Chapter Thirty Seven.

Hey guys. I have a playlist for you for this chapter. It really sets the mood, so I suggest you listen to it before you read, or during! The link is on my profile.

Also, I really recommend that you check out the pictures for this chapter, especially to see what Rose looked like. The album is on facebook, but is public, so you can see it regardless of whether you've added my fanfic fb account or not. The link is on my profile.

x2xJOJOx2x - Thank you! :)

PrincessRedfern and deliciouse - thank you for pointing out my mistake! Hopefully it's all fixed now. :)

Huge thanks to Abbymickey24 and busymommy for the wedding dress description help! It wouldn't sound anywhere near as good without you both!

"And she's so beautiful, with this… long brown hair and the most beautiful eyes. She's just…" On screen, Dimitri hiccupped and slurred before blinking rapidly and focusing back on the young woman who was stood next to him. "…Roza. That sums her up. And I'm getting married to her."

Beside me, Dimitri's cheeks flamed bright red as laughter rumbled around the room. It was our rehearsal dinner, and Christian had decided that instead of giving a stand-in speech since Paul and the rest of the Belikov's weren't there, he was going to show us all snippets of the footage from Dimitri's Stag Do.

Christian grinned evilly, as did Eddie and Ambrose – who I'd been introduced to once Dimitri had woken up properly – while Mason grimaced and shot him a sympathetic glance.

"I love my Roza, and my kids are so..." Another foolish, wannabe-model girl had tried to talk to Dimitri, and I grinned as he didn't even bat an eyelid. Instead, he launched into another spiel about how excited he was for our wedding day.

I grinned as the girl tried to back away, but a clearly drunk Dimitri caught her arm and pulled her back, rambling more about the five of us. "And we're getting married! Are you married?" He finally stopped talking and looked her expectantly; disappointment falling across his features as she practically ran away.

"Another one didn't share your enthusiasm?" Christian's voice sounded from behind the camera as Dimitri shook his head slowly.

"No, they just don't seem to understand."

The image of the scene flashed and then changed to a different section of the tape as I fiddled with the hem of my dress. Dimitri was wearing a suit, and I was wearing the dress he'd bought for me on Valentine's Day – the blue velvet one.

Someone else was filming, because Christian and Dimitri were sat at the bar, looking like they were deep in conversation.

"So you're sure that Rose is the one for you?"

Dimitri looked sober-ish in this section and nodded fiercely. "Yup."

"And you're sure you're not mentally unstable, thinking that she's the right one for you?"

On-screen, Dimitri scowled, but laughter echoed around the room, making me glare a hole into the side of Christian's head.

"Remind me to punch him later."

Dimitri chuckled and kissed the top of my head as we continued to watch.

"How did you know Lissa was the right one for you?"

Christian paused and Dimitri leant forwards. "Exactly. Christian, I know Roza is 'The One'. I just… I can't explain it. It's this sense of overwhelming… love. I mean, we've been together for almost four years, but-" He sighed and ran a hand through his hair, which had fallen loose. "I just love her so much. And I want to tie my life to hers, in every way I can. I want to be with her through everything, and to support her with anything she needs me for, and even those things she doesn't need me for. Roza and the kids, they're my life. I can't imagine them not being a part of my life."

Tears welled up in my eyes as I squeezed Dimitri's hand. "I can't imagine you not being a part of my life either." My voice was soft, but he heard and smiled, his thumb tracing small circles on the back of my hand.

The video cut to a different scene, and my jaw dropped. This time Dimitri was dancing with a group of four girls. Well, to be more accurate, they were grinding on him, while he wore the biggest grin on his face and sang along to the music.

His grip tightened in mine, but I rubbed his hand softly. "I'm not upset."

He looked down at me in surprise. "You're not?"

"Nope," I shook my head. "It was your Stag Do, and you were half naked. And unlike most men, you look damn sexy when you're half naked. And when you're fully naked." I added with a cheeky grin. "Of course women were going to be throwing themselves at you. You put up with the fact that my pole dance teacher groped me constantly, so I can deal with a little jealousy."

He continued to stare at me, and then cupped my face in his hands. "You are amazing. I'm not embarrassed anymore about the fact that I kept talking about you and the kids. I love you."

I smiled and pushed up onto my tiptoes so my lips could meet his. "I love you too." Then I pulled back and poked at his chest. "But I better be the only one who gets to see you naked."

