Chapter Twenty Five.

The Halloween one-shot/outtake that I promised for this story is now up on my profile, so make sure you check it out, along with the links to the jewellery.

() – I'm sorry that you find the religious part of this story a turn off. However, I did say in a previous A.N that I'm a Catholic and it tends to come out in my stories sometimes. It's a small part of this story, and I only put in moments that are suitable. The Bible reading from the previous chapter – regardless sof whether you're religious or not, Catholic or not, is a beautiful piece of writing. And it's incredibly true. Without love, what are we? So I hope that you enjoy the rest of the story. If the religious aspect really puts you off, skip those moments. I'm warning you now, the wedding if it happens, will be in a church with a church service. So you might want to skip that chapter.

Peggy – you'll see in this chapter, and Adrian will be in the next one :)

Rose – I'll guess you'll find out in this chapter.

DXR – I'm so glad that you enjoyed it! :):):)

Angela masson – awww thank you! All will be revealed very soon…

Clair95 – you'll find out soon!

Yanis – lol, you'll see!

Thank you so much for the amazing reaction to the last chapter! Here's the one you've all been waiting for…

"Roza," Dimitri took my hand in his as he held up a small, black velvet ring box. "I love you, with all my heart, body, mind and soul. I can't imagine being apart from you. Will you, Rosemarie Hathaway, marry me?"

My field of vision narrowed and blurred as Dimitri opened the ring box, to reveal the most beautiful engagement ring I'd ever seen.

It was double banded, with both bands made of gold that shone in the light. At the centre they split to hold a large, circular diamond, and tear drop shaped emerald shards spanned out from the diamond in a semi-circle. The ring itself resembled a flower, with a bud made of diamond and the emerald petals encased in gold.

This ring looked expensive. And old. And precious.

And Dimitri wanted me to wear it.

Dimitri wanted me to marry him. To be Mrs. Dimitri Belikov. To be his, really and truly, til death us do part.

Mrs. Belikov.

Mrs. Dimitri Belikov.

Mrs. Rosemarie Belikov.

Mr and Mrs. Dimitri Belikov.

"Roza?"

I realised I'd been staring into Dimitri's anxious eyes as I babbled on in my head, and held out my trembling left hand.

Does Dimitri really want me to marry him?

"Yes."

Shock widened Dimitri's eyes. "Really?"

Is this really happening?

I nodded and my voice cracked as tears slowly started to dribble down my cheeks. "Yes. Yes, I will marry you, Dimitri."

Relief flooded his features as he reverently took the ring in between his right forefinger and thumb, held my left hand steady with his left, and slid the stunning ring onto my ring finger.

Yes Rose, it really is happening.

He took a deep breath and kissed my ring finger softly before he looked up at me, pure happiness shining in his eyes. "Perfect, just like you, my Roza."

You're getting married to the man of your dreams.

Laptop forgotten, I threw myself forwards into his arms, bear hugging him as my emotions spilled over and I cried and laughed and kissed him all at the same time.

"You really mean it? You really want to marry me?"

He nodded and kissed both of my wet cheeks before he pulled back to stare into my eyes. "I do." Then he grinned brightly. "It feels so good to say that. I do. I do. I can't wait to say it with you, in church, in front of all of our friends and family."

More tears dribbled down my cheeks as I kissed him softly. "I love you."

"I l-"

"SHE SAID YES!"

"SHE'S OFFICIALLY BECOMING A BELIKOV!"

Paul and Viktoria yelled in tandem down the hallway, and a second later, we were swamped by our family.

"Really?" Olena's voice was excited. "I'm getting another daughter?"

I sniffled and held my left hand out, so they could all see, to be met with silence.

Yeva was grinning like a fool, Olena was crying softly, and Dimitri's sisters were staring at us in amazement.

Sonya finally managed to choke something out. "You gave her Babushka's ring?"

Dimitri nodded, and grinned, as he twisted my hand so that the emeralds caught the light and sparkled.

I held my breath, and waited for them to speak.

Simultaneously, all three of them broke into ecstatic grins.

