I was so excited I could barely contain it. Dimitri and I agreed to meet at Belikov Enterprises before going out for dinner, but I had a small surprise for him. Now that we started to see each other romantically, he got baby time more often, but hadn't been able to feel her move yet. But right now, she was practically bouncing around in my womb. She was very active and I was hoping that he would get the chance to feel it.

I rested my forehead against the glass window and watched the snow fall so faintly I could barely see it. The door to Dimitri's office opened behind me and I turned, only to find Dimitri unbuttoning his shirt.

"I thought we were having dinner first," I quipped, smirking at him. I stepped closer and ran a finger over his chest, smirking at the low chuckle he made in the back of his throat.

"Ivan dumped his coffee on me, can't exactly go to dinner dressed like this," Dimitri said, pulling his shirt off and draping it over the arm of the couch. I hummed in understanding as he set his hands on my hips, pulling me closer to him and catching me in a kiss.

I chuckled against his lips before I pulled one of his hands up to the spot when I felt a limb and pressed his hand down. Dimitri pulled away from our kiss when he felt movement, a smile crossing his face. We both waited a second before she moved again.

"She's moving!"

"She's been moving all day. Practically bouncing on my bladder," I joked patting my hand over his. Dimitri smiled down at me and laid his forehead against mine, his other hand coming up to rest on my stomach too.

"About time," Dimitri joked, making me crack up in laughter. My laugh was contagious and Dimitri started to laugh too, only to be startled by another voice.

"What are you two doing? This isn't a movie! Why are you shirtless?!" Ivan exclaimed, closing the door behind him. I rolled my eyes and stepped away from Dimitri while he walked to the barely noticeable closet beside his desk. Dimitri muttered something under his breath in Russian, to which Ivan made what sounded like a snide remark.

"He was changing but I distracted him with a moving baby," I said with a chuckle. Ivan perked up and jolted forwards, almost as if he was going to touch my stomach, but quickly backtracked, hands fluttering uselessly.

Dimitri and I both laughed as Dimitri stepped away to put on his shirt. "It's okay Ivan. You can feel if you want," I said, gesturing for him to come and feel. He looked like a kid on Christmas with a big grin on his face, awkwardly putting his hands on my belly before I adjusted them to the right spot.

The look on his face was worth having another person touch my stomach. I wasn't a huge fan with people unsolicited touching my stomach, but Ivan was so excited that I couldn't say no.

"Alright, we are going to miss our reservation," Dimitri said, kissing my head as he stepped by me to take his duster off the back of the door. I smirked and patted Ivan's hand.

"Can't miss that," I said, "I love Al Dante's!"

Dimitri chuckled and helped me into my coat, carefully pulling my hair out from beneath the collar.

"Have fun you two," Ivan said as he made his exit, giving Dimitri an encouraging look before disappearing into the hallway.


Dimitri seemed a little off at dinner. He was a bit quiet and seemed to have something weighing him down in his mind. I slipped my shoe off and stretched my foot out under the table, running it along his ankle. The gesture seemed to startle him, but a smouldering look crossed his face.

"What are you thinking so hard about?" I asked, resting my arms on the table as I leaned towards him. Dimitri mimicked my position at the table and stretched his hand out to run a finger over the back of my hand.

"What would you say about moving in with me?

I raised my brows at him and smiled. "Is that why you've been so quiet?"

Dimitri nodded with a shy shrug, biting the corner of his lip. I stretched my neck out and pursed my lips, wanting him to lean further towards me. With a small laugh, he did so, pressing his lips to mine chastely.

"What brought this on?" I asked, lacing my fingers with his.

"You see this as something more right? Not just a fling?"

I squeezed Dimitri's hand and nodded. "I love you. I don't see this being a fling or short-term thing. What about you?"

"Roza, I haven't felt like this about anyone before. I want to have a life with you," Dimitri said, giving me a loving look.

Dimitri reached into the inside pocket of his jacket and pulled out a few pieces of folded paper. He tapped the end of it on the table before laying it down on the table in front of me. I lifted my hands out of the way as our waitress came and took our plates away. Once she walked away I took the paper off the table, noticing how nervous Dimitri was before reading them.

It only took me a few lines before I knew exactly what this was.

"Dimitri," I whispered, looking up at him, "can we even do this?"

