Oh my gosh loves! This chapter! I am so sorry I took forever to make it, I had writers block. We are up to 44 followers, 33 favorites, and 30 comments! This is incredible, and my most successful story so far! Lets grow that number please, it would mean the world to me! This chapter, is honsetly so fluffy, but deep at the same time. I hope you like it, but please leave a review & let me know what you think! I love all your comments! You guys make me want to write more! Give me any ideas you have, I would love to hear all of them! xoxo

Tris POV:

I open my eyes from the nap I just had, I smile and stretch out on the bed. It was Friday, and I was waiting for Tobias to come home. I assumed he was at the gym with the other guys, and I was excited for him to come home. I always felt better when he was around. It was quiet in the house.

"Beatrice Prior!" I hear Caleb yell down the stairs. Well, it was quiet.

I sigh, and roll out of Tobias and I's bed. I give a small smile, remembering that Tobias and I share a room now. "Caleb Prior!" I yell down the stairs in mockery, and I make my way down the spiral staircase.

I walk down the stairs to see it was just Caleb in the living room. I rolled my eyes, he was probably just too lazy to get up and grab the remote. "What?" I asked him, crossing my arms. "I was wondering how we should throw Susan a baby shower." he mumbled. I laughed and shook my head. I walked over to sit with him on the loveseat. My brother always had the best of intentions with Susan. He may not always know what he's doing it, but he's doing it with everything in his heart.

"You honestly do not have to worry about that. Us girls will handle it." I said patting his shoulder, and stretching my legs out across his body. He grabbed my feet and began to rub them. I smiled at him, he was a fantastic brother, and would make a wonderful father. He was going to make a great dad.

He looked up at me, with nothing but fear in his eyes. "What if I mess it up?" he whispers. "Caleb. You couldn't." I said, sobering. I finally realized how terrifying this must be for him. "Cale, believe me. I would tell you if you weren't going to be good at this." I said rubbing his shoulder. "I just don't want this kid to go through what we went through." he said. "Caleb. This kid will never be alone." I said sternly.

I wasn't going to let anything happen to Susan or Caleb, and especially not to this kid. "Trissy, would you and Tobias be the godparents?" he asked me. I felt my heart swell full and big. "Of course, we would love that." I said. I was so happy, Tobias and I would love this kid as much as Caleb and Susan do. I already have a special place in my heart for this kid. I couldn't wait to hear 'Auntie Tris, and Uncle Toby.'

"Honey! We're home!" Uriah said walking into the room, with high pitch voice. Caleb and I both turned to look at our friends walk into the house. Uriah, Zeke, and Will walked in.

"Where's Tobias?" I asked them. They shrugged "What's the date?" Zeke asked in a rushed voice. His eyes grew big, as if he realized something. "June twenty second, why?" I asked him. Uriah closed his eyes, and Zeke ran his fingers through his hair. "It's his moms birthday." Will said quietly. "Shit." Caleb said. "What?" I demanded, still unsure of what this all meant.

"Every year on his moms birthday, he drives out to see her." Will explained. "And everytime he comes home drunk and mad." Caleb continued, looking pissed off. "What?" I asked confused, why would someone be drunk and mad after seeing their mother. Why didn't he even tell me he was going? I shrunk down into the couch and sighed. Tobias, what are you doing, I thought to myself. I was worried about him already. If I had known he was going out to do that, I would have gone with him. A thought strikes me, and it makes me afraid.

The boys went upstairs and downstairs to shower, as they were coming back from the gym. "Caleb, why didn't he tell me?" I asked him. The question that had fear trickling down my spine. Caleb sighed and faced me "Tobias doesn't have the best history Trissy, and all I know is that his mom is connected to it." he said. I stared off, and tried to make sense of all of this.

"I don't even know what to make of this." I mumbled. Caleb sighed and pulled me to him. I leaned my head against his shoulder and he wrapped an arm around mine. We sat there in silence, a comfortable silence. We never had much chance to do this before, and it was kind of nice to just sit there with him. I always knew he would be there for me, as I would always be there for him. It was a sibling thing I supposed.

