I smirked to myself as we stood outside the door, adjusting Sofia's hat carefully. My lunch with Janine had gone smoothly three days ago, and now we were going to tell Dad. I was excited and I knew Dimitri was too. Once we were done here, we'd be video called Olena and Yeva, and then each of Dimitri's sisters.

Dimitri rested his hand on my lower back, rubbing the base of my spine. I had already started having round ligament pain and it didn't mix well with the nausea. I turned and kissed his cheek when the door opened, Abe standing on the other side.

"Darling! Dimitri, my little princess! Come in," Dad exclaimed before stepping aside to let us in. Once we were out of the wind and cold, I shucked off my coat and pulled Sofia's hat off, running my fingers through her curls. Taking Janine's advice was a smart idea, Sofia's curls were much easier to tame today.

"How are you? Are you feeling better?" Dad asked as he hugged me, kissing my head and then Sofia's since she was still in my arms. I smiled at him and nodded my head.

"I'm feeling much better," I said stepping back and followed him into his living room, Dimitri hot on my heels. I smirked at him when he scooped Sofia out of my arms, kissing her mouth and blowing a raspberry on her cheek, making her squeal in laughter.

I sank down on the couch opposite of Dad and tucked my legs underneath me while Dimitri set Sofia on the ground. She was in a stage where she wanted to wander along the edge of things, mostly tables. She was getting so strong on her legs, and she could even stand for a few moments without support. Dad was in awe and crouched on the ground, encouraging her to come towards him.

Dimitri smiled and sat beside me, putting his hand out and down so that is Sofia let go and fell back, she wouldn't hit her head.

"She is getting so big, almost a year old," Dad said happily, laughing when Sofia smirked at him and plopped down on her bottom.

"Yeah. She's growing like a weed," I joked.

Dad nodded and picked her up, placing a kiss on her cheek. "Oh," Dad said, "She's a little warm."

"It's probably the sweater. Rose was paranoid that it was too cold. You can take it off of her," Dimitri put in, smirking at me as he draped his arm along the back of the couch and kissed my forehead. I smiled at him too as we watched Dad unzip her sweater and carefully pull it off her.

I waited for him to notice her shirt. It took a moment, but when he did he stilled, leaning back to read it again. A look of shock crossed his face before a large, joyful smile crossed his face.

"You're pregnant?"

Dimitri and I both laughed. "I am," I replied.

Baba looked at me in surprise before looking back down at Sofia, and then to Dimitri.

"Well, I guess I can start spoiling this one too! You're going to be a big sister! An abla!" Baba enthuses, playfully tossing Sofia up and catching her, kissing the side of her head.

"The 'extreme flu bug' was bad morning sickness," I explained, chuckling at his excitement.

Dad smiled and lifted Sofia up to sit down on the chair across from us. "That's good then. I was getting worried. How far along?"

"I just hit ten weeks today," I said with a smile, resting my hand on my stomach. It was an action that I found myself doing subconsciously. I found myself doing it in public too, which didn't help with us trying to keep it quiet until the end of my first trimester.

"Who all knows? Just so I know? I assume Lissa knows?"

"Actually, um, Mom was the first to know besides me and Dimitri. I told her the other day. She was very excited. Lissa doesn't know yet."

Dad raised his brow at me and set Sofia back down on the floor as she started to wiggle in his arms.

"You told Janine?"

"I did."

Dad smiled fondly at me. "I'm glad you told her. It's nice to see the two of you working things out."

I raised my brows at me. "Are you two working things out?"

A slight hue of pink came to his cheeks, something that only happened if he was caught off guard by myself or Janine.

"What is that supposed to me," he deflected, looking down at Sofia. Ha! I hit the right nerve.

"Oh I don't know. I've just noticed that she's been wearing certain pieces of jewelry that you bought her. She was wearing her Nazar the other day," I said leadingly, watching him carefully.

Dad cleared his throat and kept his eyes on Sofia. "We've simply enjoyed a few hours of each other's company. Is that a crime?"

