Navigating a stroller through a busy store was difficult, to begin with, but trying to do it while everyone was back-to-school shopping was worse. I would have been better off using the sling today, but it was too late for that.

That and it was like I had two kids with me today instead of one. Adrian insisted on coming with me today, claiming that he had nothing else to do today than come shopping with me.

"Why are you bugging me today? Why don't you bug your brother?" I teased, pushing Sofia's stroller through the isle. Adrian rolled his eyes at me with his hands shoved in his jeans.

"He's in a meeting all day, besides, I thought you were looking for a birthday gift for him. Maybe I could help? Besides, if not, I can spend a little more time with my favourite niece," Adrian said, leaning forwards to peek at Sofia as she played with her elephant. I laughed and shook my head with a small smile on my face.

After the initial shock wore off, the two of them were actually a lot more okay with the realization than they thought. After about two weeks they had come to terms with it, and I think it made their friendship stronger. So much so that Adrian was around a bit more, but that also could be because we are the only family he has this side of the country.

"Well then, you can push the stroller for me," I quipped, gesturing to it. Him pushing the stroller would be easier so then I could look for a gift.

Adrian rolled his eyes but took over, flipping the cover back so he could look at Sofia better, speaking in a playful tone to her while I looked through the shelves for my gift. It seemed a little childish, but Dimitri had explicitly asked for no gifts, so this would be small.

"Are you sure about this?" Adrian asked with mild concern. I laughed and browsed over a few more things.

"Very sure. It'll make him laugh," I said laying my purchases over my arm and ran a hand through my hair. "Plus, it'll double for Sofia's first Halloween."

Adrian shook his head and pushed on, tapping his hands against the handle in time with the music playing overhead. I smirked and looked around as we walked towards the cashiers when something made me stop.

A little boy was standing in the book aisle alone, tears on his cheeks. I touched Adrian's shoulder and headed towards the boy slowly, a friendly smile on my face. The closer I got I realized that he could only have been three or four. Too young to be alone in the store.

"Hey. Where is your mom or dad?" I asked, crouching down to be at a closer height. His lips quivered and more tears spilled over his plump cheeks. He shook his head and let out a sob, fisting his shirt in his hands.

"Shh, it's okay. Why don't we go find your parents?" I said soothingly but he shook his head and sat down in the aisle. I looked at Adrian and sat down with him, tucking him back against the shelf so we weren't in the middle of the aisle anymore.

"Okay, we will wait here. What's your name?"

The little boy looked up at me with his greenie-blue eyes, full of tears and croaked out, "Vinnie."

"I'm Rose, and that's my friend Adrian and my daughter Sofia. How about we read this," I said pulling a random children's book off the shelf, "while we wait? Okay?"

Vinnie nodded and I laid the book in my lap and started reading to him. Adrian came closer and sat down with us, gently pushing the stroller back and forth with his arm to rock Sofia. We got through the picture book and started through another one when a frantic voice called out.

"Vinnie!"

Vinnie's eyes widened and his head swivelled around to look for his mother. A woman rounded the corner and spotted us, which is when I realized who she was. Natasha. And she looked terrified.

I helped Vinnie stand up and he tottled over to her and she bent down to pick him up.

"We found him over here a few minutes ago. We thought we'd stay with him until he calmed down. He didn't want to go to the cash," I said standing up and set the book back on the shelf. Natasha eyed me for a moment.

"I turned around for a second," she said quietly, voice cracking the slightest bit. Almost as if she was pleading for me to see that she was telling the truth.

I nodded in understanding. "It happens. But he's smart, he wanted to stay where he was," I said. I couldn't fault her right now. In front of me was not the vindictive ex-wife, but a mother who was scared because she couldn't find her child. Natasha nodded and kissed Vinnie's head before her eyes flicked behind me, landing on Adrian. Adrian didn't seem to really be paying attention now that Vinnie's mom had be found.

"Well," I said clearing my throat, "We should get going."

Natasha nodded. "Yeah. Thank you for staying with him. It would have been too easy for someone to just take him."

I gave her a tight-lipped smiled and turned, gesturing for Adrian to walk. Adrian took the stroller from me again and turned his head back to look at Natasha's retreating figure.

"Did you know her? You seemed to be familiar with each other," Adrian asked once we made it to the checkout. I looked at him incredulously with raised brows.

"You don't know who that is?"

"No. She seems a little familiar, but I have no idea who she is."

"That's Natasha. As in Dimitri's ex-wife?"

Adrian frowned and furrowed his brows. "Huh. I never met her while they were married. I was living in France while they were married. I came back a few days before their divorce was finalized though. Man did Dimitri and I get drunk," Adrian explained, chuckling to himself at the end. I shook my head and placed my things on the countertop. From what Dimitri told me, Adrian used to be a real partier in his early twenties.

