Protection

Epilogue

TRIS POV

A bright flash. A loud boom. A cry.

I sigh and try to burrow deeper into the bed. Next to me, Tobias gets up with a groan, dragging his feet as he makes his way around the bed to the crib that is pushed up against the wall.

The high-pitched crying doesn't cease, and I whine as I roll over and cover my exposed ear with a pillow. Please, make it stop...

"Hey," Tobias slurs. I open my tired eyes and watch him reach down into the crib to retrieve our week-old baby boy, who kicks his legs in an upset manner.

"Shhh...it's okay." The repetitive cries are muffled as our son wails against his shoulder. I relax and uncover my ear when he quiets down slightly. I love Theo, but I also love sleep, and sometimes I am pushed to my limits when he constantly wakes me up.

Okay, fine, let's be real: he can disturb my sleep whenever he likes. I can't blame him, especially when I see his puppy eyes that he inherited from his father. Damn, those two can be very persuasive with that look.

"Did the thunder scare you?" my husband murmurs. Theo hiccups and slowly calms down at the sound of his voice. In the dark, I can barely make out his glistening eyes, which are currently staring at me over Tobias's shoulder. It makes me want to hold him despite my exhaustion.

Unfortunately, I don't do much of that. Not yet, at least. I am still recovering from the c-section I had, so Tobias has put every restriction possible on me and has taken over diaper duty. He also does all of the carrying and calming because I am practically useless as of now; I can feed our baby, and that's about it.

I don't know what I would do if he had to work this week—luckily his computer job is flexible and will allow him to work from home. He doesn't necessarily have to work because of my family's income, but he is motivated and does so. I will get a job too when all of our future kids go to school, just like I always wanted to.

Besides having a couple of nice cars, I have left my old life behind. I no longer associate myself with snotty young adults and politics and wealth. After we got married and had our honeymoon in Hawaii—where I always wanted to go—we downgraded to a two-story house in a quiet neighborhood. It is nothing like the gigantic houses I was used to; I like it.

We are a normal, middle-class family. We are independent.

This simple lifestyle has been an enlightening, worthwhile change for me, and I would have stayed miserable and shallow in my mansion if it weren't for Tobias coming into my life.

"It was pretty loud. I don't blame you," he coos to our son, referring to the storm. By now, Theo has stopped crying completely, and I watch as he is softly bounced by Tobias in the dim light coming from outside. "But there's nothing to be afraid of, you know?"

It took a while for him to get used to the father idea, since he spent a portion of his life hurting people and even killing them. He didn't believe he had the gentleness that I saw in him. Sure enough though, once Theo was born, he was a natural.

He shushes our son when he starts fussing again over the thunder. "You don't ever have to be scared. I will always be here to keep you safe. Always."

I smile to myself as I listen to his words and see Theo's eyes slipping shut. It only takes a couple minutes for him to completely drift off on his father's shoulder.

Tobias walks back to his side of the bed, surprisingly bringing Theo with him instead of putting him back in the crib. He sets him down in the middle of the bed and crawls in, so that our baby is surrounded by us.

I wince slightly when I roll over to face them, and observant as he is, my husband asks, "You okay?" His concerned eyes meet mine from across the pillows.

"Yeah," I reply. It is not a big deal. My sore abdomen is going to take a while more to heal, and there is nothing I can do. Besides, I am growing accustomed to the pain that comes with moving.

"Just take it easy, all right?"

I nod. To this day, he is still looking out for me. It is in his nature.

Which is funny because he was planning on killing me when we first met. That is now a joke that we throw around constantly. He wasn't amused at first, but I got him to loosen up about it.

Theo whimpers in his sleep, and in fear of him waking up again, I pick him up and lay him on my chest, kissing him because I can't help myself. As long as he doesn't stretch his legs out, my incision should be fine.

Tobias grins at us, and even in the dark his bright white teeth are noticeable.

"I love you," he whispers. "Both of you."

My heart swells at the words even though he has said them about a million times.

"I love you too," I murmur, closing my eyes because I just can't seem to keep them open.

He scoots closer and slides an arm around me, around us, and presses his lips to the top of my head. It makes me feel secure and warm and filled with the love I have for my little family of three.

The truth is, Tobias never stopped being my bodyguard. He has always kept me safe and stood up for me when I needed him the most. The only difference now is that he also does the same for our son.

He is our defender. He is our guardian.

He is our protection.

The End.

xXxXx

Thank you so much for supporting this story! I had a lot of fun writing something different, and your comments always made it even better!

If you haven't heard, I will soon be starting my new story, "The Way Back." Keep an eye out for it, and please check it out! 😉