He grinned and his hand slipped down to discretely rest across the top of my bottom. "So long as in the future, I'm the only one, who gets to-"

My mouth crushed to his, effectively cutting off his words as I wrapped my arms around his neck tightly before pulling back again. "You are. And if I ever see that creep Jesse, I'll make sure to punch him like you taught me to." I kissed his chin. "You're the only one that I want, and the only one that I will ever want. One more week, and I'm finally yours, truly and completely."

"I don't want you to go." We were stood in the hallway by the front door, well, Dimitri was stood. I was in his arms, my legs wrapped around his waist and my arms around his neck as he held me up in the air and kissed me softly.

"I have to go, Roza. I'll see you in fourteen hours."

"No," My voice was a mumble as I pressed kisses to his chin, his forehead, the bridge of his nose, anywhere that I could reach. "I'm not ready. Just stay for another hour."

He chuckled against my lips. "It's almost midnight. It's bad luck for the groom to see the bride before the wedding.

I growled and rested my head against his shoulder. Who the hell came up with that stupid rule anyway?"

His face rested in my hair before he spoke. "I don't know, and I wish they hadn't. But,"

"I know, I know," I sighed and let my lips graze his cheek. "You have to go. In less than five minutes." I sniffled. "We haven't even got time for a quickie."

He laughed properly then. "You sound more upset about that than you do about me leaving."

"You being gone for that long is a tragedy." I tightened my hold around his neck. "What if we promised to not look at each other until you left to get ready? I'd even let them blindfold me!"

"I don't think I'm very welcome here right now. Lissa and Mia look like they're ganging up with the rest of my family." He chuckled. "That's a fight that we definitely won't win, Roza."

"I could take them." My voice was a mumble as I pressed a kiss to his shoulder.

"Of that, I have no doubt, though when it comes to Yeva…" His voice trailed off and I laughed.

"Okay, I admit that I probably couldn't take on your grandmother. B-"

"Have you two finished smooching and saying goodbye yet?" Mia's voice was sharp as I sighed and Dimitri pressed his lips to my forehead.

"I'm almost gone, Mia."

My fingers fisted into Dimitri's hair as he kissed me softly, and then more urgently as I loosened my legs so he could set me on my feet.

"I love you."

"I love you, too." My cheeks were flushed as he pulled back and stared down into my eyes.

"Tonight is the last night we ever have to spend apart. Tomorrow, we'll be Mr and Mrs. Belikov, and our kids will be Belikov's. Our happy ending is close, Roza."

I smiled and pushed up onto my tiptoes as he leant down. "Are you sure that you're not having second thoughts? No cold feet? You don't want to take Christian's advice and call it off so that you can 'get back out there since so many women are interested in you'?"

"None whatsoever. Roza," He cupped my face in his palms and forced me to meet his gaze. "I'm not going to run off. Don't let Christian's bad jokes get to you. I will be there at the altar, in my suit, waiting for you to join me. Even if you freak out and run around town for hours before snapping out of it and getting in the car we booked to take you to the church, I'll be there."

"I'm not going to run off. No re-runs of that night at the Ritz." My laughter was shaky, but he grinned.

"Good. Otherwise I'll send Yeva after you." He chuckled at my horror struck expression before picking up his overnight bag. "I think Christian's getting sick of waiting, and Paul, Tom and Orel have probably fallen asleep by now. I will see you at the altar tomorrow, Roza. I love you."

Our lips met once again, softly and slowly teasing as we savoured the moment and held each other close before we parted.

"I love you, too. Don't let Christian get you drunk again."

He chuckled and kissed my forehead. "Definitely not. I don't want to sleep through the wedding. That would be even worse than running off."

I giggled. "If you're not there I'm going to send Yeva after you."

He grimaced, and then grinned. "Deal."

I sighed sadly as he opened the front door and shouted a goodbye to the rest of his family. "See you tomorrow. And don't let Tom throw a strop about having to wear a suit."

Dimitri grinned. "He won't. We already talked it through and he agreed to behave because it's our special day." His grin widened. "Good luck dealing with my family tonight and tomorrow. This is the moment my mother's been waiting for."

"To see her baby boy get married?"

"To see any of us finally get married. After Sonya and Karolina's relationships didn't exactly work out, I think she'd given up hope. She's over the moon about the fact that we met and are actually taking the plunge. I think she wants this wedding to go ahead more than we do."

