Chapter 28

Tris woke up to the sound of clanging, and the smell of bacon. She groggily wondered who was cooking in her kitchen. Then it all came flooding back, her brother- the betrayal, kissing Tobias, church. She rubbed her face. She had so many mixed emotions. Hurt and anger at her brother, excitement and, oddly enough, nervousness about Tobias. She decided it was time to face the day, and she needed coffee. How should she approach this morning. Did she kiss him good morning? Wait for him to decide? She threw off the covers deciding to just wing it. This was too much thinking for so early in the morning. She walked out of her bedroom following the delicious smells coming out of her kitchen.

"Oh! This smells divine!" She announced as she entered. Tobias turned and shot her a full megawatt smile. It literally took her breath away.

"Just in time," he replied, as he placed two plates on her table. She took in the beauty of her table and was speechless. Not only had he cooked and set the table, but he had also arranged some beautiful purple chrysanthemums in a short vase on her table as the centerpiece. She shook her head in wonder.

"Tobias…" still speechless she looked at him.

"I do believe this is the first time I've seen you without words, Miss. Prior." She laughed wholeheartedly. It was the first time she ever remembered being at a loss.

He crossed over to her and grabbed her by the waist pulling her against him.

"Good morning beautiful," he said softly. She gasped surprised, still feeling excitement with the intimacy of the action, and placed her hands on his well-toned chest. She looked up at him meekly.

"I wanted us to start today, this relationship, off right. With everything that is going on, or anything that could happen in the future, I wanted this morning to be special. Something that we could draw from, and remember when things get tough." He brushed some hair out of my face. "We live in a crazy world Tris, you and I know that better than anyone, we need to cherish the moments that we have together." She looked at him earnestly. Tears came to her eyes. She never thought she would be cherished like this. They had only just started their relationship but he already knew and valued her in a way no one ever had.

"Tobias…" she tried to put all she was feeling into the next two words, "Thank you."

It didn't seem like enough. She slid her hands up and around the back of his neck, plunging her fingers into his hair. He let out a soft sigh. They stood, searching each other's eyes. Her heart started to race. This was it. Her whole world shifted. She knew without a shadow of a doubt she loved this man. She pulled in ragged breaths. She pulled his head down meaning to give him a chaste kiss, but the moment their lips met it changed into something more. His arms came around her tightly drawing her closer to him, her hands tightened into fists in his hair, and he moaned. He pulled away abruptly and took a step back putting his hands on her upper arms holding her there. He hung his head. She stood there in a haze trying to grasp what just happened.

"What's wrong Tobais?" She stood there wondering if she had done something wrong. "I- I'm sorry, I didn't mean…..I just wanted…" She trailed off not knowing what to say.

"No, no its not you." He looked up at her and she understood. His deep brown eyes were blazing with desire. She was surprised at the intensity in his gaze. The old saying was true, eyes are the window to the soul.

"Boundries…"she whispered. "Right." She hadn't realized the effect she had on him; it was an intoxicating feeling. She took another step back out of his reach. He ran his hand through his hair. She absently put her hand to her lips, gathering her thoughts. She took a deep breath and smiled. "Ok, how about breakfast." She grabbed his hand and pulled him to the table. She grinned at him.

"Tobias, it looks so good, and smells even better I can't wait to taste it." She sat down and took a long drink of her orange juice. Tobias was having a harder time switching gears.

"Uh, yea; it is. I may have sampled as I cooked," he ruefully admitted. He sat across from her and shoved a piece of bacon into his mouth. This boundaries thing may be harder than he thought. It could be done though, Tris was so understanding and respectful when it came to it though. This morning was his gift to her. He wanted to let her know no matter what happened he was all in.

Halfway through their breakfast his cell phone rang. He looked at Tris and she knew it was Jeanine.

"Yea, its Tobias." He tried to sound as cavalier as possible.

"Tobias, its Jeanine. Something has come up and I need you back as soon as possible. We've found who sabotaged our plans at the park, and I need you back here so we can figure out where to go next. Tell no one. We need to keep this limited to as few people as possible. With there being a mole somewhere in this organization we don't need word getting to them."

He felt his food wanting to make a reappearance. He choked it back. He was sure the color drained from his face because the look on Tris's face was alarmed. She set down her fork, and wiped her mouth.

"Yea, Jeanine, uh, what do you mean you found the person responsible. You have a name?" He tried his best to sound normal…casual even, but it felt as if he had just run a marathon. Heart racing, palms sweating, he held his breath as he waited for the answer.

"Yes, Tris Prior."

XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXxXXXXXXXXXXXX

Jeanine hung up the phone after talking with Tobias just as Maiya was waking up. She sat up and looked around.

"Good morning Miss. Jeanine." She smiled sleepily. She threw off the covers and joined her in her large king sized bed. Jeanine welcomed her warmly. She snuggled up to her side.

"Are you hungry sweetie?" She nodded silently. "I'll call and have someone bring us something." She picked up the phone and rang Stacy. She ordered pancakes bacon and eggs along with some milk and orange juice. She hung up and admired the beautiful little girl that was beside her. Her delicate features, tiny plump lips. She felt a slight tug at her heart. She didn't know she was capable of such affection. Her father wasn't getting out of prison any time soon, which surprisingly had her thinking of officially adopting her. She would have Stacy talk to their lawyer and have him pull the paperwork up for the girls dad.

"Miss. Jeanine?" She asked looking up at her with big eyes. She murmured her response. "Can I stay here with you forever?" Her eyes became unexpectedly moist.

"Oh, Maiya! Of course. You're welcome here as long as you like. Are you ok with that?" She said softly. The little girl bobbed her head eagerly. "Ok then, its settled." The little girl smiled up at her innocently, and Jeanine stroked her hair searching the little girls eyes. She put so much hope and trust into Jeanine. How could she ever say no to her. She would do whatever it took to protect her. She would move heaven and earth if she had to…anything. Mayia placed her head on her shoulder and Jeanine rested her cheek on the top of her head and daydreamed of the life they could have together until their breakfast arrived. She would take this reprieve until Tobias arrived and her attention needed to be turned back to work and the business, but for now she would relish the time she had away from it all.