I let myself into Dimitri's place and called out to him, setting my purse and keys down on the table inside the door. I slipped my shoes off and walked into the living room, following the sound of Dimitri's voice into his office. I frowned as I got closer, noticing the pinched tone in which he spoke. I rounded the corner and ran my hand over my stomach, trying to ease some of the itch without actually scratching.

"Stop calling me. I won't tell you again," he said firmly before hanging up on whoever was on the other side, setting his phone down on the desk. Dimitri let out a deep sigh and shook his head. I knocked on the door frame, making him turn to face me. Dimitri's expression softened considerably when he realized it was me.

"Hey, everything ok?"

Dimitri nodded with a deep sigh. My ex-wife keeps calling me. But no matter with that," he said, coming towards me and wrapping his arms around my waist, pulling me in for a kiss. I leaned into him and wrapped my arms around his neck, tracing my fingers over the back of his neck.

Much to my amusement, I discovered that Dimitri had five little lightning bolt-like x's on the back of his neck. When I asked him what they were for, he said they were to represent the things that matter most to him. His mother, grandmother, and sisters.

Since my discovery, I loved tracing my fingers over them, enjoying the way his skin would ripple under my touch. But tonight, he flinched.

"What is it?" I asked as I pulled away from him. Dimitri gave me a soft look before turning and lifting his hair, exposing the tattoos. I stretched up on my toes and found that there were two more little tattoos on his skin.

"What are those two for?" I asked, careful to not touch the raw flesh.

"One for the baby, and one for you," Dimitri said after turning back around, stroking my cheek.

"For me?" I asked, slightly taken back. One for the baby I could understand, but me? "Don't you think it's a bit early for a tattoo for me?"

Dimitri shook his head. "No, because no matter what happens in our lives, you will always be the biological mother of my child. You will always be important in my life," he said, cupping my cheek. I smiled at him and sniffled, feeling a little emotional.

"Damn it, now you're gonna make me cry," I said letting go of him and fanning my hands in front of my face. Dimitri chuckled and pulled me close to him, kissing my cheek when I put my hands down. I smiled despite the heavy blush on my cheeks and slipped my arms back around his neck.

"What do you want to do tonight?" I asked, leaning into him for some support. My back was starting to hurt from all the standing today.

"How does a night in sound to you? We could cook dinner and watch a movie?"

"I think that is perfect," I said, pulling away from him and wandered down the hall. I stopped at the open door just before his bedroom and peaked in, a smile creeping to my lips. Dimitri had a few painted swatches on the wall, varying in shades of pink and yellow. I stepped in and admired the colours, rubbing the side of my finger over my lips as I scanned them.

I looked around the room and saw that he already had the crib put together, and I walked over to run my hand over the carved wood. I was beautiful and was made out of real wood, not the fake stuff I had for Jenny.

"What do you think?"

I turned my head and gave Dimitri a smile. "Of the crib or the paint?"

Dimitri rested his shoulder against the doorframe and crossed his arms over his chest. "Both."

"The crib is gorgeous and the colours are nice, but I think it's a little much."

"Much?"

I gestured my arms out around me. "I mean, the room is huge, and these shades are nice, but it might be a lot if all of the walls are painted pink. Maybe do an accent wall where the crib is and the rest of the room pink," I said. Dimitri had a thoughtful look on his face and nodded in agreeance, unfolding his hands and holding one out to me. I stepped forward and took it, laughing when he spun me under his arm so that my back was against his chest and our clasped hands rested on my stomach.

"What should I do for the 'accent' wall?" he asked, resting his chin on my shoulder. I shrugged and ran my fingers on his arm.

"I can't help you there," I said with a chuckle. Dimitri shook his head and kissed my temple before pulling us both out of the room. I let Dimitri guide me towards the kitchen and I sat down at the island while we talked over what to make for dinner.

After settling on breakfast for dinner, we got to work whisking eggs and toasting bread. I snuck pieces of bacon as Dimitri cooked the eggs, catching the amused and endearing look on his face as he looked at me. We ate quietly, but I didn't mind. I was too focused on how perfectly Dimitri could cook my bacon and eggs.

I set my plate and utensils in the sink and wandered into the living room, sinking down on the plush couch. Dimitri smiled and waited for me to get comfy before joining me on the couch, laying his head in my lap. I smirked down at him as he rested his cheek against my stomach, reaching his hand up and rubbing the top of my stomach.

"The baby likes that," I said, running my finger over his jaw.

"Oh yeah?" Dimitri asked, kissing my stomach and rubbing the top of it again. Not only did the baby like it, but I liked it. It felt really good against my itchy skin.

I nodded with a sigh, smiling when the baby started moving around.

"Can you feel her?"

Dimitri shook his head. "Not really. I can't tell the difference between the movement from your breathing or if it's the baby."

"You should feel her soon. Her movements are more pronounced now," I said hopefully. I knew that was something that Dimitri looked for every time he rested his hand on my stomach. We decided against turning the t.v on and just talked. Dimitri spoke about how there was another server location opening in Miami, and how there was an upcoming function he was supposed to go to, but really didn't want to. I told him that telling Stan that I was pregnant went better than expected, and that he had told me to let him know if I needed to sit while I was working.

