Despite being thirty-seven, almost thirty-eight weeks into my pregnancy, I was pretty excited to get dressed up for a night out.
I set the makeup brushes down and wiggled my fingers in the air as I tried to find the right lipstick colour. Finding a creamy nude colour I applied the pigment to my lips and worked it in.
"Are you almost done?" I called out to Dimitri who was in the shower. I didn't get an answer, so I walked to the glass door and opened it. I smirked to myself as I watched soap suds slide down his back as he rinsed his hair.
"Comrade?"
"Yeah?" he said, wiping the soapy hair from his face. I hadn't noticed I had been blatantly starring at him while biting my lip until Dimitri called out to me again.
"I just wanted to see if you are almost done. We have to leave soon," I said a little breathlessly.
Dimitri dipped his head back under the water and rinsed the last of the suds from his hair before turning off the shower, turning towards me.
"All done," he said standing in front of me and reaching out for a towel. I stepped back enough for him to get out, but he quickly slipped his arms around my waist and pulled me towards him, pressing a kiss to my cheek.
I squealed as his wet skin met mine, but he just chuckled against my skin and pressed a kiss to the soft spot in front of my ear.
I changed out of my robe and into underwear that would work best with my dress and smirked when two hands settled on my hips, wet hair tickling my neck as warm lips kissed my shoulder.
"Are you sure you're up for coming tonight?" Dimitri asked, kissing my cheek immediately after.
I nodded and tilted my head up to give him a kiss. "Yeah. I think it'll make him really happy," I said pulling away to put on the dress. I could hear Dimitri dressing as well before he came over and closed the clasp at the top of my dress. It wasn't extravagant, but the velvet material draped over my body nicely, and it was classy and beautiful.
"Yes, but do you want to go because you want to. You don't have to go; he doesn't know that you're coming."
I turned and gave him a small smile, reaching up to fix his collar. "I want to go. I think this would be good for fixing our relationship. Plus, this might be last night out before the baby comes," I said as I smoothed his shirt over his shoulders. Dimitri nodded his head and kissed my forehead.
"Red is your colour, my love," Dimitri whispered, stroking my cheek. I smiled up at him and fixed his tie.
"Thank you. And your tie matches perfectly."
I held Dimitri's hand tightly as we made our way into the conference hall, nervous butterflies bouncing around in my stomach, along with Sofia squirming. I could see him from here and felt excited to see him. I pointed him out to Dimitri and he changed direction, squeezing my hand as we got closer.
He was wearing a bonze suit with a white dress shirt and a red scarf, his hair slicked back perfectly. It seems he went with the Christmas colours as well. I took a shaky breath and stepped a little closer.
"Dad?"
Abe faltered in his conversation with the handful of people in front of him and turned to look at me. The look of shock on his face was clear, but there was also a healthy amount of happiness.
"Kiz?" he said quietly, looking me over as his hand fluttered uselessly at his side. I decided to bite the bullet and stepped closer, wrapping my arms around him in a hug. He wrapped his arms around me and whispered under his breath, kissing the side of my head.
"What are you doing here?" Abe asked as he pulled away, cupping my cups before letting go.
"You invited Dimitri, and I said that I wanted to come. I mean, it's not every day you have a foundation in your honour, right?" I said as I fidgeted my fingers, smiling shyly. Abe smiled before slipping his arm around my shoulders, pulling me towards the group he was talking to, introducing me to them excitedly. I turned my head to look back at Dimitri, only to find a happy smile on his face.
Once Abe remembered Dimitri was there, he beckoned him forward and introduced him. Most of the people we were talking to already knowing him.
"You two know each other?" one man asked, gesturing to Dimitri and me.
"We're together," Dimitri said, slipping his hand to my back. "That is Igor Zeklos, Ivan's cousin," Dimitri whispered in my ear.
"You two must be very excited," a woman said, eyes landing on my stomach. I smiled widely and looked up at Dimitri as my hand came to rest on the side of my belly.
"Thrilled," I said, smiling at Dimitri, "The ninth can't come fast enough."
