Nathan Eaton

Chapter 3 - The News

Tobias

As soon as I open the door the smell of dinner overwhelms me, my favorite dinner.

"You made roast beef?" I ask sitting down at the table excited to dig in. Her only response is a quick kiss and a smile before she sits down to join me.

"Seriously this is so good, Tris," I say practically licking my plate clean before I'm about to help myself to seconds. "What did I do to deserve this?"

"You're a wonderful husband, Tobias, and one day you'll make a wonderful father." She's been saying this a lot to me over the past month, sometimes I think she can see right through me.

My response is the same as always, "I hope you're right." I stare at my hands already knowing what she'll say, the same thing she always says.

"I know I'm right." Yep... Same response as always. Until...

"And in 9 months I'll be able to prove it to you," she says with a huge grin on her face.

Shit.

I can't freak out, I agreed to this. I just wasn't expecting it to happen this fast. We weren't having sex more than usual, then again usual for us is a few times a week. I hadn't even realized she had stopped taking her pill.

I know she's waiting for me to say something, but I honestly have no words. I try to smile, hoping it doesn't look like a grimace, and walk over to her and kiss her gently. "I love you, Tris," I say, knowing that is 100% true and hoping it's enough for her to hear.

"I love you too. Why don't you go take a shower and relax, I'm going to clean up dinner."

I'm so much in shock I don't even insist on helping her clean. I go into the bathroom and close the door, but I just sit on the edge of the tub and stare at the wall. I've never been so scared in my life, which I realize is awfully selfish of me. Tris is the one that's pregnant, she's the one that's going to have to deal with her body changing and giving birth. Then again, I know she's going to handle it beautifully. She's going to be a wonderful mother, but she had one as a role model.

I accidentally glance at myself in the mirror, only to realize I'm crying. I didn't even feel the tears running down my face. I haven't cried this hard since I was young and getting beaten by my father.

Oh God... What am I going to do? What if I end up like him? Immediately I feel sick to my stomach and have to run to the toilet.

"Tobias?" I hear her softly say outside.

"I'm fine, Tris. Go sit and relax." There's no way I can let her see me like this. My stomach heaves again just as she opens the door.

"I thought I was the one that was supposed to be nauseous," she says as she sits on the floor next to me and pulls me into her arms. "I wasn't lying when I said you'd be a good father." How is it that she can read me so well?

"How can you possibly know that? You don't know what it was like growing up in my house. Who was I supposed to learn that from?" No matter how hard I try, I can't stop the tears.

"Do you still feel sick? Let's go lay down and talk."

Suddenly I feel ashamed, she shouldn't have to take care of me like this. I take a deep breath, willing myself to reign in the tears as I get up to go to the bedroom."I'm fine, Tris. Really. I don't know what happened."

She sits on the bed and leans her back against the headboard. She pulls me down to the bed so I'm laying down with my head in her lap. She starts to gently scratch my scalp and I can feel myself relaxing.

"Do you want to know why I'm so positive you'll be a good father?" I can't quite meet her eyes while I wait for her to continue.

"Because you are the best husband."

"So?" I didn't mean to say it like that, it just kind of slipped out.

She forces me to look at her. "So, who do you think you learned that from? It sure as hell wasn't Marcus. He never treated your mom like a human, much less a wife. You love me and you continue to show me that every day. You didn't need a role model to teach you how to be a good person, you became that on your own. You are the best person I have ever known. That has carried over into this marriage and it will when you become a father too."

She looks at me with so much love and trust I feel the overwhelming urge to kiss her.

So I do.