I look him in the eye and slowly lick my lips. A deep almost feral growl escapes his throat. I grip the waistband of his boxer briefs, and he lifts his hips to help me. I slowly free his erection then slide them down his legs. I kiss the top of his right foot then run my tongue up and place soft kisses on his ankle. I take my hand and unhurriedly glide my fingertips up his other leg along the same path my tongue is taking. I pepper his shin, knee, and thigh with kisses before I reach his hip. I place a kiss just below his navel, and his whole body tenses waiting for my mouth to find its target.
He's always teasing me, so I think I'll make him wait just a little longer. I run the tip of my tongue from his abs down to his other thigh, placing targeted kisses everywhere and he groans. I finally decide to put him out of his misery and firmly grasp his shaft in my hand, gently pumping it up and down the way he likes. Our eyes are on each other's as I place soft kisses up and down his length. Finally, I dart my tongue out of my mouth and lick up and down his hardness.
"I like how you taste," I say as I stroke his manhood. His eyes widen then he closes them and exhales sharply when I engulf his head with my mouth. I repeatedly tease him with my tongue and lips before pushing him further into my mouth again and again, sucking hard as I do.
"Shit!" he exclaims. "God, Tris. You're so good." He puts his hands on either side of my head and starts lifting his hips in a steady rhythm, pushing himself deeper into my waiting mouth. I increase the pressure and speed of my hand and continue taking him in and out of my mouth until I feel him tense, and I know he's close. "Oh, damn, love! I'm gonna come." He shudders and spills himself into my mouth the moment his words escape. I swallow greedily until he finishes. I continue to lick and kiss around his softening manhood then release him and leisurely peck my way back up to his mouth. When his lips find mine, his kiss is aggressive and lustful. "You are an amazing woman."
"Baby, I can't believe how hard you are for me again," I huskily say, feeling his desire beneath me. I barely recognize my own voice it's so thick with desire. "I want you inside me, Tobias." I slowly rock myself back and forth against his hard length, and he groans. "Now." He moves us forward to the middle of the bed, and lifts me with one hand, holding me above his erection, which he places at my moist center with the other.
"I want you, too," he roughly says as he slowly lowers me onto his throbbing shaft until we're joined as one. He kisses me briefly then lies back. I still don't move, relishing the feeling of him deep inside me where I've longed for him to be. I open my eyes, not realizing they were closed and find him staring up at me with wonder on his face. I grasp both his hands with mine and lace our fingers together then I start to move, slowly at first, lifting myself over and over again. After a time, he releases my hands and runs them up my body to my swaying breasts, capturing them for his waiting mouth. I moan when he laps at my hardened nipples, feeling his touch between my thighs. I put my hands on his shoulders as I force myself back onto his length harder and faster as he lifts his hips in time with each of my strong thrusts. He puts his hand on my neck and draws my mouth to his and kisses me savagely as he increases the force of each of this thrusts. Soon I feel myself fall apart as he's pounding into me, and I cry out at the overwhelming sensation. He follows behind me with his own impressive release, my name on his lips. I collapse on top of him in sheer exhaustion, and he rolls us on our sides, pulling out of me immediately. We lie in each other's arms panting as we try to catch our breath. A rouge tear escapes down my cheek, and Tobias lifts my chin so I have to look at him. "What's wrong?"
"It's really nothing," I whisper.
"Tell me," he insists then adds gently, "Please."
"I love you," I say.
"I love you, too," he says, hugging me to him. I wrap my arms around him and rest my head against his chest, listening to the slowing beat of his rhythmic heart. "Is that it?"
"My emotions get the best of me sometimes," I say, running my fingers lightly up and down his hairless, muscular chest. I have a lot to say to him but I'm not sure I'll be able to get it all out. "Happy anniversary. I'm glad that I chose Dauntless. I'm glad you were waiting for me. Today has brought back so many memories that it's been overwhelming." He lifts my chin so that I have to look at him. "I love you so much that sometimes it chokes me." He smiles at me then lowers his lips to mine and kisses me tenderly, lovingly.
"Happy anniversary, love," he says against my lips. He leans back and stares down at me. "I'm so lucky that you came along. I can't believe the life I was preparing to live until you jumped into that net. You saved me. You are everything to me." He kisses me again slowly, thoroughly. "As much as I'd like to make love to you again right now, we have a very early morning. We should get some sleep."
"I know," I say, unable to hide my disappointment. He's being logical, and I'm being emotional. My eyes drop as another tear escapes and he groans.
"Screw it! We'll just be tired tomorrow," he says as he moves his mouth back to mine in a fiery kiss.