The girls showed up slowly and filtered into the house. We went about our night, ignoring the fact that one of us was missing. Sure there were whispers, but other than that, we ignored it. When we sat at the dinner table, we didn't acknowledge the fact that one of our chairs was empty. the action seemed to speak louder than the words we spoke. No one wanting to mention the elephant in the room.

After I did the dishes, and everyone else was in the living room, I went out back and sat on the porch. I took in a breath of the fresh air, and felt the warm night air surround my skin. I closed my eyes, and tried to imagine what Tobias was doing right now.

I watched the waves crash repeatedly against the shore. The waves were constant, always coming back. I hoped that Tobias would always come back to me. I didn't know what would happen in the future, but I knew that no matter what happened, I would always find a way back to him. I hoped he felt the same about me.

I sat out on the porch until it became dark out. I watched the stars slowly pop up and shine through the dark. "Dear lord Tobias, where are you?" I mumbled to myself. I sighed, and tried to build the confidence up to stand up. Suddenly the patio door slid open, I whipped my head around to find Tobias standing in the doorway.

His eyes were bloodshot, and tired looking. He had a blanket in his hands and stepped outside. It was dead silent, and he stumbled slowly over to me. "What are you doin out here?" he slurred. "I was just sitting." I whispered. What happened to him? I was concerned for his well being, but wasn't able to form a coherent word.

He draped the blanket over my shoulders and sat down beside me. "Are you okay?" I finally asked him. He turned his head to look me in the eye.

"No." he said with a sad smile.

"Where were you?" I asked him. He sighed and put his head in his hands. "I was at my mothers house." he mumbled. "And?" I asked him. He looked up at me, with tears in his eyes. His beautiful golden eyes, and they were filled with pain. "Tobias?" I asked him, scooting closer. He dropped his head into the crook of my shoulder, and began to cry. I wrapped an arm around him and rubbed his back.

"What happened? Tobias, what's wrong?" I asked him softly. He sniffled and looked back up at me with a look that I had never seen him have before. My strong Tobias had been replaced with a shell of him. He didn't deserve this. Whatever was eating at him was something that I was sure none of us would be able to handle at all. He was the most stable of all of us, and I couldn't imagine what he had to go through in order to shake him.

He took in a deep breath and looked off into the ocean. "When I was a kid, my dad wasn't the best of men." he said shakily. I felt my heart slowly shatter. The kind that kills you slowly, when you know how it's going to end.

"He used to hit me alot, and my mom never did anything about it. She'd always tell me it was his way of showing affection." he spit out angrily. I leaned in closer to him, I felt my heart begin to break even more. I tried to imagine this in a picture. A young Tobias, one who had a toothy smile and a heart as full as the one he has now. I smiled at that image, but then the smile left as soon as it came when the image of scars, bruises, and marks littered his small body.

"He continued until I left home, and they didn't understand why I never came back. Every year I go back once, for her birthday, and every year. Every damn year it gets harder, knowing what they did to me as a kid." he said through tears, and heavy breaths. I wrapped my arms around him, and held on to him as if he was my life line.

"Tobias." I whispered. "It wasn't all bad. Zeke and Uriah were my neighbors, and their mom was real good to me." he said giving me a sad smile.

Thats when it dropped.

My heart fell and shattered. "Tobias, that woman does not deserve you." I whispered, I felt the tears coming on. He gave a sad laugh, and a nod of his head. What do you tell a person when you know all the words in the world can't heal the hurt they endured?

"I can be your family." I whispered. He turned to look at me, with his bloodshot eyes from crying, drinking, and pain. "You already are." he whispered before kissing me. I kissed him back, and he seemed to pour all his pain into this action. I tried to support him, and let him know I was there for him.

He scooped me up, blanket and all, and brought me into the house. I was a little nervous because he was still a little drunk, but he somehow managed to get us both up the stairs, and in our room.

He dropped me on the bed and climbed on top of me. He kissed me harder than he ever had, he was always so gentle, this was new. I don't remember when our clothes came off, but it was all a bit of a blur. I remember him, whispering something in my ear. I can't remember what it was, but all I do know, is that he said it firmly.