"I just can't place where I know her," Adrian thought to himself, tapping his fingers against the handle of the stroller. I shrugged and paid for my purchases before steering Adrian and Sophia out of the store.


I smiled a giddy smile and adjusted Sofia's little boots before standing up with her in my arms.

"Daddy is going to be so surprised!" I squealed at Sofia which made her laugh and clap her hands. I pulled my phone out and walked to the mirror in the bedroom to snap a quick picture of the two of us before sending it off to Lissa.

Birthday boy is on his way home. Think he'll like it?

I watched the typing indicator move before Lissa's text appeared, complete with a laughing emoji.

He will love it!

I smirked and saw another text came up. It was Celeste.

He's on his way up.

I sighed and checked my hair and outfit before carrying Sofia out to the living room. Everything was where it needed to be. The cake was on the table, the two gifts from Sofia and I on the couch, take out in the kitchen.

"Ready 'Fia?" I asked with a smile. Sofia rested her head on my shoulder, knocking her matching hat off. I chuckled and adjusted it when I heard the key in the door. I pointed towards the door with an excited gasp to get Sofia's attention. Sofia lifted her head and looked at the door. I think a part of her knew that Dimitri was coming home, her big eyes trained on the door.

The door opened and closed. "Roza?"

"We're in the living room," I called back, picking up one of the noisemakers I bought and put it between my lips. I heard Dimitri's footsteps and lifted Sofia higher on my hip as he came into the living room, stopping in his tracks. A look of amusement and surprise crossed his face.

"Happy Birthday!" I exclaimed, blowing on the noisemaker. Sofia squealed and wiggled in my arms, waiting to go to Dimitri. Dimitri came closer and picked Sofia up out of my arms and kissed her head and then mine.

"Look at you. My little cowgirl," Dimitri cooed softly, lifting the edge of Sofia's mini cowboy hat up. She gave him a smile and pressed her face into his neck. Dimitri kissed her curls again and leaned towards me, pressing his lips to mine as he wound his other arm around my waist. I hummed and leaned into him, stroking the side of his neck.

"Two cowgirls. I think you're spoiling me," Dimitri said against my lips, pressing his firmly to mine again.

"You said that you didn't want anything for your birthday, so I thought I'd throw you a small party. A party for three," I said with a smile. Dimitri smiled at me and hugged me tightly to him. I snuggled into him and smiled at Sofia before pulling out of his arm and picked up one of the boxes off the couch.

"Here," I said. Dimitri raised a brow at me and shifted Sofia in his arms and then took the box.

"You didn't need to get me anything," Dimitri said. I shrugged. He lifted the lid off and chuckled when he saw what was inside, pulling the Stenson out of the box and put it on his head. He looked down at Sofia with a smile and she gave him one, reaching up to grab the edges of his hat.

I snickered at the look of him. He looked ridiculous and extremely hot at the same time. Maybe that's why the phrase save a horse, ride a cowboy is so popular. Dimitri lifted Sofia up in the air above his head and then lowered her back down, before extending his arms again.

Okay, he looked even more extremely hot doing that.

Dimitri brought Sofia back down to him and ran his fingers through her curls and kissed her head again.

"What is that?" Dimitri asked pointing at the small package.

"That is from me," I said with a soft smile, biting my lip in anticipation. Dimitri pulled the top off with one hand.

"What did Mum get me, huh?" Dimitri asked Sofia playfully, smiling at her as he pulled the small glass soft gift from the box. Dimitri looked down at the small rectangular tube in his hand, clearly lost on what it was.

"Push the button on the side," I said with a laugh.

He smirked at me and clicked it, lifting it up closer to his eyes to see the picture engraved in the glass.

"Where did you get this?" Dimitri asked, clicking the button again to see the picture of the three of us illuminated in the tube.

"That's for me to know," I said slyly. Dimitri chuckled and smiled at me.

"I love it, Roza. Thank you."

I nodded and slipped my arms around his waist. "That way, you always have a picture of us. Even if it's just on a keychain." Dimitri wrapped his other arm around me and pulled me tight against him.

"I love you. Both of you," Dimitri said kissing the tip of my head. I snuggled into him and ran my finger over the back of Sofia's hand that was fisted in Dimitri's shirt.

"We love you too."


Sofia went down easier than I thought she would, even after we let her have a bit of icing off of our fingers and little bits of cake. I eased the door shut and walked back into the living room, finding Dimitri leaning back on the couch with a cup of coffee in his hands.