"Well, we better not let her down then." I brushed a few strands of hair out of his eyes before I gave him a soft push. "I don't want Mia to go crazy and cut anything off of you that we might need for the honeymoon. I'll see you tomorrow."

He smiled and kissed me once more. "I'll see you at the altar." A car horn beeped several times as he rolled his eyes. "I think that's Christian letting me know that my time is up. Bye, Roza."

"Bye."

He stepped out of the door, closing it quietly behind him as I wrapped my arms around my chest, hugging myself tightly.

It's just one night, Rose. He's not going to listen to Christian. One night. You can do that. You're strong! You're-

"Roza?" Dimitri was stood back in the doorway, concern pulling at his features despite the fact that he had his eyes squeezed shut. He stretched one hand out tentatively, before he moved to stand in front of me. His strong fingers wrapped around my hands as he pulled me into his arms. "I know what you're thinking, and I want you to stop it, right now. I will be there tomorrow. I'm not going to leave you stranded at the altar, and if Christian even thinks about suggesting it, I will beat him up for you. But under his clothes so the wedding photos don't look bad."

A slightly hysterical giggle built on my lips as I leant into his chest. "How do you always do that?"

He chuckled and ran his hands through my hair. "I know you, Roza. And as much as I hate to bring him up, I also know how much your past with Adrian has made you frightened for the future in little moments like this. So I want to set your nerves at rest." He tilted my face up so he could stare into my eyes, if they'd been open. "I. Love. You. And I love our kids, and tomorrow, we'll be married and nothing else will matter. We'll win the court case, Adrian will get locked up, and we'll all be able to move on completely."

I smiled and kissed his cheek softly, my nerves easing with his words. "That sounds good. And I can't wait."

He smiled, and kissed me one last time before he turned around with his arms outstretched again, and left.

"So, Roza, how are you feeling?"

"Nervous?"

"Excited?"

Eight pairs of eyes were trained on my face as they waited for my answer. Dimitri, Paul, Orel and Tom were staying at a Mason's flat along with Christian and Abe while my mum, Mia, Lissa, Olena, Yeva, Karolina, Sonya and Viktoria helped me to 'prepare'. Alyssa and Katrina had tried to stay awake, but had fallen asleep a little while before Dimitri had left, and Zoya and Sophia had tired themselves out earlier in the day, and conked out as soon as they'd showered and gotten into their pyjamas.

"I'm feeling… good. A little nervous, but I think that's to be expected. I'm still a little shocked. I can't believe that it's actually happening, that Dimitri and I are really going to get married tomorrow."

Olena's eyes brimmed with tears, while Yeva just laughed and rolled her eyes at her actions.

"And you're really going to give the kids the Belikov name?"

I nodded at her question. "He's been more of a dad to them in these past four years that their father ever was at any point in their lives. They're his in every sense of the word."

Olena sniffled again as Karolina patted her on the back and Sonya handed her a tissue. "Calm down, mama. You're supposed to sob tomorrow, not tonight."

"Now, Roza." Viktoria pulled out a small carry case from beside the sofa, as Mia and Lissa both took hold of my hands. "We're going to give you some basic treatments tonight and do your nails and waxing and everything else so that all you have to worry about tomorrow are the finer details."

Mia began to pull items out of the bag as Lissa took over. "All you need to do is sit back and relax. Well, before you can do that, you need to go and get in the shower again so we can wash your hair and put in a conditioning treatment. We want that mane looking as thick and glossy as we can get it."

I sighed as Lissa, Mia and the Belikov's finally felt that I'd been primped and preened enough to head to bed.

It was three o'clock in the morning, and after making me leave on the conditioning treatment and a face mask for half an hour they'd then waxed everywhere despite my protests and loud screams of pain. My hair had been rinsed and curled up into huge rollers by Olena and my mum while Viktoria and Sonya manicured my hands and Lissa and Mia gave me a pedicure. And Yeva had sat there, cackling every time I complained or yelped in pain.

"It's all worth it, Rose. Just think of what Dimitri's face will be like when he sees you walking up the aisle towards him and looking like a goddess."

I mock glared at Lissa. "He better." Then I grinned. "Thank you, all of you. I guess I'll see you in the morning."

A chorus of good nights followed me as my mother and Olena bustled me out of the front room and up the stairs. "You need a good night's sleep, dear."