I remember him passing out on top of me, and myself pushing him off of me.

I remember falling asleep as I listened to his quiet sobs.

Tobias POV:

I wake up in the morning, feeling the pounding in my head, and an aching in my chest. I rolled over and felt Tris in bed with me. God, what did I do last night.

I realize I'm only in my boxers, and she only has her panties on. I sigh and wrap my arms around her stomach. She subconsciously scoots closer to me. I love her, and I don't know what to do about it. I must not have screwed up last night because she was still in bed with me.

For the past year, on this night, I always screwed it up. I never imagined that I would have an okay night. I inhaled her hair, and memorized the scent. One of these days, I was going to scare her away. I don't know what I'll do, but it won't be good. I don't want to lose her. I never have had anyone who meant this much to me, and I don't know what would happen to me if she left.

I sighed, and she stirred in her sleep. She woke up disoriented, and gripped my arms. She turned around to face me, her bright brown eyes full of light. I love her. I need to do something about it, goddammit Eaton, can't you hold onto one girl that means the world?

"How did you sleep?" I mumble, of fucking course I can't.

"Fine, how are you?" she asks me, snuggling in close. "I'm fine. I just needed some sleep." I say, closing my eyes. "That's good. Come on, let's go make some breakfast yeah?" she says nudging me in the gut. I smile and roll out of bed. I hand her one of my shirts and she shimmies into it. I smile as I slip on a pair of sweatpants.

She is gorgeous.

She could wear anything, and pull it off with the most simplicity and beauty. She slides on a pair of yoga shorts and I scoop her up bridal style. She giggles and rests her tiny head against my chest. It makes my heart pound every single time she touches my skin.

"Tobias?" she asks softly.

Oh god.

When she says my name, it makes me want to make love to her. "Hmm?" I answer as I carry her down the stairs. "I want to stay with you." she says softly. I smile. I don't ever remember anyone saying that to me. It makes me grin and my heart soar knowing that she wants me. She wants to stay with me. I squeeze her in my arms "You can stay with me forever, because I'm never letting you leave." I said trying to hold her as close as humanly possible to me.

When my feet feel the warm hardwood of our living room she winces in the sunlight and tightens her grip on me. I hear everyone in the kitchen, and I roll my eyes. They must have been waiting for us to cook them breakfast. Of course none of them could do it themselves.

I walk over to the door, and Tris pushes it open with her foot, and everyone is sitting in the kitchen waiting expectantly for breakfast to be made. They turn and look at us. We must have been quite a sight to see, because they all burst out laughing.

"Hey you two." Chris says from where she's sitting on Will's lap. We're all dressed in similar attire, sweats and yogas. Topless and t-shirts. "What are you guys doing?" Tris asks. She is so adorable, so small and tiny. It makes me want to protect her from everything and anything.

"Waiting for the cooks of the house to make me some blueberry pancakes!" Susan says excitedly. Tris hops down and nods her head. She walks over to the oven and heats the stove top. I roll my eyes and walk over to help her. "You guys couldn't make this yourselves?" I ask, giving Zeke a knowing look. They all shrug and Marlene pipes up "We would just burn them, and then you guys would ask why we didn't just wait for you." she says shrugging.

Tris laughs at this, and I turn to smile at her. Her laugh is the most beautiful melodic sound you could imagine. It starts at the back of her throat, and slowly travels to the tips of her lips. I shake my head and turn to continue whisking the batter.

"What are the plans for today?" I ask as Tris dumps the box of blueberries into the bowl and mixes it around. "Absolutely nothing. We are going to laze around her and do everything we aren't supposed to do." Shauna says resting her head on Zeke's shoulder. I laugh and this time, I notice Tris watching me with a smile. It makes me grin, knowing that she's as taken with me as I am of her.

"Sounds amazing." Tris says wiping a bit of batter on my nose. I take the whisk and slide some on her cheek. I chuckle as she giggles and wipes it off.

"I'm going to make mimosas!" Christina says, hopping up. "Awh come on!" Susan whines. "Sorry baby momma, no alcohol for you. You get orange juice." Christina says with a sad smile, as Caleb gives her a tall glass of juice.