"I've spoken to Ellen Kirova about this, and while she wanted me to be sure, she put me in contact with the right people to have this drawn up," Dimitri said, his brown eyes holding my gaze so intently. "I know that when we started this that you didn't want kids. But I see the way you react to her moving, or how you talk to her. You love her, Rose. And if we see this working, I want our child to be raised by both their parents. Legally," Dimitri said, rubbing his thumb over the back of my knuckles.

My cheeks heated up and I looked back down to the new contract in front of me, a contract that gave me parental rights to this baby. Our baby.

"Do I need to sign this in front of a lawyer?"

Dimitri shook his head. I smiled and lifted my other hand, holding it palm up towards him. "Do you have a pen?"

A smile so large spread over his face as he stuck his hand back into his jacket, searching for a pen. Coming up empty he started searching his pants pockets. I laughed and reached out to a passing waiter.

"Excuse me, do you have a pen?" I asked. The waiter nodded and pulled one out of his pocket and handed it to me. "Thank you," I said and turned back to Dimitri. I initialled the appropriate spots before signing my name with a flourish on the dotted line. I turned the contract around and set it down in front of Dimitri, allowing him to sign as well.

Once he signed it, we both looked at each other, a smile on both of our faces.

"I'm going to be a mom again," I said quietly, feeling excitement flow through me at the admission. "And I will move in with you," I added, laughing at the forgotten original question.


The name on the screen caused me to falter. It was a busy morning at Stan's and I wasn't supposed to have my phone with me to begin with. I contemplated letting my phone ring out, but a part of me made me answer the call. Deciding to be the bigger person, I answered it with a sigh.

"Hello?"

"Rose? It's Lissa."

"Yes, I know that. What do you want?" I replied drumming my fingers on the countertop. I took the moment to take my tips out of my pocket and squatted down to put them in my purse. The tips I got the last few weeks were crazy. Most of them from the elderly parishioners from the church across the street at brunch, always telling me to put it away for the baby.

If only they knew this baby would want for nothing.

"Can we meet up for coffee? Or an early dinner? I really want to see you," Lissa pleaded. I sighed and looked at the clock over the pass-thru before answering.

"Fine. We can meet for coffee, okay?"

"That's fine! I can pick you up if you want?"

"Umm…sure. I'll send you my new address," I said, "Look I got to go, Stan's giving me weird looks. Bye."

I tucked my phone back into my apron and gave Stan an apologetic look before going back to my tables. I went by my tables, pouring coffee and taking orders as I went. A few of my older customers had large smiles on their faces as I approached.

As I approached my due date, Mrs. Langston, one of the ladies from the church across the street, would lean down and say her good mornings to the baby after saying hello to me.

"How are you feeling today, sweetheart?" Mrs. Langston asked, dipping her tea bag into her pot of water.

"I'm feeling really good today, baby is squirming like crazy thought," I said with a laugh, setting a few extra napkins on the table for her. The metal teapots always leaked, and Mrs. Langston always insisted on cleaning up the dribbles herself. Mrs. Langston nodded and patted my stomach like she always did.

Mrs. Langston was one of the only customers I was ok with touching my stomach, and she had already brought me a few knitted hats and blankets. She was already working on a little dress for the baby now that she knew I was having a girl. In a way, she was a perfect grandmotherly woman.

"Oh, she's an active little thing, isn't she?" Mrs. Langston said with a chuckle.

"Yes. And my boyfriend is loving every minute of it," I laughed, "I'll bring you some extra crackers for your soup," I called over my shoulder as I headed to my next table.

When I came back out of the kitchen Ivan was standing at the counter, pressed suit and all.

"Hey what's up?" I asked as I walked by, setting plates on the tables as I went. Ivan followed behind me as I went.

"Dimitri knew that you aren't supposed to have your phone on shift, but he got pulled out for a breach issue at our England branch. He had to leave ten minutes ago but wanted me to come and let you know. He should be back in two days, three tops."

I frowned and wiped my hands off on the front of my shirt. I was a little put off that I didn't get to see him before he left, but emergencies are emergencies.

"Okay," I said crossing my arms, frowning a bit. Ivan frowned too and looked apologetic. "He's still going to have his phone, right?"

"Oh yeah," Ivan said quickly, "He said that he was going to call you as soon as he touched down in London."

I nodded my head. "Well, I got to get back to my tables," I said, jerking my thumb over my shoulder. Ivan nodded his head and gave me a tight smile, giving me a slight wave before heading out the front door.