"Good birthday, Comrade?" I asked, coming to stand in front of him. Dimitri set his cup down on the coffee table and smiled up at me.

"Very good," he said, pulling me towards him by my hips. "I really like this," Dimitri said toying with the edge of my skirt. It wasn't a 'sexy cowgirls' costume, it was actually a more traditional costume, complete with a puffy skirt. I smirked and straddled his lap and draped my arms around his neck, rubbing my nose against his.

"Yeah?"

Dimitri nodded and wagged his brows at me as he wrapped his hands around my waist, pulling me closer to him and kissed my shoulder. I smiled and toyed with the ends of his hair, kissing the top of his head.

"A lot," he said, playfully nipping my shoulder. I chuckled and leaned back, stroking my fingers along the back of his neck.

"How much?"

"Too much. I think we'll need to hold onto it," he joked, running the tip of his finger over my nose. I giggled and leaned into him, kissing his jaw.

"Adrian told me something interesting today," I said.

"Oh?"

"Yeah. That after you signed your divorce papers, you and him got roaring drunk," I snickered.

Dimitri shook his head with a quiet groan. "God. I barely remember that night. I ended up leaving because I could barely stand up straight," Dimitri laughed, despite sounding like he was in pain. I chuckled and rested my head against his shoulder.

"How bad was it?"

"I ended up cutting my hair short. While still drunk. I had to have someone fix it the next day and it was the same length as Adrian's."

I snorted a laugh. "Really?! I can't imagine you with short hair!"

"I hated every minute of it," Dimitri said with a grimace. I shook my head and looked up at him again.

"And Adrian?"

"I don't think he has much recollection of that night, the only thing he knows is that he got laid," Dimitri said with a shake of his head, "Thankfully, he's out-grown his party days."

I snorted a laugh. "Yes thankfully."


I flicked through a few dresses and pursed my lips. Dimitri had pushed back the charity gala by a few months because there was too much going on and the venue he really wanted, The Rainbow Room, was booked for July, so we settled for August instead. This time around, I could really wear whatever I wanted because I wouldn't need to conceal a baby bump.

"What about this one?" I asked, pulling it off the rack and showing Mia and Lissa. Mia looked up from where she was making faces at Sofia and made a different face. Mia and Lissa were both invited to attend the gala and already had dresses, but I kept putting it off. Until now. I only had a few days.

"Nope. Definitely not."

Lissa nodded in agreeance. "No. It'll be too warm for that. Maybe something a little lighter?"

I shrugged and set it back on the rack. She was right, a long-sleeved dress would leave me sweltering, even at night. I flipped through a few more dresses before finding another one.

"What about this one?" I asked, smiling to myself. I actually liked this one.

Lissa tilted her head and pursed her lips. "I think we need to see it on you to tell. But it will work with the black-tie theme."

I nodded and headed towards the change rooms and slipped it on, smirking to myself in the mirror. Damn, I looked hot. Honestly, I felt like I was channelling Lady Di in this dress. It was black with a sweetheart neckline that sat off the shoulders. It was tight and flattering with a slit up the left leg. I opened the door and stepped out, giving them a little twirl. I snickered at Mia's reaction. Her jaw dropped open and her eyes bugged out of her head.

"Damn," she whispered. I looked at Lissa and she had the same look on her face.

"Please tell me that the dress is making your boobs look that good," Lissa groaned and I tipped the hand back with a laugh.

"It's a little bit of both. But yes?"

"Yes!" they both exclaimed. Sofia looked around at all the commotion and let her eyes settle on me. I made a kissing face at her and she smiled, rocking in Mia's lap. I chuckled and went towards her, playfully kissing her neck and cheek.

"Who's watching Sofia?"

"Adrian. He practically begged to do it."

Mia shook her head and brushed some of Sofia's curls back. "Is Adrian single?"

I shook my head and laughed. "Yes. Very single," I said retreating back to the change room.


I peered out over the skyline and was filled with amazement. The sun was just starting to set and left the sky a stunning hue of orange and pink, filling the room with a soft glow. Guests would start showing up soon, and it was a moment of calmness before the rest of the night started.

"It's quite the view," Dimitri said coming towards me with two champagne glasses, handing one to mine. I smiled at him with a nod. That wasn't the only view. He looked good too.

"It is. It's breathtaking," I said turning back to the sunset, lifting the glass to my lips. The band was starting to warm up and soft music filled the room, giving the room a warm feeling. "Is that why you extended the gala? Because you wanted this room for the view?"

Dimitri nodded. "I did. I wanted it last year, but there was no way I could get it. They had it booked solid for months."

I smiled at him in understanding. I knew why he wanted it so bad now that I've seen it myself.