I watch Caleb and Susan interact. Someday, will I feel that amount of responsibility over Trissy? Will she bear my children? I shake those thoughts out of my head, I needed to keep a clear head for now. Those were all questions that can be answered later.

"Here hun." Tris says as she flips a few pancakes over. I was so lost in thought, I hadn't realized how far Tris had gotten in the baking. Tris shoves the plate with pancakes and sausage on it towards me, and gestures for me to pass out the rations. I smile and begin a process of handing everyone breakfast, as Christina hands us all mimosas.

I take a sip of the cold drink, I relax and smile. This was how every morning is supposed to be. I glance over at Tris, who is eating her pancakes and quietly watching everyone else. She has bags under her eyes, she must be exhausted.

"Hey Trissy, you want to help me pick out designs for the baby's room today?" Susan asks excitedly. Tris nods her head with a tired smile, and they begin to talk about what else they'll do today. I smile and shake my head, the only thing Tris probably wanted to do was take a nap. Oh well, she'll be able to take one later today.

Caleb and I end up doing the dishes as everyone leaves the kitchen, and goes to do their own thing. It's silent in the kitchen, Caleb and I don't know what to talk about. "How are you man?" Caleb asks me, setting a few plates in the sink. "I don't know man." I say scrubbing.

"Tris was worried about you yesterday." Caleb says focusing on organizing the dishwasher. I roll my eyes, it must be a Prior thing to want perfect order. "I didn't realize I would be missed that much." I mutter. "You always have been, man. For the past few years you have been. Every time on this night." Caleb says looking at me.

I stop what i'm doing and look out the window. "I didn't want to scare her. I didn't want to tell her. You know how sketchy my past is." I say in a low voice. "You should have told her while you were sober." Caleb says focusing on the dishes once more. "Yeah." I say, and we don't speak again for the rest of the time.

I know I screwed up not telling Tris about my past before getting all drunk, and making myself look like a blubbering baby. Well, there wasn't much I could do about it now.

Once all the dishes are done, I decide I just need a nap. I walk out to the living room where I find everyone watching Will and Christina play a game on the xbox. I see Tris nearly falling asleep on my chair, so I walk over, grab a blanket, and slide in next to her. I realize how much she trusts me, and I know that I can't screw up like that again.

I don't want to remember how bad it was that night. I don't even remember coming home, and I'm scared to know how much I might have hurt these people. These people were my family, especially Tris. I needed her.

I fall asleep with her in my arms, and I dream of a time where I didn't have to lose myself once a night every year.

Tris POV:

I remember falling asleep in Tobias' arms. I wake up and I see there is only us still in the living room. I smile to myself and stretch out. I am careful not to wake Tobias from his nap, as he was very careful not to disturb me in mine. I slide out of the chair and walk down the stairs to the basement, where I find everyone is playing video games, and drinking.

I walk up to the bar and start to make a cocktail, and eat some popcorn. Susan is sitting next to Caleb, as he Zeke, and Will are playing some sort of war game on the ps4. I roll my eyes and down my cocktail, I need a good shot of liquor.

I knew that Tobias was hurting, and I wanted to fix it. I wanted to make sure he never had to endure another minute of pain ever again. I wanted him to be safe and happy.

I walk over and snuggle in with Christina who is reading a book on a loveseat by herself. I rest my head on her shoulder as she wraps an arm around my shoulders. "You okay?" she asks me. I nod my head "I'm just concerned for Tobias." I say. "We all are hun, but he's one tough cookie. Believe me, we know he's been through hell and back. He's still kicking though." she says rubbing my arm.

I nod my head and sigh "You're right, I just wish there was something more I could do. You know what I mean?" I say. In that moment Buster walks over to us wagging his tail and whining. He rests his head in our laps, and refuses to leave until he feels he has gotten a substantial amount of petting.

"You know, you could get Tobias a dog." Chrissy says loudly. Everyone in the basement turns to face us

"What?"

"Another one?"

"You serious?" are sounded throughout the basement. Out of the corner of my eye I see Chris give them all a 'shut the fuck up' face. They all bite their tongues and look away, and pretend to go back to what they were doing earlier.