"Relax, and before you know it, you'll be back in Dimitri's arms."

I paused, and then hugged them both. "Thank you for being here. It really does mean a lot to both of us that you're here."

Tears sparkled in my mum's eyes as she kissed my cheek before hurrying back down the stairs.

I giggled with Olena. "She doesn't like people around when her emotions get the better of her."

She grinned. "Lissa told me. Apparently there's a bet going on about whether or not she'll cry during the ceremony."

"Who on Earth would organise a bet like th-" I cut myself off and groaned as Olena just looked at me knowingly. "My dad organised the bet, didn't he?"

She laughed lightly before kissing my cheek and heading back down the stairs. "You didn't hear it from me. I have no idea what you're talking about."

"Lissa!" Mia's voice echoed from outside the locked bathroom door as I paced inside. "She's freaking out again."

"What?" The door thumped as someone pounded on the outside. "Rosemarie Hathaway, you open this door right now! You are not going to freak out and ruin your own wedding day."

"Open up!"

The door thumped again as I turned to stare into the mirror. My cheeks were flushed and my chest heaved as I dragged in big breaths of air in an attempt to calm my racing nerves.

"Now, Rose!"

They banged again before falling silent, and then Olena's calm voice echoed through the wood. "Roza? I know you're nervous-"

I barked out a laugh and moved closer. "Nervous? I'm not nervous! I'm terrified, Olena-"

My voice cracked as the door swung open, revealing my mother crouched down with a screwdriver in one hand, and the outside door handle in the other.

Both she and Olena pulled me out and dragged me into mine and Dimitri's bedroom before locking the door and forcing me to sit down on the bed.

"There is no need for these sorts of nerves, Rose. You need to snap out of it right now. You can get jittery if he's not at the church, and if that happens your father and I will hunt him down." My mother's voice was business-like and straight to the point as Olena nodded and bustled around, gathering up various bits and pieces.

"If that boy isn't there I'll hunt him down myself. I've waited too long for one of my kids to finally get married, and if he takes this away from himself, and me, I'll beat him so hard he won't able to sit down for a month."

My eyes widened at Olena's threat, as she laughed at my expression. "Sorry, Roza. I know that it's your big day. But God help me, if that boy is late or puts even a toe out of line-"

My mum grinned as she tugged on my arm. "Go and get showered, young lady. We will call and check up on the guys to set your fears at rest, and I don't want to hear anymore moaning from you. We have three and a half hours before we have to leave." When I stayed sitting and just stared at her in shock she clapped her hands sharply. "Now, Rose! Move it!"

I breathed in deeply as Viktoria made the finishing touches to my hair, and then helped me to unwrap the towels and shirts that had been placed over my shoulders to keep my dress clean from any hairs or make up that fell while I was getting ready.

"I'm going to go and wait downstairs with the others. Take a good look in the mirror, make sure you're happy with what you see, and then come downstairs so we can see you properly."

She grinned and pulled off the towel that had covered up the full length mirror Mia had loaned to me before heading out of the door and shutting it behind her quietly.

Okay Rose. It's time to see what you look like.

Deep breath in, deep breath out. In through the nose and out through the mouth.

Don't cry at your reflection if you look good, and don't cry if you look bad, because Lissa and Mia will kill you for ruining your make up. On second thoughts, don't run your hands through your hair in distress either, because if you do Viktoria will kill you for ruining her 'masterpiece.' Just keep calm, and take one step after another, just like you will up the aisle. And keep breathing!

My legs trembled and I stumbled in my heels as I made my way over to the mirror stood in front of the door. My eyes slammed shut before I caught sight of myself, and I gave myself another mental pep talk.

I can do this. I can do this. I can-

"Oh."

I looked… beautiful. The conditioning treatment had worked wonders with my long, dark hair, making it look even thicker and healthier than it usually did. I didn't know how to explain how Vika had styled my hair. It was a sleek, classy up do that didn't detract any attention from my face or dress, yet added to the overall look.

Small, diamond crosses hung from each of my ears – an early wedding present from Eric and Rhea - and were all I wore in the form of jewellery, apart from my engagement ring. My make-up was neutral, with Mia and Lissa deciding to emphasise my eyes, and to coat my lips in a reddish brown shade of lipstick. My skin was smooth and practically hair free thanks to the waxing session I'd been forced through the night before, and my dress flowed over my curves gracefully.

