Prior Rings

Chapter 48: Tobias - Uriah's Bachelor Party

A/N: Thank you to everyone who reviewed the last chapter, and to my wonderful beta reader, Rosalie! This is another short chapter, I'm afraid, but that's just where the story is right now.

Chapter 48: Tobias – Uriah's Bachelor Party

(One month after Abigail's birth; Tris is 26 and Tobias is 28)

Maybe I should quit my job. I've been putting in less than three days a week in the month since Abigail was born, but it's still more time away from my family than I want. Even being in our office, right down the hall from home, seems like a stretch – particularly at times like this, when I'm stuck catching up on crucial paperwork on a Saturday morning.

It doesn't help that Tris and I will both be going out tonight, separately, for Christina's and Uriah's parties. I feel like I should be spending every bit of available time with my wife and daughter before then.

So, I don't exactly object when Tris brings Abigail in, smirking slyly as she says, "I think your daughter really wants some Daddy time." I smile as she plops the infant in my lap, setting my papers aside so I can hold her.

The scent hits me right as Tris high-tails it out the door.

"I have ways of getting revenge!" I yell after her, but her laugh is the only answer I receive.

"My goodness, you are one smelly baby," I tell my daughter, exaggerating my expression as I meet her eyes. She hasn't learned to laugh yet, but she does give me a small smile, as if to reward my efforts. It's enough to thoroughly win me over.

"Stinky, stinky, stinky," I continue as I push myself up from the chair, holding Abigail in front of me with outstretched arms.

"But I bet it's still better than Lionel's," I call loudly as I pass through our living room, knowing that Tris is probably hiding in our bedroom, still laughing at me. "Because you save ones that bad for Mommy, don't you?"

Making my way into the nursery, I stand Abigail on the changing table, holding her carefully upright while I look at her. "Are you done? Because I'm not falling for that again." The little smile returns, and I grin back as I continue. "Fill it all up at once, and Daddy changes it all at once. That's our deal, right?"

She's not making any noises from down there, and she isn't contorting her face from gas, so I conclude she probably really is done, and I lay her on the table. The actual diaper change is quick from there – I've gotten far more used to these than I would have imagined a month ago. But complaining about it is considerably more fun than I expected, too.

I'm not the least bit surprised when Tris slips into the room the moment I've fastened the new diaper in place. "On the bright side," she says, still smirking at me, "Anna will probably get stuck with the next one."

"That she will," I agree, since Anna will be babysitting tonight while Tris and I are both out.

"Are you nervous about leaving her?" I ask as Tris picks Abigail up, following me into the bathroom so I can wash my hands.

"A little." She bites her lip as she gazes at our daughter. "It'll be the first time we've both been away from her."

It's an understandable feeling. Objectively, we both know that Anna is more than qualified to watch Abigail, and we've set everything up to make this work, but it's still a struggle to think about walking out that door.

"Why'd they have to schedule both parties at once, anyway?" I grumble, drying my hands and reaching for the baby again.

Tris sighs. "It's what Christina and Uriah wanted." She doesn't add that this day is about them, not us, so we need to suck up our discomfort and be there for our friends. It's true, though. As Christina's maid of honor, Tris can't exactly skip the bachelorette party, even if she has no interest whatsoever in going to a spa. And Zeke would kill me if I missed Uriah's big night. We have to be there.