Oh, you sly dog. "Sure, sure. Don't tell me that you two are seeing each other again. I'm sure you'll be able to keep that under wraps at our wedding."

His head snapped up. "You invited Janine?"

"We felt that Rose and her mother's relationship had mended enough. Rose actually bought her dress with Janine this week," Dimitri supplied, giving me a tender look. I watched Sofia pull herself up on the table and hobble down it. I smiled at her as she turned her body towards me, letting go of the table. I put my hands out as she wobbled, but when she jerkily moved towards me, her little shoes stomping on the ground, I squealed in excitement.

"C'mon baby! You can do it!" I exclaimed quietly, not wanting to startle her. She took another shaky step towards me, a laugh coming from her as she fell forwards into my hands. I pulled her up and set her in my lap, smiling at her.

"Good job! Did you see that?" I exclaimed, turning to look at Dimitri.

"I did. Good girl," he said happily, leaning over to kiss her head. I had been worried that I was going to miss them. The staff at the daycare center had said she had attempted it a few times, but always fell on her bottom before she could go anywhere.

I looked up from her to find Dad's gaze on us, a happy smile on his face. Another milestone that I never got to have with Jenny but was lucky enough to have with Sofia.


Mia's face was the perfect expression of shock, then excitement.

"Woah, woah! Back up. Not only are you springing on me that you're quitting Buria and Guardianship Gym, but you're pregnant?! Again?!" Mia squawked, grinning ear to ear. I laughed and nodded my head and leaned back in my chair.

I invited Mia to have lunch with me, mostly to ask her to be a bridesmaid, but when she became insistent on having a celebratory drink, I ended up telling her about my pregnancy. I was only two weeks away from my second trimester, and I was bursting with excitement. I had now told my parents, Dimitri's family, and Lissa.

I think Alberta suspected when I put in my notice, but she seemed to be waiting for me to tell her myself.

"I know that 'Fia is only going to be a year in December, but I think it actually might be better if we have them close together. That way when I finish my program and want to go back to work, I can," I explain, looking at the brighter side of the situation.

"But I thought you two were being careful. Did he forget to wrap it up?" Mia asked as a joke.

I rolled my eyes at her. "You know condoms and birth control are not always effective. Plus if I have it timed right, that sounds right around the time the pharmacy had trouble getting my prescription and I had to wait a week. It probably was long enough for it to come out of my system."

Mia thought about it and shrugged. She smiled and sipped her drink, looking at the box I brought with a few things for being a bride's maid. I had special robes made and wine glasses for each of my bridesmaids and had one box altered to say Maid of Honor for Lissa. The boxes also included a piece of jewelry for the wedding.

"What colour are you thinking for the colours? We will need to get dresses soon," Mia asked excitedly as she ran her hand through her hair. I thought she would have cut it short again, but she decided to let her curls grow out.

"I haven't decided yet."

Mia's eyes bugged out of her head as she gawked at me. "What!? You're getting married in two months!"

I held my hands up in surrender. "Easy! I have a few ideas; Dimitri and I just haven't picked them yet!"

"Well, what are your ideas?"

"Dark green, royal blue, peach, or red. We are leaning more towards green and blue though," I explained with an eye roll. I knew Mia was going to hound me about colours. Both Mia and Lissa had porcelain complexions, and I kept that in the back of my mind to work with that.

"The red would be really nice since it will still be winter. But the blue would also work too. Green, on the other hand, will make everyone look amazing. Especially with your skin tone," Mia counted, sipping her mimosa. I nodded and made a mental note.

"Do you have a venue?"

"Yes; the Rainbow Room, where we got engaged. I had brought up that I would have wanted to get married there someday when Dimitri proposed."

"Oh!" Mia squealed, "Is that where the magazine cover had you two on it? The whole big kiss in front of that massive window?!"

I chuckled and sipped my coffee as I gently rocked Sofia's car seat. She had slept like a champ through this whole lunch. "Yes. The same one."

