Four times YES | ✅

The Fourth Time

Tobias POV

Age 32

It's a wonderful August day and my family and I enjoy our time having fun in our backyard. We'll start our vacation two days from now, but since it's Saturday Tris and I thought the kids would enjoy some family activity. At first I wanted to invite my parents and in-laws, but then reconsidered. Both my job and my wife's are demanding and we don't spend nearly as much time with our kids as we want to. So this is why weekends, especially Sundays, are for family activities.

I can't believe Tris and I have been together for fourteen years already and married for eight. It seems only yesterday that I asked her to be my girlfriend on that particular Valentine's Day. Looking back, I wish I had had the guts to ask her out sooner, but in the end it worked out pretty well.

Not only am I married to this gorgeous woman, no, she blessed me with three children: Savanah, who is six years by now, Milo, our second child, who is four years old and another bundle of joy on its way. I have no idea what I did in this or a previous life to deserve a woman like her. She is my everything; she and the kids. There are not enough words in the dictionary to describe her: beautiful, smart, funny, kind, loyal, honest, witty, loving, passionate, strong, tough, gentle and I could go on forever, but more importantly she is mine. She is my lover, my partner, my confidant, my best friend, the mother of my children, my wife.

We are all stuffed from the delicious meal and we decided to just hang out with the kids in the living room. We already took Bella, our chocolate female lab, and Edward, our male tabby, to my in-laws.

"So, what do you want to play?" Tris asks the kids. Like usual they start talking over the other until Tris raises her hand. She doesn't say a word and they stop momentarily.

"Babe, how the cracker are you doing that?" I ask with a chuckle, still baffled after all these years at how she manages to discipline the kids without raising her voice, let alone her hand as a method of punishment. I've heard all kinds of stories from other parents, some very disturbing.

"Super-mom powers," she says with a grin. "Now," she says looking at our kids. "Talk calmly and decide together what we all can play, alright?" she asks and the kids nod. I sit next to her on the couch as I watch my son and daughter debate what game we should play. There aren't many options, but they always fight about it.

"You're a great mom," I say kissing her temple.

"Thanks. I'm just trying my best every day," she says sheepishly.

"Well, I think you're the best mom in the whole world. Our kids are lucky to have you," I say and she turns her head smiling. I place a tender kiss to her lips before I bend down and kiss her four months pregnant belly, where our third child securely grows. "Daddy loves you," I whisper to it. We still don't know what we're having this time but either way we'll love it just as much as its older brother and sister.

"They're lucky to have such a wonderful father," she says, her eyes shining and her mouth forming a beautiful smile. She is always beautiful but when she's pregnant she has that glow about her that fills me with happiness and pride, knowing that I put those babies in there.

"Mommy," we hear Milo and look toward him.

"What is it baby?" Tris asks.

"We want Pictionary," he says smiling.

"Okay. How are we going to play?" she asks.

"How about us boys against you girls?" I suggest and they all look at me before the kids yelp out in excitement.

As we play I watch my kids having fun and enjoying their childhoods. I know how tough things can get. Tris and I had our ups and downs, both in our private lives as in our professional ones, but we always talked to each other and found solutions together.

"Moon?" I ask as I watch my four-year-old son draw a circle on the board.

"No, daddy. Look closer," he says scowling.

"Is it a ball?" I ask again. He shakes his head vehemently. What the devil is that?

"It's a chocolate chip cookie," Tris says excited and Savanah jumps up and down.

"Yeah, mom."

"Ugh, dad. Pay attention," my boy chastises me and I chuckle. He might look like me but he is definitely all Tris. She too doesn't like to lose. "Next time I'll play with mommy. She gets me," he says and crosses his arms over his chest pouting. I stifle a laugh, but he did hit home with that comment.

"Apologize to your father this instant," Tris tells him seriously.

"Babe, it's fine," I say.

"No, it's not. Milo," she says looking at him. He stubbornly remains silent. "Milo Tobias Eaton, apologize now or I'm going to be very upset," she says sternly but without raising her voice.

"Sorry," he says and looks away. I can tell he doesn't quite mean it or even understands why his mother got upset.

"Milo?" I call him and he looks at me. I can see tears have gathered in his eyes and I motion with my hand for him to come sit with me. He climbs onto the couch and then into my arms. He lays his head on my shoulder and starts sobbing. I look at Tris and I know her heart is breaking, just like mine. Savanah sits next to her mother, concerned about her brother and probably not understanding what is going on. I rock Milo in my arms until he calms down.

"Milo," Tris says tentatively and reaches out to touch him. He lifts his head a little and looks at her. "Do you know why I got upset?" she asks and he remains silent for a moment, probably trying to figure it out.

"I got angry with daddy for not understanding my picture," he says. Not really what she asked for, but hey. I know he got upset because of that, but honestly, it was just a circle. That could have been anything.

"That you did. But do you know why I got angry with you?" she asks and he shakes his head. "You hurt your daddy's feelings just now. I know you want to win, but winning is not the most important thing in life. Sometimes we win and others we lose, but family is the most important thing. Do you love me?" she asks him and he bobs his head. "And do you love your daddy?" she asks again and he bobs his head again. "Just because I'm better at Pictionary than your dad, doesn't mean you should only play with me the game. Besides, your dad is better at sports than I am and you love baseball. Does this mean when we two play together and your sister plays on daddy's team you would rather want to play with him than me, just to win a silly game?" she asks him seriously. He thinks for a moment and then shakes his head. He looks down, ashamed, and starts sobbing again. I hold him closer to me and let him cry.

"I'm sorry, daddy," he says after a while.

"It's okay, son. Come on, let's try to beat the girls," I say trying to cheer him up. He nods his head and then looks at Tris who, while holding Savanah with one arm, didn't avert her eyes from our son.

"I'm sorry, mommy," he says.

"It's okay, but I hope we don't have to have this conversation again," she says and he nods. He gets off my lap and goes to Tris who hugs him tightly and kisses his head. When he lets go of her she wipes his tears away and kisses both his cheeks.

Our game continues for another while until we call it quits and sum up our points. The girls obviously won, but unlike before Milo isn't as upset anymore. I pick him up and place a kiss to his cheek.

"Next time we'll beat them," I say and hold up my hand to high five with him.

"Yes," he says excitedly.