I took a long sip of my mocha and watched Lissa fidget in her seat. She had been quiet when she picked me up, but I could see the impressed look on her face when she saw the building I came out of. Lissa looked different than the last time I saw her. She had slight bags under her eyes and her hair was a little shorter, but looked a little dull.

If I was going to be perfectly honest, she looked like shit.

"So…How have you been?" Lissa finally asked, playing with the protective sleeve on her cup. I shrugged and pushed my hair over my shoulder.

"I've been fine," I replied, "You? How's Aaron?"

Lissa flinched and sniffed before composing herself. "I've been better. I don't know about Aaron, we split up a few weeks ago. How has your pregnancy been? No complications?"

I raised my brows at her. This is really what she wanted? Small talk?

"Baby's fine. Is there a particular reason why you wanted to talk?"

Lissa sighed and sat up straighter in her chair, tucking her hair behind her ears.

"Yes. I wanted to apologize. I was horrible to you and I really should have been supporting you. People struggle with not being able to have kids and you're helping someone achieve that. I shouldn't have said what I said about Jenny either, it was cruel," Lissa explained.

"You were cruel," I said pointedly to which Lissa frowned and looked down at the table.

"I know sorry isn't enough, but I am sorry."

I nodded and looked down at my phone as it buzzed on the table. I told Dimitri I was having coffee with Lissa, and he was a little concerned after what happened last time. I sent him a quick message to reassure him that I was ok and that if he wanted Eddie to be closer to me then that was fine. Originally Eddie said he would sit on the patio because it was nice out, but I think it made Dimitri feel better if he was inside.

I looked up to Lissa and saw her confused expression.

"Sorry, that was my boyfriend," I said as I flipped my phone over and watched Eddie come into the coffee shop a few moments later, seating himself a few feet away from us. Lissa perked up a bit at the mention of a boyfriend.

"Boyfriend? When did you start dating?" Lissa asked optimistically, a small smile on her lips.

"Umm…we started dating around twenty-two weeks. So that would be almost three months, " I replied rubbing my stomach where the baby kicked a little harder than usual. Lissa's eyes followed the movement with hyper-focused vision and I could see her whole body relax a little bit more.

"He doesn't have any issues about you being a surrogate?"

I snorted a laugh. "No, not at all. It's his kid," I said with a chuckle, resting my hand on the top of my stomach. Lissa's eyes practically bulged out of her head and her jaw dropped.

"What?!"

I snickered. "Close your mouth or you'll catch flies?"

Lissa's look of shock made me giggle to the point where I was concerned I was going to wet myself. I waited a few more minutes before I put Lissa out of her misery and opened my phone to find a photo of Dimitri and I.

Once I came across one where I didn't look like crap, I turned the phone and showed her. Lissa took my phone and looked at the photo closer.

"Wow."

I hummed in agreeance as she handed the phone back to me. "You two look really happy together," Lissa said softly. "When are you due?"

"Yeah, he's pretty great. And January 9," I said happily.

"What's his name?" Lissa asked playing with her fingers. It was her nervous/anxious tick and I knew it by heart.

"Dimitri Belikov," I said with a small smile.

Lissa was quiet for a few seconds before sitting up straight in her chair. "Wait! Like Belikov Enterprises?!"

I nodded my head and snickered. "I take it you've heard of him?"

"You didn't see the article?"

"What article?"

Lissa pulled her phone out of her purse and tapped away for a few minutes before turning it to me. I took the phone from her and looked at the article, my eyes widening as I took it all in.

The first photo was a photo of me and Dimitri at his charity event, both of us smiling and his arm tightly around my waist. I hadn't noticed it when the photo was taken, but Dimitri's hand was in just the right spot that it was resting against my then small bump.

Dimitri Belikov, CEO and Founder of Belikov Enterprises, expects first child with girlfriend.

I read the article with full detail, noting that the article was published two weeks ago. There was a statement from Dimitri stating how excited he was and that he couldn't be happier. Further down it said that they hadn't been able to speak to me, but Dimitri commented that I was equally as happy.

There were even a few more photos of Dimitri and me, one being the two of us walking downtown, my bulging stomach on display through my clothes.

I handed Lissa her phone back and leaned back into my seat, processing the article. Lissa furrowed her brows together and tilted her head down to look at me.