I was shocked because most of the time he was a massive dick, but it seemed like he had a slight soft spot.

"Do you remember when you were trying to be charming and were pay attention to where you were walking in the park? And you dumped your smoothie on that guy running?" I asked as I ran my fingers through Dimitri's hair. Dimitri laughed loudly and nodded his head in my lap.

"I still think that wasn't as bad as when you split your pants are McClesters," Dimitri snorted. I groaned and rubbed my hand over my face. A humiliating moment in my first trimester when I squatted down after I dropped my phone and blew a hole in the ass of my jean. Dimitri had a hard time controlling his laughter over and apologized the whole way home for laughing, while still laughing at me. My favourite pair of jeans were ruined for good.

"I'm still heartbroken over that," I laughed and looked down at him. Dimitri smiled up at me and reached for my hand, bringing it to his lips.

"I'll buy you another pair," Dimitri quipped, smirking up at me. I rolled my eyes at him and rested my head against the couch.

"Have you thought about names yet?"

Dimitri shook his head with a sigh. "I have, but none have been right."

I hummed and pursed my lips. "What about Leah?"

Dimitri shook his head and made a face. I snickered and named off a few other names, but none of them were anything he liked. One name made him pause and a soft smile crossed his face.

"I like that," he said softly, squeezing my hand gently. I squeezed back and smiled dow at him.

"I like it too. It's pretty. How would you spell it? Would you with traditional spelling or Russian?"

Dimitri shrugged slightly. "Not sure. But that name is at the top of my list."

Dimitri sat up and wrapped his arm around my shoulders, pressing a kiss to my hair. I turned my head and kissed his jaw before standing up, my need for the bathroom halting the touching moment.

After my quiet bathroom break, I came back out to find Dimitri no longer in the living room, but I could hear him talking in the next room. Listening for a moment I determined it was a work call so I wandered into the kitchen and tidied up the last of our dinner dishes.

I closed the dishwasher and popped my vitamins into my mouth, closing the cap on the bottle. I could hear Dimitri walking into the kitchen, humming a tune quietly to himself as he got closer to me.

"Speaking of good jeans, those look really good on you," Dimitri said, resting his hands on the counter on either side of me. I turned in his arms and smirked up at him, raising my brows at him with a man-eating smile.

"Really?"

Dimitri nodded and tucked some hair behind my ear, leaning over me. "Really. My woman is stunning," he said, dipping his head down and kissing me. I stretched my arms up and wrapped them around his neck loosely, leaning into his kiss.

"Even though I'm huge?" I asked with a slight laugh when I pulled away, gesturing to my stomach. Dimitri's breath fanned over me as he laughed.

"You're not huge, I think you are the perfect size. It's just a shame that you're so short," Dimitri said as his hands slipped down and wrapped around the back of my thighs, lifting me up and setting me down on the counter. I chuckled at him, despite the jab at my height. I brought his lips back to mine and loosely wrapped my legs around his hips, pulling him closer to me.

I nipped at his lip and his growl sent a shiver down my spine. His kisses were becoming rougher, but his touch was still gentle.

I squirmed under his touch, resting my head against the cupboard with a sigh. While his lips were ticklish against my skin, the heat that blossomed through me was unimaginable. I lightly ran my fingers up his neck and into his hair, twisting my fingers into the soft locks.

The moan that escaped my lips when Dimitri sucked on the soft spot below my ear was louder than I had meant for it to be. The hand that was on my thigh squeezed gently and moved up an inch. Dimitri lifted his head up and brought his face back to mine, his brown eyes almost black.

We had made out in the past, but this felt different. I could feel the need burning inside me, and I could see in his eyes that felt it too.

"I," I started with heavy breath, "I haven't done this in a really long time."

Dimitri brushed his thumb over my lip. "Are we moving too fast?"

"No," I said quickly. "I just wanted you to know."

Dimitri nodded and gave me a soft look, tipping his head down and pecked my lips, and then my cheeks. I brought his lips to mine and wrapped my legs around his hips, holding him closer to me. Dimitri's hands slipped back under my legs and lifted me off the counter, walking towards his room.

Dimitri set me down gently on the edge of the mattress, pulling away and pulled his sweater off. I bit my lip as I took him in, feeling my stomach tighten in desire. He really was a work of art. Dimitri extended his hand to me and I pulled myself up, resting my hands on his arms.

A part of me started to panic. I wasn't in the best shape of my life, and I wasn't as toned as I was when I met Dimitri. But opening my eyes and seeing the look in his eyes as he looked down at me, made the panic dissipate entirely. It was like he could read the conflict in my eyes and understand where it came from.

I pulled my shirt over my head and dropped it to the floor beside the bed, looking up at him with a shy smile. Dimitri stepped towards me and cupped my face, stroking my cheekbone with his thumb.