Mia's eyes dazzled in excitement as I watched a plan form in her head.

"Don't go crazy. We are keeping the guest list to a minimum. We both want an intimate setting. A lot of people that would be expected to attend as Dimitri's work contacts are invited. We don't want to make a huge deal out of everything," I insisted with a smirk.

Mia had just as wild of imagination as Lissa. The two of them together could take something small and turn it into Mardi Gras. Not that I didn't appreciate it, they made the last handful of birthdays a real siesta.

"But… I will let you and Lissa throw a bachelorette party if you want. Full reign, whatever you'd like," I said, laughing at the excited squeal that came from her mouth. A few people at other tables turned to look, a few with looks of disdain before returning to their meals.

I watched the wheels turn before she pulled her phone out of her purse and starts typing away, the pinging tone jumbling together as she typed, a crazed grin on her lips. I wasn't sure if I should have regrated my choice.

"Don't worry, we'll make it appropriate!" Mia snickered but I didn't exactly believe her. "Anyway, has my baby taken any more steps?"

I rolled my eyes at her. She always called Sofia her baby.

"Yeah. Not a lot, but she's getting sturdier every day," I enthused, smiling down at my sleeping girl.


We were taking advantage of the mild temperatures! It had been snowing heavily and the temperatures had dropped over the last few weeks, but today was warmer. Warm enough that Dimitri and I thought going to the park would be fun.

Dimitri looked adorably sexy in his duster, hand-knit scarf wrapped around his neck, tuque tucked down over his ears. I didn't bundle up as tightly as usual, but I was warmer than usual. I was already dealing with the hot flashes.

But just looking at Dimitri gave me hot flashes. Another kind though.

Sofia was exploring everything she could. Rocks, the snow, the birds. She was trying to chase the birds, but she could only go a few steps before tumbling down. She was fascinated with the snow too, constantly trying to put it in her mouth.

Dimitri laughed at her when I tossed a little bit of snow in her lap. Her pursed lips and furrowed brow were amusing, so much of her father in that expression. He argued that it was all me, but it was really all him. We saw me more when her temper came out.

Especially when we took her elephant away to wash it. That was a mini temper tantrum of epic proportions!

I watched Sofia play with the snow when she looked up, screaming and squealing in excitement. I followed her line of sight and found the source of her excitement. Her uncle.

"Hey!" I called out and I watched Sofia stand, adorably making her way towards him.

"Where have you been? You've been radio silent all week," I asked as I walked behind Sofia, crouched to catch her if she fell. It was a little comical to see a little furball walking around, but I couldn't resist buying her the teddy bear suit. It was heart-melting and warm.

Adrian grimaced and knitted his brows together. "I was in court."

Dimitri looked at him in confusion. "Why?"

"I spoke to Tasha. We went through having a DNA test confirmed. Vinnie is my son. And we made agreements on his care," Adrian said looking down in his lap before bringing his cigarette to his lips.

"How do you feel?" I asked gently, giving him my attention.

Adrian shrugged. "I don't really know. All that's important right now if getting treatment for Vinnie. That's all I'm thinking about right now."

I nodded and scooped Sofia up. Adrian was right. Until Tasha and he worked things out about what to do when it comes to custody, they needed to focus on Vinnie. Sickle Cell left untreated could be dangerous, even fatal.

"What do you know so far? I mean about Vinnie's treatment?"

"I said that I would pay for the treatment since wasn't something Tasha could handle without going into considerable debt. She found a doctor about a month ago and started treatment. Now that there is a plan for paying for the treatment, they've been able to make a better plan going forward. We are going back in a few weeks to court to discuss custody. But I don't see that being a big deal," Adrian explained.

"Oh?"

"I know this sounds terrible, but I think I'm going to let Tasha have sole custody. I'll pay the appropriate child support of course, but I don't think I want to be a dad. And the circumstance surrounding all of this is too tough. I don't think that I'm exactly father material either. I'm more of a fun Uncle."