I had to say that I got a little teary when Dad made his speech, calling me up to the stand with him. The whole time he kept his hand on my back, looking at me every once in a while as he spoke. It seemed like he was winging his speech with the slight shake in his voice, but I gave him a smile each time he looked at me.
A lot of people approached us after his speech, and Dad was able to deflect a lot of questions that would have made us both uncomfortable. Many were about not seeing me at the fundraisers and events, but Dad simply stated that crowds were usually something I wasn't comfortable with. I stood with him for a while before the music started up. Dad asked me hesitantly if I was up for a dance, and I was so happy that I didn't care if my feet hurt at that point.
Dimitri swept me into his embrace after a dance with Dad, hand splayed over my back as we danced. Or swayed, we were more swaying than dancing. I felt pretty content with my head resting on his chest, my arms around his neck loosely.
"Dimka?"
Dimitri tensed up like a rock and stilled, tightening his grip on me. I lifted my head enough to see who spoke, pursing my lips when I came face to face with Tasha.
"What do you want?" I asked straightening up. Tasha looked me over before turning her attention back to Dimitri.
"Can I talk to you?"
"I believe I asked you a question," I bit out, turning my body out of Dimitri's grasp, but stood directly in front of him. Tasha had a smug look on her face and placed a hand on her slim waist, shaking her head with a small chuckle.
"And who are you exactly?"
"My girlfriend," Dimitri said, setting his hands on my shoulders in a protective but comforting manner.
"I don't care what you have to say, Natasha. Please don't start something. I've told you multiple times that I don't want to talk to you, nor do I want to see you," Dimitri continued, stepping around me.
"I'm allowed to be here just as much as you are," Tasha said with a smirk.
"I don't remember inviting you," Abe said coming to stand beside me.
"Darling," Abe said to me before looking to Dimitri, and then to Tasha. "Do I need to ask you to leave Ms. Ozera?"
Tasha had a look as if she smelled something bad as she looked at me again. "I really need to speak with you," she said looking at Dimitri.
"And I have nothing to say to you. I've told you to stop calling me, to stop showing up at my work and at my house. I want nothing to do with you. I've moved on, I'm happy for once. Do not make me have to get a restraining order too," Dimitri said darkly, standing directly in front of me. I rested my hand on his back, letting my fingers rubbing gently against the silky fabric of his shirt.
Tasha opened her mouth again, but I interjected. "I think it's time that you left. You are not welcome here, and while Dimitri may be polite, I'm not above breaking that pretty little nose of yours."
Tasha scoffed and looked like she about to bite back when Abe interrupted her. "I wouldn't test her. I was pulled into too many meetings with her teachers about Rose punching people. And I won't stop her this time," he said before waving someone over. That someone was Abe's long-time friend and bodyguard, Pavel, who looked like he hadn't aged a day in the last seven years.
We watched Pavel lead Tasha out of the hall, her looking back at us every few moments.
"Well, I think we should to the more pleasant entertainment," Dad said, steering us back to the party.
I was confused as I looked at the man standing at my door.
"Can I help you?" I asked, not opening the door completely.
"Is Mr. Dimitri Belikov here?"
"He is, but he's in a conference call at the moment. Is there something I can help you with?" I replied, tilting my head to the side slightly.
"Are you related to Mr. Belikov?"
"No. But I do live here and I'm his girlfriend."
The guy nodded his head and scribbled onto a piece of paper on top of a folder he held. "Your name?"
I furrowed my brows. "Rose Hathaway."
The guy nodded and finished scribbling on his paper before taking it away. "Thank you. You've been served," the man said, handing me the folder in his hands before walking away. I stood at the door and was slightly stunned watching the man walk back to the elevator. I shook my head and walked back into the living room, setting the folder down.
I didn't want to open it and be nosy, but I couldn't stop starring at it. I thought it was just movie theatrics, but seeing it happen made it very real. I must have starred at the documents for at least ten minutes when Dimitri walked out.
"All finished. Now we can finally start our holiday," Dimitri said, coming up behind me and resting his hands on my shoulders. Dimitri kissed the top of my head and looked over my shoulder. "What's this?"