"Congratulations-"

"It suits you so well-"

"We're going to finally get to plan a wedding-"

"I get to plan the wedding-"

"I get to pick the dress!"

"I choose the church!"

"I get to decide on the bouquet."

"I get to pick on the colours!"

"Hey! I wanted to do that."

"Tough. I called dibs on it."

Dimitri chuckled and turned my face to meet his. "They'll argue for hours. I don't think it's quite registered in their minds that it's our wedding."

I laughed, and leant my forehead against his. "Let them have their fun for now. I have more pressing concerns on my mind."

"Like what?"

"Like making sure you're serious. Are you sure your brain hasn't just popped from the stress of having your sisters here, bugging the living daylights out of you?"

Dimitri's rough, warm palms cupped my cheeks as he stared into my eyes. "Roza. I. Love. You. I am not crazy, or mad, or psychotic. I haven't smashed my head against a brick wall, and I wasn't dropped on the head too many times, if at all, as a baby. I'm simply a man, and I met you, got to know you, and fell in love with you. I adore you and our family, and I want to make us official. Do you know what emerald stands for?"

I shook my head as a lone tear slipped down my cheek. Dimitri brushed it away softly. "Love."

My breath hitched, and I blinked hard to stop anymore tears from falling. "I still can't believe that you care so much. I love you. Forever. I'll never stop."

He grinned brightly at me. "That's all I can ever ask of you, Roza. And I'll never stop loving you either."

I smiled back and pressed my lips to his firmly. His arms tightened around my waist as I twisted my fingers into the ends of his hair and pulled gently so that his head tilted back and I could deepen the kiss.

Dimitri was my soul mate. My other half. The one who I couldn't live without, and who couldn't live without me.

Dimly, I realised that the sounds of the chatter had died down. Dimitri's arms tightened around my waist, before they loosened as he broke the kiss softly, and leant his forehead against mine. "I love you, but I think that my family actually want to congratulate us this time."

I pressed one last chaste kiss to his mouth, before I buried my face into the crook of his neck and wrapped my arms around his shoulders. "I just want to stay in your arm-"

"Tough." Yeva answered for Dimitri as she, Olena and Viktoria yanked me from his arms, while Dimitri was bombarded with questions from Karolina, Sonya and Paul. Hell, even Zoya and Orel were trying to join in; their tiny toddlers' hands tugging at their uncle's trousers as they tried to gain his attention.

Alyssa and Katrina hugged me simultaneously, questions brimming in their eyes.

I laughed, immediately knowing what they wanted to ask. "Yes, you will be my bridesmaids. You can help choose your dresses, and you will both look absolutely beautiful."

Sophia was caught up in the moment, and trying to get through the adults to reach me. I grinned and knelt down so she could run into my arms. "You, my beautiful baby girl, will look beautiful as well."

"Can I help choose my dress too?"

I nodded and kissed the top of her head. "Of course. Why don't you go and ask your daddy too?"

Excitement filled her features as she wriggled for me to put her down.

"STOP!"

Every single person in the room froze, and turned to face the doorway.

Tom was stood there, with his hands on his hips and an unhappy frown plastered to his face.

He seemed to grow as he marched over to Dimitri and glared up at him. Oh boy.

"T-"

Dimitri was cut off by Tom punching him in the knee, and then bursting into tears.

"You didn't ask my permission to marry my mummy."

Pain covered Dimitri's features as he clutched at his knee cap and tried to reach for Tom at the same time. "I think we need to talk, Tom." Tom sniffled and nodded as he rubbed at his hand. "And get you some ice for your hand so it stops hurting?"

"Yes please."

Together they walked – or in Dimitri's case, hobbled – into the kitchen together, the sound of their chatter drifting down the hallway.

"That's enough drama. Alyssa, Katrina, you're in charge of the younger kids until your dad comes back in, or we come downstairs." Yeva took charge once again, and I was frogmarched upstairs by the entire Belikov clan.

"What are we doing, exactly?"

"Planning your wedding."

I smiled as I shut my eyes and let the hot water from the shower run over my skin.