"When I read it, I couldn't get any of the pictures to load, so I didn't realize that it was you. I thought it was a good article," Lissa said, not sure what my expression was for.

"I didn't know about the article," I said pursing my lips. Lissa gave me a sympathetic look.

"Maybe he didn't want to add any stress? I mean, you're not mentioned by name in the article. Maybe that was done purposely?" Lissa said, tilting her head to the side as she looked at me. "He could be trying to protect your identity. He's well known and exposing your name could cause issues."

I leaned back in my seat and looked at Lissa, nodding my head in agreeance. She was right. I could almost guarantee that's why I didn't know about the interview or article.

I looked down at my now empty cup before looking up at Lissa. I didn't want to leave so early but couldn't drink any more caffeine or I'd be up all night. I also was really enjoying talking to Lissa now.

"How do you feel about making a stop at Rush Sugar Bar? We could get those deluxe waffles for dinner?"

A beaming smile crossed Lissa's face with an enthusiastic head nod. I chuckled and pulled my coat on and walked back out to the car with Lissa. It wasn't a long drive to the restaurant, but I waited anxiously as we drove through the busy downtown traffic.

We were lucky there was a lull when we got to Rush, and I grabbed a table while Lissa ordered. Combing back five minutes later with waffles topped with fruit, chocolate sauce, syrup and whipped cream, we dug in with playful laughs. The last we had been here we both had been roaring drunk.

"I hate to bring the happy mood down, but what happened with you and Aaron?"

Lissa's brows furrowed as she set her fork down. "We just…drifted apart. Or well, I drifted. I just felt like I had to be someone else when I was with him. I realize now that that person I was trying to be was a horrible person. I was cruel and self-centered all the time. It wasn't until our fight that I really realized how much of a stuck-up bitch I had become," Lissa said, folding her hands on the table.

I gave her a tight smile. She was right. Lissa when she was younger had been a kinder person, but once she met Aaron a more arrogant side of her came out, and it grew and grew over the years.

"But, I am trying to work on be a less shitty person," Lissa continued on as she cut her waffle with her fork, "So I hope that counts for something."

I looked at her and gave her a compassionate look. "It definitely counts."


I was almost asleep when persistent knocking startled me from sleep.

I pouted before rolling off the couch, padding my way to the door. I was having a hard time with Dimitri not being home and had only fallen asleep an hour earlier. I stopped when I got to the door and braced myself against it for a moment. Man, I was tired. I opened the door and found a woman standing there. The first thing I noticed was that she was beautiful. She had long black hair and crystal blue eyes. While she had a large scar on her left cheek, she was gorgeous. The kind of gorgeous that would make any woman self-conscious.

"Hello?" I said, leaning against the door. The woman frowned and flickered her eyes over me, resting on my stomach for a second before back to my face.

"Hi? Who are you?"

"Who are you? You need a key to get the elevator to come up here," I returned, feeling slightly defensive. I couldn't help it, the hormones and my own lower self-esteem fueled me. Only a month and a bit from my due date and I was physically comfortable and didn't feel all that fantastic about myself. Having a beautiful woman I didn't know standing at my door didn't help.

The woman looked confused. "I'm Tasha. Where is Dimitri?"

"Dimitri is at work."

Tasha hummed and tried to step by me into the penthouse, but I moved my larger frame and blocked her path.

"I'm sorry, I don't know who you are. You can't come in," I said.

Tasha chuckled and shook her head gently. "I'm Dimitri's wife. But you probably didn't know that he was married."

"Ex-wife," I corrected. "I've heard plenty about you. And you're not welcome in my house," I said and then promptly shut the door in her face. I sighed and locked the door, not wanting Tasha to try and come back in. I went into the kitchen and picked up the phone, calling down to the front desk.

"Lobby."

"Hi there, it's Rose. Can you please revoke an access card to the penthouse for me?" I asked, sitting down on a stool.

"Which card?"

"Tasha, or Natasha?"

"Sure thing. I can temporarily revoke it, but I'll need Mr. Belikov to confirm when he returns," the woman said.

"That's fine. Thank you."


Hello hello! I hope everyone is having a good week.

Rush Sugar Bar is sadly not in NYC, but it is in Hamilton, Ontario and it is absolutely fantastic. When I went I got a waffle with caramel, ice cream, whipped cream and fruit. It was so good!

I hope that you all like this chapter! The next one will start in Dimitri's POV with a very important conversation.