Christina continued to speak and grabbed my attention again "I mean a small one, Tobias has always had a thing for animals. Besides, Buster is mainly Zeke and Shauna's-" "Have him if you want!" Shauna called from the bar, raising her glass at us. Chris sighs and gives her an 'seriously. shut the fuck up.' face. "Just saying." Shauna mumbles before taking a long gulp of whatever was in her bottle.

"Just think about it, yeah?" Christina says with a smile. I nod my head, it wasn't a half bad idea. Tobias did love Buster, but Buster wasn't technically his. So why not get him his own? I smile to myself, I'd get him a small dog. One that wouldn't grow as big as Buster.

Suddenly Tobias walks in, rubbing his eyes and stretching. "Where's Trissy?" he mumbles. "Right here you baby." Chris calls. Tobias grumbles and drags his feet over to the loveseat. Chris slides out and goes to talk to Uriah about something. Tobias slides in, and pulls me between his legs, so my back is against his chest.

"Why aren't you still snuggled up with me?" he mumbles. "Because I wanted to stretch out, and I had to talk to Chris about something." I say snuggling down into him. "Did you figure it out?" he asks me with a smile. I nod my head and smile. I want Tobias to be happy, and if a puppy will make him happy, so be it.

Tobias and I sat on the loveseat for most of the day. We played games on the ps4, and we talked about everything under the sun. Suddenly he asks me the most bizarre question "Hey Trissy, do you want some kids some day?" he asks me. I am taken so far aback by this question. I nod my head slowly. Of course I want kids someday, when I'm married. I refuse to have kids before marriage. There is nothing bad with kids before marriage, I just don't think it would be something I am emotionally strong enough to handle. "Yeah, I suppose someday I would." I say with a warm smile. I could see Tobias as a dad. I could see him as the father of my children. "Good." he says with a smile.

I go upstairs to grab a snack, and I think to myself what brought on the question he had. I would love to have a miniature Tobias. I really would. I grab an apple and make my way downstairs again. As I munch on my apple and watch the movie Susan put on, I talk to Will about his job. I realize I don't know as much about these people as I should. I talk to them about themselves until I decide to make dinner. Steak and Lobster. Surf'n'Turf night. Everyone agrees that this sounds wonderful.

As I make dinner, I try to imagine what my life would be like if I never moved here. How it would be if none of these people came into my life. A life like that is unimaginable.

It is no life that I would want.

I angrily mash the potatoes and try to push my thoughts out of my head. I don't want to imagine what it would be like to lose these people, because the pain of losing someone is an unbearable one. I wipe the unshed tears out of my eyes and continue to make the stupid dinner.

I set the masher down and look around the kitchen, I suddenly felt the sudden urge to just cry. I didn't want to feel these things, and I hated it when I did have them. It was the worst when I still lived in mom and dad's house. I would be making dinner by myself one night, and I would just break down crying.

There is no excuse for it, it is just simply a human reaction we have when we take on too much at once.

Once I finished making dinner, and everyone was in the dining room, I quietly sat and listened to the conversation flow around the room. Everyone was so happy to just be. To be here with each other. I looked over at Tobias, where he was laughing at something Susan was saying. It made me realize how truly blessed I was to have a brother who let me come here. One who knew me more than I knew myself. I finished my dinner quickly and brought my dishes out to the sink.

I love him.

It hit me like a wrecking ball. I felt myself give in. I knew I loved him, and I knew that he probably loved me too. What in the world was I going to do about this. If I told him, he would surely leave. If I didn't there is also a chance that he would leave. I rubbed my temples and tried to convince myself that I would deal with it later, even though I knew that there was no chance of that happening. I shook it off, and shoved it to the farthest corner of my mind, and locked it down there.

That's the thing though, what we shove to the back of our mind, we actually push to the front. We may tell ourselves it's at the back of our minds, but in reality it's what we think most about.