Today had been a blur once Dimitri proposed. His family had dragged me upstairs and pulled me into our bedroom, to prepare me for 'what being a Belikov entailed'. I was given a long lecture by Yeva on their family history, and then quizzed by Olena. Viktoria had taken Dimitri's laptop and started searching various bridal shop websites to find my dress, whilst Karolina and Sonya peppered me with questions about what colours I wanted.

Half of my opinions were shot down and flat out refused as they began to repeat their earlier conversation and argue over who was planning which aspect of our wedding day and honeymoon.

After three hours, I had a headache, was hungry and was tired.

My attempts to get them to quieten down hadn't worked, if anything they'd gotten louder, and so I'd yelled at the top of my lungs.

"Everybody shut up!"

Silence fell across the room as its inhabitants stared at me with wide eyes.

"This is mine and Dimitri's wedding. I'm sorry Karolina and Sonya, but that means that we make the decisions. We know how much money we have and how much we can afford to spend, so we'll choose the church and the reception hall and the colour scheme. Viktoria, I appreciate your opinion, but you need to let me at least think about what style of dress I'd like before you start planning and designing it. Certain styles don't and won't fit or suit me. Certain colours don't suit me." I met the eyes of everyone in the room before I continued. "Dimitri and I need to do this on our own, but with your support. It's another part of our life together, and we need to handle it. We can't do it without your help, but we can't do it if you help too much. So please, take a deep breath and a step back."

They all nodded mutely, and then Yeva burst into laughter. Rich, throaty chuckles left her mouth as she bent at the waist and laughed hard.

"Good for you, Roza. I've been waiting for the day when Dimka or any of my grandchildren would find someone with the guts to defend themselves and their relationship." Her chocolate brown eyes twinkled with humour. "You are truly a brilliant addition to this family."

Yeva's blessing of our relationship let me know that I'd done the right thing.

A strong pair of hands joined mine as I started to massage the conditioner into my hair, and I smiled as I leant back into Dimitri's body.

"Hey." My eyes fluttered open as I spoke, and I tilted my head back to find Dimitri smiling down at me.

"Hey, Mrs-soon-to-be-Belikov."

I giggled and pulled his hands free from my hair so I could turn to face him. "That sounds good. It has a certain ring to it, doesn't it?"

His smile widened, and he leant down to kiss me softly. "It does. Roza Belikova."

"Maybe you should become Dimitri Hathaway?" I wrinkled my nose as I tested the words out. "Never mind. It doesn't sound as good."

"I wouldn't mind becoming Mr. Hathaway."

I snorted. "Don't let your sisters hear you saying that. They think you're whipped enough as it is." He chuckled softly, and I pulled his face down to mine. "Are you sure you're not having any second thoughts?"

"Roza," His arms wrapped around my waist and he pulled my body flush against his. "I will never, ever grow tired of you. I will not get cold feet, and I won't have any second thoughts. Okay?"

"Okay." I nodded and leant forwards so that my lips could press against his.

"In fact," His hands tightened on my waist, and lifted my body into the air so that my back could rest against the wall. My legs wrapped around his waist and the cool tiles pressed into my back as Dimitri kissed me softly. "I think I should show you."

I let out a small moan as Dimitri entered me fully, and pulled back out again. My fingers clutched at the corded muscles of his back as I tried to pull him closer to me, but he continued to move his hips further away before pushing into me at an agonisingly slow pace.

"I want to feel you, Roza. I don't want to rush this time."

His eyes, soft with emotion, met mine and I nodded breathlessly as my lips sought his out. There was a different kind of intensity in our lovemaking as we slowly rocked and rotated our hips against each other.

Right now, we were joined by our bodies, and soon, we'd be bound together by love. The ring on my finger was proof of the fact that we were both ready to prove our commitment and dedication to each other.

"It's just that it's been so long."

My head fell to the side to rest in the crook of his neck as his hold tightened around my hips. We hadn't been together, intimately, for the whole two weeks while his family were here. All of the bedrooms were used, and whenever we had a moment to ourselves in any of the rooms downstairs, someone tended to come in and spoil the moment.

"I know, Roza. But let's make this last."