"Did you know that they host weddings here in their garden?" I asked Dimitri, sipping from my glass as I looked up at him. I spoke with a few staff members when I got here and asked about the majority of their events. They all said that weddings were a big hit here. Dimitri smirked and nodded.

"I did. They have a rooftop garden as well. All of the venues here are beautiful," he said, wrapping his arm around my waist. I smiled and took another sip of champagne, leaning into his side.

"Maybe we could get married here someday," I said slyly, tilting my head to rest on his shoulder. Dimitri looked down at me with a raised brow. We had had that discussion a few times over the last few months, and I hoped that this would be a subtle hint to him that it was something I was serious about.

"Really?"

I rolled my eyes playfully at him. "What?"

"You'd want to get married here?"

I nodded up at him with a smile. Dimitri tilted his head down and pressed his lips to mine, running his fingers softly over my bare shoulder.

"It would be fitting," Dimitri said when he pulled away, his eyes boring into mine. I raised my brows at him and he flicked his eyes downward. I followed his gaze and felt my breath catch in my chest. There in the bottom of my glass was a ring. I looked back up at him and then back down to the glass before lifting it to my lips and draining the glass.

Dimitri set his glass down on the table beside him and then took the glass from me when I finished. He tipped the ring onto his hand and pulled a cloth out of his pocket and drying off the ring.

"You know, the last time we were at this event was when I realized that I was falling in love with you," Dimitri said softly, looking down at the ring in his hand before looking at me again. A small smile crossed my lips and I felt my cheeks heat up, but I could look away from him. Dimitri slipped his hand into mine and brought it to his lips, kissing my hand softly.

"I never expected you. I never expected when you walked into that boardroom for you to ensnare me completely. I never expected to fall for you so quickly, or for you to fill my life with so much joy and light. I never thought that I would ever let myself be vulnerable to someone else again, or even think about sharing my life with someone else. You have made all the pain I felt worth it because it brought me to you."

"You inspire me every day. You work so hard to be a better person, a better mother, a better friend. You strive for what you want, and you make it look effortless. You have pushed through so much in your life, and you have come out the other side stronger. You are an amazing mother to our child," Dimitri said softly, reaching up with the hand that held the ring to stroke my cheek.

"And you are the most amazing best friend someone could ask for. I don't feel like I can't tell you anything, and I know that I can come to you for anything. You are my rock, Roza. You are the calm in my storm, even though you are a hurricane in spirit. I love you, so much, and I want to spend every minute of the rest of my life telling you and showing you that."

A shaky laugh slipped through my lips and I blinked away tears that crept to my eyes and he kneeled down in front of me, smiling up at me with a smile I loved so much. It wasn't his full smile, it was the smile I got in the early morning or when we were almost asleep in bed and I kissed him. It was soft and barely there, but it made with face light up with warmth and love.

Dimitri took my hand in his again and held up the ring in his other, the light of the sun dancing across it. I hadn't really looked at it when I saw it in the glass, but I could really see it now.

"Roza," Dimitri asked softly, and I bit my bottom lip as I smiled. "Will you marry me?"

If I nodded my head any faster it might have fallen off. "Yes," I said, my emotional laugh creeping out again as a few tears slipped over my cheeks. Dimitri gave me a full smile and slipped the ring onto my finger before standing up, and cupped me cheeks as he leaned in to kiss me. I clutched his arms and let the feeling of his lips on mine and the love surrounding us take over, kissing him back.

I pulled back to breathe and laughed, resting my forehead against his. I slipped my arms around his neck and sighed, letting my eyes fall closed and his hands rested on my waist.

"I love you," I whispered.

Dimitri hummed and rubbed the tip of his nose against mine. "I love you too," he said pecking my lips. I smiled and opened my eyes, happy to see the happiness that reflected in his eyes. I grinned at him before voices entered the room, making us turn towards the noise. I spotted Dad standing in the doorway, hands tucked into the pockets of his dress pants with a sly expression on his face.

"I'm not interrupting, am I?"

"No," Dimitri said, "You're timing was perfect."

Dad nodded with a smile and walked closer to us, coming to stop in front of us. Dad held his hand out and I furrowed my brows at him. Dimitri chuckled when Dad rolled his eyes impatiently and he took my hand off his shoulder, placing it in Dad's.

Oh, now I understood.

Dad tilted my hand to catch the light on the diamonds and made a satisfied grunt in the back of his throat.

"That is a nice rock."

I sputtered a laugh and nodded. It was a rock all right. An oval-shaped solitaire diamond with small diamonds along the band.