"You are so beautiful it hurts me," Dimitri said lowly, but I almost didn't understand what he had said because his accent was so thick. I let out a breath and tilted my head up, seeking out his lips. Slowly the rest of our clothes joined the pile growing on the floor, and fingers brushed over skin. I let Dimitri pull me closer to him, our skin flushed against each other while his fingers twisted into my hair.

My hands skimmed against his sides as he led me back to bed, pulling me down onto him with care.


A smile came to my face as my eyes opened, facing the fall morning sun. I tucked the blanket tighter around me as fingers brushed my back. I rolled over and met Dimitri's gaze, a relaxed and happy look on his face.

"Hi," I whispered groggily, rubbing my hand over my face. Dimitri smiled at me and ran his finger over my upper arm.

"Hi."

"Did you sleep okay?" I asked, taking in his shirtless upper body. My eyes travelled a bit lower and I realized that he hadn't put pants on before falling asleep, making a small smirk crossed my face. I hadn't put anything back on Dimitri chuckled and tucked his fingers under my chin, lifting it up so he could see my face better.

"I slept well. I can only assume you did too, you were dead to the world," he said tipping his head down to press his lips to mine. I returned the affection, momentarily thinking about the morning breath I must have had, but he didn't seem to mind. I wrapped my hand around his neck and pulled myself closer, draping my leg over his as I shifted towards him. Dimitri must have wanted the same because his hand slipped down to my knee and pulled it up, hooking it around his hip. I giggled against his lips when his hand slid higher up, cupping my ass as he shifted in bed, moving us into a more comfortable position.

"Maybe I just like my sleep," I snickered when he pulled away, kissing my nose.

I playfully stuck my tongue out at him before winking at him. I squeezed my leg against his hip, thinking back to being in this position last night. Thinking about the feeling of his hit breath on my chest or the words whispered in my ear made my skin pucker.

Dimitri pressed a kiss behind my ear and breathed in deeply, running his fingers over my skin.

"You smell so good," he whispered, making me laugh and squirm in his embrace. Dimitri chuckled and continued to press kisses against my skin, rolling onto his back and pulling me with him. I shifted up and rested my folded arms on his chest, laying so that I wasn't laying on my stomach.

Dimitri had a lazy smile on his face as he dragged his fingers over my shoulder, his eyes following the path of his fingers as they drifted lower, ghosting over my collarbone and the upper curve of my breasts.

"What are you so happy about," I asked, shivering as his touch tickled. Dimitri looked up from the trail of his fingers.

"Nothing in particular. Just happy," he said, moving his fingers up and ran the back of them over my jaw. I turned my head and kissed his fingers. I smiled at him and stretched my neck out, placing a brush of a kiss against his lips.

Dimitri lifted his head up and met me halfway, reaching up and brushed some hair away from my face.

"How is our little one this morning?" Dimitri asked.

"Sleeping still, thankfully. She was active last night after you fell asleep."

I shifted off of Dimitri's chest when the position I was in started to become uncomfortable and laid down beside him. Dimitri smirked and started to sit up, leaning on his elbow and looked down at me.

"What?" I asked, laughing at him.

Dimitri just shook his head. "Nothing, just enjoying the view," he said, resting his hand over my stomach. I snorted a laugh but smiled at him. I turned and looked out the window, pushing myself up onto my elbows in excitement.

"It's snowing," I said quietly, looking out at the drifting flakes and fell over the city. Dimitri shifted closer to me and slipped his arm around my waist.

"I always love the first snow," Dimitri said quietly, kissing my forehead. I nodded and laid back down, curling onto my side to watch the flakes fall. Dimitri matched my position and cuddled against me, pulling me tight to his chest.

"I wish I woke up to this every morning," I said wistfully.

"The snow?"

"No, you. Waking up next to you," I answered.

We dozed for a bit before Dimitri's phone rang, shattering the serene silence. Dimitri groaned and rolled away from me to check his phone. He sighed and rolled back a second later, wrapping his arms back around me.

"It was just Ivan. I'll call him later," Dimitri said, tucking his face into my neck. I sighed in comfort and reached up to stroke his cheek when his phone rang again. Both of us groaned and Dimitri started to roll over again but brought me with him slightly. He stretched his arm out and picked up his phone. When it was within arm's length of me, I pulled it from his fingers and wagged my brows at him before answering.

"Hello, Ivan. What is so dire that you need to call at seven in the morning?"

There was silence on the other end of the phone before he spoke. "Oh. That's why he didn't answer," Ivan chuckled. I snorted a laugh.

"Yes. And unless there is an emergency, he will call you later," I said before hanging up, not waiting for a response. I tossed his phone onto the bed and curled up against him, smiling up at him.

"Problem solved."

Dimitri smirked and brushed my hair out of my face and rested his forehead against mine.

"How does a lazy morning sound to you?" Dimitri asked.

"That sounds perfect," I said, getting back into a comfortable position.


Hello hello :) I hope you all are well.

I know it's a bit of a filler chapter, but it was needed :)

Let me know what you think.