"You were severed," I said quietly, feeling my brows scrunch together.
Dimitri sighed and stepped around me. "I wouldn't be surprised if it was Dashkov. He was pissed about the security breach," Dimitri grumbled as he opened the folder. Dimitri sighed as he read the Statement of Claim, sucking on his bottom lip before he froze, staring at the papers inside with a dead stare.
"What is it?"
"These aren't about the security breach," Dimitri said quietly.
"Then what is it about?"
Dimitri looked up at me out with a hesitant look. "Child support. To Tasha."
I blinked and rested my hand on the counter beside me, sinking down in the chair. "What? That's not possible," I said, but Dimitri flicked his eyes to mine again.
"Unfortunately, that's not exactly true."
I blinked, taking a moment to think over exactly what he had said. "Pardon?"
Dimitri sighed and sat down beside me, dropping the papers onto the counter. "Before our divorce was finalized, we sat down one night and tried to talk things out. It led to both of us drinking quite a bit and well…let's just said I'd rather not relive that night."
"How long before your divorce?"
"A week or two before."
"I thought for a divorce to be filed you had to be completely separated for a year?"
Dimitri nodded. "We both kept that information to ourselves."
I leaned back into my chair and sighed. The idea of Dimitri having a child with Tasha didn't exactly sit well with me.
"How can you be so sure that that child is yours? Or if there is a child at all?"
Dimitri turned the paper around and pointed at the name on one of the pages. "Dan Brown. We've used him in the past to serve documents. He's real. Tasha wouldn't have known that name unless she sought him out to serve."
"It seems like Tasha found a way to worm herself back into your life," I said quietly, already thinking about how quickly she would try to spin things.
"Hey," Dimitri said, cupping my cheeks, "Nothing is going to happen until I speak to my lawyer and arrange for a paternity test. While the timeline would fit according to the dates in the Claim, I won't believe for a minute that the child is mine. And neither should you. Tasha fooled around too much. Try not to let this get you to."
I sighed and nodded, leaning into one of his hands. Dimitri let go of my cheeks and pulled me into a hug, resting his head on mine.
"I don't want this to stress you out," Dimitri crooned. I nodded my head and tried to push it out of my mind.
"Try to think on the bright side. Two days until Christmas Eve and we will have my family, Lissa, her new boyfriend, Ivan, and your dad here for Christmas dinner. We eat enough food to put us into comas for two days," Dimitri said with a smile, making me smile. I loved Christmas, and I was excited to celebrate it with a family for the first time in years.
"Yes. And later today our home will be full of your family," I said as I leaned into him.
"Our family, Roza. You're already family to them, and me."
The closer the minutes got until Dimitri needed to leave to get his family, the antsier I got. I was anxious. More anxious than I was before exams or when I gave birth to Jenny. I was anxious to meet Dimitri's family. Dimitri's family had been in Russia to see their grandmother before coming here. Dimitri wanted to go as well, but his obligations at work wouldn't allow it. He was on parental leave but needed to be available if necessary. Plus, he didn't want to be too far from me with my upcoming due date. We only had three weeks to go.
The snow fell slowly and I found that watching it calmed me a little. The big fat clumps were mesmerizing, moving so fast that it almost seemed slow when you focused on it. I tucked the blanket around me and curled up on my side.
"Hey, you okay?" Dimitri asked as he came around the couch, stroking my cheek with the back of his fingers. I peeked up at him and shrugged.
"I'm just nervous," I mumbled, not wanting to voice just how much the whole Tasha situation stressed me out on top of meeting Dimitri's family.
"Of what, Roza?"
"What if your family doesn't like me?" I said timidly, peeking up at him. Dimitri laughed and stroked my cheek before wrapping his arm around my shoulders.
"Rose, they love you already. Mama is so excited to meet you," Dimitri soothed, but I sighed. He could say that all he wanted, but I was still nervous.
Dimitri kissed the top of my head before picking up his coat, pulling it on.
"I should be back in a few hours, try to relax Roza. I can guarantee that this house will be full of energy," Dimitri said.