My dress… it was very similar to the one that I'd bought before. Made entirely of ivory lace that flared into a slight mermaid style with train at the bottom over a matching satin underskirt, the vintage gown fitted like a dream. The capped sleeves showed off the toned strength in my arms, while the high collar and delicate fabric lent an almost innocent air to the deep décolletage. The sheath silhouette accentuated the slight swell of my hips, then flared out to drape gracefully around my feet, before ending in a demi-train that covered up my feet.

I had bought a pair of white, peep toe, sling back shoes, made out of satin, with a stiletto heel. They were high enough that Mia and Lissa were satisfied, but low and comfortable enough that I could walk around in them all night. Small, white material rosebuds were dotted down the heel strap and around the outside edge of the shoe to finish just over my big toe..

"Roza, we're all waiting!"

Viktoria's impatient tone echoed up the stairs as I took a deep breath before leaving the safety of my bedroom.

"Oh, Rose."

Tears were already streaking down both Olena and my mum's cheeks as I rounded the corner and entered the front room, to find my dad standing there with eleven chattering women stood around him. A proud grin worked its way onto his lips as he motioned for me to spin in a slow circle, and my mum's voice wobbled as she spoke.

"You look beautiful."

We were at Holy Cross, and everything was set.

Lissa and Mia were dressed and ready. Their dresses had fitted them perfectly, and their hair had been pulled back off of their faces with a slight side fringe. They were both happily tottering around in their stupidly high heels. Alyssa and Katrina kept giggling to each other as they ran between my room and the one Dimitri was in in. Olena had cried a lot, and eventually Karolina had banned her from seeing either me or Dimitri anymore. All of Belikov's were dressed in bright colours, and Paul looked even more like Dimitri when he came in with his suit on. Sophia and Tom had carefully held the rings as they wished me good luck before Lissa and Mia led them away to quickly see Dimitri.

And they were all currently in their places, waiting for me to walk up the aisle.

"Okay, kizim. You ready?" I nodded, despite the nerves that churned my stomach, and looped my left arm through my dad's right one.

But he dropped my arm and moved to stand in front of me, cupping my face with his hands. "I'm so proud of you, kiz. And despite everything I say, I like Dimitri too. He's a good guy, and he's a good father to your kids. I might not be the best judge of that after the way things went when you told your mother and I that you were pregnant the first time, and I know that we haven't been the best parents to you either. But I want you to know, and to believe, that you are a good parent. I want you to understand that that man loves you and those kids more than I could ever expect."

"Thanks baba."

Tears filled my eyes as I sniffled and worry filled his features.

"No! Don't cry! Lissa will kill me if you have 'panda eyes' or whatever she called them!"

A strangled laugh left my lips as he kissed my forehead, and then lead me out of the dressing room and down the corridor, towards Dimitri and the rest of our guests.

"Calm down, kiz. I can feel the tension in your body." He patted my hand gently as we walked to stand by the doors that lead into the church and my nerves spiked. "Belikov will be standing there, because if he isn't…" Pachelbel's canon in D began, and we walked round the corner to begin making our way up the aisle. "I'll kill him."

My step faltered for a moment at my dad's words, and then my nails dug into his arm. "Don't say things like that."

Heart beats fast
Colors and promises
How to be brave
How can I love when I'm afraid to fall
But watching you stand alone
All of my doubt suddenly goes away somehow
One step closer

"Breathe, kiz." My dad's voice was barely audible as we started walking up the aisle.

One step, Rose. And another. And another.

"I am, I just- What if he- I'm scared, baba."

"You'll be fine. Look."

And I did.

Tears filled my eyes as Dimitri came into my view and my heart swelled up with love. I wanted to be in his arms. I wanted to be his. I wanted to be his everything, including his wife.

Dimitri was stood at the front of the church, his back straight and a radiant smile on his lips as he watched us approach. His hair was combed and pulled back into a ponytail at the nape of his neck. His large frame was dressed in a fitted navy blue pinstripe suit and his shoes were polished and shiny. A royal purple tie was knotted right up next to his collar, and he had a deep cherry red flower pinned to his left lapel. A white handkerchief poked out of the top suit jacket pocket, completing his look.

My gaze slowly travelled up and over his form, until I met his eyes, and something unintelligible left my lips as our guests laughed.

A rushing sound filled my ears as I flushed, and all I wanted was to freeze that moment so I could gaze at Dimitri until I couldn't see any longer.