I scrub my dishes and place them in the dishwasher, and Shauna walks in. "Hey hun, you alright?" she asks me. I smile tiredly, and nod my head. "I think I just need to rest up some more, then I'll be okay." I say smiling. She shrugs and nods her head "Yeah, okay." she says smiling. To make my statement more realistic, I walk out of the kitchen and up the stairs to my bedroom. The one that I share with Tobias. The Tobias that I love.

Once I make it into the bedroom, and shut the door behind me, I let out a loud long sigh. I dive onto the bed, and shove my head into the pillow. These emotions were becoming too much for me. Why couldn't I just tell him how I fucking felt? What was so complicated about that? I rolled my eyes at myself, I was becoming the cliche of every love story.

I hear someone open and close the door to my room, and I can just tell by the heavy thud of their footsteps that it's Tobias. I pull myself out of my daze and look up and smile at him. "Hey." I say, rolling over on my back. "Hey, what are you doing?" he asks, sliding next to me, also on his back.

"Just thinking." I say, as we lay staring at the ceiling. "About what?" he asks quietly. "A bunch of things." I sigh. "You know, you can talk to me about anything and everything Trissy." he says softly. I turn my head to look at him.

"That's the thing. I can't." I say quietly.

He turns to look at me, with nothing but concern in his eyes. "Why not?" he asks me. I sigh and close my eyes. "I just can't." I say shamefully. It burns me to know that Tobias opened himself up to me about his past, and I can't even tell him this one thing that involves my little feelings. They are the most ridiculous things to be hiding.

"I'm so sorry Tobias, I am just scared of this. I don't know how to tell you, or how you'll react when I do tell you." I say, holding back a few tears. "Tell me when you're ready." he says shakily. I open my eyes, to find him looking up at the ceiling, with a focused look on his face. I feel so bad in this moment that I can't help myself.

"I love you."

It comes out, and it stays there. What have I done? I feel my face burn, as I flip over and face the opposite side of him, as he whips his head over to look at me. I curl myself up in a ball, and try to brace myself for the unavoidable consequence.

"I love you too."

He says it surprisedly. What? I flip over to face him again. I want to see if he's just saying that to make me feel better. To see if he really means it. With the look of awe on his face, I'm pretty sure that he means it.

"What?" I whisper. "I love you Tris. I love you more than I have ever loved anyone." he says pulling me to him. I rest my head in the crook of his neck, and lay half of my body across his. "I love you so much I didn't know how to tell you." he whispered, running his fingers through my hair. "Is that what you couldn't tell me?" he asks me. I nod my head "I was so scared." I whisper. "And now?" he asks. I look up and reach up to kiss him.

He leans down and kisses me, and we meet in the middle. We kiss slowly, and softly. It was gentle, and caring. Then, without warning, it changes from safe, to wild.

He flips me over so I'm on my back, and reaches down to pull my shirt up. I cling to him for dear life as my tongue collides with his. "I love you." he says as he pulls my shirt off over my head. I had been dreaming of what this night would be like.

"I love you." I say as I pull his pants down. He pulls his own shirt off, and I shimmy out of my shorts. We stay that way for a while. Just breathing and watching each other, before we collide. "Tobias." I moan as he kisses my neck. I grip his back, and he runs his hands down my sides. "I love you." he repeats, as he slides his nose down the front of my stomach.

I reach out and grip the sides of the bed sheets. "I love you Tris, and I need you. But tonight I will only go so far." he says as he slowly slides my panties off. I close my eyes as he takes me in. All of me. "Why are you with me? You're so beautiful. I don't deserve this in the slightest." he whispers. "I love you." I whisper back.

It seems the answer to all the questions in the world, and it may as well be. I feel full, he completes me. Just knowing that I love him has brought me to a whole other level. "I'm not going to sleep with you Tris. I can't." he says softly.

I gulp and nod my head, he's right. I can't go all the way tonight. "I don't want you to think that I only said that just so I could do this." he says crawling back above me. I nod my head, I agree that this is a good idea to wait.

"Will you say it one more time?" he asks me. I open my eyes, and I am met with the golden shining eyes of my Tobias. In that moment, is when I realized I couldn't live with anyone else.

There is no one else in this world that I could possibly have these feelings for.

"I love you, Tobias Eaton."