I got up and walked over to him, wrapping my arms around him in a hug goodbye.
"I love you."
"I love you too, Roza."
After Dimitri left I headed towards the bathroom to shower. Maybe a warm shower would be just the trick to calm me down. I pulled a towel out and set it on the warming rack before slipping under the warm spray.
I stayed in the shower longer than I meant to and got out when the water started to run cold. Pursuing through my clothes, I wanted to impress Dimitri's family. I finally found something presentable and comfortable and pulled it on, moving to pin my hair up and applied a small amount of makeup. I didn't wear it all the time, but the bags under my eyes from being up so late at the fundraiser really showed today.
Stealing a glance at the clock I made my way back out. Dimitri should be back any moment. I smoothed my hair back and tried to smooth my sweater down as I listened for voices or footsteps. I finally could hear Dimitri's voice behind the door and his keys in the lock. I sat up straighter on the couch and took a slow breath, stroking my stomach when Dimitri walked in with his family.
I took one more deep breath before putting a smile on my face. Dimitri gave me a smile as he held the door open for his family, allowing them to go in before him, Ivan bringing up the rear. I had forgotten that Ivan was going as well to bring everyone here. Once everyone was in, I stepped closer and helped take coats before standing next to Dimitri.
As if Dimitri could sense my anxiety, he placed his hand on my back and gave me a tender kiss on the cheek.
"This is my Rose," Dimitri said addressing his family. The first woman to approach was his mother, a big smile on her face as she wrapped her arms around me. I was a little startled but returned her embrace, looking up at Dimitri.
Dimitri gave me a reassuring look before his sisters stepped forward, welcoming me warmly. One went as far as to putting her hands on my belly and giving me a megawatt smile. I wasn't sure which one was which, but they were all kind to me. Paul was almost as tall as his uncle, standing taller than me as he shook my hand.
Dimitri showed his family to their rooms and shook his head at who wasn't impressed about sleeping on the couch in his office, but it was that or sharing a room with his sister.
Standing for long periods of time wasn't fun for me, so I sunk onto the other couch while Dimitri helped everyone get settled. I shifted around and placed one of the throw pillows between my legs, trying to get comfortable.
"Getting to the point where nothing is comfortable?"
I looked up and nodded at one of Dimitri's sisters, Sonya, I think. She came into the living room and sat down beside me, smoothing her shirt down. My eyes followed the movement and I scoffed with a smirk. Sonya looked at me with a raised brow, to which I blatantly looked down at her stomach. There was a slight hump that I recognized.
"I haven't told my brother yet. I wanted to wait so I didn't steal the attention and excitement from you. Mama is very excited to get a grandchild out of my brother," Sonya said, patting my stomach gently.
"How far along are you? Do the others know?" I whispered.
"Yes. And I'm ten weeks."
"Congratulations," I said quietly, looking up as the rest of the family came back into the living room. Olena bustled around me, asking me questions about my pregnancy, how Dimitri's been treating me, asking me about baby names.
Dimitri rolled his eyes at his mother but smiled nonetheless. He was happy to have them all here and happy that they were here for an important part of our lives. Ivan roughhoused with Paul a bit, but it was comical since Paul was taller than his now.
I wasn't used to being dotted over by others, but it was nice to feel motherly affection from Olena as she sat next to me, a kind smile on her face as she asked how I was feeling, resting her hand hesitantly on my stomach. I smiled and rested my hand over hers, letting her know that I was open to her touch.
"You've made him so happy," Olena said, rubbing my stomach gently, "Even when he was married it seemed like there was something missing. But now that he has you, he seems so much happier."
I chuckled. "I think this little one has something to do with that," I said.
Olena shook her head. "I don't think it's just her," Olena disagreed with a soft smile. "So. Tell me about your father. Dimitri said that your father was joining us on Christmas Eve?"
Hello hello! Happy Canada Day to those who are celebrating! And Happy Independent's Day to my American readers!
I hope everyone is having a good week. And I hope you all enjoyed the chapter!
I've been debating opening an author account on Instagram to promote snippets of upcoming chapters. What do you think?