"Kiz," My dad tugged on my arm discretely. "You're slowing down. You can ogle later, let's just get you up there first."

Time stands still
Beauty in all she is
I will be brave
I will not let anything take away
What's standing in front of me
Every breath
Every hour has come to this
One step closer

Dimitri POV.

"It's not too late to back out. If we leave now we can be halfway down the motorway before anybody realises."

I gritted my teeth and fought back the urge to hit Christian. I knew that he and the other guys only said those sorts of things as a joke, but the constant reminders of how easy it would be to walk away only increased my worries that Rose would actually be freaked out enough to do it.

I think Mason picked up on my annoyance because he patted my back sympathetically. "She's not going to run off, Dimitri. Trust in her, and that trust will be rewarded." Then he thumped Christian in the chest. "Let's go and get the girls before you frighten the poor guy anymore."

I gave him a weak smile, and glanced across at my mother. She was in the front row, dabbing at her wet cheeks with a tissue. From what I'd heard, she'd cried almost non-stop yesterday and this morning when they were getting Roza ready, and then when she'd seen me in my suit she'd burst into tears again. Still, that didn't stop her from giving me a watery smile, one that relaxed the butterflies in my stomach and the tense muscles in my neck and shoulders.

Janine wasn't showing many outward emotions, but every so often her eyes grew red and she'd sniffle when she thought nobody was looking. And Abe was strutting around like he owned the place. He hadn't threatened me like I'd expected him to last night, instead he'd been overly nice, and that put me on edge more than if he'd done the 'protective father' speech.

Paul grinned at me from my side and patted my arm. "Aunt Roza looks really nice."

"Does she look scared?"

He thought about it for a moment and then nodded. "Yeah. But she also looks excited. I doubt she'd have come all this way and gotten dressed up just to leave you stranded at the altar."

I laughed slightly as he set my fears at ease and then tensed up again as the organs at the back of the church began to play.

Tom and Sophia appeared, carefully holding the two small jewellery boxes that held mine and Roza's wedding rings. Alyssa and Katrina appeared afterwards, scattering a mixture of confetti and flower petals they'd insisted upon, and after they had started making their way up the aisle, Mia and Mason appeared, arm in arm as Lissa and Christian followed them.

Once they were all in their places at the altar the music changed into the wedding march we'd chosen, and my hands shook. The soft murmurs from our guests stopped as they stood and turned, ready to catch their first glimpse of the bride.

"Wow."

All other thoughts left my mind as Rose came into my line of sight.

Her cheeks were flushed, her face glowing and her eyes bright as Abe escorted her up the aisle towards me. My hands and legs trembled, wanting to simply run until I had her wrapped up in my arms tightly and my mouth on hers. I couldn't stop my lips from curving up into a grin as her eyes scanned over my body and then darted up to my face with disbelief and happiness covering her features.

"He actually turned up."

"Of course I did, Roza. Now hurry and get up here so I can marry you."

She blushed as our guests laughed at what slipped out of her mouth, but I grinned even more widely as she suddenly picked up the pace she was walking at. Once she reached my side and Abe had placed her hands in mine, I couldn't stop myself from leaning forwards and kissing her cheek gently.

"You look amazing." My gaze met hers as I pulled back, and I carefully wiped away a tear that began to slip down her cheek. "I love you."

Roza intertwined her fingers with mine as she smiled up at me. "I love you, too, so much." Then she giggled. "Let's do this thing."

Lissa POV.

The church was decorated stunningly, the kids looked adorable and Dimitri was ready and waiting. All of our bouquets were as we'd ordered, and our clothes and shoes were a perfect fit.

I'd never seen Rose so scared before though, and it saddened me that so much had happened to her during her relationship with Adrian that she was reacting to something so amazing with so much hesitancy.

But so far, nothing had gone wrong, and so long as there were no glitches in the security, then nothing would go wrong. I'd spoken to Abe about my worries concerning Adrian, and he'd shared them. He and my dad had, however, set my fears at rest when they revealed that they were going to ensure nothing went wrong today. Rose and Dimitri deserved the perfect wedding, and that was what they were going to get.

I hadn't seen any signs of what they'd planned, but I didn't put it past Abe to have security guards or something more deadly hidden all around the place, ready to spring into action if Adrian or anyone else who posed a threat tried to show up.