I gave him a tight smile. It was Adrian's choice. And he was right, the circumstances were horrible and it put him in a tight spot. But if he didn't feel like he would be a good father and that Vinnie was better off with Tasha, that was also his choice. A choice he had to sit down with Tasha and make.

Dimitri didn't seem to know what to say to Adrian but gave him his silent support.

Adrian took his final drag from his cigarette and stamped it out with his shoe, picking up the bud. He knew Sofia just as well as us. Anything on the floor, she put in her mouth. I met Dimitri's gaze and frowned, not knowing what exactly I could do to help.

This wasn't something that we could help with.


I gave Dimitri a sweet smile as we waited in the waiting room. We had decided that after today's appointment, we were going to do the last of our Christmas shopping. Three weeks away and we really hadn't done much.

Well, that's a lie. We bought things for Sofia's birthday and Christmas, and for the newest addition, but no one else.

I had officially popped too, much to my delight. I loved being pregnant. I loved watching my body change. I felt bold and empowered, and I loved how my stomach was starting to round out. I also loved how much Dimitri loved it too.

I'm sure he loved the crazed sex hormones too! I remembered feeling more aroused the last time, but nothing like this.

"I meant to ask you how shopping went yesterday, but you were asleep when I got home," Dimitri asked, stroking my stomach as he angled himself toward me in his chair.

I smiled with a happy hum, placing my hand on his. "It was good. The girls got their dresses, and I got some accessories. Even found the cutest dress for Sofia!" I said excitedly, "By the time we were done, I could barely stand up."

Dimitri's laugh matched mine and he kissed my forehead tenderly. I was getting giddy about our wedding. We had settled on the colours red and silver, so the girls got red dresses. It was only six weeks now! We had everything ready, we just needed the day to hurry up.

The door opened and I looked over to see Dr. Miles.

"That's our que," I said standing up, pulling Dimitri along with me. I went through the appointment routine, taking my weight, measurements, blood pressure. When we were done I got onto the table and got comfortable.

"So we are heading into your second trimester. How are you feeling?"

I shrugged. "Besides the constant feeling like I'm going to vomit, really good," I said happily, "Hormones are a little rocky, but I expected that."

Dr. Miles smiled at me as he did the ultrasound. He typed away as he took measurements of the baby, and then turned the screen towards us.

"There we are!"

I tipped my head to the side with a smile. I loved this part too. I loved seeing our baby, hearing our baby. Dimitri chuckled and pointed to the screen.

"It looks like Olive is sucking their thumb," Dimitri said softly. I turned to look at him and melted a little at the loving expression on his face. I reached my hand up and cupped his chin, pulling him towards me so I could kiss him.

"Olive?"

"We've nicknamed the baby Olive because I can't stop eating them. Literally, we have five jars of them at home right now. Plus, we don't want to call the baby 'it'," I explained, laughing at myself. The olive craving was amazing for me, not so much for Dimitri. I smelled like brine, and I had to drink more water to counteract the salt.

"There are worse things you could call your baby," Dr. Miles laughed as he removed the ultrasound wand and wiped the goo from my stomach. I sat up and pulled my shirt back down, swinging my legs over the edge of the table.

"I want to see you back again. What is your schedule looking like around the wedding? Are you taking a honeymoon right away?"

I shook my head. "No, we're going to wait until March. There are some big things happening at Dimitri's work. So we can come see you after the wedding."

Dr. Miles nodded as he scrolled through his calendar and rattled off dates. The day after was the only date we could get, but I didn't mind all that much. We could hopefully find out we were having by then.

"Well, I guess the next time I'll be seeing you, I'll be looking for Rose Belikova," Dr. Miles said with a smile. I laughed and slid off the table.

"That's right!"

"Well, Merry Christmas to you both, and best of luck on your wedding day."


It was a really quick edit, so if there are errors, I apologize!

Let me know what you think.