mended vs. settLed (a FOURTRIS love story)

Chapter 38: Promises Made

Chapter 38: Promises Made

Date: Early October +o+ Andy is 1 year old

^^ Later that night ^^

* Tobias POV *

I thank our waitress for the drinks she brought over to the table. I ordered a lemonade for Tris and got Andy's highchair set up, and now I am just waiting for them to arrive at our favorite burger place.

I spent the day with Zeke, running errands and helping Hana with some minor home improvements at her apartment. I enjoyed my time with Zeke and Hana, happy to help out, but I missed Tris and Andy terribly. Tris was so sweet when she called my cell and asked me to meet them for dinner.

"Hey," Tris says, interrupting my thoughts. She is standing beside the table; I didn't even see her walk up.

I immediately stand to hug her and help her and Andy get situated. That's when I notice Andy isn't with her. "Um, where's Andy?" I ask, laughing.

"Well, he's actually with your mom," Tris says. "I wanted to meet, just the two of us. To talk."

"Talk? Okay, sure," I mumble after leaning down to give her a quick peck. I pull out Tris's chair for her. "I'm going to put this high chair back since we won't be needing it."

Taking a sip, Tris says, "Thanks for ordering a lemonade for me. Sorry I was running a little late."

After we place our order, Tris clears her throat softly before beginning to talk. My stomach is suddenly in knots.

"I ran into Christina at the marketplace today, and Andy was with me," Tris says calmly.

My eyebrows knit together in a frown. "Everything go okay? The last time you saw her, when she showed up at our door uninvited, she was being awful." Christina rubbing the stupid sheets in Tris's face pops into my head, and I begin to worry. I'm immediately concerned for Tris, more so since Andy was there, too. "Tris?"

"It was okay. Really," Tris assures me.

Slowly releasing the breath I'd been nervously holding, I gesture for Tris to continue.

"It actually went more than okay. The main thing, the most important thing..." Tris squeezes my hand and leans closer to me. "I felt different when I saw her. I'm not worried anymore."

I can't help my nervousness. "Worried? Did I do something to..."

"Tobias, stop," Tris interrupts me. "The way I felt before, that was because of me. And what matters now is that this time, I didn't feel bad, or weak, or most importantly...less."

Relieved to hear what Tris is saying, I don't push for details. Truth be told, I've already made my peace with Christina and I don't need to know what happened between them. All I care about is how it impacts Tris. If she wants to talk about it, great. If not, that's fine, too.

Tris is calm as she goes through her entire conversation with Christina while I listen carefully.

As she talks, I feel confident for the first time that she really is at peace with my past. I am so proud of how far Tris has come, and I'm grateful that we have made it through the mess and have emerged on the other side, stronger and happier. I can't even imagine losing the life I have now with her and Andy.

"Tobias, I just need you to know that I trust you. Completely," Tris says earnestly. I grin at her as she continues. "I also trust myself to love you and to be with you, always. We are the real thing," Tris murmurs before she leans in to kiss me briefly.

"Thank you for being honest and open with me." I pause, knowing I need to do the same for her. "It means a lot to me."

"Do you remember the night I called you at 3 a.m.?" I ask, causing Tris to cock her eyebrow at me. Like she could forget that.