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Chapter 37

Who is Eric Coulter?

Tobias' POV

I stroll into the police station, letting them know I'm here to see Detective Max and his team. The lady up at the front desk kindly ushered me towards the back room, that I can clearly see in. Detective Max is standing pointing towards the TV with a handheld remote. I walk in just in time to see Tris being hit over the head and the man who attacked her set the bakery on fire.

My whole body goes stiff at the sight of what happened. I take every detail of the son of the bitch in, every muscle, the height, every tattoo and piercing. That's when it hits me. I know who it is.

"It can't be." My mouth falls open, caught dead frozen in the doorway, everyone turns towards me in shock.

"Do you know who this is?" Detective Max asks, snapping me back to reality. How the fuck did he get involved?

"It just so happens… I do," I say, feeling guilty once again in my presence. I glance a look at Tris, who has lost all her color waiting for me to answer the Detective.

"So who is it then?" Detective Lauren asks, impatient.

"His name is Eric Coulter…" I respond, slowly. I finally move from my frozen state, closing the door behind me and taking a seat next to Tris. "I knew him in college. He was my dorm roommate." And a crappy one at that. "He and I were at each other's throat's from the start. Apparently he wanted the Teacher's Assistant job that I was offered," I explained. "I knew he hated me… He was always complaining about how easy I had it. If that dumb ass only knew." I continue to get into the situation with my father and how I had been forced to leave. I admit I hated having to go over this part of my life again. Will I ever be able to live it down? "I'm not surprised that my father found someone that would spy on me for him. To ensure that I kept my word… But Eric?" I shake my head.

"Eric Coulter?" Detective Lauren asks, writing all the descriptions that I can give her and her partners. "Let's get an A.P.B. out on him." She says, she stands up handing a piece of paper to another police officer asking him to look into this. It doesn't take long for the same cop to come back with a file almost bigger than my old textbooks in college.

It seems that Eric has been keeping very busy since College. He's wanted for armed robbery, assaults, using a stolen vehicle and he has a deadly weapon's charge out on him. It turns out that Eric had it tough since he was a kid. The dude ended up in foster care after foster care… Never once settling in for longer than a month until he reached the age of eighteen and moved out. He got himself through college, what he couldn't raise himself he earned, he even stole at times.

"We are going to have a patrol unit outside your residence tonight. Just to be on the safe side until we can bring him in." Detective Max insisted. I can't agree with him more.

"So this creep… This asshole that has turned our lives upside down….. Has what? A vendetta against Four and that's why he is doing this?" I hear Christina say, a little louder than I wish she would. The kids are home. But I get it. She is mad. She's right…

"I … You know everything that I do." Tris says, a part of me fights the disappointment that is brewing within me that she doesn't defend me.

"I can't believe this." Christina blurts out. I hear something bang against the counter out of frustration. I don't dare to go into the kitchen to see what it is. Not now. "Just last month… Last month we were all doing so well. I mean we had the kids schedule's down pat, the bakery was going awesome…Maybe even one day we would expand it… And now. Fuck!" Christina says, finally lowering her voice. I turn towards the sofa, I sit down on my makeshift bed, sighing at everything that my presence has disrupted. I try to remember everything that Zeke told me, that I'm needed here, that I'm wanted… That I belong with my family. But it's so hard to remember as Christina keeps reminding me of the opposite.

I prepare myself for a long night of restless sleep. Regardless of the cop that is camping out in his patrol car right outside the house. Regardless, knowing that my family is indeed safe. What a mess. Just as the night couldn't get worse, I hear Christina blurt out that one thing we agreed not to talk about when the kids are home. "And all because your daughter's father, Four, decided to finally reappear."

Three things happen all at once at that moment her words are out of her mouth. My failure to be aware of whose ears are present, the kitchen door swinging open and closed, and Emily's broken words as she puts two and two together."Four is my Daddy?" Emily blurts out, her voice filled with shock and hurt. I'm up in an instant, seeing my daughter come to terms with the truth.

"Emily." Tris whispers.

"Oh no." Christina mutters.

Emily turns towards me, still processing what she just learned.

"Four, are you…Are you my Daddy?" She asks, innocently.

My feet move on their own accord closing the gap between us until I'm hovering over her small little body. I knee down, wanting to be eye level with her when I finally tell her the truth. But first I glance at Tris, who nods her head for me to answer our daughter.

"Yes Princess, I'm your Daddy," I finally got out. I wait quietly for her to respond to this news. Will she accept me as her father, or will she deny me. I see tears begin to gather in her blue eyes, my blue eyes.

"So let me get this straight…" Emily says, my heart melts as she tries so hard to be more mature than she already is. I'm reminded once again at how much I have already missed. "So I was in Mommy's belly…. But Daddy had to go before he found out I was in Mommy's belly." Emily continues, "So it's not my fault… I mean… You do want me?" Emily asks, her eyes full of tears. My heart breaks at the thought that this little girl could ever think that I could ever not want her. Without so much as another thought I picked up Emily, placing her on my lap and wrapping her in my arms. Tris moves simultaneously with me, as she inches closer to us, wrapping her arms around us.

"I could never, not want to be your Daddy. You and your mommy mean everything to me," I confess to her. For the first time in forever I feel like I'm right where I should be. Home.

"So does this mean I can call you Daddy?" She asks, looking up at me.

"You can call me whatever you want, when you are ready," I say, wishing more than ever that she would call me Daddy.

"Can I ask one more question?" She asks, I can see the same spark that Tris used to get in her beautiful eyes when she was younger. The one that let you know that the wheels were turning in her head.

"One more." Tris says, catching the same spark I did.

"Does this mean you guys are going to get married?" Emily asks, her voice trails off as if she is teasing. Tris and I burst out laughing at our daughter's amusement. I can't help but hope for the possibilities of making us an official family one day.

A/N

There you have it folks…. Emily finally knows who her Daddy is! Wonder what will happen in the next chapter!

There's so much to still uncover

Can't believe we are almost towards the end of the story.

Can't believe Thanksgiving is next week… My, my, my this year has gone by so fast!

Till next week….

Revised by: FDFobsessed

Like always, happy reading everyone, stay healthy and be safe

Trini