Once Rose was ready and it was almost four o'clock, I took my place at the entrance of the Church with Christian, Mia, Mason and the kids. The organ music began, and that was our cue to start walking up the aisle.

Rose was nervous. Terrified out of her mind. She looked incredibly beautiful, stunning even, but her worry and tension overrode that.

Until she saw Dimitri, that is.

Shock became the prominent emotion on her face as her eyes scanned up the aisle and met his. "He actually turned up."

She flushed as the entire church burst into laughter and she realised that she'd spoken out loud.

Opposite me, Dimitri chuckled, his eyes shining with humour and adoration. "Of course I did, Roza. Now hurry and get up here so I can marry you."

Despite being married for ten years myself, every time I saw them interact, I was filled with romantic hope. They showed that persistence and faithfulness in each other really did pay off, and they set a great example to their children.

A beautiful smile filled my best friend's face as a tear slipped down her cheek. Abe nodded respectfully at Dimitri, as the wedding march started once more and the guests all stood up. Another tear trickled down Rose's cheek, and Abe wiped it away with a comfortingly fatherly gesture.

"Let's go, kiz." Happiness shone in his eyes as he escorted his daughter up the aisle so she could marry the man of her dreams.

The ceremony passed quickly and thankfully, uneventfully. The reading's they'd chosen were beautiful, and Rose sniffled a little when the priest began to recite the Corinthians passage during the gospel. Olena burst into full sobs when it came to the statement of intentions.

And then came their vows.

"Roza. I love you, and there are no words that can express just how much I love you and our kids. I, Dimitri Paul Belikov, take you, Rosemarie Hathaway, to be my wife, to have and to hold from this day forward, for better or for worse, for richer, for poorer, in sickness and in health, to love and to cherish; from this day forward until death do us part. I accept Alyssa Marie, Tom Adrian, Sophia Abrianna and Katrina Rachel Ivashkov as our children and a part of our family, and promise to love and care for them as my own until the day I die."

I grinned and met Christian's eyes, remembering our wedding day as Rose's voice trembled and she finally spoke the vows she'd been practicing non-stop.

"Dimitri. To me, you're Alyssum. Worth beyond beauty. And… I'm like Camellia. My destiny is in your hands. You're my Chamomile. You give me energy in adversity. And just like Cosmos, you bring me joy in love and life. I, Rosemarie Hathaway, take you, Dimitri Paul Belikov, to be my husband, to have and to hold from this day forward, for better or for worse, for richer, for poorer, in sickness and in health, to love and to cherish; from this day forward until death do us part."

I dropped Christian's gaze and glanced out at the congregation, nudging Mia discretely when I noticed Janine, her head buried in Abe's chest as her shoulders shook and he rubbed her back.

Mia grinned, and then we turned back to Rose and Dimitri who were staring into each other's eyes as they took their wedding rings from Tom and Sophia and followed the priest's instructions so they could exchange them.

Happy tears fell from my eyes as the ceremony was finished and Dimitri carefully pulled Rose into his arms before lowering his mouth to hers. Her arms snaked up and around his neck and his wrapped around her waist, and all their guests burst into cheers and applause as their kiss deepened and Dimitri lifted her into the air.

"I love you."

Their voices couldn't be heard over all the claps and happy sobs from the congregation, but pure happiness shone out from Dimitri's features as Rose cupped his cheek in her hand, and I could only guess that hers was exactly the same.

They kissed once more, and then turned to face their guests, allowing everyone to take pictures of them as a newly married couple before I handed Rose her bouquet and they lead the procession out of the church.

Rose POV.

I couldn't get rid of the smile that had dominated my face since I joined Dimitri at the altar, or the happy tears that filled my eyes, and I didn't want to.

"I love you." My lips met Dimitri's for the millionth time as we waited for our arrival to be announced so we could enter the hall. "I can't believe we're actually married." I sniffled and held my left hand up in the air so I could stare at my wedding ring. "I'm Mrs. Belikov."

Dimitri chuckled and linked his fingers through mine as he tilted my face up, his chocolate brown eyes boring into my own.

"I love you, too. I'm yours, forever."

"And I'm yours, too. We're a proper family."

I sighed and rested my head against his chest as his arms tightened around my waist.

"Ladies and gentlemen," Mia's voice echoed from behind the closed doors of the reception hall. "The newly married, Mr and Mrs Dimtiri Belikov!"

Make sure to check out the playlist, and the photo album!