I panted as his hips rocked against mine once again and let my fingers curl into the ends of his hair.

"Just don't stop."

"I won't."

His fingers tilted my face up and his lips met mine tenderly as the speed of his thrusts increased ever so slightly.

Knock. Knock.

The bathroom door opened and we both froze.

"Sorry, Rose. I just need to wash my hands; I'll only be a minute."

"Okay." I swallowed a moan as Viktoria moved towards the sink and Dimitri rested his head against my shoulder. His chest heaved as he caught his breath, and my voice faltered.

Luckily for us, the shower curtain was black, which meant Viktoria couldn't see that I wasn't alone. Unluckily for us, she decided to hang around and chat a little.

"Are you excited? We couldn't believe it when Dimka rang and said that he was going to propose to you when we came over. I mean, he just never seemed like the type to settle down…"

I bit my lip to hold in a moan when Dimitri stood up straight to stretch his legs out, the movement only causing him to slide even further into me as Viktoria continued talking.

"…but we're all so glad that he chose you, Roza. You're beautiful, and you've got such a good heart, and your children are all brilliant. You can tell that they've been brought up, not dragged up."

A whimper left my mouth as Dimitri grinned wickedly, and rocked his hips against mine sharply as he kissed my neck.

"…Rose? Are you ok? W-"

My body trembled around Dimitri's as he pulled back and slammed into me once again… right as the shower curtain was suddenly pulled back and Viktoria's voice cut off into a strangled scream as she took in the sight before her.

"Why the hell is Dimitri in there with you?"

Heat flooded my face as Dimitri turned so that my body was hidden from Viktoria's line of sight. "Shut the curtain and get out, Vika! Who goes around peeking at people when they're showering?"

"That's so disgusting. We all have to use that shower!"

The bathroom door slammed shut and Dimitri stared down at me as we waited in silence to see if anyone else would come bursting in.

Finally, Dimitri sighed and lowered me to the floor. "She's probably screeching about it downstairs, which means we'll have to do the walk of shame before we go to bed."

My cheeks flushed again at the thought of Olena and all of Dimitri's family knowing about what we were doing, and Dimitri pulled me into his arms. "Don't worry, Roza." He turned me around, and directed me back under the spray so I could rinse the conditioner out of my hair. "I don't know why she was so shocked. We're getting married. What did she think we're going to do on our honeymoon?"

I cocked an eyebrow. "What exactly do you think we're going to do on our honeymoon?"

A naughty grin lit up his face as he took a step closer to me and knelt down gracefully.

"A lot of what we were doing before." He pressed kiss to my stomach. "And a lot of what we did on my birthday." His lips kissed both of my thighs softly. "And a lot of what we did on your birthday." My breath caught as he pushed my legs apart and lifted my foot so that it rested on his shoulder. "And even more of what we did on the night and morning that we got back together…"

I grinned into Dimitri's chest as Viktoria threw us a dirty glare before she flicked the light off and climbed into my sofa bed.

We hadn't had to do 'the walk of shame', but Viktoria had shuddered whenever she'd made eye contact with her brother, and had refused to sit anywhere near us for the remainder of the night.

Dimitri chuckled as he kissed the top of my head and pulled me into his arms. "I love you."

"I love you too."

"Both of you, shut up."

We laughed at Viktoria's sour tone, before I focussed my attention on Dimitri."

"I did some research. For the wedding."

"About what?" His fingers traced lazy circles on my lower back as I wriggled even closer to him so that I could rest my head on his chest.

"About getting married in a church." I swallowed. "A Catholic church."

As I expected, Dimitri frowned. "We can't get married in church, because you've been married before."

I grinned. "I know. But," I tilted his face down to mine so he could see the seriousness of my words. "Apparently, my marriage to Adrian could be invalid because he wasn't a Catholic when we got married, and as far as I know, he still isn't. But you are, and I am. So technically speaking, we could get married in a church. The only downside is that the process of getting an annulment could take up to a year."

Dimitri's eyes stared back into mine and he nodded. "I already said that I won't get cold feet. I'll wait for as long as it takes, Roza."