"Congratulations, kiz," Dad said squeezing my hand before giving it a kiss. I smiled at him and let go of Dimitri to hug him.

"Thanks Dad," I said into his shoulder, squeezing him before stepping back. Dad smiled at me and canted his head to the side.

"Your other guests are arriving. I told them to wait a second. I didn't want everyone to come in if you were still proposing."

I rolled my eyes and looked up at Dimitri. Of course, my dad managed to weasel his way into knowing about the proposal. Dimitri tucked me into his side and kissed the top of my head, humming in an amusement against my hair.


I sipped my third glass of the night as I stood with Lissa, Mia, Christian and Ivan. Dimitri was making his way to the main podium to make his speech, and I watched with a small smile on my lips. I hadn't been able to stop smiling all night.

Not even catching a glimpse of my mother in the crowd could wipe my smile away. Thankfully, she hadn't approached either me or Dimitri.

"Hello," Dimitri said, breaking the murmur over the crowd and pulling everyone's attention to him. I watched as heads turned towards him and I watched him take a quick drink from his glass before he started.

"I want to thank each and every one of you for attending tonight. For the last six years, this charity has helped hundreds of families, hundreds of people get back on their feet and feel safe again. We have given hundreds of people their lives back," Dimitri began, holding the attention of everyone in the room.

"This year has touched home. Becoming a father myself has put the world into a different perspective for me. As a child, I didn't know what it was like to live in a safe home. My mother, my sisters, we were all victims of domestic abuse that went on longer than it ever should have. The idea of my fiancée or our child ever enduring the pain that myself and all of these other families have been through is devastating. But we are making a difference."

I could see out of the corner of my eye Lissa, Mia, and Christian turn to look at me, but I simply lifted my left hand that held my glass and brought it to my lips with a smirk.

"This year things will be changing. This year we will be expanding. Not only will we have centers in New York State, Florida, Montana, Oregon, Washington, and Texas, but the program will be extending to Illinois, Pennsylvania, Maine, California, Moscow, and St. Petersburg. My hope is that within the next ten years that we can take this program international, and have facilities and centers in Canada, the UK, and other European countries."

For the remainder of his speech, I started to loose focus, simply because I had heard it so many times in the last few days that I could recite it myself. I leaned against the counter and watched how Dimitri had captivated every person in the room, all eyes firmly on him. The rest of his speech was to the point, enough about the program that it gave the benefactors the information they needed, but not too much in-depth that it bored them.

"But enough about that for now. For now, I want you all to enjoy yourselves tonight. Dinner will be served shortly," Dimitri ended his speech, giving everyone a large smile before pulling away from the podium. I set my empty glass down as Dimitri made his way towards us, stopping every few feet to share a few words with others. I could feel Lissa's eyes boring down at me, waiting for me to elaborate, but I made her wait.

Dimitri came over and ducked his head down to kiss me chastely, slipping his hand around my waist.

"You did fantastic," I said when he pulled back. Dimitri smiled at me and kissed my forehead. "Even managed to swap girlfriend out for fiancée."

Dimitri chuckled. "I almost said girlfriend."

I snorted and shook my head, turning my attention to our friend. "Yes, we are engaged," I said, extending my hand out to Lissa and Mia so they could see my ring. They both leaned forward and grabbed at my hand, lifting it and examining my glistening gem.

"When did this happy?!"

"Why didn't you tell us?!"

"Oh my God! I can't believe you're engaged!"

"I'm in the wedding, right?"

Mia and Lissa both squealed over top of each other and Christian rolled his eyes behind them but had a subtle smile on his face.

"Congratulations," Christian said once the girls calmed a bit, shaking Dimitri's hand. I leaned into Dimitri's side and smiled up at him.

"Thank you," Dimitri said before looking at Ivan, "I'm surprised you were able to keep your mouth shut this long."

Ivan rolled his eyes and laughed. "Hey, it was hard, but I did it. I'm really happy for you both," Ivan said, stepping around Dimitri to kiss my cheek and then clapped Dimitri on the back.

"Okay, now onto the celebrations! Nobody is leaving sober tonight!" Ivan exclaimed, waiver over a waiter for more drinks.


Hello everyone! I'm back.

I'm sorry that I didn't update sooner but it's been a rough few weeks. For starters, sitting has been a pain in the ass... Literally.

I hurt my back and a nerve got caught somewhere, so any time I sit for more than fifteen minutes at the time I start to get horrid pain in my tailbone. But thankfully, it's almost gone now!

Also, I kinda lost my groove with writing. I have all these ideas but haven't been able to get them out in words. But I managed to get them out.

I did a rushed edit of this chapter and I apologize if there are any errors!

Let me know what you think!:)